Category Archives: Snacks

“I Think There’s Something To This Whole Organic Thing…”

…my husband said to me at the airport Sunday.

I shot him a funny look. “Obviously.”

He listens to me talk ALL THE TIME about the merits of eating organic, cutting out the chemicals, the processed food, the genetically modified foods, and the foods that are a bit mysterious (I like to know everything that goes into my food). He’s a patient one.

And he knows I’m right, even if he isn’t as…shall we say…hardcore? as me. But yesterday he saw, in the itty bitty Tucson airport, quite a bit of organic snacks for sale. And he was surprised. And I was thrilled! Because not only did it give me some snack options for the flight home, but it was support for my argument. What’s my argument? That more and more people are wanting quality food with real ingredients and it should be available to us.

He was about to buy some non-organic cookie until the salesgirl said it was awful, so he put it down and bought this, at my insistence, instead:

And hooray! Justin’s Organic Peanut Butter Cups are amazingly delicious. With the exception of my tiny nibble, the hubby happily polished these off. And while these are still technically candy, they’re far better than any conventional candy you could buy – both in taste and in ingredients. We tried the milk chocolate because that’s what the hubby likes, but they make dark chocolate, as well. And I recommend dark chocolate if you like it, as it is healthier, of course. You can find these online (click on the links above) or in local health food stores.

For me, I chose three less “desserty” selections, two of which were granola bars from the company, 18 Rabbits. One was the Nibblin’ Apricot Granola Bar and the other was the Cherry Apricot Bunny Bar.

Now, for the total fail:

I’ve seen Amande Coconut Almond Yogurt (soy-free and dairy-free) at Whole Foods and almost bought it many times. I figured airport hunger would be the perfect excuse to finally try it, as I wasn’t jazzed by the nutrition facts. Well, it’s official: I’m not a fan. It is way too sweet for me and kind of has a funny taste. I don’t recommend it.

But this just shows you how many organic options there actually were at this wee airport – and we didn’t even buy them all! I’m very happy to see organic products creeping into the most unlikely places. And very glad to be able to do this little product review for you folks. Keep your eye out for organic products where you least expect them.

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Filed under Chocolate, Coconut, Organic, Product Review, Snacks

In a Pinch

I wanted to share with you a tasty product I stumbled upon that passes the Health Coach Jillian test…which is no small feat, my friends! Generally, I like to eat whole foods. Real foods. But I like to have something on me at all times in case I get hungry when I’m out and about. So here’s what I found as I was strolling the Whole Foods aisles the other day…

What: The Macrobar

Flavor: Chocolate Protein

Texture: Chewy with crunchies

Taste: Chocolaty. It’s sweet but not too sweet, so it hits the spot without being over the top. It’s delicious.

Here’s why I like it:

It’s 100% organic. All ingredients are non-GMO. It’s vegan. It has wholesome ingredients like organic sunflower seed butter, organic brown rice protein, organic flax sprouts, organic cinnamon, organic natural vanilla. The sweeteners are my favorites: organic brown rice syrup and organic coconut sugar, which is low-glycemic. No agave nectar here. No refined sugar here. Hooray!

The Pros:
At 260 calories per bar, and with 10g of protein, this will fill me up for awhile, enabling me to finish my errands without getting hungry again.

Also great is that there’s very little sodium, saturated fat is low, and total fat is a good healthy dose.

The Cons:
I’m not ecstatic that the first ingredient listed is one of the sugars, which means the sugar content is a little higher than I’d like – 14 grams – but the coconut sugar is low-glycemic so your body will process it differently than refined white sugar.

The Verdict:
For an on-the-go snack to keep in my bag at all times, this is as good as I’ve found but I don’t recommend eating these every day. They are good as emergency food – when it’s not possible to eat real, whole foods that you’ve prepared in your kitchen. Other flavors look good, although I haven’t tried them yet because I liked the nutritional stats on this flavor best.

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Filed under Organic, Snacks