Review: Zone Perfect Greek Yogurt Bars

Brand:  Zone Perfect

Flavor:  Greek Yogurt Raspberry

Where to get it: 

                Here we have an almost perfect mixture of granola bar, cereal bar, and nutrition bar. Chewy like a granola bar, but not as sticky or moist as one, but not quite as dried out as those other bars infested with soy pellets. The raspberry flavor is perfect and you get quite a good dose of it. I really like these bars for times when you know you’re not going to make it to dinner time, but you don’t want to eat so much that you don’t want dinner at dinner time. I think that’s called “a snack,” and I think it’s a concept that’s easy to do wrong. Zone Perfect does it right.

               

Tastes like:  A raspberry granola bar, but with more substance

Taste rating:  8/10

What’s in it:

Review: Cottage Kitchen Cheddar & Chive Crackers

Brand:  Cottage Kitchen

Flavor:  Cheddar & Chive Cracker

Where to get it: here @ Abe's Market

                These are really phenomenal crackers, because they taste more like cheese than cracker. Not orange-cheese-dust cheese, actual cheese, but crunchy like a cracker. I didn’t taste a lot of the chive, and I wished they were a bit saltier, but I am like, seriously out of control when it comes to salt. I PUT salt on these and then it was ON. The serving size is 4 crackers for 70 calories, which I was initially very skeptical of, but the crackers are quite large and pretty substantial. Not to say that I couldn’t eat more than 4…but I was happy when I cut myself off after 4 for the sake of science and my butt-width. The gist of all this rambling is that these were FREAKING DELICIOUS and I will for sure be eating more of them. Definitely worth a try, if you love crackers like I do.

               

Tastes like:  Crunchy cheese DY-NO-MITE!

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  No artificial ingredients, No added sugars or sweeteners

What’s in it:

Review: Field Trip Beef Jerky

Brand:  Field Trip

Flavor:  Original Beef Jerky

Where to get it: here @ Field Trip Jerky

                I’m “MSG intolerant”. It gives me a headache, racing heartbeat, and flushed cheeks. It’s bad. Every once in a while I’ll cave and eat some Top Ramen just to see if it still makes me feel horrible - and it always does. (Please don’t hold my love for Top Ramen against me. Because college.) If you don’t already know, I looooove salty things. Too much. Ergo, I am a big fan of beef jerky. Something you might not realize if MSG doesn’t make you feel like your face is on fire is that almost all beef jerky has MSG as an added ingredient – not just from the soy sauce, but as an actual additive. 

              There are more and more brands leaving it out now with people being more conscious of eating natural, but I have liked exactly ONE brand of MSG-free jerky before I tried Field Trip. (Tillamook - you can check them out here.) It just never tastes right without it, but Field Trip has it NAILED. I honestly couldn’t even tell the difference between this jerky and the jerky of my carefree childhood. I gobbled my little 1 oz. package of original flavor, and went straight to their website to order the Teriyaki, Honey Spice, and Roasted Sesame flavors. They have a couple other flavors as well, but they sounded too spicy for this wimp. Huge, huge, huge fan of this stuff.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Beef jerky that has MSG in it, but this doesn’t!

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  All-natural, Gluten-Free

What’s in it:

Review: Flap Jacked Protein Pancake Mix

Brand:  Flap Jacked

Flavor:  Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix

Where to get it: here @ Flap Jacked

                Being a type 1 diabetic, I think I can appreciate the difference in this pancake mix more than your average Jane. If I ate pancakes made with a typical mix, the spike in my blood sugar would be immediate and quite prolonged if I didn’t preload with a bit of extra insulin. I don’t WANT to take extra insulin on purpose unless I’m at a party, and there’s CAKE. After I ate this mix, even with REGULAR syrup (I just can’t with the sugarless syrup), my blood sugar was just as fine as if I had eaten a breadless breakfast, like I normally do. So, this mix is basically amazing.

                But how does it taste, dude? If it tastes like crap, we don’t really care if it makes you blood sugar levels happy. Well, put your caring pants on, internets, because it tastes pretty much like pancakes. The texture was a little less cake-y, which I actually preferred. And I cooked these mofos PERFECTLY too, so I feel like I got a really good sample-set. The batter smells a little strange, but the taste was quite good. I put Land O’ Lakes light whipped butter and Eggo syrup on mine. (I know, it’s not even real syrup. I just can’t let some things from my childhood go, stop judging me!)

                I have already purchased more of this mix, and plan on using it exclusively when I want pancakes. The Buttermilk flavor could be easily added to with fruit or PB2 or what have you. They also have an apple cinnamon mix that I’m dying to try, as well as a banana hazelnut one. Thanks, Flap Jacked, I’m so totally in! 

               

Tastes like:  Pancakes that don’t make you feel like you ate a lump of dough

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Vegetarian, Made in the USA, No artificial ingredients

What’s in it:

Review: Stoneridge Orchards Montmorency Cherries

Brand:  Stoneridge Orchards

Flavor:  Montmorency Cherries

Where to get it: here @ Amazon (I am a bit dismayed at how hard these are to find online. Stoneridge Farms, if you're listening, chop chop! I want to buy more little packages!)

                Cherries are my favorite fruit. Living in Washington, we are absolutely blessed each year with affordable Rainier cherries. I eat a lot of them, and I always get sad when they go away seemingly a month after I get my first taste of the season. These little packages of sweetened (with cane sugar) darlings really surprised me, because they were so much better than I expected. They have just the right amount of sweetness, lots of delicious cherry flavor. I definitely plan on buy more, and soon! They are the perfect sweet snack without all the starch and carb crash. LOVE!

               

Tastes like:  I wish these grew on trees

Taste rating:  10/10

What’s in it:

Ingredients:  Montmorency cherries, Sugar, Sunflower Oil

Review: Just Pure Foods Crispy Onion Rings

Brand:  Just Pure Foods

Flavor:  Crispy Onion Rings

Where to get it: here @ Abe's Market

                I am so impressed with these little guys! The ingredients get an A++; they are almost entirely plant-based and organic, but they taste just like those onions in the can that everyone uses that are full of flour and sugar. I love putting these on salads and also on ham sandwiches. THEY ARE SO GOOD ON SANDWICHES, YOU GUYS. I didn’t really like eating them straight out of the bag, but that doesn’t mean you can’t if you REALLY love onions. I haven’t tried putting them on the green beans and baking them, I kind of think they might sog up a bit, but I also kind of think I would be okay with that. Looks like I might have an experiment to perform this fall.

               

Tastes like:  Those goodbad onions in the can, but a little less crunchy

Taste rating:  8/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Raw, No artificial ingredients

What’s in it:

Review: South Beach Diet Whipped Peanut Butter Snack Bars

Brand:  South Beach Diet

Flavor:  Whipped Peanut Butter

Where to get it: here @ Walmart

                I find a lot of the time, people “in the know” of diet/nutrition/natural products often frown upon the mass-market brands, like South Beach Diet. Each product from each line really should be evaluated on an individual basis though, because these little bars are an absolute gem, both nutritionally and flavorically (yes, I made up a word, and I think it works. Shush). I’m a unicorn, a unique snowflake…a girl who doesn’t like chocolate. I really don’t, I just never have. So I am always on the lookout for bars like this, and this one is the best I have found for its 100 calorie hit. I always toss the box right in the fridge and eat them cold. 100 calories, great taste, 6 grams of protein, and surprise! no artificial flavors or sweeteners. If you like peanut butter (and if you’re female, I’m going to guess that you love it), you need these in your life.

               

Tastes like:  Cool (because I eat them out of the fridge), smooth peanut butter with a chew

Taste rating:  10/10

What’s in it:

Review: Grandma Hoerner's Big Slice Apples

Brand:  Grandma Hoerner’s

Flavor:  Big Slice Apples, various

Where to get it: here @ Grandma Hoerner's, also available at Target

                I LOVE baked apples and pears, even better if they’re spiced. But…that takes a lot of time and actual planning. These are just as good, and way more versatile. Good hot or cold, plain or with stuff! I dumped some All Bran in a pack to add a healthy crunch. They are also really, really good on waffles or pancakes – if you have a good protein pancake mix that you depend on (I highly recommend Flap Jacked), dump a packet of these warmed up on top instead of agave or syrup and make your knee-slappin’ morning. Good lord. I feel like you could do almost anything with these, and I could go on and on about the possibilities. At some point you’ll stop reading though, so I guess I’ll just leave it at…this is my new favorite thing. 

               

Tastes like:  All of your best dreams, translated into apples and spices

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Non GMO, Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review: Mudd + Wyeth Yaff Bar

Brand:  Yaff Bar

Flavor:  Banana Peanut Butter

Where to get it:  here @ Mudd + Wyeth (or here for single bars)

                My first thought about this bar was kind of an odd one:  “This is a bar you could eat and not pay any attention to it at all.” It’s just…mellow. Safe. It won’t let you down. You won’t devour it without chewing, and you won’t rush to the store to buy it by the case, but it’s solid. It’ll make you happy without giving you any extra adrenal action. Great texture for breaking off little pieces if you do indeed want to share it with your dog, as the label suggests. I adore that notion, by the way. If you’re just snacking and not hiking or doing something where you’re trying to get some extra carbs for energy, there are over 200 calories in the bar, so sharing with your dog might not be a bad idea. Or just bag up half for later. I realize this has been a totally weird review, but I mean everything I have said in the most positive of ways. I’m glad Yaff is around.

               

Tastes like:  When a breeze that’s just the perfect, soothing temperature tousles your hair.

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  No artificial ingredients, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review: Cocomama Quinoa Cereal

Brand:  Cocomama Quinoa Cereal

Flavor:  Banana Cinnamon

Where to get it: here @ Abe's Market

                First of all let me just say that I really like the packaging on these single-serving quinoa cereals. According to the package, you can eat them at room temperature or heat them up. They’re wet-ish in the package, and you don’t need to add anything to them, MRE-style. Maybe I was too excited, but wow, I did not like these. The honey almond was better than the banana cinnamon (and I love banana), but no. Just no. Saddest, little broken-hearted breakfast baby of all time, right here. Quinoa is basically a blank slate, so I don’t know WHAT made these so awful. I love the idea, so now I’m basically on a quest to find single-serving packets of steel-cut oats like this.

               

Tastes like:  Dirt

Taste rating:  2/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Non GMO, Made in the USA, Vegetarian, Vegan, No artificial ingredients

What’s in it:

Review: Quest Nutrition White Chocolate Raspberry Protein Bars

Brand:  Quest Nutrition

Flavor:  White Chocolate Raspberry

Where to get it: here @ Bodybuilding.com

                Quest bars are a great snack with low (net) carbs and lots of good protein. I’m slowly working my way through the flavors, and my second whack at these was this White Chocolate Raspberry flavor. I love me some white chocolate, yes I do. My favorite yogurt, of which I consume about 5 containers weekly, is a carb-conscious white chocolate raspberry. I liked these bars okay I suppose, I just found them to be a bit too sweet. The raspberry flavor is great, and I got pretty giddy when I actually found myself crunching down on some REAL raspberry seeds. If you really, really, REALLY like potent raspberry sweetness, you will die for this bar. I ate it in thirds over the course of a week, because that was about the right amount of raspberry sweetness for me at one time.

               

Tastes like:  Super sweet, super raspberry

Taste rating:  6/10

What’s in it:

Review: Glorious Chobani Greek Yogurts

Brand:  Chobani Greek yogurt

Flavor:  Various

Where to get it: Your local grocery store, but their site is http://www.chobani.com/

                I’ll just come right out and say it:  I love everything Chobani does. The Greek yogurt market has EXPLODED in the US in the last 2ish years, and if I’m awarding the crown, I am giving it to Chobani without extra time in the deliberation room. For one, it’s available in almost any grocery store - unlike some other “highly recommended” Greek yogurts. If I have to drive 2 hours to find a store that sells “the best” Greek yogurt, it’s not the best. Maybe it’s good, but I need access, man!

Chobani also impresses me for their variety. 0%, 2%, 100-calorie, and now they have a line with steel-cut oats already mixed in (!). My person and I saw the latter option in the store for the first time about 2 weeks ago and looked at each other skeptically. We each bought one container, thinking “eh, this is probably going to be a disaster.” It wasn’t. It was delicious. We went back to the store THAT NIGHT to get more. The apple and banana are my favorite oat ones (he fancies the blueberry), and they have comparable calories (160 vs 140) to their 0% and 2% lines. Ever calorie-counting, I more often eat from the 100-calorie line, and still get *12* grams of protein. 12 grams in 100 calories?? Fantastic job, Chobani. I’m yours.

               

Tastes like:  A tastier way to get protein than about 90% of protein powders on the market

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  All natural, Gluten free, Kosher, Vegetarian

What’s in it: Depends on flavor/line.

Blackberry 0%:

Banana Maple w/ Steel Cut Oats:

Review: The Bliss Bar

Brand:  Bliss Bar

Flavor:  Coconut Goji

Where to get it: here @ AbesMarket.com

                Most people who do a lot of product reviews will tell you, it’s a lot easier, and much more enjoyable, to review things that you enjoyed. They aren’t lying. Someone out there made a company, and (I imagine) put their heart, soul, and money into it – and this is what came out:  The Bliss Bar. It tastes so bad. I *feel* so bad. But I can’t lie. I don’t know how anyone could eat one of these, let alone eat them regularly. They’re very creative and full of good qualities, but wow…I couldn’t even get through an entire bite – I literally spat it into the garbage can under my desk. I tried the Chia Mulberry flavor as well with the same result. If you like these little circles of UGH, I’d love to hear your perspective on them. I’m sorry, Bliss Bar. Just being honest.

               

Tastes like:  Candles, rubbing alcohol, and despair

Taste rating:  0/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Kosher, Made in the USA, Organic, Raw, Vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review: Enjoy Life Plentils, Margherita Pizza

Brand:  Enjoy Life Plentils

Flavor:  Margherita Pizza

Where to get it: here @ AbesMarket.com

                These are probably my favorite of all the “chip substitute” snacks I have tried. They have a great texture, and the flavoring is strong enough to satisfy my flavor cravings. They don’t taste like potatoes cobbled together with flavorless air like a lot of the other products I have tried. I ate some of these plain, which was good, but then I made some tuna salad and scooped it up with the Plentils, and that was REALLY good. I also feel like these would be great on a sandwich, if you’re the kind of deviant that puts chips ON sandwiches. I am that kind of deviant, so there will be no judgment from me.

               

Tastes like:  Light & airy herb crunchies

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Gluten Free, Non GMO, All natural, Halal, Kosher, Vegetarian, Vegan, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review: Zouq's Curry Crunch Snack Mix

Brand:  Zouq

Flavor:  Curry Crunch

Where to get it:  here @ Zouq.com

                I love curry flavor, but I usually find actual curry a little too rich after a couple of bites, which I blame solely on most chef’s overuse of coconut milk. The awesome thing about this snack mix is that you get all of that delicious curry flavor, with none of the ooooog, too much! feeling. Zouq also splooshed a little something sweet in here, making it so much better than just a straight-up curry flavor. The tidbits are little, it’s a “sleeker” snack mix, if you will, and I absolutely loved it. Hits the spot for salty or sweet cravings, and I’m excited to see what other products they make that I might snarf up.

               

Tastes like:  Sweet and savory curry

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:  Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review: The Naked Edge Veggie Go's

Brand:  The Naked Edge

Flavor:  Veggie Go’s (variety)

Where to get it: here @ Abe's Market

                If *I* mixed carrots, apple & ginger together with nothing else, I’m fairly certain that the end result wouldn’t even be edible. Somehow the lovely folks at The Naked Edge take bare bones, natural ingredients, and turn them into one of the best snacks I have found in my quest for weight loss cuisine. These are a lot like Fruit Leather (we’ll talk about those in a future review), but they only have 15-20 calories per snack. Mind = blown.

               

Tastes like:  Fruit leather on a diet (but that mythical diet where you’re never hungry)

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Non GMO, Kosher, Made in the USA, All natural, Organic, Vegetarian, Vegan

What’s in it:

Review: Yum A Roos Caribbean Crop

Brand:  Yum-A-Roos

Flavor:  Carribean Crop

Where to get it: here @ Abe's Market

                Have you ever gone to a baby shower and played that game where you taste the different baby foods and then try to guess what flavor they are? If you have, then you know how horrible most baby food is. While these snacks aren’t for actual babies (because they have no teeth, I presume), I think they are intended for toddlers who are past the choking-risk age. Don’t quote me on this stuff, since I don’t know anything about children. I am making these assumptions because these little snacks are very healthy, but they taste so bad. The peas are the worst part (and you thought it would be the banana, didn’t you?) and I was looking all over for something to eat just to get the taste out of my mouth after one mouthful of these guys. Simple, organic ingredients…get them for your kids if they will eat them, but skip them for yourself.

               

Tastes like:  How do I get this out of my mouth?

Taste rating:  1/10

Qualities:  Organic, Made in the USA, Vegan, Gluten-free, Non GMO

What’s in it:

Review: Dixie Carb Counters Skinni Spaghetti

Brand:  Dixie Carb Counters

Flavor:  Skinni Spaghetti

Where to get it: here @ Netrition.com

                I have been a MUCH happier dieter since I discovered that there was such a thing as “protein noodles”. I’m working my way through all the different kinds I’ve found to nail down a favorite, but any way to eat something that actually tastes like traditional spaghetti without all those nasty carbs is okay with this girl. Dixie Carb Counters Skinni Spaghetti is made from soybeans, and I didn’t like it as much as I did the Explore Asia noodles made from mung beans. If you get too big of a mouthful, you can really taste the bean flavor with these noodles. It’s not a deal-breaker, but I definitely recommend using a lot of pasta sauce and chunky ingredients to help cover up the fact that it’s not wheat-based pasta you’re shoveling down.

               

Tastes like:  Bland-ish noodle-shaped beans (smother these in sauce & veggies)

Taste rating:  6/10

What’s in it:

Review: Emmy's Chocolate Chip Macaroons

Brand:  Emmy’s

Flavor:  Chocolate Chip Macaroons

Where to get it: here @ Emmy's Organics

                Raw stuff turned into other stuff is usually gross. It just is. I applaud those who can subsist off of a raw diet, but I will never be one of those people. I was expecting these cookies to taste like either dates or seeds, because that’s what all raw stuff tastes like. BUT WAIT. There must also be some raw sorcery in these Emmy’s Chocolate Chip Macaroons, because ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…they are wicked good. I can honestly say that I would rather eat these than a traditional, cooked macaroon – which are almost always overcooked and dry to me. Just 100 calories per little cookie puck, toss a pack of these in your desk drawer for that 3pm pick me up!

               

Tastes like:  Heaven

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free, Non-GMO, Kosher, Organic, All-natural

What’s in it:

Review: Kind Oats & Honey Bars

Brand:  Kind

Flavor:  Oats & Honey

Where to get it: here @ Advantage Nutrition

The “rectangle” style of Kind bars are mostly grains, whereas the “bar” style of Kind bars seem to be mostly nuts. These are so yummy, I like to break off tiny pieces and eat them almost like trail mix. The coconut in them adds more texture than flavor, so it doesn’t taste at all like a tropical-flavored bar. I also really like that they’re flat and thin, as opposed to long and thick (filed under:  things that sound dirty but aren’t). Plus, you can toss it in your bag, and it can’t get squished, because it already comes squished. Bonus.

               

Tastes like:  A really, really REALLY good granola bar

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Non-GMO, All natural

What’s in it: