Spicy Slow Cooker Almond Tempeh

Spicy Slow Cooker Almond Tempeh

It's been a fast-paced start to the school year and this has meant a lot of quick and easy meals. It has also meant a lot of dining out. However, a friend of mine mentioned she was making a tempeh dish in peanut sauce this weekend and it got me dreaming of a dish I made last year and never got to blog! 

I am participating in Eating Rules October Unprocessed challenge and so I am trying to make meals that don't require a lot of kitchen prep. Taking the ideas of the dish that was never blogged, amending it to be peanut-free so I could take it to work (I teach at a peanut-free campus), and modifying it to include veggies I could buy pre-prepped... and you get something fabulous!

Spicy Slow Cooker Almond Tempeh

Serves 8

Ingredients

3/4 cup Almond Butter

2 8-oz packages of 3-grain tempeh (or your favorite tempeh)

10-oz shredded carrots

8-oz sliced crimini mushrooms

10-oz peeled, cubed butternut squash

2 red bell peppers chopped into medium pieces

Pacific Natural Foods Vegetarian Pho Soup Starter

2 tbsp diced ginger

1 tsp cayenne pepper powder (more if you want really spicy, less if you can't handle heat)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Mix everything together in the slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours. The dish will go from liquidy to more liquidy, and will then start to thicken.

Serve over quinoa or rice.

Nutritional Information

Each serving is approximately one cup however it will vary on how long you let the liquid cook down. This is a large portion when paired with a grain, so I am also including nutritional information for a half the serving as well.

1/8 recipe -- 330 calories, 29 carbs, 18 fat, 17 protein, 9 fiber

1/16 recipe -- 165 calories, 14.5 carbs, 9 fat, 8.5 protein, 4.5 fiber

Travel-Friendly Energy Bites

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Wilder at Eating Rules)

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I will have been on the road almost every weekend for two months. The life of a debate coach is a crazy one. Toss in the food blogging shenanigans at the International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC), and I feel like I am gone more than I am home. 

However, with time changes and quick layovers and late nights, sometimes I find myself without a healthy option for a quick bite. So I have been playing with a base recipe for granola bars that a friend gave me on a handwritten notecard. I modified it a bit to play with different flavors and hopefully amped up the nutritional profile just a bit.

Play around with what you choose to mix in and what nut butter you want to play with. This recipe makes about 36 1" by 1" squares but you can size it up however you want. The nutritional information below are for the specific name brands I used. Feel free to request the names if you want them or calculate your own nutritional stats.

Energy Bites

Yields: 36 bites

1/2 cup almond butter

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

2 tbsp cane sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup reduced-fat unsweetened coconut shreds

1/2 cup dried goji berries

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats

1 scoop Garden of Life protein powder

Combine brown rice syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and cane sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat. You want to make sure the nut butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Combine coconut shreds, goji berries, flax meal, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, oats, and protein powder. Pour in liquid mix and stir until combined. I tend to knead the mixture by hand towards the end to make sure everything is combined.

Grease a 9X9 baking pan or use wax paper (I do both). Put "dough" into the pan and press it flat. Let harden (I toss it in the fridge to speed up the process). Remove from pan, cut into squares, and wrap in wax paper.

Per serving: 90.6 calories, 3.7 grams of fat, 11.8 grams of carbs, 1.6 grams of fiber, 2.5 grams of protein

Full recipe: 3263 calories, 134 grams of fat, 425 grams of carbs, 57 grams of fiber, 89 grams of protein

Vegan Zucchini Walnut Muffins

Zucchini Walnut Muffin

***Before you read about these moist, delicious, healthy muffins -- Project Food Blog Challenge Two is open for voting! Please take a minute to vote for Uncovering Food. Voting closes September 30 at 5pm PST***

Whenever I go to Starbucks (which is more often than most), I long for the baked pastries in the glass cases to pair with my iced soy latte. But alas, I know how bad those baked goodie are for me, which is why I was happy to find a recipe for Zucchini bread in Breaking the Food Seduction that I modified into portable breakfasts, snacks and desserts. These muffins are sweet without being loaded with processed sugars and now is a perfect time to make them and take the October: Unprocessed pledge at Eating Rules. You will read more about this from me over the coming month, but I encourage you to join the movement to eat only unprocessed foods in October. You can find out more by clicking the image below.

Zucchini Walnut Muffins
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (approximately one large squash)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup all-natural concentrated apple juice, thawed
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp organic canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12 muffin tins with cooking spray (I used a Chicago Metallic Pretty Pansy muffin tin that I got at the International Food Bloggers Conference). Whisk flour, baing powder, baking soda, cinnamon, chili powder, and cloves together in a bowl. In a seperate bowl mix zucchini, applesauce, apple juice, maple syrup, canola oil, and vanilla extract together.

Mix wet and dry ingredients together, be careful to mix only until batter is blended and evenly moist. Fold in walnuts. Pour into muffins tins. Bake muffins for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven. You will know they are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove muffins from tin to cool. Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

Each muffin contains 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein.

Uncovering Pistachios: Heart-Health and Happy Eats

Memories of my childhood include my father sitting on the patio, cracking open pistachios while telling political and historical stories that were more intriguing than anything I could read in a history book or watch on the news. I remember getting to crack open my own pistachios, the salty hard outer shell with the green and white seeds inside taunting me with their rich nutty goodness.

Recently I began seeing a nutritionist (Hi Lauren!) to ensuring my version of "healthy eating" was on par with what I really should be eating in order to not only lose weight but improve my overall well-being. One of the things I realized while keeping my food journal is how I eat a relatively low-fat diet. But the fats I was consuming were often not the healthy ones (yum bacon!) so when I hit the road this past weekend for a debate tournament in North Carolina, I needed to find a way to increase healthy fats without just doing shots of olive oil in my hotel room (that could be an interesting drinking game on a random Friday night though...).

I looked through the list of healthier options and that is when I saw a flash from the past. Pistachios! Not only are they delicious, they are also relatively good for you (in moderation of course). So I made it a point to buy a bag, portion them out, and carry them in my camera bag/purse for the tournament. Eating a half cup of pistachios kept me entertained for a reasonable amount of time and when I finished them, I was full! Which is when I realized that while many of us enjoy these little green morsels, how many of us know all of their health benefits?

Apparently there is a Web site (or course there is) dedicated to the health benefits of pistachios. Actually there were hundreds. But rather than just trust sites that are probably funded in part by the industry (not that they are wrong, but more for the academic "evaluate sources" teacher in me), I decided to hit the academic research on the nut.

Researchers at Penn State in an article in the Journal of Nutrition in June 2010 conducted research that "suggests that a heart-healthy diet including pistachios contributes to the decrease in the serum oxidized-LDL concentration through cholesterol-lowering and may provide an added benefit as a result of the antioxidants the pistachios contain."

According to the USDA Nutrition Laboratory, one ounce of dry-roasted salted pistachios (in shell) has 161 calories, 2.9 grams of fiber, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and a number of minerals and vitamins including 137mg phosphorus (RDA 700mg).

Ultimately, I like pistachios because of their creamy nutty flavor, plus they are fun to eat! But it is also good to know that I am doing something good for my body in the process. I eat them by themselves but would love to know how you enjoy your pistachios!

That's a Wrap! Uncovering Lavash

As the economy continues it's slowing trend, more people are optioning to pack a lunch rather than buy lunch out in order to cut costs. But basicsandwiches get old fast, as I am discovering on my quest to eat cheap and healthy while traveling. So while in Minnesota this weekend, I set out to explore the local grocery store for something to change up my meals.

Near the deli, I found excatly what I was looking for. Lavash! According to CookThink, "Lavash (pronounced "luh-VOSH") is a thin, round Armenian flatbread (sometimes called cracker bread) made from flour, water and salt. It's traditionally cooked in a tandoor-style oven. Popular in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey, it is available in Middle Eastern markets. "

I was lucky enough to discover Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Lavash. The package was relatively inexpensive and had four large wraps in it. One half of a wrap is a serving and makes a delicious replacement for traditional bread.

This weekend I enjoyed turkey & Laughing Cow Cheese light wraps with sprouts and a spicy honey mustard. I also used the lavash for brekkie wraps of egg, cheese, and chicken. I packed some lavash with individual servings of peanut butter, honey and jam from the hotel breakfast buffet and gave them to my students for airplane snacks (packing the pb, honey and jam in the quart size plastic bag for security!). And when I returned home, I made my favorite of all wraps:

BB&B Burrito (Barney Butter & Banana Burrito)
(serves 2)

1 large Joseph's Lavash, sliced into two
1/2 large banana, sliced in half lengthwise (so two 1/4 banana slices)
1 90-calorie packet of Barney Butter

Warm you panini press. Lay each 1/4 slice of banana on one of the two wraps. Distribute the packet of Barney Butter between the two bananas. Wrap and press!

One serving of Joseph's Lavash: 50 calories, 2 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein

Nutritional Information for 1 Burrito: 125 calories, 5.75 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein

UliManaMana: Raw Chocolate Deliciousness

Prevention of heart disease? Reduction in blood pressure? Positive effects on cholesterol? What miracle food does all of this and more?

According to researchers at Harvard University in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, the Archives of Internal Medicine, and the journal of Atherosclerosis research, these are just some of the benefits of consuming raw dark chocolate.

While a raw food diet may not be on everyone's agenda, the health benefits of consuming raw chocolates are being studied by the medical field. Ulimana, a company established in 2005, has promoted these benefits in their line of raw chocolate products that are not only good, but good for you.


According to their Web site:

"UliManaMana is a made up name whose origins come from the 35,000 year old Huna tradition, a Polynesian/Hawaiian science practiced by the aboriginals of that region. In Hawai'i, this teaching was originally called Ho'omana (to make Mana or life force energy) and means Empowerment. The people who practiced these teachings and techniques knew that all power and all life force emanated from the One, I'o, the source of all life-- the source of all energy.

Uli is the name of the goddess from the Huna science who oversees the feminine domain and is also known as the 'Goddess of Serenity'. Mana means life force energy. When you have a lot of Mana, (as in ManaMana), you are healthy and vibrant. When speaking the name UliManaMana you are asking the goddess Uli for the blessing of life force energy and vibrant health. We wanted the name of our company to mean something positive and uplifting. So say it often as you eat our chocolate and have gratitude for the gifts bestowed upon you."

I had the opportunity to try out several of Ulimana's products and I am sold. The truffle (first picture) was super rich and fulfilled every craving for chocolate I had. I enjoyed the small delicacy over the period of an hour because it was so rich I couldn't eat it all at once!

The second item pictured is the Chia Moon Drop. Containing the recently hyped Chia Seed, known for it's amazing nutritional value, these small cookies pack a powerful flavor punch. With a cashew in the center, the date texture and the flavors of the Chia seed and coconut oil as well as hints of vanilla, this new addition to the Ulimana product line is a keeper! The San Francisco examiner recently published an article about the benefits of the Chia seed that is worth checking out. The Chia Moon Drop is one of the tastiest applications of the Chia seed that I have tried in my search for nutritional superfoods.

Finally, I had the opportunity to try Ulimana's hemp brownie. A sucker for baked goods, I was first impressed at the low calorie content for the rich chocolate treat. After three bites, I was even more impressed that my chocolate craving had been satisfied and I could set aside the second half of the brownie for later! According to Finnish research, hemp packs a nutrtional punch with omega-6 to omega-3 ratios that are optimal for our health. Also high in protein and fiber, more research is being done about this powerhouse that has seen much stigma from it's illegal relative attached to it. While you can't get a drug-high from these brownies, you will be on a healthy chocolate high for sure!

You can order Ulimana products from their online store. The cost for these goodies is higher than a supermarket chocolate bar, but between the quality of products and well as the absolute satisfaction in flavor, it is well worth the investment. Rarely have I found a truffle that satisfies me after only a bite or two! Additionally, Ulimana donates 5% of it's proceeds to various non-profit organizations that are listed here.

Nutritional Information:

Raw Chocolate Truffles: 70 calories/4 grams of fat/1 gram of fiber/1 gram of protein
Ingredients: Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Agave, Organic Cacao Butter, Ground Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Vanilla Beans, Organic Date Sugar, and Celtic Sea Salt.

Chia Moon Drops: nutritional information coming soon!
Ingredients: Organic Dates, Organic Cashews, Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Coconut Shreds, Organic Agave, Organic Vanilla Beans, and Celtic Sea Salt.

Hemp Brownies: 120 calories/6 grams of fat/2 grams of fiber/2 grams of protein
Ingredients: Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Agave, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Hemp Powder, Organic Hemp Seeds, Organic Vanilla Beans, and Celtic Sea Salt.

Nutty Idea: Talking Trail Mix!

Every fitness and health magazine cover in the last year has boasted the magical diet for flatter abs. And I bought them all. Who wouldn’t? I will openly admit that I would love to eat my way to flatter abs!

What was the secret? I mean, in addition to portion control and incorporating exercise? Monounsaturated fats! According to Fitness Magazine these fats may reduce the amount of fat you store in your abdominal region. Additionally, monounsaturated fats reduce the bad cholesterol in your system. One of the best sources of these fats, in addition to olive oil, are nuts like almonds, macadamia nuts and walnuts.

If you have been following Uncovering Food for a while, you know that I am nothing if not a nut addict. I am always in search of the next best nut company. And now my search is not in tasty vain! I can say I am just in search of flatter abs.

The same issue of Fitness also featured an article on sugars. Within it, it recommended turning to dried fruits for sweet cravings rather than processed sugars because it reacts differently in the system and may not create the same craving cycles that more refined sugars cause.

So my mission was clear. Find a company that offered me an opportunity to created my own blend of nuts and fruits that were delicious and nutritious. This meant no added preservatives or chemicals. And I think I found it!


Nutty Idea is a company that focuses solely on trail mix and its components. This allows the company to offer high quality products at competitive costs, while allowing the consumer to design their own flavor combinations!

I ordered three different mixes from Nutty Idea. The popular Rainman (almonds, pistachios, honey oat clusters, cranberries, cherries), another bagged mix of my own (chocolate morsels, pumpkin seeds, honey oat clusters, mangoes, strawberries, pistachios and cherries) and a gift tin (walnuts, Brazil nuts, mangoes, hazelnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pistachios, strawberries). Now I was concerned about getting these large bags of trail mix, because let’s face it. I have never been the best at nut portion control. But upon arrival, all I had to do was portion it into individual servings. I put most of the servings in reusable containers that made this a more environmentally friendly opportunity that buying everything in individual portions.

Every ingredient that I sampled was fresh and delicious. The nuts were all full of flavor, with no duds in the bunch. The granola was still crunchy and the chocolate melted in my mouth. While I enjoyed the mangoes and cherries, I fell in loved with the strawberries. They were almost jellied in the drying process which left them bursting with flavor and not tough when chewing. All of my future Nutty Idea mixes will have to include strawberries!


One of the interesting things is the cost for Nutty Idea products. The company prices each ingredient separately, so if your ingredients are less costly, you aren’t burdened with the overhead from the pricier orders. However, having expensive nut taste, I still found the pricier ingredients to make an affordable mix. Finally, remembering how small a portion of nuts really should be means that my order from Nutty Idea will last a long time… as long as I keep them hidden from the other squirrels in the neighborhood!

According to Brett Blankenship, owner of Nutty Idea, "It really is not about the almighty dollar for us. Yes we enjoy profits but our staff really prides ourself on quality products you can not get at most local supermarkets at a great value. I want Nutty Idea to be known for top quality not necessarily lowest price. The neat thing is we have been able to keep the quality and yet even compete in pricing!"

"I think the greatest testimony to Nutty idea is our repeat customers. once they try our products we have a large repeat business."

The nutritional information will vary based on the ingredients you choose. Nutty Idea is currently working on a program that will calculate the individualized mix as you build it, however in the meantime at the bottom of every page of the site there is a static block that has a section called Nutritional Information. A customer can go on there -- which really links you to every individual item offered -- and on that page you can view the nutritional facts for any item you desire.

Now for the promotions! For anyone interested in a bulk purchase, you can order five pounds and during the checkout there will be an option to put in a discount code. Use the code 5lb to gain additional discounts off their already great prices.

For those not as interested in a five pound order (although that drastically cuts down on your shipping costs and ultimately brings down the per pound cost of each trail mix), during checkout to use the discount code USA . . . this one requires you to sign up as a customer but gives you a discount on your first five orders.

One final note, that was really cool to this sister of a solider, is that Nutty Idea will ship to military addresses. An awesome and healthy idea for a care package for your loved ones overseas!

Get Mixed Up on this Trail: You Trail Mix

The fabulous folks at You Bar began production today on a new line of customizable trail mix. If you have been following Uncovering Food, you will remember my fascination with this company that creates bars and smoothie mixes to fit your personal palate. You Trail Mix, the newest member of the You family, began taking orders today with a fabulous array of options to include.

I recently had the opportunity to test out the three Popular Mixes before they are shipped out to the general public. The Best Trail Mix (pictured above), Mix Up Your Day, and Chocolate Trails are all sold in 13-bag cases and are perfect to toss in your purse or your kid's lunch box for an afternoon snack.

As a nut lover, the Best Trail Mix satisfied my cravings with a combination of Almonds, Organic Cashews, Walnuts, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Dried Sweetened Blueberries, Sweetened Cranberries, and Sun Drops Original Chocolate Candies. If I were to personalize this however, I would probably change up the dried fruits with pineapple and apricots -- two of the options in the Mix-A-Trail menu. A 45g bag is 234 calories/16 grams of fat/4 grams of fiber/5 grams of protein. Considering the high nut content, this is a perfect portion of healthy oils and filling foods.


The Mix Up Your Day was my favorite of the three popular flavors. This mix included huge chunks of coconut that was full of flavor and contrasted nicely with the goji berries, pineapple and cashews. Oat Bran Sesame Sticks and Almonds round out this mix for a salty, smooth and sweet combination. At 229 calories/15 grams of fat/3 grams of fiber/5 grams of protein, this is another combination that will keep you full for a while. And for those of you with peanut free campuses, this combo is sans peanuts.


For the chocolate loving readers, You Trail Mix did not forget about you! Chocolate Trails is a mix created just for the healthy chocolate lover. Pecans, Dried Cherries, Peanuts, Milk Chocolate Raisins, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Mini Pretzels are all served up together in this sweet nutty blend. Since I am not a fan of milk chocolate, this wasn't my favorite. If I were to mix up my own blend, I would opt for the dark chocolate covered espresso beans and dark chocolate covered raisins. The options are endless! I also probably wouldn't include the pretzels because the residual moisture from the dried fruit decreased the crispness of the pretzels. This mix tallies up at 220 calories/13 grams of fat/4 grams of fiber/4 grams of protein.


While the premixed bags ring in at $1.49 a bag, you can personalize three different sizes from $1.89 to $2.19 a bag depending on the size. There is no specific charge for ingredients, so even opting for more expensive ingredients won't affect the overall cost!

Why pay so much for small bags of trail mix when you could just make your own at home? If you are like me, portion control is awesome, and these bags keep the individual portions fresh. You are also paying for the convenience of not having to buy large bags of everything and mix the exact portions yourself and calculating the nutritional information. Finally, how cool is it for you (or your kid) to have snacks with your own name on it?!?

All in all, I believe the You Bar folks have found another niche in the customizable foods market, which they are filling with 10 different nuts, 11 different fruits, 5 different seeds, 4 different crunchy grains, and 12 other tasty additions. Try mixing up your own trail mix and let us know what you come up with!

An Amazing Value: One Organic Food Bars

Very rarely do I find a bar that I have to buy more of immeadiately after sampling. One that I email and Twitter about after the third bite. One that I want to savor bite by bite, every chew, until I am sad that it is gone but so fully satisfied that I am happy at the same time.

More specifically, when I do find such a bar, very rarely is the bar sold at an affordable cost. Made with organic ingredients. Free of trans fats, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrupand preservatives. And prepared fresh daily through cold processing!

When I first communicated with Organic Food Bar, I was interested in learning more about the Active Greens and Omega-3 Flax bars. The names just seemed so.... healthy? But Eric over at Organic Food Bar was convinced my readers and I would fall in love with the One line, a low cost and all organic line of bars. Eric was right about one thing... a girl has to watch her wallet these days. These bars are only 86 cents when you buy a box of twelve (and only $1.19 if you buy them individually) online. When he told me they were gluten free, soy free, dairy free and peanut free... I KNEW I had to try them. I have friends with a number of allergies and if these were as amazing as they sounded, I would have to tell the world!

Lucky for me, the happy taste tester, and all of my amazing readers, the One Organic Food Bars are worthy of gracing the screen of Uncovering Food. Although don't create too big a demand, because this girl still wants to be able to get her hands on some of them!

Raspberry Muffin Crunch

Okay so while the first picture on the blog is one I took, I loved how the graphics on the company web site included the ingredients that go into the bar! The Raspberry Muffin Crunch was my favorite all around bar. It was sweet without being too sweet. The raspberry pieces just popped in my mouth and combined with the organic non-glutton cereals and granola, it was the perfect texture. The bar consistency was firm but soft, creating a satisfying mini meal and a perfect pre-workout snack. Did I mention it has 500mg of Omega Threes and is Vegan? When reviewing my notes, the first thing written in caps across the top of the page was: YUM!!!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Raspberry Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Raspberries, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Crispy Brown Rice) Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Flax, Organic Acacia Fiber and Organic Freeze Dried Raspberry Juice.

Nutritional Information: 180 calories/4.5 grams fat/3 grams fiber/5 grams protein

Chocolate Macaroon Crunch

Coconut lovers beware! The Chocolate Macaroon Crunch Bar is full of this fabulous ingredient! Complete with more probiotics than a serving of yogurt, this bar was my second favorite of the line. Every mouthful was chocolate and coconut. I felt like I was being so bad! It was definitely more cookie like, which was good when I was looking for something to enjoy with a good cup of Teavana Earl Grey Creme tea for afternoon tea time. It is also very filling for a bar. After enjoying it with my tea, I wasn't hungry for hours!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Coconut, Organic Coconut Almond Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Barley Flakes, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Almonds, Organic Coconut, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Sunflower Seeds) Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Chocolate Chips (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Chocolate Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter), Organic Acacia Fiber and Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086.

Nutritional Information: 210 calories/10 grams fat/6 grams fiber/2 grams protein

Blueberry Muffin Crunch

Another quality bar in the line, the Blueberry Muffin Crunch Bar also boasts heart healthy Omega 3s. This was my least favorite in the line, as it was definitely sweeter than the raspberry bar with less pop from the fruit. The bar does have a nuttier texture though which I enjoyed and savored. When I say it was least favorite, let me be clear that I would still buy and eat these Vegan babies. The texture is a bit chewier (although I did get a couple larger chunks of almonds - yum!) and the bar was a bit darker in color from the blueberries. However it also left me satiated and with a fresh burst of energy!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Blueberry Almond Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Apples, Organic Almonds, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Blueberries, Organic Sunflower Seeds) Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Flax, Organic Acacia Fiber and Organic Freeze Dried Blueberry Juice.

Nutritional Information: 180 calories/4.5 grams fat/6 grams fiber/3 grams protein

Caramelized Beet & Mozzarella Salad with Toasted Walnuts

2 golden beets
3 cups baby red Russian kale
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 oz fresh mozzarella

Slice beets into three medallions each. Over medium-low heat, warm oil in frying pan and caramelize the beets.

While beets caramelize, slice fresh mozzarella into four slices. When beets are done, lay kale in bowl. Place large beet medallion on kale and then a cheese slice. Repeat. Top with final medallion.

Toast walnuts in pan and top each salad with toasted nuts.

Makes two servings: 247 calories/16 grams of fat/5 grams of fiber/10 grams of protein

Pistachio Recall Information

Carolyn Jung, my favorite Food Gal, has a great post on her blog today about the pistachio recall with a number of informative links. If you love nuts like I do, you better hop on over and check it out!

Golden Nugget Squash with POM reduction and Roasted Pinenuts

When I was younger, my parents had a pomegranate tree in the backyard. Every year the tree would bow under the weight of the heavy purple-red fruits which cracked opened and spilled their gorgeous seeds for the birds and my family to enjoy. Evenings were spent loosening the seeds so my father could use his old-fashioned juicer to extract the sweet tart goodness. Long after the season ended, we had juice in the freezer to drink, cook with and make wine with.

Now that I live further away, these happy memories come back whenever I get a chance to enjoy pomegranate juice. Recently, I had the opportunity to taste POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice. This bottled delight, albeit missing some of the gunk and seeds that were in my dad's juice, remind me of home. The juice is fresh and sweet, with the tartness you can only find in a pure pomegranate juice. Mixed with sparkling water, you can cut the calories in half (8oz of POM is 150 calories) and lessen the tartness but still enjoy the fabulous benefits of the fruit.

Speaking of benefits, pomegranate has to be one of the best publicized fruits lately. With high concentration of polyphenols, it is an acclaimed source of antioxidants. Research also suggests that pomegranate consumption can help with heart health and cancer prevention. But all the amazing health benefits aside, it just tastes so darned good!

Today's recipe takes the juice that reminds me of home and combines it with one of my father's favorite foods -- pine nuts -- and my mom's -- squash -- to make a fabulous side dish that would work great with some grilled chicken or a salad.

1 Golden Nugget Squash (you can try out other squash and find your favorite!)
4 oz POM Wonderful, pomegranate juice
4 tbsp dry roasted pine nuts

Cut squash into 8 slices, removing seeds in the process. Bake at 350 degrees (you can choose to drizzle oil, but I just pour a little water into the pan which steams a bit while baking) for 30 minutes or until the squash begins to brown around the edges.

In a saucepan, reduce pomegranate juice by half.

Divide squash onto four plates and drizzle reduced pomegranate juice over squash. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of nuts over each plate.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information: 131 calories/6 grams of fat/5 grams of fiber/2 grams of protein

Flavor AND Fiber? Gnu Peanut Butter Bar

When people ask me about my travels, I get the very simple "what do you pack on your trips?" to the slightly personal but recently asked "how do you prevent an upset stomach?" (I will leave the verbiage as clean as possible for those with delicate eyes!).

The truth is that people tend to eat less healthy when traveling. I will admit that my food choices aren't always the best on the road. But one thing you should do when traveling is ensure you are getting enough fiber. I always make sure to keep a couple high fiber foods with me for those days when I just couldn't fit it into my diet elsewhere. When I was given an opportunity to try Gnu Flavor and Fiber bars, I knew these would be reviewed on my next trip!

The Gnu Food Flavor and Fiber bars pack an astounding 12 grams of fiber into every bar! This bar is not for the faint of stomach. If you are not used to consuming large quantities of fiber, you could have stomach pains or discomfort. According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln IANR web site, you should up your fiber intake gradually and ensure you are getting enough fluids.

Fiber is also great because it helps fill you up. When I was biking along the beach earlier today, I was a bit hungry but knew it would be awhile before I had another full meal. So I broke out the Gnu PB Bar and enjoyed it with a bottle of water. I was full for hours!

Very rarely do I review a product because I love how healthy I feel when I eat it. But with every bite of the Gnu Foods Flavor and Fiber Peanut Butter Bar, I felt myself getting healthier while enjoying a tasty new snack!

Think I'm kidding? Think again! This bar has a unique texture that is a bar with a chewy cookie and crumbly granola feel to it. Every bite, I could taste different components of the bar from the peanut butter to the apples to the wheat bran to the rice. I enjoyed rolling it over my tounge trying to identify each of these flavors. I was excited to figure out what was in the bar without having to read the label. How often do you find a product where you can figure out what ingredients are in there by taste alone?

While the texture is different than most of the bars on the market, I enjoyed the complexity in my mouth. The sweet nutty peanut with the sweet fruit and hearty grains make this one bar that will travel with me again.

Ingredients: Gnu High Fiber Blend™ (whole rolled oats, organic whole wheat flour, wheat bran, organic kamut, psyllium, flax, millet), chicory root inulin, fruit juices, rice dextrins, rice, canola oil, peanuts, apples, plums, natural flavors, wheat protein isolate, salt, baking powder.

Nutritional Information: 140 calories / 5 grams of fat / 12 grams of fiber / 4 grams of protein

It's my birthday and I'll eat good chocolate if I want to! Chocolove review.

I turned 28 today, and what better way to celebrate then some fabulous sweets! I am going to review two Chocolove bars that I enjoyed this week. I will share some more Chocolove reviews over the next couple weeks as I savor each flavor! Today we will examine both a milk and a dark chocolate bar.

One of the awesome features of the Chocolove bars is that inside each wrapper is a love poem. What better gift to slip into that special someone's pocket than a high quality chocolate bar that expresses how you feel for them!

The Toffee & Almonds in Milk Chocolate was smooth and sweet, with a slight crispness from the toffee folded into the chocolate. As a dark chocolate fanatic, this was almost too sweet for my taste, however the high quality ingredients left me satisfied after only 1/2 of the small bar. I enjoyed the texture of the bar, the ingredients were blended together into one quality product. Although I don't normally buy milk chocolate, I would make an exception for this bar!

Ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, milk, cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), toffee (grade aa butter, sugar, almonds, soy lecithin, salt)

Nutritional Information per 1.3oz bar: 210 calories, 15 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein (5 points, but I was satisfied with half over a period of one day!)


Raspberries in Dark Chocolate is a 55% cocoa content bar with freeze dried raspberries in the bottom of the bar. The quality of the chocolate is smooth and rich, less sweet than the milk chocolate but still very satisfying for a sweet tooth. The raspberries provide a crunch to the bar without upping the sweetness factor. Instead, the berries add a tart bite to the bar that elevates the flavor to another level. You get to enjoy the sweet and tart tangents at the same time without either sensation overwhelming the other.

Ingredients: dark chocolate (cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), freeze dried raspberries

Nutritional Information per 1.2oz bar: 181 calories, 11 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein (4 points)

Product Review: YouBar, The Best Bar

When rushing off to the gym or hopping on a plane, I always like to keep food in bar form in my bag. Unfortunately, too many of those bars are full of chemicals, high fructose corn syrup, or other bad for you ingredients. Additionally, I have had a stale bar on more than one occasion despite just buying the box! And attempting to make my own bars at home is never quite satisfying for portability purposes.

But what if there was a company that would make the bars for you? You could pick and choose top tier ingredients and then order a box of custom-made bars that are shipped directly to your door? If you are thinking that is a fabulous idea, like I did, then you will definitely want to check out YouBar!

The company allows you to design your own bars online, or order some of their most popular bars. What is really cool is that as you build your bar, you can watch the nutritional information change. This is a fantastic feature for consumers who are watching their caloric intake. I have played for hours on the web site because there are so many ingredients and variables you can manipulate.

If the idea of making your own bar is overwhelming, you can also get a variety box of random bars that other people ordered. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be reviewing some of YouBars most popular bars, as well as some that were in the random box and some YouShakes as well. But since there was one called The Best Bar, I had to try it first!

The Best Bar was soft upon first bite, with the complex flavor combination hitting all at once. The nuttiness of the cashews, almonds and flax seed were complimented by the sweetness of the goji berries and agave nectar. The texture was soft but crisp with bits of crisp organic brown rice folded into the bar. I am a big fan of bars, and this is one of the freshest and most flavorful bars I have ever tasted. The ingredients are almost all labeled as organic and I recognized every ingredient on the label. How often can you say that?!

The bar was 45g, the medium option for ordering, but was large enough to be a mini-meal. When you order your own custom bars, this size goes for $2.99 a bar and in the random box it would be $2.49. For some of the smaller, processed bars this may seem a bit pricey. However, for this quality, it is definitely worth it! I would recommend that you start by ordering a variety box if you are of the daring variety and are willing to get anything! This will also give you ideas for your own bars if you aren't feeling creative today.

Ingredients: Cashew Butter (Cashews, Safflower Oil), Organic Dates, Organic Agave Nectar, Whey Protein Isolate, Almonds, Organic Cashews, Goji Berries, Organic Granola (Organic Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Organic Crisp Brown Rice Organic Whole Rolled Spelt Flakes, Organic Whole Rolled Barley Flakes, Apples, Pear Juice Concentrate, Organic Oat Bran, Vanilla Extract, Soy Milk Powder), Organic Flaxseeds, Organic Oat Bran, Fiber Infusion (Blonde Psyllium Seed Husks)

Nutritional Information: 186 calories, 8 grams fat, 3 grams fiber, 10 grams protein

Keep your eyes peeled to Uncovering Food over the next couple weeks for more reviews about the YouBar products. Additionally, I want two readers to have an opportunity to try out a YouBar for free! There are three ways you can earn entries:

1. Leave a comment on this entry about what your favorite bar combination would look like.

2. Link back this contest in your blog. Please let me know you have done this!

3. Make a recipe in this blog and review it! Let me know what you think by sending me a link to the review.

This drawing will close on Monday, March 23.

Here are the bars up for grabs!

Product Review: Barney Butter Single Serving Packs

As a teacher, I encounter students with a variety of allergies. One allergy so common, that the item is banned at my school. Our campus is peanut free. When I first started working here, I was DEVASTATED! How could I enjoy my favorite peanut butter, honey and bbq potato chip sandwiches?!?!?!

But as time went on, I began to experiment with various other nut butters. Folks, I am happy to announce that I indeed survived. However, I have one more problem that we explored earlier. I have a nut addiction and sometimes that addiction needs a single serving package.

Unlike nut pieces, it is a bit harder and messier to pack individual servings of nut butters away. I managed to find peanut butter in single serving packages to carry with me when I travel, but what about to keep at school? Enter Barney Butter 90-calorie packages. These single servings are sold in packs of 6 and can only be bought online.

As soon as the package was delivered by UPS, I ripped it open. I attempted to offer a serving to the UPS guy but he was already down the hall and I wasn't going to chase him. The packages are sold for 2.99 a package, but for single servings of a nut butter that can be brought on campus? Priceless.

But how does it taste? Delicious! It is creamy, flavorful, and one serving is actually satisfying! I am impressed with the portability and could imagine packing it with fruit and whole grain crackers for a mid-afternoon snack that is much healthier than the school snack bar.

Will I order this again? Definitely! I also ordered a jar of Barney Butter as well so expect some recipes in the coming weeks!

Ingredients: Almonds, Evaporated Cane Juice, Palm Fruit Oil, Sea Salt
Nutritional Information: 90 calories, 7.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein

TIP: When ordering online, order more than a couple of 6 packs to make shipping more reasonable.

Product Review: Emerald 100-calorie Natural Walnuts & Almonds

When surfing the aisles of Target on Saturday I picked up one other product I wanted to share. Emerald Natural Walnuts and Almonds in 100-calorie packs!

I am a nut addict (I know you just giggled...). I can open a can of nuts and munch through four servings without noticing. And almonds and walnuts are two nuts that are very healthy for you but are also very caloric. So to find a preportioned package that contained both excited me to no end. I know I could save money by buying larger packages of both walnuts and almonds and portion them out myself. But I am amidst a couple crazy weeks at work and laugh at the idea of taking the extra 15 minutes to save a dollar or two. Scold me if you will, but my time is valuable, especially considering I won't have a non-work weekend for another month. Additionally, I can see the benefit of picking up a box on a work trip where I want to pack light but purchase healthy preportioned snacks at my destination.

So, enough with the warrants for purchasing, let's get to the review!

First, let me say I am saddened by the size of the package. I knew deep in my heart that I would not get a lot of nuts for 100 calories. Those fine folks at Emerald didn't find a way to flush calories and fat out of nuts, they only portioned them out for me. So I should have expected the 8 almonds and 2 tbsp or so of small walnut pieces. And I did.... sort of. But it helped smack my head into recognizing what a serving of nuts should look like. Oops.

Second, let's examine flavor. I am picky about my nuts (teehee giggle like a school girl here). Especially raw unroasted unsalted nuts. They have to be full of flavor with no hint of rancidness or being picked before ripeness. These nuts passed the test (giggle again)! They are full of flavor and delicious! So much so that I wanted more. Luckily, I only brought one package into the classroom. And that's why I need preportioned packages... so I can ration my nuts (one more giggle).

Final Rating: I would buy it again on a trip. Although it will take a long time to accept how small a serving of nuts is! I think it may be too pricey to justify buying at home again, although the pre-portioning was definitely an eye opener.

Ingredients: Walnuts and Almonds

Nutritional Information: 100 calories, 9 grams fat, 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of protein