Nature Box- Five Bags of Goodies for A Month of Healthy Snacking

I recently purchased a discount for a month of the “NatureBox” that normally sells for $19.95/month (got it for $5- SCORE!).  I thought it would be great to find out how it worked and see if it was worth the $20 a month.

This is not your mother’s trail mix ladies and gentlemen.  There are so many varieties to include in your shipment including dried fruits, nuts, seeds, trail mixes, etc.  It’s definitely worth trying for a few months and checking out different varieties.  And…. if you’re like me, you keep snacks at your desk so you don’t go out desperate for chocolate and soda at 3pm, this is a great way to keep you on track.

The only downside I see is eating the whole bag – it would be great if these were packaged according to days.  I get that it’s not practical and not earth-friendly to do so but maybe find a way to seal it shut in five different compartments?  I don’t know, just a suggestion.  I ate the granola squares in two days and though they weren’t that fattening, I should have drug it out a little more.

I think it’s a great concept if you can hold yourself back and eat your portion every day; it will certainly keep you going for a full month of healthy snacking.

For more information, go to http://www.naturebox.com

 

Two Moms In The Raw- Healthy Chocolate Truffles

I’ve been super hungry the last two days, I’m not sure what is going on but I want to eat everything in site!  At lunchtime today, I went out to get something at the local health food store and found these wonderful little Chocolate Truffles.

A couple of things about these truffles that are positive:

1. They are packed full of nutritious goodies.
2. They aren’t sickly sweet, just a tad sweet- this is something I would feel great giving my child (when he’s old enough).
3. They are raw so you don’t have to worry about losing any nutrients in the process, you get everything that God created them to be packed into a tight little ball.

The not so positive (but not really negative):

1. I was really hoping for something healthy but junky, if you know what I mean!  These truffles are barely sweetened and I wanted something delectable and sweet.  I was thinking of a healthy version of Ferrero Roche.
2. They are really high calorie.  Because these truffles are packed with nutrient density, each one (3 in a pack) of these small round balls packs a whopping 140 calories and 10g of fat. That’s almost 12 WW points per package!  I ate one and threw out the rest.  Not worth wasting my points on something healthy but high calorie.

All in all, probably a great-sometime- snack but not something you could afford to eat regularly.  And make sure you share it with two friends so you don’t get the calorie punch.

If you decide to check them out, you can find them here or at your local health food store: http://www.twomomsintheraw.com/collections/truffles

My Shakeology is here!

Ok, I’m kind of cheating on Vega.  Just a little.  

The truth is that I’ve heard a lot of great things about Shakeology – the same company that created the Insanity and P90x videos, and have even tried it once at an event I went to with a friend (they also make a vegan chocolate and strawberry shake for those of you Vegans looking for a healthy breakfast or snack).  I liked it and it has some incredible ingredients including maca, flax, chia, etc.

I finally broke down and purchased it but it was kind of expensive- $119 and that’s only if you decide to get the automatic renewal every month (which actually comes with free shipping).  I’m going to try it and see if it works for me.  When you break it down, it’s about $4 a meal.  Consider the fact that I spend that everyday anyway, I’m not going to break the bank but if you’re looking for a way to save money, this isn’t it (unless you replace a lunch or dinner).

I’m looking forward to seeing how I feel after taking this for two months and I’m also including the vegan/vegetarian recipes my new Beachbody coach sent me to lose some weight.  I’ve finally hit my pre-baby weight but let’s face it, I wasn’t at an ideal weight then either.  So many people expect you to be skinny as a vegetarian but that just isn’t true in all cases.  Breads and carbs can totally destroy you even as a vegetarian.

I’ve been on so many weight loss plans that I’m not really expecting to do anything but change my healthy eating habits but I really hope that I’ll be pleasantly surprised by myself and the Shakeology/Insanity workouts.  I’ll let you know if I’ve accomplished anything in 60 days. 😉

To order your own shakeology, please support these two amazing coaches!

www.beachbodycoach.com/Miamifitclub and http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/tntfitclub

 

The Big Tomato Market, Not To Be Confused With Sweet Tomatoes **UPDATE

**Update: My husband has informed me that this cute little restaurant has shut down.  Although the food was a bit greasy and overcooked, it was still good and had great atmosphere.  I’m sorry to hear that this has happened.

My husband decided to be spontaneous and take me to a new restaurant this past weekend.  I love that about him!  It wasn’t anything fancy and the food wasn’t amazing but it was different and had a great atmosphere.

The Big Tomato Market in Pembroke Pines is right off of University and Pines next to Cafe Iguana (by the way, I had a peak inside and that place looks funky, I might have to check it out).  The inside of Big Tomato is old world Italian slash classic pub and the food is about the same.  I ordered the eggplant parmesan which was a little too greasy and didn’t feel overly fresh but it was tasty all the same.  They serve dinner with garlic rolls that are literally soaked in an inch of oil but OH MY GOSH are they delicious.  In fact, don’t order an appetizer because you’ll probably eat all of them and won’t be able to eat your dinner.

For a side dish I ordered the tomato bruschetta, a very simple toasted bread with tomato and basil and not much else but it was best that way because the garlic rolls had enough taste to go around.

The server was very sweet, did a great job until the very end when she kind of disappeared and we had to ask someone to go get her.  The place was not packed at all for a Friday night but there were some people at the bar that were making a lot of noise- I wasn’t sure but it almost sounded like it was a DJ or Karaoke.

If you want a chill atmosphere and some fattening Italian food, check this place out!

http://www.bigtomatomarket.com/

GoPicnic Hummus+Crackers Vegan Ready-to-Eat Meal

I found the cutest pre-packaged lunch today – GoPicnic hummus+crackers. It reminds me of what a healthy American-style bento box might be, which I’ve always wanted to make for myself yet never found the time. It comes with several individually packaged snacks, which can be eaten together or spaced throughout the day. Because everything is well packaged, nothing needs refrigeration (including the hummus), which means you can literally bring this anywhere. I have travelling on the brain right now because of my trip next week, so I’m thinking this would make an awesome meal to bring in your carry-on. No more nasty airplane meals! You could also bring this camping, on long car rides…so many possibilities. The variety I chose, hummus+crackers, is only 400 calories total, making it a great lunch/mid-day snack. I’m on a lower calorie diet right now (between 1200-1300 calories per day), so this fits well into the middle of my day. I have been snacking on it for a couple of hours now and feel completely satisfied.

They have two 100% vegan varieties to choose from: hummus+crackers and sunbutter+crackers. I found them in my local Nutrition S’mart with a $1 off coupon, bringing the price to just $2.89. That’s an amazing deal for such a healthful and filling meal. I’m excited to try the sunbutter one next time!

 

 

 

You can see their vegan offerings here : http://www.gopicnic.com/Special-Diets/Vegan-Meals

Super cute packaging

100% Natural Chiquita Super Crunchy Fruit Chips

I’ve never been a huge fan of commercially made dehydrated or freeze dried fruits. Usually they taste like cardboard and are loaded with preservatives, which completely negates any health benefits. So I was torn as to what to snack on while at my conference next week (will be flying off to Denver), while still maintaining my diet. Yes, I know – so cliché, I’m dieting in January LOL. Wandering the crowded aisles of my local Walmart (tough times call for budgeting!) I was super excited to find these cute, individual 45 calorie packets of Chiquita Fruit Chips. The ingredients are so simple, literally just pineapple. Yup, that’s it. No chemicals, no oils, no sugar. Just the fruit of choice.

They have three varieties: pineapple, mango and banana. I grabbed a pack of six individual baggies: three banana and three pineapple. So far I’ve only tried the Pineapple, but they were so tasty I knew I wanted to share it with our readers. Chiquita says on the package that they are “100% air-crisped fruit, never fried or freeze-dried”, and the end product definitely shows the care they took in preparing them. While not quite like dehydrated fruit, which I love when executed properly, these are crispier. This makes them a great alternative to fat-laden chips, and also healthier being that there are no added ingredients. There is the obvious sweetness of the fruit, mingled with the satisfying crunch and the fruit “re-hydrates” in your mouth while chewing, giving a great finish. The 45 calorie snack bags are also unbelievably satiating, even for heavy appetites like mine!

If you can’t find them in grocery stores, you can also purchase them on Amazon (albeit larger containers):

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=chiquita+super+crunchy+fruit+chips&sprefix=chiquita+super+c%2Caps%2C177

Healthy, delicious and 100% natural – a wonderful pre-packaged snack! Great for kid’s lunches, road tripping and even detoxing!