New Thrive Bars: A GoMacro Healthy Snacks Giveaway!

Posted on November 29, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

The holiday season is hard to survive, let alone thrive, with your long list of to dos. Between shopping and family parties, it can be hard to eat healthy and take time for yourself. A grab ‘n’ go snack could be just the thing to make your holidays sing…or at least make them a little more pleasant!

GoMacro brand, Thrive Bars, are ancient superfood bars with unique twists of flavor and chewy granola bar texture we know and love (without the hydrogenated oils and processed goop). GoMacro company started on a farm in quintessential midwestern Wisconsin. This independently run business started and is still run by a mother-daughter team set out to promote health, nourishment and healing foods.

GoMacro’s Thrive Bars continue the vision with organic ingredients like puffed quinoa and hemp hearts to keep you running. Plant-based protein, essential fatty acids and prebiotic fiber keep your tummy happy while you focus on your loved ones instead of a grumbling belly. Wipe that grinchy frown off your face with tasty treats like:

Ginger Lemon – Bright citrus and tangy ginger make this bar one of our top purse packed choices.
Blueberry Lavender – Fancy some tea? Pair it with these floral bars with a touch of berry for ultra-yums.

Almond Apricot – Sunny stone fruit flavor with bits of roasted almond picks up a dreary afternoon.
Caramel Coconut – Sweet tooth be gone with this island coconut flavor drizzled in caramel.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip – The traditional granola bar flavor but packed with 8 grams of protein in a snack sized bite.

Chocolate, Nuts and Sea Salt – Simplicity = satisfaction with the savory and sweet combo of sea salt and cocoa.

Yes, they are delicioso but they are allergy and environmentally friendly too! Thrive Bars are USDA-Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, Gluten-Free certified, 100% Vegan, and soy-free (whew, how’d they do all that in one bar?)

Shopping sadness can now be remedied by snack gladness. One lucky reader will WIN a box of mixed Thrive Bars. All you gotta do is show some holiday spirit for GoMarco Thrive Bars on social media by entering our giveaway here: a Rafflecopter Giveaway!

What if you don’t win? You can still believe in miracles! Thrive is offered now at Whole Foods Market or Use the code “Thrive30“ to get 30% off an online purchase!

Wanna learn more about other GoMacro products? Check out our previous review here.

*We were offered 1 box of GoMacro Thrive Bars in exchange for an honest review…and we can’t wait to eat more!*

Win a Lifeway Kefir Prize Pack and Tame Tummy Troubles!

Posted on August 31, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

If there’s one thing politicians on both sides of the aisle should be able to agree with, it’s the stance of being pro-biotics. HA! Haven’t heard of probiotics as a hot button issue? Well, perhaps that’s because they are a … Continue reading →

ARYA Healthy Immunity Boosting Drinks

Posted on August 17, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ~ Hippocrates

When many people think of Indian food, they picture the gold color and fragrant smell of curry. Turmeric is one of the spices that gives curry it’s signature color. The distinct nature of turmeric boasts a sunny power that is hiding inside: curcumin. Curcumin is a plant produced compound with a bevvy of health benefits like cancer prevention, inflammation reduction and perhaps even memory boosting.

Turmeric only contains about 5% or less of curcumin in weight so how are you going to access this compound without chewing a bunch of turmeric roots or currying it up on the daily? Welp, ARYA Curcumin+ Beverages and Daily Antioxidant Gummy Chews contain ARYA’s Curcumin+, providing 27 times the absorption of regular curcumin. Extracted from non-GMO turmeric, ARYA drinks and gummies are a food based way to get a bigger batch of curcumin into your bod.

We were offered samples of the ARYA line for review. So how do they taste? Is sipping on curcumin better than sipping on syzurp?

ARYA Curcumin+ Beverages

There are four sparkling blends: Energy (Citrus), Radiance (Mixed Berry), Immunity (Tropical) and Sports (Lemon-Lime). All 4 have a bubbly texture and are refreshing.

The Sports blend has the highest sugar content (over 20 grams, jeez). Our guess is the sugars serve to replenish lost carbs after a hard workout. Basically, don’t go sipping this drink after that difficult weekend of Netflix binging on the couch.

Other blends have 5 or less calories and feature stevia and monkfruit as sweeteners. The color of the blends can be a little startling and nuclear at first, but remember the color of turmeric? Yup you got it: that bright yellow. We have mixed feelings about the taste of stevia usually but the monk fruit seems to tamp it down for a more balanced sweetness.

These four beverages include the equivelent of 4 tablespoons of turmeric in curcumin absorption per can. The Energy blend was our drink of choice wit ginseng, taurnine and B vitamins. This could be a healthier sub for your 5 hour energy or Red Bull drinkers, too!

Daily Antioxidant Gummy Chews

The gummy chews are reminiscent of a gummy vitamin and have a pleasant mango flavor with a happy smile on the front of the gummy. Gummies pack 1 tablespoon turmeric per serving – a daily dose of curcumin.

We think the gummies would be easier to infuse into a daily routine and the beverages would be more like a sometimes drink when you are looking for a boost.

ARYA Curcumin+ can be found at Walmart, on Amazon and at other retailers near you.

Easy Gluten Free Treats with Garden Lites

Posted on June 23, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Gluten Free

Gluten free goodies are hit or miss. Sometimes you try a gluten free muffin that’s as heavy as a hockey puck and wonder: “Is this the only option I have for muffin glory?” For people with gluten sensitivities or, even more serious, those with Celiac disease, the need for gluten free options is real. But do we want them super processed or super disgusto? No!

Garden Lites gets to the root of this matter and offers gluten free frozen treats to cure your muffin madness with fluffy de-lite-fulness.

Ingredients

First 2 elements: zucchini and carrots in almost every products
Gluten free flour mix: brown rice, sorghum flour, flaxseed meal, or cornstarch
Allergens: Nuts free and dairy free. Some products are soy free, too. (Check particular products, however, for allergen information)

Garden Lites shear off unnecessary fillers and keep their ingredients at the root of what’s needed to make their souffles and muffins. Most have a list of 10 or less on the nutrition facts. The most processed item we noticed is soy lechitin, a common emulsifier used in chocolate and other health related food products. Obviously, it’s best to eat whole foods, but Garden Lites’ chocolatey or blueberry oat muffins will harvest your health compared to those fast food muffins.

Taste the Goodness

We dug into the Chocolate Muffins, Ninja Power Muffins (Heroes in a half shell…turtle power!) and one of Garden Lites’ savory options, the Butternut Squash Souffle.

These muffins are great for tricking kids into eating veggies and tricking adults into being health conscious. The muffins and souffles are all soft in texture and not grainy. They are also produce packed with the following nutrients:

Calories for one muffin range between 80 to max 120 calories,
2-5 grams of protein, and 8 grams protein in souffle
2-4 grams of fiber, and 5 grams in souffle
less than 11 grams of sugar, 18 grams in souffle

The Chocolate muffin is moist and melty like a baby lava cake.

The Ninja Powered Muffin is but a morsel with a chocolate chip zucchini bread flavor and is aimed at the youngins’. We like Ninja Turtles though so we also enjoyed them.

The Butternut Souffle was cornbread like in texture with the mellow aroma and flavor of squash.

Purchase Options

Garden Lites are available at Costco, Target, and Amazon — and let us tell you that Amazon shoppers are all over the Garden Lites, like bees on flowers. Also, you can purchase the frozen products at HealthyGoodness website and get a FREE pint of Three Twins ice cream here! What are you waiting for?! Go Power yourself with Gluten Free Goodies!

*We received free Garden Lites coupons to sample the product. We were not monetarily compensated and our opinions are our own.*

Nutrition Gets Fancy With Curate Snacks

Posted on April 18, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Us gals are always on the look out for new healthy and interesting grab n’ go snacks. Call it the too busy syndrome or too curious syndrome. Balancing full time jobs with our passion for blogging sometimes leaves us with … Continue reading →

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Tag Archives: tastysnacks

New Thrive Bars: A GoMacro Healthy Snacks Giveaway!

Win a Lifeway Kefir Prize Pack and Tame Tummy Troubles!