Review: Sinless Raw Chocolate

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I love dark chocolate.

In most cases, I'm a fan of the-darker-the-better and tend to enjoy 99% dark chocolate bars or even Ghiradelli's 100% baking bar. Dark chocolate is rich, creamy, satisfying, and can even be quite good for you! 

Here is a quick list of some of the health benefits of dark chocolate:

* Naturally  high in antioxidants

* May lower risk of heart disease

* May help control insulin sensitivity 

* May help against headaches

That last one really works for me! Sometimes a square of really dark chocolate (perhaps the caffeine in it?) can alleviate a headache for me. If your problems are more digestive, it's worth noting that dark chocolate was used to treat diarrhea in the 16th century - and recent studies suggest that there may actually be something there!

Since dark chocolate is high in fat, you don't want to overdo it or you might face some stomach upset just from that. But another great thing about dark chocolate is that since it is so intensely flavorful, you really don't need very much to satisfy a craving.

While I often choose plain dark chocolate because I can get darker chocolate that way, I also love dark chocolate with other flavors (like nuts, berries, etc.). I was excited to discover a new brand of healthy dark chocolate with high cacao content (85%) and some great flavors.

Sinless Raw Chocolate is raw, vegan, sugar-free, paleo, and sweetened naturally with erythritol. And did you ever think you could possibly get in your greens by eating yummy dark chocolate? Now you can! 

True to its name, Sinless Raw Chocolate really is a healthy indulgence. It has raw organic greens hidden in its tasty chocolate! I swear you can't taste it at all, I was surprised when I saw it on the ingredients list!

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Healthy Snacking with Go Raw

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I love snacks. Yes, I'm 22 years old but no, there is no such thing as too old for snacks. Crunch-munch, munch-crunch.

In addition to being a yummy way to lift your energy levels, snacking provides an excellent opportunity to pack a little extra nutrition into your day. Don't waste the opportunity!

One of my favorite healthy snack brands at the moment is Go Raw. As the name suggests, their products are raw vegan and focus on whole food ingredients with healthy fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins, etc. They're also delicious!

Let's start with their dark chocolate, because it's delicious and because what's better than healthy chocolate?

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Review: Nakd Bars

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I love bars. They're convenient, (often) yummy, shelf-stable, backpack-friendly, TSA-approved, safe for sharing, and perfect for donation if you come upon a surprise food drive or a hungry person in need of help. 

For those who follow non-traditional diets like the raw vegan diet or a gluten-free diet, however, it can be hard to find a yummy bar that fits into your diet! You'd be surprised by how many protein bars are not vegan (I was surprised) and if you're raw vegan it's a real rarity to stumble upon a bar that you can eat.

Nakd bars are a great bar option that are vegan, raw vegan, gluten-free, healthy, and well portioned for snacking.

Even those of us who don't follow those special diets will enjoy them! I did.

Nakd bars are from the UK, but readily available to healthy snackers in other countries, too, through an easy-to-use online ordering site.

The bars ship quickly and arrive in a cardboard box (within a larger mailing package with padding that perfectly protects the bars from breaking or getting smushed in shipping). 

You can order an assortment of bars, like I tried, if you're new to Nakd bars and haven't chosen flavors yet. 

First, your snack compliments you. Then you eat your snack and it's delicious. Then you have the energy from the healthy, natural snack and, in the long run, become more gorgeous (setting you up for the cycle of snack box compliments to continue) from the healthy fats of the nuts in the bars. Those healthy fats are great for your skin and your hair!

The cycle of happy Nakd bar snacking is the perfect snacking experience, really.

The bars come in a large assortment of scrumptious flavors, each more delicious than the next.

The bars all look more or less the same, except for different coloring between the flavors, but the flavors are diverse. The Caffe Mocha was one of my favorites - it was lightly chocolatey with a strong coffee flavor. Yum! It tasted like a candy bar.

Unlike a candy bar, however,  Nakd bars are made of just nuts, dried fruits, soy crunchies, fruit juice, and spices. 

There's no added sugar, it's just solid plant-based nutrition!

Bars made of nuts and dried fruit bars are, by nature, rich and dense. A lot of fruit-and-nut bars are thus quite heavy for a light snack, especially for children. Nakd bars are portioned well for that little peckishness or for an on-the-go snack for kids. If you're hungrier, you can pack two!

Have you tried  Nakd Bars?

What are your favorite snack bars?

Do you prefer chocolate-y or fruity bars?

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(Better) Brownies - Raw Vegan Style!

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We're heading into the second week of the shiny New Year and resolutions - like eating healthy, being nice, and texting less than 50 100 times per day - are threatening to break, if they aren't broken yet. 

I can't do much about the slow walkers who tempt you to let out your inner snark or the fact that you're battling a severe iPhone addiction (hang in there, we'll fight it together), but I can help prevent fits of hanger and feelings of deprivation!

How? By encouraging you to partake in the above fudgy, sweet, rich, scrumptious brownies.

Before you throw your hands up in the air - 'But Danai! I want to be healthy this year' - let me clarify. These are not your usual from-a-box overly processed and nutritionally void brownies. There's space for those in a healthy diet as an occasional treat, but these are the kinds of brownies that you can eat every day as part of what makes your diet a healthy diet!

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Grawnola for Breakast

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I'm a huge granola fan and think access to granola, apples, and dark chocolate (aka: some of the most delicious foods in the world) should be basic human rights.

For the gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, raw-vegan or [insert other diet that doesn't allow granola here] it's a really sad world.

BUT WAIT!

G'rawnola is raw vegan, grain-free, paleo-friendly, gluten-free, made with mostly organic ingredients, and chockfull of super healthy ingredients, nutrients, and heart-healthy fats.

Oh, and did I mention that it's Chunky Chocolate G'rawnola?

Oh yeeeeaaaaaah. 

Chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and spices all sweetened with agave. 

It's delicious and perfect served with vegan ice cream (have you tried Cashewtopia ice cream?), coconut yogurt, or by itself. You can eat this straight out of the bag, it's so yummy!

But warning, it's addictive. 

Luckily, that's okay! It's very good for you.

Honestly, I love this granola and rank it among the best granolas I've ever had even though I'm not raw vegan, paleo, gluten-free, or grain-free! It's just really good.

As we begin the holiday season and enjoy all the indulgences that come with it, starting your day with this delicious and nutritious breakfast food is a really good choice!

What's your favorite breakfast at the moment?

Have you tried any raw vegan cuisine?

How often do you eat cereal? For me, it's daily. Generally multiple times daily. I love cereal!

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How to Add Superfoods to Your Day (The Yummy Way!)

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Swimsuit season may be over, but being healthy and feeling good are never out of season! As we head into the holiday season, many of us are looking for ways to stay healthy despite the diminishing availability of fresh fruits and veggies.

Okaaaaaaaay, so maybe September isn't really heading into the holiday season - but I know that I, for one, have already started with the Christmas movies!

Anyway, remember this preview that I teased you with at the beginning of last week?

The wait is over, it's recipe time! 

But first: what is it? 

A chocolate maca chia cake, that's what! 

Oh yeah, that's a whole lot of superfood in one tasty snack.

First, you start with some chia seeds.

I used Nutiva White Chia Seed (2 Tbsp.) mixed with rice milk (1/2 c.) to make a chia gel - just combine the two and let the mixture sit for five to ten minutes! Room temperature is fine.

Next, I mixed in 2 Tbsp. of Foods Alive Cacao and 1 Tbsp. of Foods Alive Maca Powder, as well as a dash of cinnamon, two tablespoons of honey, a teaspoon of baking powder, a dash of salt, and a tablespoon of almond butter. 

I put the mixture in the microwave and microwaved on medium-high for four to five minutes. It really depends on the strength of your microwave, so keep an eye on it!

If you are lucky enough to have access to some fresh fruits, despite the end of summer, top with fresh fruits! Some mulled hemp seed (I used Foods Alive mulled hemp seed) make a delicious superfood topping, too!

But sometimes you just don't feel like making something.

Easy as this recipe is, sometimes you want immediate satsifaction.

Nutiva's O'Coconut taste just like candy, but are perfectly portion-controlled and full of super foods!

What are your favorite superfoods?

What's your favorite fall activity?

When do you start getting into the holiday spirit?

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A (Foods) Alive Smoothie

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Smoothies are such a great way to get in some much-needed nutrition in a busy on-the-go lifestyle. They're delicious, easy to consume on the go, and provide ample opportunity to get in some of those fruit and vegetable servings!

A common way to turn a fruity smoothie into a more substantial snack or mini-meal is to add a protein powder or smoothie mix. But if you want to customize your blend all the way, or you're sticking to using simple ingredients that are close to their natural form, there are many great superfoods out there that can add a great boost to your smoothie!



Foods Alive sent me their Smoothie Boost pack to try out - it's a great mix of superfoods, featuring their  Hulled Hemp Seeds (an excellent smoothie topping, as well as a great mix-in for some added richness and satiety), and their raw Maca Powder and raw Cacao Powder.



Maca and cacao, by the way, are a match made in heaven. If you haven't had something chocolate maca flavored before, drop whatever you're doing and go get some right this instant. It's a great flavor combination for chocolate bars and for smoothies!



Maca has a malty flavor, so mixing the cocoa and the maca powder with some sweetener (I used coconut sugar) in a smoothie makes for a malted milkshake style drink! I recommend blending with 2 frozen bananas and some soy milk as I did - yum!



But the back of the packet also comes with a tasty smoothie recipe (I tried it, it's good). And I think maca really is energizing, because I got a lot more done after drinking the smoothie!

Or maybe the yumminess gave me energy.

And have you tried a Hemp smoothie?

Do it.

I didn't have celery at the time, so I made it with kale - also delicious!

The only adjustment I would make to that recipe (which was delicious, by the way) is add some hemp seed on top. It's nice to have that little extra bit of something!

For some reason, I had never tried Hemp seed before (though I'm quite the fan of both chia and flax seed). If you haven't either, I recommend trying it - it's really yummy and also very good for you!

And a great dessert topping. Here's a preview of a yummy, healthy dessert using all three products. 

You'll have to stay tuned for my September 26th post to get the recipe!

Even if you're all stocked up on smoothie ingredients at the moment, give Foods Alive a look - they have lots of other products, too, including some beauty products!

Their organic herbal mint lip balm, made with artisan cold-pressed chia oil, goes on super smoothly. Treat your outsides and your insides well!

What are your favorite smoothie add-ins?

What are your favorite superfoods?

What's your favorite flavor pair featuring chocolate?

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Stomach-Friendly Pizza and Other Great Things

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Can you believe that summer is just around the bend? This year is moving so quickly! I'm a fan of the fast pace, but definitely need to squeeze every minute out of these last two months of school.

Convenient Veggie Vibes to the rescue! As before, I put in my order early in the week and received it on Tuesday morning, fresh and packed on ice.

There was a minor snafu with FedEx's delivery, but I contacted Chef Perkunas and he resolved the issue really quickly and positively. The meals were delivered less than an hour later, so they were still super fresh and cold.



I have to say that was probably the easiest, most pleasant problem resolution I've experienced when a difficulty has popped up with any order from anyone!

There were some new delights and some old favorites this week. While the menu changes every week, Chef Perkunas does rotate dishes so that you can enjoy favorite dishes again, albeit in different combinations.



The Rainbow Yumm is an old favorite and, like last time, I really enjoyed it! It was really fresh, like everything else, and the sweet almond cream paired wonderfully with the crispy veggies, sweet diced apples, and juicy grapes.

It also came with a side of crunchy, spicy kale chips. Yum(m)!



The Goddess Mana soup was new to me. It's great that Chef Perkunas always tapes the containers, because it stopped this from being messy.



Great foresight!



I didn't like the soup, but I have to add the disclaimer that I have a strong aversion to grapefruit ever since I had a really bad episode of food poisoning two summers ago shortly after eating some grapefruit. I loved grapefruit before that, and ate it regularly, but haven't been able to eat it or anything grapefruit-flavored since then without becoming nauseous. Since grapefruit juice was a primary ingredient in this soup, the flavor was pretty strong.



This is the only Veggie Vibes item that I have ever not enjoyed, so I'm pretty sure that it isn't the soup's fault, but rather my aversion to grapefruit.



The other new-to-me dishes were all amazing, however!

The Indian Tart was really rich and indulgent - it's definitely the sort of meal that holds you over and sticks to your ribs!



My dad's main problem with vegan food, like that of many people, is that it is either not filling or doesn't keep you satisfied for more than an hour. This would sort out that misconception quickly and deliciously!



Emphasis on deliciously. There's a thick base of nuts, including yummy walnuts, cubed zucchini in the layers (think lasagna-esque) and topped with chopped portobello mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, and vegan cheese. It's so flavorful! There's also a small green salad on the side (very fresh and delicious) and a basil pesto dip/dressing for the salad. So yummy!

It was almost my favorite dish this week.

Almost. But the dessert and the Pizza Gordita were just so delicious that they had to win!

The Pizza Gordita is aptly named, it's definitely a fat pizza. 

It's a large rectangular slice of pizza with a rich nut-squash crust, lots of vegan nut cheese, and super fresh and delicious marinated vegetables on top. 

I've never had a yummier slice of pizza and, since it's vegan, didn't have the usual digestive discomfort that traditional pizza causes. That's happy dance worthy!

As was the dessert - another new-to-me treat! The dessert, Perfect Pleasure, also lived up to its name. It was very fruity, rich, syrupy (without actual syrup), and scrumptious. 

The cherries were a real positive surprise - they were sweet, tart, and a perfect complement to the cocoa-date-nut truffle. Yum!

I still have only had positive experience ordering from Veggie Vibes and highly recommend the service!

Don't forget that if you mention Living, Learning, Eating when you place your order, you'll get an extra entree for free!

If you're in school, when does your semester end?

What do you consider the official beginning of summer?

What's your favorite kind of pizza?

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Getting Revved On Juice!

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Want to try some juices that are actually just pure vegetables? Curious, or you really have no sweet tooth?

On Juice has juices that are the truest to the idea of a pure vegetable green juice that I have seen in all of my juice sampling.



They have a variety of juices that you can order individually or as part of their juice cleanses (as well as several cleanse packages that are designed to allow you to combine solid food and their juices - perfect for busy people, pregnant women, etc.) and there's something for everyone.

If you're into milder, sweeter juices, you'll enjoy juices like their Sublime (a mild green juice lightly sweetened with apples) or their Lemon Aid.

The Lemon Aid is pretty amazing, it's a sweet and spicy lemonade where the kick of the cayenne pepper and natural sourness of the lemon combine delightfully with the sweetness of the agave nectar to  create an energizing, refreshing mid-afternoon pick-me-up. This one is great to add as a daily drink, even outside of a cleansing routine!



The Unbeetable is a beet, carrot, and celery juice that, unlike other root juices, isn't mixed with fruit juice. It's more intense because of that, but quickly becomes an acquired taste with the interesting flavors of the ginger and lime!

The Upskale, on the other hand, takes quite a bit of adjusting. I am not at all a routine sweet juice drinker and prefer vegetable juices to fruit juices, as I find that fruit juice can become kind of cloyingly sweet when you're drinking a lot of it. But this one, along with the Deep Green, were even a bit much for me!



I ended up sweetening both of those with agave nectar myself and then found that they were quite taste. I think the addition of the chlorella to the Deep Green is what made it have such an unusual, and intensely green, flavor - but it's a drink where you feel yourself getting healthier as you drink it!

Placebo effect? Perhaps a bit, but there's no doubt that you're flooding your body with nutrients and that's never a bad thing. Ordering some juices to keep in the fridge and drink here and there is a great option.



Unlike a lot of other natural juice companies, these juices don't expire after just three days and it's thus not necessary to drink them back-to-back, as in a cleanse. There's no pressure to finish your juices fast with this, so you can drink them as you please!

I love that self-determination. After all, I like having things my way.

It's recommended that you drink the juices within 6 days for optimal nutrient content, but they stay good for three weeks. That's great news to me, because it means you can order an assortment of your favorite juices and keep them in the fridge so that you can have a juice here and there, whenever you notice that you're feeling a little bleh or haven't had much produce in your diet lately.



Each juice is about 200-300 calories of powerful nutrition (the label is only for half a bottle, but you're intended to drink the whole thing at once).

It's perfect for this time of year for that very reason!

How often do you drink juice?

What's your favorite kind of juice?

What drinks are in your fridge right now?

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