Review: One Bars

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There are so many protein bars out there, with something for just about every flavor, texture, and consistency preference and just about every dietary need. 

While protein bars can make a really convenient snack, since they're generally individually packaged, shelf stable for months or more, and not messy or smelly to eat, some protein bars can be loaded with up to 30g of sugar. I don't think I'm in the minority when I say that a protein bar should have more protein than it has sugar! And it should also have less sugar than a Snicker's bar. One Bars (formerly OhYeah! bars) have nutritional stats worthy of a protein bar - 20g of protein and only 1g of sugar per bar. That's great for keeping blood sugar levels even and energy levels steady!

They also come in a nice variety of different dessert-y flavors!

The bars all taste quite different, but they all share some important similarities.

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Review: New Arctic Zero!

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Ice cream is probably my favorite dessert and I love finding ice cream varieties that are less heavy than the standard. Ice cream is delicious and the fully indulgent stuff is good now and then, but having regular ice cream daily can make me feel sluggish and weighed down, which is no fun at all.

Arctic Zero is a pioneer in the light, high protein ice cream alternative space, but for a while there they were edged out by Halo Top for tastiness - the original Arctic Zero creamy pints and even the newer chunky pints just didn't have the same creamy mouthfeel of full fat ice cream. No wonder, since they're more of a frozen protein shake. Still, when you're feeling less virtuous, it didn't quite hit the spot. The new Arctic Zero flavors, made with real cream and no sugar alcohols, do!

These pints are still better for you than traditional ice cream - they're mostly 360 calories per pint, with a few flavors just under that, and are lower in fat and sugar than traditional ice cream. They also come in plenty of delicious flavors!

I was most excited to try the Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cookies, Cookies & Cream, and Cookie & Brownie Dough pints, but the Toffee Crunch was a close second.



Bae was most excited for the Chocolate Chunk (because if anyone loves chocolate more than me, it's him), as well as the Mint & Chocolate Cookies.

Lastly, there's the Vanilla Bean - it's the lightest of the flavors, just 280 calories for a whole pint, and is a great, creamy base for milkshakes, topping for pies, etc.

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Review: Quest Protein Cookies

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I have such a sweet tooth. I can completely do without pizza, chips, fries, or other greasy junk food. Sweets, however? Much harder - especially chocolate and soft, chewy cookies! 

In general, I try to live a pretty healthy lifestyle. I'm fairly active, I do some sort of exercise most days of the week, I go to bed at a reasonable hour most nights, I drink a lot of water (and tea - I'm halfrican), and I eat a colorful diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. I'm a firm believer that mental health and happiness is as important as physical health and fitness, so I allow myself daily sweet indulgences. Still, it would be nice if those sweet indulgences could be more than just empty calories! 

Enter protein cookies from Quest, the original creators of the cheat clean bar that tastes like a candy bar, but is low sugar, high protein, and high fiber. Would the cookies live up to my high expectations?

They come in four flavors and I hope that, like their bars, Quest will regularly add new flavors of the cookies. They're big, approximately palm sized, and nicely thick. 

In addition to a lot of protein and fiber, the 240-250 calorie cookies each have only around 1-3g of sugar. That's less than a teaspoon of sugar! 

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Review: Genuine Health Fermented Vegan Proteins+

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I'm not vegan and I'm actually not even vegetarian anymore - after 12 or so years of being strictly vegetarian, I'm now a pescatarian. That manifests itself as occasionally ordering salmon at a restaurant or, more frequently, enjoying sushi and sashimi. 

It's a recent change, but I've been positively surprised by how easily my body adapted to it! I have a sensitive stomach and worried it could cause me some pain, but my body has been happy having fish once or twice a week for the last month or two, since the switch to pescetarianism. Yay!

Still, I love vegetarian and vegan food and the vast majority of the time I still order vegetarian and vegan food when I'm out and still eat mostly vegetarian food at home. A mostly plantbased diet gives me energy, keeps my stomach and my skin happy, and just suits my tastes the best. Since most of my days are still vegetarian, I'm still always interested in learning about healthy plantbased sources of protein. 

So many protein bars and powders are full of ingredients that I wouldn't even want in a skincare product, much less in something I'm eating. Genuine Health is different - they're committed to creating products that are actually good for you. 

They're the self-proclaimed fermentation experts and the products in their fermented vegan proteins+ line feature fermented organic spirulina, fermented alfalfa, fermented mung bean sprouts, fermented organic quinoa sprouts, fermented pea protein isolate, fermented organic hemp, and fermented brown rice. I love that it's all stuff that I recognize as food!

Why choose fermented protein, especially when there are so few brands out there doing it? Easy - fermented plant protein is 40% better absorbed and utilized by the body than the same protein, unfermented. 

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Review: Stabilyze Protein Bars

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I really like protein bars a handy, shelf-stable snack to keep in my bag during travel, long days on set, and general busy day-to-day life. But while some protein bars can make a healthy on-the-go snack, there are SO many protein bars out there and many are little more than glorified candy bars!

Since no one wants to waste time, money, and stomach space on protein bars that aren't worth it, I'm sharing a review of a new bar I've tried recently! Stabilyze sent me a few of their bars to try and here are my thoughts.

I tried three flavors - dark chocolate thin mint cookie, dark chocolate coconut cashew, and dark chocolate peanut butter cup. All three boast nutritional stats that fit into a low glycemic lifestyle, for the carb conscious and anyone else who's disinterested in riding a blood sugar roller coaster. 

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Recipe: 100% Whole Grain Dark Chocolate Coconut Quinoa Cookies

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Who doesn't love cookies? Especially when they're packed with coconut and dark chocolate? Unfortunately, most cookies can be nutritional black holes - fine for now and then, but not the best as a regular snack.

These cookies have all the chewy, sweet, chocolatey deliciousness of decadent cookies, but are packed with fiber and protein (they're 100% whole grain and feature protein-rich quinoa), and are pretty low sugar for cookies. 

I'll stop blathering on about them, because the best way to convince you will be if you try them yourselves. They're pretty quick and easy to make, so give the recipe a try!

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Recipe: Chinese-Style Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce

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I'm not even going to pretend that this is an authentic Chinese recipe. No, this is 100% Americanized Chinese-inspired food prepared by someone who has absolutely 0 qualification to make Chinese food.

...but if you like Americanized Chinese food and you want a simple weeknight dinner recipe that's healthier than takeout, but still a crowd-pleaser, it's a hit!



Just get some rice boiling before you start cooking the chicken and the whole meal will come together in less than thirty minutes! So that reading this recipe post doesn't take longer than actually making the recipe, I'm going to jump right in.

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New Arctic Zero Lineup!

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There are three new chunky pints of Arctic Zero! Plus a new chocolate-dipped bar.

For those of you who aren't familiar with my past reviews of Arctic Zero, and haven't heard the buzz about the frozen dessert in the grocery store or at the gym, here's why Arctic Zero is the ice cream that the #fitfam an #healthnut crowd goes nuts over.

Arctic Zero is a frozen dessert (technically not an ice cream, since it isn't made out of cream) that's fat-free, lactose-free, gmo-free, certified gluten-free, kosher, and low in sugar.

It's made of whey protein concentrate, so it's high in protein, and sweetened with monk fruit concentrate, so it's much lower in sugar than traditional ice cream and won't send you on a blood sugar rollercoaster. It's enriched with fiber to keep you full and *cough, cough* regular. Sure beats bran, doesn't it?

With all of that, it's surprising that it not only tastes good, but is also creamy (especially after sitting out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, since it freezes firmer than traditional high-fat ice cream). And now there are three new chunky pints in the lineup, plus a new kind of chocolate-dipped bar!

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My Top 10 Favorite Places to Eat in NYC

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NYC has so much good food and that seems to count doubly for plantbased food. From acai bowls to raw vegan lasagna and sushi that's all vegan and fish-free (Beyond Sushi, you're on my to-eat list!), there's anything and everything you could possibly want to eat!

...and some that you'd rather not. When there's so much good food, it's a pity to waste up precious stomach space on mediocre meals. Especially if you're only in NYC briefly, you should just eat the good stuff.

So here's my list of my top ten vegetarian- and vegan-friendly food places in NYC! Some are totally plantbased and others offer options for omnivores, but also plenty of vegetarian options.

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Recipe: Torsk

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Remember that time, a few days ago, when I shared a recipe for chipotle creamed corn with you and promised I'd share a recipe for the Torsk (Norwegian broiled cod) I photographed it with?

The day has come, my friends.

Read on for the recipe for torsk - it's fast, easy, and features relatively few, relatively simple ingredients!

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New Detour Simple Bar Review: Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almond!

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There's a new Detour Simple bar flavor and it's chocolatey, nutty, and delicious!

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almond sound delicious and the bars don't disappoint! They're sweet and taste like candy, but their nutrition stats are quite different.

With 20g of protein, no gluten, no GMOs, and only 4g of sugar, it's the fittest candy bar you'll find. 

I like that a protein blend is the first ingredient, as it should be in a protein bar, but the list is a little long for my liking. The nutritional stats are great, but with these bars that comes at the sacrifice of all 'whole foods' ingredients. That said, the nutritional stats are still great, the bars are a better replacement for a traditional chocolate bar, and overall they get a thumbs up!

The chocolate coating is creamy and delicious and chocolatey with no weird artificial sweetener aftertaste.

The inside is chewy, like a thick layer of nougat topped with perfectly crunchy almond and a bit of caramel. I don't distinctly taste the sea salt out of the bar, but I wouldn't change a thing about the flavor. They're delicious! They're a great snack and even, in a pinch, a tasty lunch when paired with greek yogurt and a banana.

Have you tried the new Detour Simple bars?

What are your favorite protein bars?

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Review + Giveaway: GoMacro's Thrive Bars

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MacroBars are delicious and GoMacro, the company behind them, has recently released a new line of Thrive bars! 

Thrive bars are made up of a superfood ancient grain blend, are vegan, and provide plant-based protein, essential fatty acids, and prebiotic fiber.

I tried six delicious flavors - chocolate, nuts & sea salt, blueberry lavender, chocolate peanut butter chip, ginger lemon, almond apricot, and caramel coconut.

How delicious do those flavors sound? Especially chocolate, nuts & sea salt, peanut butter chocolate chip (noticing a trend?), and caramel coconut.

Thrive Bars are all USDA-certified organic, non-gmo, kosher, certified gluten-free, soy-free, and 100% vegan. There's nothing in them that you don't want in you! 

And unlike some bars, where it feels like you either have to suck it up and pay shipping fees or you have to go on an epic journey to hunt them down, Thrive Bars are available in stores at Whole Foods as of this month, October 2016. Yay!

I can definitely stand behind their front of package pitch 'Ingredients: Grown Not Made.' Works for me!

Especially because they're chewy, the right amount of sweet, and flavorful.

They're filling, hearty, chewy, and have a nice crunch from the ancient grains. I liked all the flavors, but was surprised to find that I liked the fruit flavors, like Ginger Lemon (above) a lot more than I expected! They're not boring or flat at all, likely due to the spices that they mix in.

But don't take my word for it - try them yourselves! The team at GoMacro is giving away one box of assorted Thrive bars (MSRP $26.28) to one lucky Living, Learning, Eating reader. 

Just enter below by midnight on 11/05. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don't want to wait, get 30% off of your order of Thrive bars using the promo code Thrive30.

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Review: Healthy Chef Creations Vegetarian Meal Delivery

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Healthy gourmet meals, made for you, and delivered fresh - never frozen - nationwide? To this busy girl, that sounded pretty great. 

I love cooking and baking and spending quality time with my kitchen, but sometimes life gets crazy and having a few days, or a week, where the food just magically shows up ready to eat can be a godsend. Enter Healthy Chef Creations!

Healthy Chef Creations' menu is spa-inspired and delivered weekly all across the US in individually packaged meals, snacks, and desserts that are fresh and never frozen. 

              

As long as you transfer them to your fridge immediately, they'll last for a week. It's healthy, it's fresh, and the dishes are even tempting to non-healthnuts.

They offer meal delivery programs and a la carte meals suitable for omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, and/or people on gluten-free diets. You can customize your meals accordingly! And it's always natural and organic.

Healthy Chef Creations: The Food

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Review: Halo Top Creamery Ice Cream

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Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved ice cream. 

Her very favorite ice cream of all time was Edy's Loaded Cookies & Cream Ice Cream. Her freezer was never without a tub and her wonderful mother always made sure to have some in the freezer when she came home for break from boarding school (because her mother was/is wonderful).

Then, one sad sad SAD day, Edy's discontinued their Loaded Ice Cream line. The girl experienced her first heartbreak and was inconsolable. 

But slowly, oh so slowly, she learned to love again. This time, she fell for Edy's Slow Churned Yogurt Praline Crunch. There were many delicious afternoon snacks, a toppling birthday ice cream cake she insisted on making out of her love, and infinite apples dipped into ice cream. Until...

...Edy's discontinued her love. AGAIN. The girl's faith in the ice cream industry was shattered. Alas! She was not meant to be allowed to keep a love. 

And then she met Halo Top Creamery during a leisurely stroll through a Whole Food's freezer aisle. 

Halo Top Chocolate Mocha Chip:

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Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon with Cabernet Reduction

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Whether it's a dinner party, date night, a birthday, or just a wear-high-heels-and-have-perfect-posture Tuesday, sometimes breakfast for dinner or a simple pasta dish doesn't cut it.

This blue cheese crusted filet mignon with cabernet reduction is loved by all of my taste testers, spanning three generations and many different food preferences, and it's a pretty dish perfect for any fancy evening in!

I'm not going to pretend that this is 'quick and easy' as you should definitely give yourself a solid hour to prepare this dish along with the sides (I recommend mashed potatoes and garlic spinach), but the big smiles and rave reviews are well worth the effort. Read on for how to make a restaurant-quality steak dinner at home!

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Review: Bhu Fit Bars

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As the temperatures rise and summer sets in, many of us find ourselves on the go much more than during the cooler months. Whether it's traveling or simply spending more time outside at parks, beaches, lakes, and so on, summertime is all about going out and having adventures!

Bhu Fit Bars  from Bhu Foods are the perfect grab-and-go choice for healthy snacking away from home. They're conveniently packaged, like traditional protein bars, and they're made of only healthy, whole foods. That's rare to find in a protein bar!

The bars are no-GMO, gluten-free, and full of healthy protein and digestion-regulating fiber. They're also wonderfully low in sugar, without relying on unhealthy chemical sweeteners, like sucralose.

They come in three main types, all of which are oh so delicious and oh so good for you! 

There are the vegan bars, which are made with organic pea protein and come in three great flavors. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip is my favorite, but Chocolate Tart Cherry Pistachio is delicious, too!

Bhu Fit Chocolate Tart Cherry Pistachio Vegan Bar

Many chocolate-flavored protein bars feature chocolate as the main flavor, but these bars have just a little bit of chocolate, so that the other flavors still shine, too. The bars have a chewy texture and aren't too big, but also not too small! They're perfectly snack-sized.

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Superfood of the Day: Tigernuts

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Have you heard of tigernuts?

The latest superfood craze, especially among fans of the paleo diet, is not a nut - it's actually a small root vegetable!

Tigernuts make a great snack, either straight out of the bag or after an overnight soak in water to soften them. My favorite way to eat them is out of the bag, because I like the crunch!

There are many reasons to eat tigernuts. They may look like wooden beads, but they're also rich in a variety of important minerals and in the prebiotic fiber that nourishes the good bacteria in our large intestines!

I recently tried an assortment of tigernut products from Organic Gemini.

Organic Gemini has a nice variety of tigernut products, beyond the two types of raw tigernut granola and raw tigernut snacks that I tried. Their snacks and granola fit into pretty much any healthy diet - they're non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher, vegan, paleo, nut free, organic, and made by real people in Brooklyn. It's always nice to know where your food comes from!

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Appethyl Giveaway: 5 Winners!

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Did my recent review of Appethyl bars make you hungry?

You're in luck - five winners will get an assortment of Appethyl products, including their yummy bars, to try themselves!

Enter below, now through next Friday, May 20th, at midnight! Open to entrants in the U.S. only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don't want to wait, there's also a special just for you guys! Use this link to get a buy-one-get-one-free special on Appethyl bars from now through the end of May!

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Review: BRAMI Beans

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Do you know what the most protein-packed bean out there is? Hint: it's not a black bean. It's not kidney bean. It's not a garbanzo bean.



It's a lupini bean!

Have you heard of lupini beans? Unless you're from the Mediterranean, or familiar with Mediterranean cuisine, it's quite likely that you haven't. I hadn't!

Lupini beans are the most protein packed bean in the world and a snack favorite of Roman warriors. They're rich in fiber, as well, so an all around great snack!

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Review: Luna Bars

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Spring is a fun time full of renewal. We clean our houses and our closets, coax our gardens back to life, and try out new outdoor adventures, to celebrate the beautiful weather!

Some of our favorite companies, like Luna Bar also like to refresh things every now and then. Along with our long-time favorites, there are new Luna Bar varieties to enjoy!



It' always fun to try something new!

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