The Nutritionist Reviews

April 30, 2013

Hope Hummus Review and Giveaway

I love trying new flavors and brands of hummus and Hope Hummus makes some very unique flavors! I was sent some of their original hummus, spicy avocado, Thai coconut curry and green chile lime hummus. I couldn't wait to review these hummus's on my blog. I created a recipe that I really, really love using this hummus. Parsley and Hummus Fresh Salad Ingredients: 2 single serve packages of Hope Hummus 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 head chopped romaine lettuce 1 chopped large tomato 1/4 cup toasted almonds Directions: 1. Whisk hummus and red wine vinegar together until there are no clumps of hummus. 2. Toss parsley, lettuce, tomato and almonds together. 3. Mix salad together with dressing. My whole family loved this recipe! The hummus made an excellent dressing which I had no tried before. I will definitely be using hummus as salad dressing in the future. It made a semi-thick dressing with tons of flavor and protein. Talk about

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April 29, 2013

Ellie Review and Discount Coupon

Please read below to get your exclusive discount on Ellie Clothing! Ellie is a new line of quality workout clothing. You can choose to be a member or a non-member. Non-members pay per piece for the clothing and members get a whole outfit (top and bottom) for only $49.95. It is a subscription based service so you can sign up to get a new outfit monthly but of course can cancel it at any time. They currently have three lines of clothing out. They have their brand new Coral Crush collection, Little Black collection and the Love, Ellie collection. I love all three of these collections. I love the black line which of course matches with everything and also like the bright and colorful pieces. For my review, I was sent the Black Swan Tank (seen in the first two pictures above). It retails for $34.95. It is a cute strappy tank top. What I like about it is that it is very long (comes right to my hips) and is looser fitting in the stomach area. I wore it running on my treadmill whi

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April 28, 2013

Mango Green Protein Smoothie

As the weather is getting nicer, I love to make a cold smoothie for a meal or snack. I love to pack as much nutrients as I can into one smoothie. I made this one one morning after a workout and it turned out great. I like to set out all of the ingredients together so I can throw everything in the food processor easily. Don't fear the spinach! You will not even be able to taste it and you are giving yourself a boost of iron, calcium and other vitamins and minerals. Mango Green Protein Smoothie Ingredients: Makes one large smoothie -1 cup frozen mango chunks -1 large handful of raw spinach (about 1 cup) -1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Swanson whey protein powder) -1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese -1/3 cooked sweet potato -1/2 cup ice -10-15 green grapes -1/2 cup skim milk or milk of your choice -1/4 cup water Directions: Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Serve immediately! This smooth

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April 27, 2013

The Soothing Company Review

The Soothing Company is a company that sells all kinds of indoor and outdoor products that are soothing. Some examples are fireplace, massage chairs, bird baths, bean bag chairs and hammocks. Lots of variety! The Soothing Company offers thousands of soothing products for your home and garden. They even have a website Soothing Walls that sells water fountains. For my review, I was sent a small gardenia bonsai tree. I have never had a bonsai tree but have always thought that they are beautiful.  This small tree retails for $40.00. This tree blooms from March to June. My tree has not bloomed yet but I can't wait for it to. It is very pretty and I have it set out on my patio right now. The flowers will be "full and fragrant white flowers". It is small and can be used indoors or outdoors. The tree is 6 to 8 inches tall. Check out this company for all kinds of soothing products. I love my new tree and have had fun checking out The Soothing Companies other products

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April 26, 2013

New to Me Product Reviews Part 2

Good morning! I wanted to let you know that I am doing my first Facebook only giveaway for a Wholly Guacamole gift pack !! Enter on Facebook . _________________________________________________________________________________ I recently tried three new snacks products that I have to share with you! _______________________________________________________________________________ 1. SoyMix - Every morning between 9:30 AM and 11 AM, I have some kind of snack that is usually sweet and contains protein to satisfy my hunger until lunchtime. I was recently sent SoyMix which is a mix of lightly sea-salted soynuts, dark chocolate-covered soynuts and honey-toasted soynuts, blended with U.S.-grown pumpkin seeds and Sweet n’ Juicy dried cranberries. It is absolutely delicious. My mom and I tried this right after our walk a week ago and loved it. I enjoyed the mix of sweet and salty. I love soynuts for a snack because they are perfectly crunchy and are also protein rich. This snack h

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April 25, 2013

The Good Bean Review and Giveaway

The Good Bean is a company that makes products with chickpeas. I have been a huge fan of chickpeas for many years now. I often open a can of chickpeas, rinse them well and eat they plain for a snack. Other favorite ways to eat them include in salads, blended into hummus and roasted. The Good Bean makes their chickpeas both sweet and savory which I found to be very interesting. I had not had sweet chickpeas before and was excited to see what they were like. The Good Bean sweet cinnamon chickpeas were very tasty. They are coated in cinnamon flavor and are nice and crunchy. You could describe the texture as similar to a nut. These are high in protein and fiber and have 150 calories per serving.  The fruit and no nut bars are tasty as well. I enjoyed the apricot coconut flavor. These are very low in calories compared to other bars. One bar has 130 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and 12 grams of sugar. It may sound weird eating a bar made mostly of beans but I sw

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April 24, 2013

SweepStreet Jewelry Review and $100 Giveaway

SweepStreet is a company that sells designer jewelry for 30-70% off of retail prices. For my review, I was sent a Dolce & Gabbana ruby red beaded necklace. This necklace is $106.00 on the SweepStreet site. It is 40 inches long which allows you to loop it around your neck or wear it long. I like this necklace and will be wearing it a lot to work. Here is some information about SweepStreet: SweepStreet features beautiful, brand name jewelry at highly discounted prices from recognized designers such as Judith Ripka. Visitors to our site can also enter a sweepstakes with favorable odds, meaning a higher likelihood of winning (no purchase necessary). With authentic jewelry and new merchandise for the Sweepstakes, SweepStreet offers an unprecedented online shopping experience. Here are some of my other SweepStreet favorites: Stackable Pave Bow Ring Timor Medium Woven Drop Earrings   Green Chelcedomy Vine Drop Earrings   Forever Yellow Gold Necklace G

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April 23, 2013

Mason Shaker Review and Giveaway

Mason jars are becoming more and more trendy. I see all kinds of projects with them on Pinterest and have started using them in my home. I recently found a company called Mason Shaker which makes Mason jars that you can use to shake ingredients. For my review, I was sent a Mason Shaker. I think that this shaker is so cute to use to make mixed drinks. It is country and will be great to use at my parent's farm this summer when we have tons of bonfires. I would also use it to mix up a big batch of homemade salad dressing. The Mason Shaker can be purchased for $29.  Here is some information about the shaker: The Mason Shaker® is a unique Mason Jar cocktail shaker created by W&P Design, a design and manufacturing firm founded by two best friends raised in the south. The concept for the Mason Shaker® was developed from an obsession with vintage kitchenware (Josh) and an uncanny ability to fashion impromptu drinking tools at a moment’s notice (Eric). After one too many

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April 23, 2013

Snazzy Gourmet Review

I love, love, love trying new food products. Especially ones that I have been wanting to try for a long time. Snazzy Gourmet is a company that sells all different brands of food products. They were created because many of the gourmet food companies are very small and have trouble selling their products to a large audience. Snazzy Gourmet allows you to buy all of your favorite gourmet foods in one place. I checked out all of their products and requested some different types of things to try that I had not before. Below, I will talk about my favorite ones.  PB2 - I have been dying to try this powdered peanut butter for at least 3 years now and never got around to it. I have fallen in love! With only 45 calories per 2 tablespoon serving and 5 grams of protein, I have found a new favorite food. It tastes very similar to peanut butter for about 1/4 of the calories. What it is is ground, defatted peanuts with a bit of salt and sugar added. What I have been using it for in mixed into

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April 22, 2013

Hapari Swimsuit Review and $95 Giveaway

It is almost swimsuit season! I recently found a new-to-me site called Hapari which sells different stylish swimsuits. I was provided a gift card for my review and got myself a new swimsuit as well as a pair of board shorts for my husband. For myself, I chose the Malia Bandeau emerald green and the Cali emerald green bottom. The swimsuit is affordable at $21 and $29 for each piece. What attracted me to this suit is the bright colors and ruffles. I thought that it would be really fun for the summer. The straps are detachable which is perfect to help avoid tanlines. It seems to be good quality and fits true to size. I also got a white bikini top in this same style to mix and match with other bottoms. I can't wait for summer to wear this swimsuit! For my husband, I chose the Blue Hawaiian Tribal boardshorts to review. These are very reasonable at only $19. I like that they are slim fitting which looks nice on. These also come in red as well. Here is some information about H

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April 21, 2013

La Fresh Review

La Fresh is a company that sells beauty products for on-the-go. For my review, I was sent the nail polish remover pads, bath wipes for puppies, facial cleansing wipes and the makeup remover wipes. The first product that I tried was the makeup remover wipes. I was interested in trying these because I am prone to getting eye infections and have been having a lot of trouble with these lately. I have been using these for a few days now and have not had any issues which is great! They got my makeup off really well while being gentle on my skin. The bath wipes for puppies are a great idea as well. I like these this time of year especially where there is a lot of mud. I can use them to wipe my dogs feet after they come inside. This would be best to use if they are only a little dirty- not covered in mud. The nail polish remover pads are great to stash in your purse or cosmetic bag for a trip. I hate when I am somewhere and my nails are chipping and I can't do anything about it

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April 20, 2013

Cinco De Mayo with Corazonas Chips + 6 Years

Before I start my review for the day, I have to say happy 6 years anniversary to my husband. This day back in 2007, we officially started dating. A lot has changed since then (in a good way) and I love him more than ever! I love you Troy. ________________________________________________________________________________ I love Cinco De Mayo! The weather is getting nicer and it is a great time to celebrate. I have always enjoyed Mexican food and ever since I met my husband who is half Mexican, I have enjoyed the holiday even more. I was recently contacted by Corazonas to try their tortilla chips. I had reviewed their other products including potato chips and breakfast bars a couple of years ago and loved them. Corazonas tortilla chips are made with all-natural plant sterols which are proven to lower cholesterol and help to prevent heart disease. One serving of these chips has 18 grams of whole grain, 3 grams of fiber and 0.5 grams of plant sterols. These chips are very tasty!

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April 19, 2013

New-to-me Foods Review

1. Crunchies - Crunchies is a line of freeze dried fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, I did not get to try the freeze dried roasted veggies because my terrible dachshunds stole them!! They seemed to like them though : ). I really enjoyed the tropical fruit which had pieces of freeze dried pineapple, mango, banana and strawberries. My favorite part of this mix is the strawberries which are a bit tart and melt in your mouth. I think that freeze dried fruit is a good alternative to traditional dried fruit because it still gives you that sweet taste but is much lower in calories.  The salted edamame was also very tasty. Edamame is high in protein and is filling. 2. Bakery on Main Carrot Cake Oatmeal and Blueberry Scone - I have tried some of the other Bakery on Main oatmeals and love them. The new blueberry scone flavor is great! It gives you that blueberry flavor without being unhealthy like many baked goods. It is plenty sweet. The carrot cake flavor is wonderful. When I firs

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April 18, 2013

Saffron Road Review and Giveaway + RD Day in the Life

I recently wrote a guest post for one of my favorite blogs A Nutritionist Eats about A Day in the Life as an RD . Check it out to see what I do on a day-to-day basis. _________________________________________________________________________________ I first tried Saffron Road crunchy chickpeas a couple of months ago and enjoyed them. This time, I was able to sample some of the Saffron Road sauces and frozen meals. Saffron Road makes all-natural products that are sold all over the US. I was able to find it in my local Kroger store which was great. These meals are non-GMO verified and is the first frozen entree to be. My husband and I heated up a couple of these to share for lunch so we could sample both. We really enjoyed the chicken tikka masala. It has really nice pieces of chicken in it which is rare for a frozen meal. They had a normal texture and were boneless, skinless chicken breast. It was served over Basmati rice in a sauce of Tandoori spices, yogurt and tomato sauce.

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April 17, 2013

Charlie's Salsa Review

My husband and I are huge salsa fans. We have chips and salsa, salsa eggs, nachos, tacos, etc. We go through at least one 24 ounce jar of salsa per week between the two of us. When I found Charlie's Salsa and saw that there were some unique flavors, I knew that I wanted to try it. When I am looking for a salsa, I want something that has a thicker sauce base and is not watery. This one is perfect! It has a nice and thick saucy consistency.  The first salsa that I tried is the four pepper hot! This one is very tasty. It was spicy where I could only have about 5 chips worth but I enjoyed the kick that it provided. I could not necessarily taste any peppers though. This salsa is very delicious and my husband enjoyed it too.  I plan to use the tomatillo wasabi to make green salsa enchiladas. I think that the wasabi flavor will be unique in that dish. The original medium is very good as well. My husband and I usually buy medium salsa and this one would be great to add to

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April 16, 2013

Vermont Village Applesauce Review and Giveaway

My heart goes out to everyone who was affected by the horrible tragedy in Boston. Something like this makes me really question what is wrong with humanity. Please keep everyone affected by this in your thoughts and prayers. I will continue to pray that they find the person that was responsible for the bombing of the Boston Marathon finish line. _________________________________________________________________________________ I had first tried Vermont Village Applesauce when I first started my blog. I honestly do not even want to link to that review because it was so poorly written haha. I recently contacted the company to do another review of their products and they sent a nice variety to try. Aside from homemade applesauce with homegrown apples, this my favorite store bought applesauce. It is completely smooth with no chunks which I love. It has a smoothie-like texture. I was sent some of the mango, peach, mixed berry and unsweetened applesauces.  My favorite would hav

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