Fill those Lunch Boxes With Healthy & Tasty @GoGosqueeZ This School Year!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Looking to squeeze more fruits and vegetables into your child's diet? Or maybe you are just looking for some quick, healthy snacks on the go during this crazy time of year called the school year?

I know I am all the above so I am LOVIN' GoGo squeez products including their NEW GoGo squeeZ BlastZ and Fruit & VeggieZ Speedy Strawberry!

They are so easy to eat on the go and they fit perfectly in your child's lunch box for snack or lunch that is healthy and tasty!

GoGo squeeZ BlastZ

A new line of fruit on-the-go (in a bigger pouch) with bold tastes made specifically with tweens in mind. Made from 100% fruit blend, these varieties will make on-the-go snacking even more enjoyable!

My kids love that these are easy to open, easy to eat and DELICIOUS! I love that they are 100% fruit and easy to eat on the go! :)

Price: $2.99 to $3.29 Available at select retailers starting July 2018 including Walmart, Target, Meijer, and Harris Teeter.

Fruit & VeggieZ Speedy Strawberry

Speedy Strawberry is the newest Fruit & VeggieZ flavor. With a simple and delicious blend of apple, strawberry and zucchini, it makes it even easier to integrate more fruit and veggieZ into kids’ daily routine.

I absolutely love that these pouches sneak in some extra vegetables - especially great for families with picky eaters! They taste great but include lots of fruit and veggies!

Price: $2.99 Available nationally at Walmart, Target, Costco, Whole Foods, Kroger, Publix, Harris Teeter and most major retailers. 

* Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Make Packing Lunches & Snacks Healthier and Tastier with Phyter Food Bars!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

The struggle is REAL!...The struggle of constantly trying to find healthy, nourishing and filling snacks and foods for my kid's lunches at school!!!

With manic mornings, small children and pure chaos the norm in our house every school morning,  it is becoming harder and harder to implement a healthy eating lifestyle, especially for their school lunches.

So today I am here to help anyone who is struggling like me!! Let me introduce you to a company that is helping me and my family with healthy foods and snacks and has quickly become one of our newest favorite brands!

Phyter Food is the creator of 100% plant-based food bars. Whether adding the bars as a topping to your kids’ favorite smoothie bowl or throwing a bar to the kids in the back of the car on the way to school - they are both healthy and convenient.

The food bar line features Kale + Apple (think apple pie), Berries + Peanut Butter (think PB&J) and Beet + Cocoa (think brownies) flavors that use fresh vegetables and fruits as the leading ingredients and are loaded with phytonutrients – hence the Phyter name.

You won’t find any preservatives hiding in the bars, which is why they’re found in the refrigerator. Plus, Phyter bars are GMO-free, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, kosher and vegan—creating a food everyone can enjoy, even those with dietary restrictions!

In a house, where my husband has to avoid all allergens like soy, gluten and dairy, I am so happy to find a company that provides foods that we can all eat...and ENJOY!

At first, the flavors made me a little nervous, but once I tried the bars, I was hooked! ALL the flavors were delicious and these were a hit with the children as well as the adults in this house! These were great to throw in a kid's lunchbox for a snack or lunch as well as on the go for me for breakfast!

Make mornings easier and lunch packing smoother with Phyter bars this school year!

Buy It:

You can purchase Phyter bars online from their website.

* Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Healthy Summer Snacks: Pistachios

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

One of my family's favorite summer snacks are Pistachios! We love to eat them plain, in trail mixes and even as a topping on Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp! I am especially loving Pistachios now that our family is eating mostly Paleo! It's a delicious, easy to eat snack that is so healthy too!

Pistachios contain a number of health benefits, including cognition and concentration. Researchers have found that compared to other nuts, pistachios produce the greatest gamma wave response, which is critical for enhancing cognitive processing, information retention, learning, perception and rapid eye movement during sleep.

And I can thank the American Pistachio Growers for all these delicious pistachios! American Pistachio Growers (APG) is a non-profit trade association representing over 800 grower members in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. APG is governed by a democratically elected board of directors who are growers and is funded entirely by growers and independent processors with the shared goal of increasing global awareness of nutritious, American-grown pistachios.

So if you are looking for a healthy snack this summer that is great for road trips, camping or at the beach, I highly recommend Pistachios! They are delicious, SO GOOD for you and easy to eat on the go!

Buy It:

You can purchase pistachios at your local retailer.

* Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Delicious Skinny Dipped Almonds for Valentine's Day!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Looking for a sweet gift that won't break you Valentine's New Year's Resolution??

Then try gifting Skinny Dipped Almonds this Valentine's Day! They are an irresistible better-for-you snack that is perfect for the female chocolate lover in your life! Available in stores nationwide, Skinny Dipped Almonds are whole roasted almonds with a hint of organic maple sugar, a touch of sea salt and skinny dipped in ethically sourced dark chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of cocoa, espresso or pure raspberry.

High in protein but low in sugar, Skinny Dipped Almonds are the healthy foodie’s version of regular chocolate covered nuts with the perfect balance of salty and sweet.

I love that they offer three varieties: Raspberry, Cocoa and Espresso! My children LOVE the Raspberry variety and I definitely reach for the Espresso! I love the high fiber content, the high protein and the Non-GMO and organic simple ingredients!!

So delicious AND good for you - you can't give a greater gift this Valentine's Day!

Buy It:

You can purchase Skinny Dipped Almonds online and at local retailers.

* Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Holiday Cooking & Baking, Beverages and On-The-Go Snacks!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

We have you covered today on all your cooking, baking, beverages and on-the-go snacks this holiday season! Check out all my favorites below:

COOKING + BAKING

Explore Cuisine Pulse and Bean Pastas

Take the guilt out of your favorite pasta meals with Explore Cuisine! Explore Cuisine integrates beans, peas, lentils, and rice to provide you with nourishing meals which are easy, quick, colorful, and simply delicious!

All Explore Cuisine products are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO and jam packed with nutrients. ($4.99 at www.explorecuisine.com and retailers nationwide)

Field Roast Vegan Frozen Snack Line

• ·Miniature Corn Dogs : Our award-winning Miniature Corn Dogs harken back to county fairs, amusement parks and summertime fun. We begin with our Field Roast Frankfurters, dunk them in a traditional sweet cornbread batter and crisp them to perfection.

• Fruffalo Wings: Spicy and piquant, daring and bold, crispy and saucy…dare to behold! Our #1 selling Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausage cut on the bias, lightly battered, fried to perfection. Finish in your own sauté pan, crisp them up, add our spicy FRuffalo sauce and FRvoila!

• Sunflower Katsu Cutlet: An all American classic country-style breaded steak turns Japanese and merges with a traditional Katsu style cutlet. A sliced steak of Original Lentil Sage Field Roast battered and breaded with our own special recipe of seasonings, bread crumbs and sunflower seeds.

• Field Roast Chao Creamery – Vegan Mac n’ Cha

• Creamy Mac n’ Chao: It was only a matter of time before we became inspired to craft a rich, flavorful sauce using our Creamy Original Chao Slices. A homestyle classic and perfect combination of creaminess, texture and umami. Simply made, simply satisfying.

• Chili Mac n’ Chao: A southern favorite with zesty chili made with Field Roast brand FieldBurger and pinto beans simmered in a creamy sauce made from Tomato Cayenne Chao Slices. Simply made, spicy good!

KRUPS Grind and Spice 

($19.99; Available @ Walmart)

Quickly grind your favorite coffee beans with the iconic KRUPS F203 coffee grinder.

Product features:

· Two-in-one compact and powerful blade grinder grinds coffee perfectly, and can tackle dry spices, fresh herbs, or nuts for your most adventurous seasoning creation.

· Powerful motor grinds beans from coarse to fine in seconds

· Large grinding capacity yields up to 12 cups of coffee

· Stainless steel power blade for ideal performance

· Versatile unit grinds all kinds of dry spices

· Lid activated safety switch

· Oval blade shape for uniform, even grinding

· Designed for easy pouring and handling

Coconut Protein Powder

NEW from Carrington Farms, Organic Coconut Protein Blend is made with only 3 organic ingredients. It's the perfect way to add plant-based protein to your diet and to your favorite holiday cookies for added nutrition. MSRP: $16.99 www.CarringtonFarms.com

BEVERAGES

AquaBall

AquaBall's naturally flavored water is THE zero-sugar, zero-calorie, zero-preservative children's beverage perfect for regulating the kids’s sugar intake this holiday season WITHOUT jeopardizing taste. Available in four flavors – Berry Frost, Fruit Punch, Grape, and Strawberry Lemonade – AquaBall features fan favorite characters from Disney’s Frozen, Disney Princesses, Marvel’s Avengers and Disney Classic Characters. The bottle alone will bring a smile to any kid's face! www.aquaballdrink.com

Sparkling Ice

An excellent soda alternative, Sparkling Ice is slightly carbonated with B-Vitamins, Vitamin D and antioxidants. This light and refreshing beverage contains Zero Calories, Zero Carbs, is Gluten Free, and Sodium Free.

Pick a flavor from the 20+ different delicious options including a line of Teas, Lemonades and 8oz Slim Cans, to enjoy in your favorite cocktails or as a refreshing snack. ($1.19-$1.29/bottle, available in retailers nationwide)

Brooklyn Crafted Ginger Beers & Ales

The newest craft beverage collection to come from BCGA, Brooklyn Crafted brings seven bold ginger flavors into the mix due to popular demand. Made with 100% real ginger, the 12 oz. bottle flavor profiles include Extra Spicy Ginger Beer, Sugar Free Ginger Beer and Sugar Free Ginger Ale. The 7 oz. mini bottle flavor profiles include Traditional, Earl Gray, Lemon & Lime and Mango.

ON-THE-GO SNACKS

Munk Pack Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes

This ready-to-eat oatmeal, packed with grains and fruit bites, is perfect for a quick breakfast or snack on the go! Available in five delicious flavors, including Apple Quinoa Cinnamon, Maple Pear Quinoa, and more, they are gluten-free, non GMO, vegan and high in fiber.

Munk Pack Protein Cookies

With 18G of plant-protein and 6G of fiber per cookie, Munk Pack Protein Cookies are a delicious, on-the-go protein bar alternative. In flavors like Double Dark Chocolate, Coconut White Chip Macadamia, Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Spice, these vegan and gluten free cookies are soft baked and filled with fiber.

Welch's Fruit Rolls

The NEW Welch’s Fruit Rolls deliver the same quality consumers love in Welch's Fruit Snacks, in a new, irresistibly fun format. Featuring fruit as its first ingredient, the Fruit Rolls are gluten free and available in three mouthwatering flavors: Berry, Tropical Punch, and White Grape Strawberry. (6ct box with 0.75oz roll / $2.99)

Go Organically Fruit Snacks

Go Organically fruit snacks are tasty, on-the-go, USDA-certified organic fruit snack made with real fruit. Even better, these fruit snacks are gluten-free, contain 100% DV Vitamin C, GMO Free and contain no preservatives, offering families a delicious and authentic snack. Available in three delicious flavors, including: Fruit Medley, Mixed Berry and Tropical. (8-Count Boxes with 0.8oz. Pouches / $3.99)

* Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Make Healthy Choices this Holiday Season with @HerbalifeProtein Bites!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Did you know American’s purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy a year? With Halloween just fnished and extra candy EVERYWHERE, the craving for sweet treats can prove challenging for most parents to handle.

This year, chocolate lovers can make good snack choices and forgo the guilt of overindulgence as Herbalife® Nutrition introduces Protein Bites Variety Pack, fun-size treats that satisfy the trickiest of candy cravings.


I am really digging (into!) the Protein Bites this year from Herbalife becaues they taste delicious and fulfill all my candy cravings! They are so great to tuck into my purse for a great snack on the go or to eat during my busy school day as a preschool teacher!

The Variety Pack ontains 28 individually wrapped pieces in the following flavors: Crunchy Caramel Vanilla, Crunchy Caramel Lemon, Dark Chocolate Coconut, and Dark Chocolate Orange.

Pieces have four grams of high-quality protein and no artificial sweeteners.

Protein is vital to a healthy diet, as it’s one of the essential building blocks for many cell components in your body. Protein helps satisfy hunger, build muscle tissue, maintain lean muscle mass and give you energy.

So when delicious temptations test your willpower this holiday season, help satisfy cravings with our new indulgent fun-size Protein Bites. These tasty guilt-free snacks will help keep your weight-management goals on track and are a suitable treat for the entire family. Perfect for sharing with friends and loved ones, enjoy Protein Bites at home, at work or on the go, anytime, anywhere.

Buy It:

You can purchase the Protein Bites Variety Pack for $27.15 per box retail.

* Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Snack Healthy This School Year with Freedom Foods & Mrs. Thinsters

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

It's back to school time and life is crazy busy again! But that doesn't mean we should sacrifice our health, our children's health or trade in our healthy foods for quick, unhealthy options!

Today, I am featuring two great companies that keep our health in mind while providing quick, easy snacks and products to eat on a busy morning or school day!

When I need a quick, HEALTHY snack on the go, I reach for my Freedom Foods bars!

Freedom Foods offers bars, muesli, cereal products that are dairy, gluten, nut free and high in fiber. Their cereal products are a huge hit in our house as well for breakfast!

They recently came out with their new Barley+ line! The Barley+ Toasted Muesli and Snack Bar range is the only product available in the U.S. featuring the superior Australian wholegrain, BARLEYmax™, which has been studied for over three decades by the country's leading research organisation, CSIRO.

Less than a third of U.S. adults eat the recommended 3-ounce servings of grain foods a day. Barley+ makes it easy to achieve the recommended amount, as just one serving of Barley+ Toasted Muesli delivers almost 2-ounce equivalents of wholegrains, nearly two-thirds of the recommended daily intake.

I am a big fan of the bars - especially on the go (which I always seem to be lately!). And the cereal tastes great in the morning with milk or yogurt! I love that it is great for my digestion as well!

Kroger Supermarkets will become the first in the world to launch the Barley+ range, which will be on shelves from mid-July in this major retailer, with distribution expected to roll out to additional U.S. and Australian stores from August. The toasted muesli collection is comprised of three delicious flavors: Cranberry and Nuts, Pink Lady and Macadamia Muesli, and Maple and Nut. The line will retail at $6.49

And when you need a little sweet treat, look no further than Mrs. Thinsters!

Mrs. Thinsters offers crispy, crunchy cookie thins that are NON-GMO, RBGH-Free and contain no corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives!

They only use simple, wholesome ingredients that you have in your pantry. These cookies are thin, crispy and deliciously crunchy. They are the perfect little snack when you need just a little crunch and sweetness!

The current line up includes Lemon Meyer, Brownie Batter, Chocolate Chip, Cake Batter, Toasted Coconut, Key Lime Pie, Pumpkin Spice and more. The Chocolate Chip is definitely our family favorite but the Coconut Chip was a HUGE hit as well!

You can purchase Mrs. Thinsters at your local retailer.
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*Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Products to Help Families Head Back to School!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Whether your children have already headed back to school like mine have or you still have a few days left of summer vacation, eating healthy is a must!

Today I am featuring three great companies that will help us get through the school year whether you are the child or the parent! Check them out below:

Emmy’s Organics

Made with nothing but premium organic ingredients like fresh ginger and fair trade cacao powder, Emmy’s Organics cookies are a tasty, healthy treat both kids and parents can enjoy. These superfood snacks are gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, grain-free and have 6g sugar or less per serving. 

I love that these cookies are grain-free and organic! Finally, cookies that I can feel good about giving to my children and including as a special treat in their school lunches!

And let me tell you....MY CHILDREN LOVE THESE (and so do the adults in the family!). They beg for these every day and it is hard not to give in every day when I know they are full of goodness and without the icky stuff!

Great for an after-school snack or on-the-go grab, Emmy’s flavors include: Chocolate Chip, Dark Cacao, Lemon Ginger, Raspberry, Vanilla Bean, and Peanut Butter.

Purchase online from the Emmy's Organics shop. 

Crunchies

And for an easy snack on the go or for snack time at school is Crunchies! Packed with nutrients and a satisfying crunch thanks to their unique freeze-drying method, Crunchies are an easy way for kids to enjoy their fruits & veggies. 

Unlike chips and other processed snack foods, these tasty single-ingredient snacks have zero sugar added and are gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and kosher and halal certified. 

This is such an easy and tasty way to give children their fruit servings each day! I love taking them on road trips and packing them in their lunches!

Available in strawberry banana, mango, blueberries, beets, and more, Crunchies are great atop smoothies, sprinkled in oatmeal, or as a sweet treat straight from the bag.

Purchase Crunchies from their online shop. 

Community Coffee Company

And for the adults who have children headed back to school, school means COFFEE and lots of it! And Community Coffee wants to help with that! 😊

As the largest family-owned and operated coffee company in the U.S., Community Coffee Company offers high-quality blends featuring 100% select Arabica coffee beans in a variety of yummy flavors.

This is my brand of choice every day and you can bet I will be drinking lots of cups of Community Coffee as my kids head back to school AND I head back to teaching!

From the intense, bold flavor of their French Roast to the smooth, velvety taste of their Private Reserve Sumatra blend, Community coffee is sure to help make mornings for mom and dad a little easier. Community also offers an annual Cash for Schools program that helps participating schools earn money by collecting UPC labels! Get your school signed up today!

You can purchase Community Coffee online or at your local retailer. 

* Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*