Tag Archives: Food Finds

The Ultimate Sweet Potato Chip Taste Off Names Terra Chips and Kroger’s Simple Truth the Best

Chips are my biggest food vice. I like them salty, cheesy, with salsa, corn, potato, popped, fried, baked, and everything in between. And lately, I like the sweet potato version. In fact, because of these crunchy finds I’ve pretty much given up on any other chip (which I ate pretty sparingly anyway, to be honest). I’ve had a go-to favorite for a while, but every week at the store I keep noticing more and more new bags of sweet potato chips popping up. Of course, I decided to put them to the test.

I brought six bags of sweet potato chips back to the office for the ultimate sweet potato taste off. No one minded, of course!

It was a blind taste test and participants were asked to vote for the one they thought tasted the best. We ended up with a dead heat. Five votes a piece went to Terra Chips and Kroger’s new Simple Truth brand.

We found the sweet potato Terra Chips to be thin, light, and crisp – perfect for complementing a sandwich. Just a great snack that wasn’t too filling. The Simple Truth natural sweet potato chips are much thicker and sturdier with ridges. We believe these were made for scooping things like guacamole and our Guiltless Spinach and Artichoke Dip. Each had the big sweet potato flavor that we were after. (more…)

Lollihop Snack Boxes are the Perfect Gift That Keeps Giving

Who doesn’t like to get something in the mail that isn’t a bill or another credit card offer? And while our birthdays give us one day a year to impatiently wait the mail’s arrival, with a subscription to Lollihop you can actually look forward to mail delivery once a month, all year long.

Lollihop is an exciting new company based in Palo Alto, Calif. that’s doing its part to make the mail, snacking, and healthy eating fun again. Whether you treat yourself to a Lollihop subscription, or gift it to a friend or loved one, it truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Founded just this year by Suzanne Xie and Tamara Rajaram, MD, Lollihop sends its subscribers a gift box once each month full of some of the best healthy snacks around. They work with a team of nutritionists to carefully curate each snack and make sure that each ingredient is something that fulfills their desire to make “eating healthy, simple, and a lot more interesting than raw cauliflower,” according to Xie’s bio.

According to Xie, the idea for Lollihop came about when Suzanne and Tamara first became friends and shared a passion to help people eat healthier in ways that are fun and accessible. During the first couple of months of working on their idea, they both developed a habit of late night snacking during their long work sessions. After that, it became clear where Lollihop should start. (more…)

We Love Evol Burritos

Finding healthy snacks foods can be tricky. My kids come home from school ravenous and ready to eat anything that doesn’t move, but finding a food that a) is healthy enough to make me happy, and b) yummy enough to make them happy is, c) a tall order to fill. I was recently sent a selection of Evol frozen mini burritos. Evol is Love spelled backwards, and love is what I feel for these bites of yummy goodness.

Tom Speir and Brendan Synnott, two of the founders of Bear Naked granola, discovered these all natural burritos that were being  sold on the side of a mountain to climbers. Impressed by the flavor and quality of the burritos, they created a partnership with the creator, Phil Anson. Made with fresh ingredients, including free range chicken, whole wheat tortillas, and house made chorizo, these burritos have been profiled in Oprah, Vegetarian Times, Hungry Girl and Shape, and were voted Best Burrito by Men’s Health magazine.

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Crystal Light Pure Fitness Hydrates Naturally

Crystal Light was the first powdered drink mix on the scene that gave you a low-calorie and sugar-free way to stay hydrated and quench your thirst. While the diet drink brand has been around since 1982 (actress Linda Evans was the original spokesperson), Crystal Light continues to update its offerings that marry new exciting flavors with less processed ingredients.

Classic Crystal Light is artificially sweetened with aspartame (NutraSweet), the no-calorie sweetener, but with the recent popularity of the Stevia plant, a  reduced calorie sugar alternative, has spurred a new line of drink mixes, Crystal Light Pure Fitness with Truvia, the trademarked brand of Stevia. And that is why Crystal Light Pure Fitness is one of our latest Food Finds. (more…)

Best Cottage Cheese is Friendship Cottage Cheese

I love cottage cheese. It’s one of those Super Foods that’s always in my fridge. Eaten plain, mixed with fresh fruit, combined with salsa, swirled with honey or fruit preserves, or added to pancake batter, I swear by the versatility and nutritional power of this amazing dairy source.

As a self-proclaimed cottage cheese connoisseur, I have tested numerous varieties, usually opting for the low-fat version. Last year, I was visiting the East Coast and came across Friendship Dairies’ Whipped Cottage Cheese. Curious, I bought a container. And upon my first bite, I knew I was breaking new ground in my relationship with this curdled protein powerhouse. (more…)

New Nature Valley Dark Chocolate Granola Bars

We love healthy food finds. And we love chocolate. So when a food find includes chocolate, we couldn’t be happier.

Nature Valley started creating granola bars before grocery stores had entire aisles filled with the latest in protein bars, low-carb bars, and no-sugar bars. Their crunchy granola bars were one of the first to trail-blaze the concept of portable, nutritious and sports-inspired snacks.

The Nature Valley line includes a variety of bars, from the classic Nature Valley Crunchy Oats ‘n Honey to the Sweet and Salty Peanut bar. Just a few months ago, they launched the Oats ‘n Dark Chocolate flavor to their original Crunchy line. As a huge Nature Valley Crunchy bar fan, these bars have become a staple on-the-go breakfast or chocolate indulgence for me. (more…)

NoOodle, The No Calorie Noodle

If you’re  a pasta-loving, carb-watching health enthusiast, you’ve probably heard of or tried the Miracle Noodle, a zero-calorie noodle-like product that is made from the konjac plant.

The plant is sometimes referred to as elephant yam, even though it is an entirely different plant from the orange tuber yam that we are familiar with. Konjac is widely used in Japanese and Asian cuisines. It contains a kind of fiber called glucomannan, which has been associated with controlling blood sugar levels. The fiber is often used as a thickener in foods.

Now, a company called NoOodle has created an entire line of super low-calorie noodles and entrees.  (more…)

Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts Offer Sweet Relief

If you have a sweet tooth, we have a food find for you!

Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts are a new specialty line of muffins, cookies and muffin tops that are sure to fulfill your need for something sweet and carbo-licious.

The company was founded and created by Penny Pearl who has a degree in Consumer Services and Nutrition from Rutgers University. Penny is always on the search for tasty, low-fat, low-calorie treats, so she decided to put her nutrition expertise and culinary skills to use and thus created a complete line of desserts that are not just low in calories, but high in fiber, all-natural and made with zero trans-fats. Best of all, Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts come in individually-wrapped single servings, making portion control a cinch and a yummy portable snack just a grab away.

Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts is the first company to develop no-sugar-added desserts using stevia, an all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener. All of Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts are rich in whole grains and many are egg-free with no cholesterol. Two of the cookies are also dairy-free. (more…)

Better Oats, a Better Take on Oatmeal

Calling all oatmeal fans and oatmeal naysayers! Here is an oat-i-licious food find for everyone.

Better Oats is a new product line of oatmeal that offers a healthy and eco-friendly spin on just your average bowl of oatmeal. Each box comes in a package with five instant oatmeal pouches. Not only does the sleek package take up less space in your pantry but it uses less cardboard and paper, which is healthier for Mother Nature. And the innovative measuring cup pouch is built right into the packet, so there is no need to use a measuring cup for water.

Better Oats offers 10 yummy and healthy brands of oatmeal. Even if you turned your nose up to the mushy stuff when you were a kid, Better Oats has a bowl for you. (more…)

Breyers New Smooth and Dreamy Ice Cream Bars

Even though we are in the last official month of summer, it’s still dreadfully hot outside. And if you’re like me, hot weather is the perfect excuse to eat ice cream.

So when Breyers came out with their new line of Smooth and Dreamy low-calorie and low-fat ice cream bars, I nearly cleaned out my entire freezer to make room for one box of each of these new delicious frozen food finds. (more…)

Einstein Bros. Reveal New Bagel Thins

Taking a cue from the 100-calorie flat sandwich breads from Arnold Bread, Pepperidge Farm and Earth Grain, Einstein Bros. Bagels has just unveiled their new Bagel Thin sandwiches.

This food find is cause for celebration for the bagel lover in you. Since some of Einstein Bros. Bagels can have as many as 330 calories, and that’s without cream cheese, these new bagel thins are a lower calorie sandwich option available at participating Einstein Bros Bagels and Noah’s New York Bagels locations.

The new product line is available in three options: Turkey-Bacon and Avocado Thin (380 calories),  Tuna Salad (250 calories), and the Turkey Thin (250 calories).

The problem with most restaurant sandwiches is that they weigh you down thanks to the huge amounts of dough, meat, cheese and fat-laden toppings.

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