The Nutritionist Reviews

April 30, 2012

Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Review

Canyon Bakehouse is a company that makes gluten-free breads, muffins, buns, and focaccia.  I was recently contacted to see if I wanted to try some of their gluten-free breads. I love to find tasty gluten-free products to promote to my patients who need a gluten free diet and was glad to try some new-to-me bread. Note: I do not typically follow a gluten free diet. I was sent some cinnamon raisin bread, hamburger buns, and 7 grain bread.  The first one that I tried was the cinnamon raisin bread.  It toasted up very nicely and was tasty with a smear of peanut butter.  I liked the texture. It was perfectly chewy and not too dry.  Each slice has 90 calories, 2 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber.  The company also sells these cranberry crunch muffins which I would love to try: With the 7 grain bread, I made a grilled cheese sandwich with goat cheddar cheese. It was also delicious! I love how more and more companies are coming out with gluten free products that are also tast

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April 29, 2012

Sogno Coffee Review and Giveaway

Sogno is a company that sells ground and whole coffee beans.  I had the pleasure of reviewing their cielo and sole coffee blends.  This morning my husband brewed us up some coffee.  The first thing that I noticed when I opened the bag is how fresh the grounds smell.  It had a strong delicious aroma. We like our coffee mild to medium roast so we tried the cielo roast.  Here is a taste profile of the coffee:  We both very much enjoyed the coffee. We added a bit of 1/2% milk and drank up. It was the perfect start to our morning.  The coffee was flavorful and fresh tasting. Here is some information from the company's website:  Truth is, many people have not had the pleasure of enjoying a real quality coffee. No matter the price, brand, or packaging, it all comes down to the beans. Sogno roasts only the finest Arabica beans in our one of a kind, custom-built roaster. The product is unrivaled: the aroma, the body, and that very first sip... it's like un sogno, a dre

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April 27, 2012

Shiloh Farms Review

Shiloh Farms is a company that sells tons of healthy and whole grain products.  I was sent some unique products for my review including sprouted whole wheat pretzels, tri-color quinoa, organic sprouted seven grain bread, and organic spelt sprouted flour. The company also sells tons of other products including goat cheese, fruit, baking products, flours, etc. The first product that I tried was during our move. I needed a snack and reached for the bag of sprouted whole grain pretzels.  These are quite different than other pretzels but I love them.  They are almost salt free (they have like 4 mg/serving) and taste great.  They are much firmer than other pretzels and have the whole grain taste.  The pretzels are topped with chia seeds which adds some healthy fat/protein.  I have been enjoying a pretzel for a snack at my internship with either some peanut butter on it or crumbled up in my yogurt.   One pretzel which is pretty large is only 73 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams

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April 25, 2012

Chili's New #CoronaRita

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chili’s Grill & Bar for SocialSpark . All opinions are 100% mine. As summer approaches and the weather gets nicer, it is great to be able to have a nice cold cocktail.  I am excited to hear about the new CoronaRita at Chili's .  The CoronaRita is made with Joes Cuervo Especial Tequila and a Coronita. This would be really neat to see what it tastes like.  I love the saltiness and sourness of a margarita and also enjoy Corona beer so this sounds really neat! Also, Cinco de Mayo is coming up and drink with tequila is a must have! I love this holiday since my husband is Mexican. It is a fun one to celebrate. I have not tried one of the Coronitas yet but it sounds really interesting.  I am not a mixed drink person but margaritas are one that I love. It would be very fun to go to Chili's this summer as a date and try one of these. I would probably get one of their large salads and I&

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April 25, 2012

PB Crave Review and Giveaway

PB Crave is a peanut butter brand that I have seen around the internet. It sounded really interesting and I knew that I must try it.  It is a peanut butter that has some fun twists to it.  They sell a coco bananas, razzle dazzle, cookie nookie, and choco choco peanut butter. Each peanut butter contains honey and chocolate along with the peanuts. What I first noticed when I opened the cookie nookie peanut butter is how runny it is.  This is something  that I really like because I love my peanut butter in my oatmeal. It is much easier to drizzle it on the oats if it is runny like this.  I put the cookie nookie PB on a slice of bread and dug in.  It was very tasty.  It is sweeter than many other peanut butters probably because of the honey and bits of chocolate. Each 2 tablespoon serving has 180 calories and 6 grams of protein. Not bad! Each peanut butter is all natural also. Some of my top choices to put this on would be an apple, banana, toast, oatmeal, etc.  I enjoyed some more

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April 24, 2012

Enjoy Life Review

Enjoy Life is a company that sells gluten-free and allergen friendly cookies, snacks, granola, and bagels. I had not tried this brand before but was excited to. I've said before that I work with a lot of people with food allergies and love trying foods that are gluten-free, dairy free, etc.  The reason is that if I find a product that I like, I feel comfortable recommending them to my patients.   I was sent some semi-sweet chocolate mega chunks and double chocolate crunch granola to try out and review. I really enjoy the granola.  It is sweet but not too sweet. It is made with brown rice flakes. A serving is 1/2 cup which is 180 calories. This is pretty high but comparable to other granola. I really enjoy this on top of some plain Greek yogurt. The company also sells very berry crunch and cinnamon raisin crunch granola.  The baking chocolate is also tasty.  They come in square/rectangular pieces. They are gluten, soy, and dairy free. I really like that someone with di

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April 24, 2012

Eat Smart Vegetable Review

There is nothing that I love more than fresh produce. I love any kind of fruit or vegetable out there. When I found Eat Smart brand, I wanted to try some of their fresh veggies.  They kindly sent me two veggie trays and a broccoli slaw mix to try. The vegetable tray was packed nicely and the vegetables were extremely fresh.  The celery was very crispy which is not always the case in a veggie tray. I really enjoyed the ranch dip that came with the vegetables too.  I received these trays as I was going out of town so I just threw them in my fridge. They were still perfectly fresh 1-2 weeks later.  The vegetables were at their peak ripeness and were nicely cut. I was also sent the chipotle salad kit which was incredible.  It contained broccoli slaw, tortilla chips, white cheese, and an amazing chipotle sauce. The sauce tasted like a mix between sour cream and salsa. I served it when my family came to help us move.  They all really enjoyed it and want to get it again.  I was

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April 23, 2012

Alter Eco Review

Alter Eco is a brand that sells fair trade products. They sell sugar, rice, quinoa, and chocolate. Prior to receiving this package, I had only tried quinoa once. It was in a recipe with cilantro which is the only food I really don't like. I wanted to try some of this Alter Eco quinoa to see if I really do like quinoa as it is a healthy, complete protein, delicious grain. For dinner one night, I made a quick quinoa salad with vegetables and a vinaigrette sauce. I loved it! I used the rainbow quinoa and really enjoyed it.  The pieces are very small which was different to get used to but good. I think this could be used as a breakfast grain too in place of oatmeal. Quinoa is gluten free so it is a great option for those who have Celiac disease or are gluten intolerant. If you don't know what quinoa is, here is some information from the company's site: Quinoa, an annual herb that grows from 3 to 6 feet high in the Bolivian Altiplano, contains more proteins than any othe

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April 22, 2012

Old Orchard Beach Prize Pack

Are you an Old Orchard fan? I am! We love to buy this juice or the tea from our local market. I love the grapefruit juice and the cranberry juice. It is a Michigan based company which of course I love. In fact, one of my fellow interns lives in the city where the Old Orchard company resides. I was sent the beach prize pack seen below which is a lot of fun. It has everything that you need for the beach including a frisbee, water bottle, beach ball, t-shirt, and a beach bag. Old Orchard has a giveaway going on for about a week more (ends April 30th, 2012). It is their Fan Club Fanatic Sweepstakes . It is free to enter and no purchase is necessary. A 5 night trip to Aruba is being given away!! Also, they will be doing weekly giveaways for their Beach Club Prize Pack seen below.

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April 22, 2012

The Big Move

Troy and I finally moved into our new house!! We are loving it so far. We have worked on it for about 5 months now and are so excited to finally be living here.  Here are some photos that we took of our move and our last couple nights in Fennville, MI. Dad and Troy trying to figure out where to put things in the truck The princess who helped direct where everything went : ) Oh ya know, she's in a drawer In front of the house one last time! I'm glad that the move is finally over and that we are living in our house! Many new adventures to come.

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April 20, 2012

Planters Peanut Butter Review & Giveaway

I'm a huge peanut butter fan.  I love it in my oatmeal, on a banana, on toast, whatever.  A few months ago, I tried Planters peanut butter for the first time and went through that jar in record time.  It is honestly my favorite peanut butter.  It is so creamy and perfectly salty/sweet.  Recently, I was contacted to share with you some fun recipes using peanut butter. Check out this one that looks awesome called Peanut Butter & Jelly Squares or the Peanut Butter and Jelly Brownies seen below. Also, April 2nd was National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day. Whoops, I missed it! That's okay though because we all can enjoy peanut butter any day. Here are some fun facts about peanut butter:  “Arachibutyrophobia” (pronounced I-RA-KID-BU-TI-RO-PHO-BI-A) is the fear of peanut butter getting stuck to the roof of your mouth. Did you know the voice of Peanut butter Doug (stunt double for Mr. Peanut) is actor Kevin Dillon? Planters Natural Peanut Butter Spread contains more

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April 18, 2012

Last Fennville Beach Trip

My parents, Troy and I went on a final walk on our Fennville beach before we move. No one else was there and the water was extremely calm. It was really nice. We watched the sunset through the clouds and looked a a bunch of cool rocks and shells.  My parents We will miss this beach but I know that we will be back someday!

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April 17, 2012

Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler Review and Giveaway

At my current house, we do not have a recycling program. I've never liked this and now that I am moving into the new house in less than a week, am excited to start recycling.  When I was contacted by Rubbermaid for review their new Hidden Recycler , I knew that this would be great to help me get started recycling. This recycler can go right on a cupboard door and collapses if it is not filled. I like this because it takes up less space that way. It is big enough to fit at least a weeks worth of recycling. I like that it is machine washable in case you spill something sticky in the bag.  The bag is very functional and I am excited to start using it. It takes about a minute to put together and is easy to clean.  Here is some information about the features of the product: Easy attachment to a cabinet door with hooks included with the product or screws  A convenient handle allows the bag to easily be transported to wherever your recycling is stored for pick-up or transport  A

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April 16, 2012

Rain Products Review

In the springtime in Michigan, we get a lot of rain. Of course dogs still need to go outside no matter what and they get all wet and muddy.  I recently learned about a product called a Rain Collar that makes it so your pet stays as dry as possible. I was sent a black jacket for Jaxen and a yellow one for Ava. We had a good time taking these pictures of them in their new coats! The jacket is very compact and can fit into a small pouch that can fit on the dogs collar. This is really nice if you are out on a walk and don't know if it's going to rain or not. If it starts to sprinkle, you can quickly put the jacket on. Here is some information about the jacket/collar : Rain Bandanas and Rain Collars feature compact, convertible water-repellent raincoats for dogs.  RAIN Products are designed to fit over any standard collar.  Once in place, each rain collar and rain bandana easily zips open into a full raincoat and hood, keeping Fido covered and dry.  The Collar is av

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April 13, 2012

Simple Green Review and Giveaway

 As many of you know, my husband and I just bought our first home. We move in in 11 days which we are very excited for. We have been working on the house for about 5 months now and finally get to actually live in it!! One of our major projects was redoing the kitchen.  We got the floor refinished, painted, got new counters, and neatest of all- got stainless steel appliances. The kitchen had no appliances in it prior to moving in. This meant that I got to choose whatever appliances that I wanted (within my strict budget of course). I chose all stainless steel appliances.  The downside from what I already noticed is that they get smudges on them very easily.  This is where my new Simple Green stainless steel cleaner & polish will come in handy. I have been a fan of Simple Green for some time now. Check out my first two reviews of these products. The Simple Green stainless steel cleaner & polish is very easy to use. You just spray on and wipe off. It helps to resist finge

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April 12, 2012

SunChips 6 Grain Medley Review

I have been a fan of SunChips for quite some time. As a kid, it was always a treat to have these around.  When the company contacted me to see if I wanted to try their new flavor of chips, I was excited to do so.  The new kind is 6 Grain Medley Parmesan and Herb. One Saturday afternoon when I was doing some painting in my house, I needed a snack break and broke open a package of these chips.  They have the typical SunChips look and crunch.  They are flavored with many different herbs.  I really enjoyed them! My dad who is the biggest SunChips fan really liked them too.  Although they are good, my favorite is still the Harvest Cheddar ones. These would be really good topped with a bit of feta cheese or goat cheese. Yum! Also, they are good crunched up on a salad for some extra flavor and crunch.  Each package contains 21 grams of whole grains and 4 grams of fiber per serving.  I am impressed by the fiber! Chips usually are very low in fiber and these are comparable to the fiber

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April 11, 2012

Country Crock and Clare Crespo Hashbrains Recipe

Have you tried Country Crock spread before? It is definitely my favorite butter/margarine to use.  My favorite is the Country Crock Calcium plus vitamin D. I love getting these nutrients in my spread.  I like to use this on toast, green beans, pancakes, etc. Also, something else that I love about Country Crock is that it is registered dietitian approved and recommended in the 2010 dietary guidelines. As part of my profession, I try to find products that not only taste good but that are also good for you. Country Crock is one of these products that can be eaten in moderation as part of a healthy diet that tastes great and adds flavor to foods. I had the great opportunity to view the Clare Crespo Cookbook that provides fun and easy vegetable recipes for kids.  The recipes are step-by-step and they would be great to make with your kids. I do not have any kids of my own but my husband has young cousins that these would be perfect for.  Many kids do not like vegetables plain and need a

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