Carolina Cupcakery - Review

I was recently offered an amazing chance by Carolina Cupcakery.  I was able to view the kitchens, try out the power tools, Meet Dawn Eskins and try some fantastic products.

Let me start at the beginning, Dawn Eskins started the Carolina Cupcakery with her two daughters in Camden NC; she is also the baker for it.  Many of you are now wondering why I am doing a post on a place that sells Cupcakes.  The reason being is that Carolina Cupcakery makes gluten free products.  Including gluten free doughnuts, gluten free cupcakes, gluten free lemon bars ECT.  She has an amazing list of Gluten free products, as well as Kosher, sugar free, Vegan, and allergy friendly products.

Vigilant Eats Superfood Cereal-Review

Recently I was asked to review Vigilant Eats, Superfood oat-based cereal.  The claim is that this is a convenient, on the go cereal that is organic, gluten free, vegan, non GMO, high antioxidant, and low glycemic index cereal that offers superior nutritional integrity. It is convenient in that it is prepackaged and all you need to do is add liquid to it and it is ready to eat.  It also comes with its own spoon so it is grab and go ready at all times. 

The box arrives and I am excited to do my review.  I open up the box and was less than overwhelmed by the cereals’ packaging.  Let’s hear it for a basic scientific drawing, on an orange and white background, with what the food stands for.  However, I have learned the package does not make the product.  I received the Goji-Cacao flavor.  I read the top of the container and it suggests cold water, milk, or hot water.  Since I was only provided one package to review, I ended up splitting the contents of the container into three separate bowls.  I tried it each way and quickly discovered a preference. 

While this can be eaten as a cold cereal, I found that it works much better as conveniently packaged hot oatmeal.  Because that is what it tasted like.  However, it was really good oatmeal and I am not knocking that.  The plain water tasted like cold oatmeal and adding the milk made it a little too creamy for me since they already added hempmilk powder to it. Also, getting the right amount of liquid into the cereal was a challenge.  There is no marker on the inside of the cup and it can get pasty if the liquid is too little.  I have no idea what it would be like if the liquid was too much. 

Good stuff:

It has good flavor for oatmeal and I don't feel bad eating it.
I am getting great nutrition and only 300 calories per container.
It is convenient and that is hard to find in gluten free items.
It is ‘Vegan Certified’, and while this is not something that I personally follow I know that it is huge for some people
This is ‘Non GMO (genetically modified)’, meaning that I am eating food the way it should be.
This is also allergy friendly; it has no soy, no dairy, no additives, no preservatives, and no refined sugars.
There were a lot of antioxidants for an easy meal or snack.
It had a good texture.  I really liked the cacao nibs and goji berries.
Even the packaging is completely recyclable.

Undecided:
The price per container is $4.00-$5.00.

Bad stuff:
I didn't like this cereal cold, but that is a personal view.
The packaging does nothing to attract my attention other than the color.
The included spoon is good, but had a tendency to fold on you if you held it wrong.
The liquid amount is a question; there is no indicator to a suggested level.

Overall, I think the good outweighs the bad on this product.  It tends to be a little more expensive than what one would want to pay for a quick meal.  However, it is not so bad when you take a look at current fast food prices.  This is a whole lot better for you than most fast food menu items.

For more information please feel free to visit Vigilant Eats.

Question of the day, at what price does good for you foods become too expensive? 

Mediterranean Snacks Review

Lentil chips, yep I know how that sounds.  How about chips made out of Lentil and Garbanzo beans?  Did you know both are gluten free and have an amazing flavor? 

I was asked to review Mediterranean Snacks and waited for my box to arrive.  It arrived the day before thanksgiving so I didn't get a chance to try it until recently.  If it lets you know what I think, I am going to have to go to the store and get some of the HummuZ Red Pepper.  That was my absolute favorite.  Though there wasn't one that I didn't like.  
I was able to try the
 HummuZ Roasted Red Pepper
HummuZ Roasted Garlic
Baked Lental Chips Cracked Pepper
Baked Lental Chips Sea Salt

The great things about the HummuZ are the consistency, they are amazing to use in dips which is what I did with the entire bag of the Roasted Red Pepper.  We also used the Sea Salt Lental chips as Nacho's.  They worked out really well and were Corn and Gluten Free. I loved the consistency of the HummuZ as a dipping chip and the Lentil Chips had a great crunch.

There Chips are All Natural, Gluten free, vegetarian friendly, and Non GMO and contain No Trans Fat, a much healthier alternative to potato chips.   Not only that but they tend to be addictive.  These would be fantastic at a holiday party since they are easy to top and work with. 

While I only was able to try four flavors, there are so many more Cucumber Dill, Parmesan Garlic, Rosemary and others. 

To see all the flavors please visit http://www.mediterraneansnackfoods.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/MediterraneanSnackFoods

An idea we had for these are use the Cracked pepper Lentil chips on a taco salad or in a bean dip instead of corn chips.  I look forward to trying this is many recipes as they have a great consistency. 

Beanfields Bean and rice Chips Review

Recently I was allowed to review Beanfields Bean and rice chips.

 I received all five flavors; Naturally unsalted, Sea salt, Sea salt and Pepper, Pico De Gallo and Nacho flavor.

I knew the product was gluten free before I signed up.  What I didn't realize is that beanfields is free of all eight of the most common allergen ingredients as well as corn free.  Each 1 oz serving contains four grams of complete proteins and 4 grams of fiber and they are Vegan meaning no animal products are used at all.  

This brought a question to my mind of how good do these actually taste?   The truth is they were really good.  They have a lighter flavor than other chips, but I find that to be a great thing and not a detractor.  I often find that chips have too strong of a flavor and that make me not interested in them.  These also had a great texture, just enough crunch without being too hard.  I loved the flavor, as well as the texture on each of the varieties.  To tell the truth the reason that there is not a picture of the Pico De Gallo is I ate it before I had the chance to take a picture.

My personal favorite was the Pico De Gallo, it had the best flavor for my pallet, it also the favorite of my mother in law.  My husband’s personal choice is the Nacho.  I used the naturally unsalted to make basic nacho's with.  It worked out really well.  The sea salt flavor was lightly salted and I preferred the sea salt and pepper personally.  But like I said that is a personal preference. 

One of the things that I like about this product is the cost.  The 6oz bag is $2.99-$3.99 and the 1.5oz snack size bag is $1.19-$1.49.  Since gluten free food can be so expensive it is nice when a gluten free product is affordable. The chips are made with Non GMO (genetically modified) ingredients, while this is not a big selling point for me I know that for some, eating food that has been modified is not very appetizing.

Also another bonus for me is that Beanfields is a USA based company.  They are based out of Los Angeles California.  Even the rice and bean that are used in their products are grown in the USA.  They also participate in local nonprofits events by donating products and time. I think this a very important part of any and all USA based companies.  Giving back and working with the local economy is key to a company’s success in my opinion.

If you are interested in more information please visit one of the following web sites.  www.beanfieldssnacks.com, www.facebook.com/beanfields, https://twitter.com/BeanfieldsSnack.

I strongly suggest that if you get a change give then a shot.  You might be happily surprised like I was.   I guess not everything that looks or is healthy has to tastes bad.

In fact I am going to give one lucky reader a chance to win half a case, six bags of chips in the flavors of your choice. The giveaway starts Tuesday and will run for one week. This giveaway is open to US participants only.  Best of luck and happy munching.

a Rafflecopter giveaway I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.