The Nutritionist Reviews

July 31, 2011

Pearl iZUMi Review

Pearl iZUMi is a company that sells workout gear and shoes.  For my review, I was sent the awesome Streak II shoes seen above.  They retail for $110.  My sister's boyfriend works in a store that sells athletic shoes and he said that these are very good shoes. Here is some information about the Streak II's : The new women's Streak II has been completely overhauled this season to be even faster, lighter and more performance-oriented than ever. With a new lower profile midsole and lightweight upper, the Streak II is light enough for a 5k, but cushioned enough for a marathon. This is your new go-to PR shoe. Since I am not a runner anymore, I wore these shoes for a Jackie Warner workout DVD.  They are awesome! They are extremely light in weight yet they give you the support that you need.  Often, the bottoms of my feet hurt during or after a workout and that was not the case with these. The shoes run a half size smaller so make sure you note

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July 29, 2011

Pretzel Crisps Review & Giveaway

Pretzel Crisps first came into my life last year when I first wrote a review about them on my blog.  They quickly became my very favorite pretzel and one of my favorite snacks.  I was contacted by Women's World Magazine to write about my favorite kind of pretzel in their March 2011 and wrote about the everything Pretzel Crisps® which are my favorite.  Check it out below: The company agreed to send me some of their products again and sent me a variety pack of 5 different kinds of pretzels.  Of course I was sent me beloved everything ones and got to try a couple of flavors that were new to me. I love the buffalo ones and the sesame.  I want to try the buffalo with some blue cheese melted on it!  The pretzels are extremely tasty and only have 110 calories per serving. I am a huge fan : ) Giveaway The giveaway will be for a huge variety box of Pretzel Crisps® to one lucky reader of The Nutritionist Reviews. The giveaway is open until Midnight on Tuesday Augu

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July 29, 2011

That's it. Review and Giveaway

I've always been a big fan of natural fruit rollups and fruit bars and when I found these That's it. bars online, I knew that I must try them.  They are made with just fruit! Another thing that I LOVE about this company is that the bars are produced in Walled Lake, MI and I'm from MI. I love local companies. All of the bars are delicious! My favorite it the apple and and apricot flavor followed bu the apple and cherry.  Each bar is made with one apple and different amounts of the second fruit.  The cherry one for example has 1 apple and 10 cherries in it!  They have 100 calories and 3 grams of fiber.  They taste like dried fruit and are the perfect snack. I could honestly eat 5 or 10 of these a day if I had them on hand. These taste great and are good for you too. Doesn't get much better than that! Giveaway The giveaway will be for a variety box of That's it. bars to one lucky reader of The Nutritionist Reviews. The giveaway is open until Midnight on

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July 28, 2011

Taste of Nature Review

Taste of Nature is a company that sells all different kinds of delicious bars.  They are a Canadian based company but they sell their bars online to the US.  All of the ingredients are from nature and contain no artificial ingredients.  The bars are organic and delicious! For my review, I was sent a bunch of samples of these bars.  My favorite that I have tried so far is the Argentina Peanut Plains bar.  It is composed of peanuts and agave syrup and tastes like a candy bar! Each of these bars have 230 calories, 8 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of sugar! Not too shabby! Here is some information that I found interesting on why agave syrup is better for you than regular sugar: "Agave Syrup is composed of 80 % Fructose, 15 % Glucose and 5 % Sucrose. However, the GI level of agave standard is 32. Honey is at 58, cane table sugar at 64. Based on the amount used for same sweetness, Agave syrup caloric count is 11 % less than cane sugar, 40% less than honey

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July 28, 2011

Lexington, MI Boardwalk

Last Friday night, my parents took my sister, husband, and I to a free concert in Lexington, MI. We listened to music and took a walk on the boardwalk together. Lake Huron A little blackberry plant growing in the middle of the rocks! I enjoyed a few : ) My husband... the earth science teacher and rock lover  My sister and I Beautiful Lake Huron I love going to different lakes! So pretty.

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July 27, 2011

Stainless Cups Review and Giveaway

Stainless Cups is a company that sells safe and earth friendly stainless steel products.  I've posted about it before that I am a huge water drinker (like 16 cups a day!) so reusable water bottles really come in handy for me. For review, I was sent the thermal water bottle which is insulated. You can put hot or cold beverages in it and it will keep the drink hot or cold for hours.  I was also sent a smaller thermal water bottle too.  I really like both of these. They seem like they will last a long time and are well made. They really do keep the beverage cold too! This is perfect for the hot summertime. The bottle range from about $5-17 depending on the size. Check out the Stainless Cups website for more information: Here is some information from the company on why you should use stainless steel products: Stainless steel is a 100% recyclable material that lasts a lifetime. It is non toxic, lightweight, dishwasher safe and free of harmful chemicals. Undoubtedly you have hear

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July 26, 2011

Go Jane Review

For years I have been seeing Go Jane products in different magazines and always wanted to check them out. I finally did a couple of weeks ago and really liked what I found.  They sell juniors clothing including swimwear and shoes.  I love almost everything they sell and had a very hard time choosing just one thing to review. Since I've struggled to find a cute suit that fits all season, I decided to check out the Go Jane swimwear.  I found the leopard swimsuit pictured above and loved it.  The bathing suit fits me perfect and I love the little pink accent bows.  The best thing about the suit? It retails for only $29.80 for top and bottom! Also, another thing to note is that the suit shipped really fast so I was able to wear it on a fun boat outing! What a great deal. I was very impressed with how many cute and inexpensive items that this company sells. Here are a few of the other items that I loved:

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July 25, 2011

Kings County Jerky Co. Review & Giveaway

Kings County Jerky Co. is a company that sells delicious beef jerky. They have all natural, grass fed, and handcrafted jerky. For my review, I was sent three different flavors of their jerky including classic, Korean BBQ, and orange-ginger.  My husband is a huge fan of beef jerky so I gave him these products to try.  He has tried many brands of beef jerky and literally texted me "This is the best beef jerky that I have ever had in my life".  He gave some to his co-worker and his co-worker agreed that it is the most flavorful jerky! My favorite is the Korean BBQ which is full of flavor and is perfectly chewy.  This is great for a road trip or for my hubby to take to work.  And since I am such a huge fan of portobello mushrooms, I have to share with you this companies new product: portobello jerky!  "Meaty strips of portobello mushrooms bathed in a savory marinade, dusted in fresh cracked pepper, and slowly dried into a delicious new veggie je

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July 24, 2011

Power of Fruit Bars Review

Last year, I fell in love with Power of Fruit bars when I was sent them for review on my blog. Recently, I went on the website and saw two new to me flavors and I knew I must try them.  The company sent me a case of these Power of Fruit bars and I got right down to trying them. The bars are made of just fruit which I love. My favorite flavor is the BananaBerry.  It tastes mostly like fresh strawberries with a hint of fresh bananas. I also really like the CherryBerry bars which taste sweet. Besides the fresh and wonderful flavor of these bars, I love that they are extremely low in calories.  Each one pretty much has between 25 and 35. The bars have no preservatives, corn syrup, or additives.  If your grocery store carries these bars, you must try them!

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July 23, 2011

Michigan Farm Fresh Produce

My dad has some wonderful fruit trees on the farm which I've blogged about before and I wanted to show you how it's coming along this year.  Grapes in the vineyard  Peach tree  Should be ready in a few weeks!  Sour cherries  Corn field Have you grown anything this year?  If not, what summer fruits or vegetables are you enjoying?

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July 22, 2011

Shootin' Guns

Troy and I took a couple of days off of work for his birthday! We are up at my parents farm and having a great time. We went out to shoot guns on the farm. **Please note, my brother taught us some safety precautions first and were very safe.  My husband shooting  Sister and I  My husband teaching me to shoot  Got a little more serious for this one : )  The beautiful pond Troy and I It's been a couple of wonderful nights! I think we may be going to a local concert tonight which will be fun! What are you all doing this weekend?

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July 22, 2011

Nello's Sauce Review & Giveaway

Please pay close attention to this review because I am going to tell you about the best pasta sauce ever made! It is called Nello's Sauce .  Here is some information about the sauce: "In my homemade, small-batch sauce I use Italian whole peeled plum tomatoes, thick green Italian extra virgin olive oil, Sicilian sea salt, basil, garlic, and black pepper. My recipe is inspired by my years of travel in Italy and my great grandmother, who came to the United States from Italy in 1918. Angelina cooked her "gravy" for the family so often that she actually wore out the linoleum in front of the stove. She was such a beautiful lady." This sauce is the freshest tasting pasta sauce I have ever had. It literally tastes like fresh picked tomatoes. My husband and I enjoyed this over some pasta with broccoli mixed in. Perfect dinner! The sauce only has 50 calories per serving which is great. I also enjoyed this sauce on a piece of toast and over some shredded carrots (odd I

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July 21, 2011

Fennville Sunset

Last night, Troy and I decided to share a bottle of wine at the beach while watching the sunset. It was beautiful and I will let the photos speak for themselves. I love living 10 minutes away from the lake. Perfect Saturday night <3.

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July 20, 2011

Healthy Steps Review

Healthy Steps is a company that makes kitchen tools that focus on portion control.  As a nutritionist, I love this! It is hard to tell what a portion size is unless you measure it out and these tools make it easy.  Many people are extremely confused what a portion size is and there are many healthy steps products that can help you save calories and prevent weight gain by helping you control your portion size. Here is some information about the company: Healthy Steps™, helps consumers eat healthier by providing tools that assist in portion control without the hassle of weighing foods or counting calories while encouraging the consumption of healthy recipes. For my review, I was sent the water infuser which helps to infuse water with different flavors such as cucumbers, melon, lemon, etc. this is great if you do not like the taste of regular water.  I was also sent the serving set which includes a serving spoon for starches, pasta, and a spatula for your protein. I think th

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July 19, 2011

HimalaSalt Review & Giveaway

" HimalaSalt's crystals are hand-selected for the highest quality in color, clarity, and purity.  We only use Himalayan crystals that are clear, rose, or pale pink in color. The darker red chunks, while beautiful, are too high in minerals for daily consumption, stressing the kidneys.  We pass these crystals on to the artisans who make lamps and other home goods.  All of HimalaSalt's pink Himalayan sea salt crystals are hand-harvested from a protected source deep in the Himalaya Mountains." While I limit my sodium intake due to some sensitivities to it, I wanted to try out HimalaSalt because I loved the pretty pink color and that it is such a high quality.  I was sent a package of 4 different salts.  I really like the HimalaSalt grinder. It gives you fresh ground salt that tastes amazing on a summer tomato.  I love that it is so gourmet and would look amazing on a fresh vegetable dish. I am also going to give one of these products that I was sent to my mom because

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