Gaslamp Popcorn - Goodness in a Bag

We are not usually a family of popcorn fanatics. I have to say that because I recently received a care package with two sample bags of Gaslamp Popcorn inside and I was totally shocked at the speed with which my kids and husband made it disappear. I knew the White Cheddar variety would go fast since all of us love cheesy goodness but normally I am the only one in the household who seems to enjoy Kettle Corn. Until now, apparently.

Gaslamp Popcorn has been making their signature Kettle Corn in the historic Gaslamp District of San Diego since 1998. (Bob had a show at a gallery in that neighborhood once and it is a vibrant community, to say the least.) It's light and fluffy and just a touch sweet and salty. It's incredibly addictive. Like you can't stop eating it once you start. Roo looked at the bag and rolled her eyes initially, saying unenthusiastically "oh. kettle corn." in the way that only a surly tween can. Then I told her to try it, which was probably a mistake because the next thing I knew, it was all gone. Lickety split! The White Cheddar met a similar fate. I can't speak to the deliciousness of the Cinnamon Caramel Gaslamp Popcorn since we didn't get a sample of that but I imagine it is just as scrumptious. 

Gaslamp Popcorn is available in most major California grocery retailers but if, like me, you're out of their region, you can always order it by the case online…

For more information, like Gaslamp Popcorn on Facebook or follow @Gaslamp_Popcorn on Twitter.

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that we received product samples to facilitate this review. No compensation was provided. All opinions are, as usual, entirely my own.

Chuao - Naturally Good Chocolate

I know I've been on a bit of a fitness kick lately but let me assure you, I still have my cravings. What's nice is when you find something to indulge in that is actually worth the calories. Chuao Chocolatier offers decadent artisanal confections in unusual flavor combinations that will pique the adventurous palate. I received the firecracker (dark chocolate with smoked chipotle, sea salt and popping candy), honeycomb (dark chocolate with chewy bits of caramelized honey) and potato chip (milk chocolate with sea salt kettle chips) which I immediately hid from the children. 

While it's hard to pick a favorite of the three, the firecracker was just amazing. Spicy, crunchy, effervescent. If you're going to try and content yourself with just a block or two of chocolate, you want to make it count, right? This is a good one. They also make a maple bacon bar that I am dying to try and, unsurprisingly, Chuao is all ready for Valentine's Day with all sorts of prettily-adorned goodies. Who wouldn't be thrilled to receive Chuao's Sweetheart Box, a heart-shaped vessel filled with 22 aphrodesiac-laced bon bons? Mmm!

Chuao chocolate bars are available at Target stores nationwide.

Like Chuao on Facebook for a chance to win a year's supply of chocolate:

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received samples to facilitate this review. And I didn't share. As usual, all opinions are my own. 

Smartfood Selects

I've been trying to eat healthier and that means snacks have been cut virtually out of my life. It sounds horrible but when you think about the empty calories and lack of nutritive value that most snacks add to your dietary budget, it's just not worth it.
Then I received some samples of new Smartfood Selects. I've long been a fan of Smartfood's original white cheddar popcorn but now they have crazy herbalicious flavors and popped chips made with hummus and multigrains and they still contain no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, trans fats or MSG. 

I got to try the Buffalo Cheddar popcorn and it is delicious- everything yummy about wings, including the sloooow burn, but no sticky fingers. And no guilt! A 2-cup serving will run you 160 calories but it does contain 3g of protein so you can feel a little better about that. The popped chips are slightly less caloric with the same protein count and they taste amazing. I tried the Feta Herb and Garlic Tomato Basil Hummus Popped Chips and they are every bit as satisfying as their bad-for-you chip cousins in taste and crunch.
I am anxious to try them all. Not in one sitting, of course. I've got a little bit of self control!
Like Smartfood on Facebook to keep up with new flavors as they are added.
In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received samples of this product to facilitate this review. No compensation has been provided. As usual, all opinions are my own.



 

Happy National S'mores Day!

Here are the ingredients. You know what to do! Skewer a marshmallow on a stick and cook over a campfire until it's toasted to your liking. (I like them almost black and bubbly!) Then sandwich it between a two graham crackers with a couple of squares of Hershey's jammed in, for good measure. If you're too lazy or it's just too darned hot to start a campfire, go ahead and stack a graham cracker with chocolate and a marshmallow and microwave for about 30 seconds, then squish it down with another cracker. I won't tell.

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received the s'mores ingredients shown from my friends at Hershey's to celebrate this auspicious holiday. No compensation was provided and I was not asked to post about it. I just like s'mores and think my readers would like to celebrate along with me. 

Introducing Raisels

Raisels are fruity-flavored, mouth-puckering golden raisins that taste like sour candy. Unlike other fruit snacks, they are made from 100% dried fruit and contain no sodium, HFCS or artificial sweeteners. Each serving of Raisels packs 100% US RDA of Vitamin C. (You know, in case you're worried about scurvy.)

I will be frank. I was really excited about trying Raisels because they're touted as a candy alternative and my kids are candy junkies. When the samples arrived, I opened them immediately and noticed that they actually do contain sugar, which I wasn't expecting so I was a bit disappointed initially. It's important to note, though, that Raisels are sweetened with real sugar and natural flavors, so they are not filled with the questionable additives that their candy brethren are made of.

In fact, Raisels contain less added sugar than sweetened cranberries. They are also incredibly delicious and come in five different flavors: Sour Apple, Sour Orange, Sour Lemon, Sour Watermelon and Sour Peach. The boxes are a convenient size for a quick treat or lunchbox surprise and contain a reasonable 110 calories. Roo and Jasper liked them immediately.

For more information, follow Raisels on Twitter or like Raisels on Facebook.

Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I have received review samples from Raisels and Team Mom but all opinions here are decidedly my own.

31 Days: Recap

Today is the first day of February, which means my 31 Day Challenge has come to an end. Officially, anyway. I think that the impetus to eat better and exercise more is going to stick around for quite a bit longer. My weight loss wasn't huge- only about six pounds- but I know that being more mindful of what I consume is a permanent change.

To check up on the progress of the rest of the Lean 11, visit the 31 Days website. Here's a Whrrl about my month.

More check-ins at home

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before:

after:

Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I am being compensated for my participation in the 31 Day Challenge but all opinions are my own.

31 Days: Exercising Options

Here's way more information than you probably want to know about my workout regime…you will see how unnaturally obsessed I am with Jillian Michaels. It's true.

More check-ins at home

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Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I am being compensated for my participation in the 31 Day Challenge but all opinions are my own.

31 Days: Reading Healthier

One of the biggest challenges in adopting a healthy lifestyle is changing the way you think about everything. Food, sure, that's a given but have you ever thought about how your outlook on other things impacts your eating habits and your physical activity? It may not be a really big surprise to you but I've only just realized how much everything in life is interconnected.

Soon after signing on to the 31 Day Challenge (check out the new site!), I read a provocatively-titled post by Julien Smith: How to Lose 20+ lbs in January 2011. It's not as much of a how-to as a call to action, less about losing weight and more about taking ownership of your body. I dig it. He points out some simple things to consider and provides a good reading list to get started with. I borrowed Tim Ferris' much-ballyhooed The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman from the library but was kind of put off by its macho swagger. (It had some good info but overall read like a phone book-sized Men's Health article.) I'm not interested in getting ripped as much as being moderately fit. Yep, I'm a middle-of-the-road girl sometimes.

I received a copy of Oxygen's Pick It Kick It to review. It's not necessarily something I would pick up on my own (its bright colors and lascivious design makes it look like a tabloid tell-all mag about junk food) but it's really pretty smart. Little nutritional factoids and tips can help you a make smarter grocery shopping and dining out choices. For example, if you abhor healthier whole grain breads and will only eat white breads, it suggests you consider choosing sourdough. Why? Because the lactic acid in sourdough aids digestion. Smart, right? It's all about thinking about what you're eating.

Pick It Kick It author Diane Hart is the Executive Editor for Oxygen Magazine and Editor In Chief of Oxygen’s Special Issue Publications. She says that “Eating right doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive – it is a simple matter of making the right choices and that comes from knowing what foods are better than others.” Amen, sister! Here are her tips for eating healthier when dining out:

1. Stick to restaurants known for their healthy food options
2. To cut down on fat intake, order low-fat salad dressing on the side, and then dip your fork between bites to get the flavor without the extra fat
3. To cut calories while keeping taste and nutrition, mix your OJ and other fruit juices with equal amount of mineral water, plain water or seltzer and give the other half to your dining partner
4. Avoid bagels and muffins: Portion sizes have doubled in size and calories over the years, while muffins contain the bad stuff
5. Swap artificial sweeteners for honey, a half-teaspoon worth is just the right sweetness
6. Takes up to 20 minutes for food to digest: chew food thoroughly and slow down
7. Don’t “save your calories” by skipping meals: Not only will you slow down your metabolism, but you will be famished by the meal and most likely overeat
8. Anything “creamed,” “scalloped,” “au gratin,” “sautéed” or “breaded” is most likely loaded with fat: Go for “smoked,” “barbecued,” “roasted,” “grilled” or “broiled”
9. Buffet-Style Dining: Avoid it but tips if you must-Do an initial walk around and find vegetables and other clean etc., next get the small plate and load up on the proteins and other clean foods. Watch out for sauces and fried foods, skip breads and pastas
10. Portion control: Most people underestimate the calories in a meal by 150 to 400 calories; box off half of your meal for leftovers, less calories and two meals out of one saves money

Bob has been reading a lot of spiritual books by world-renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and has told me a lot about his theories about mindful living. I'm anxious to check out Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life written by Thich Nhat Hanh with nutritionist Lilian Cheung, which combines diet and meditation for a holistic approach. I'm interested in learning how to approach weight loss without the vanity commonly associated with it. Losing not to achieve attractiveness but a sense of balance, if that makes any sense.

What do you think?


Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I am being compensated for my participation in the 31 Day Challenge but all opinions are my own.

31 Days: Eating Healthier

I wrote a little last week about the  31 Day Challenge I'm participating in. It's been pretty easy to eat lighter and healthier after the overload of heavy Holiday food. We've kept a lot of fresh vegetables in the house and have been eating a lot of salads. I've stocked up on Lean Cuisine frozen meals and Skinny Cow frozen novelties, which I am using primarily for lunches and snack attacks. Here's a recap of my shopping trip to stock up on them:

More check-ins at Walmart Supercenter #1507

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I have been very surprised with how tasty the Lean Cuisine meals are, overall, although I think the real secret behind them is portion control. I could probably eat two meals in one sitting, although that would defeat the purpose! I try to supplement them with a salad or fruit and have gotten used to finishing meals without an overly full feeling. Bob suggested we use the kids' plates for our own meals and see how much weight we'd lose. I suspect he's onto something there!

Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I am being compensated for my participation in the 31 Day Challenge but all opinions are my own. 

31 Days

I've never had what I would really call a healthy body image. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years thinking I was fat, although in retrospect I was being silly. When I see old pictures, it makes me sad because I spent so much time hating my body instead of enjoying what it was capable of. I thought I was fat and clumsy and never wanted to join in any kind of physical activity, at school or at play. I consoled myself with thinking it was okay to be a bookworm, smart was enough. It wasn't until I was pregnant with Roo that I started thinking about my body in terms of health versus attractiveness. Looking good became less important than being fit and healthy. Food became a fuel source more than an activity. I actually wanted to exercise, to make labor and delivery easier and safer for myself and for my future baby.

Over the past seven years, with two natural childbirths under my belt, I lost my sense of personal well-being. Moms notoriously put others' needs before their own, but it's no excuse for my laziness. I never really worked to lose the weight after Jasper was born and our lives got busier and somehow, here I am almost four years later with an extra fifty pounds weighing me down both physically and mentally. Obviously, I am in need of some changes, so I was glad to be asked to participate in a 31 Day Challenge to start 2011 off in a healthier way. Lean Cuisine and The Skinny Cow have asked eleven bloggers to document the changes they're making this first month of the new year… allow me to introduce the Lean 11.

Mel/Mama Buzz
Zippy/Champagne Living
Nicole/SAHM Reviews
Wendy/The Local Cook
Tara/This Military Mama
Shelby & Steve/Glitterful Felt Stories
Eliza/The Life of a Home Mom
Brandi/Mama Knows It All
Ellen/Confessions of an Overworked Mom
Lisa/East Texas Saver
and, of course, me- Naomi/Superdumb Supervillain

Our goals vary, from weight loss and strength training to energy gain, but we're all committed to taking steps toward a healthier 2011. I've started doing the 30 Day Shred DVD again and already feel a change in my energy level and muscle strength, although I've actually gained a couple of pounds. I'll be reviewing other fitness games and books this month, letting you know how they work for me, and counting my calorie intaking using Lean Cuisine meals for lunches and The Skinny Cow treats. I picked up a couple of these to stock my freezer and was surprised at how much better Lean Cuisine meals look than I remember. Lots and lots of choices to suit most palates.

As a bonus, if you collect twenty codes from boxed Lean Cuisine meals before March 31st (excluding Market Creations), you can redeem them for a cute lunch bag. I am partial to the graffiti style, personally.

Okay, on to the accountability. Here I am, post-Shred, at the beginning of January.

I know, it's not pretty. One of my big resolutions for 2011 is to stop running away from cameras, like I've been doing since I was 9 or 10, so I am keeping it real with an ultra-rare snapshot of me in workout clothes. Shudder.

What are your goals for the new year? Share them with me!

Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I am being compensated for my participation in the 31 Day Challenge but all opinions are my own.

HomeFree Allergy-Safe Treats

HomeFree makes treats that are peanut, dairy, egg and tree nut-free in a dedicated bakery that ensures safety from cross-contamination. "Allergy-free" is not usually a big selling point on snacks for my kids. We're lucky enough to have escaped any life-threatening allergies so we're not required to purchase them but it is nice to have something on hand to serve the kids' friends who do have food allergies. HomeFree treats are not only safe but they are delicious, too. We tried two varieties and both were gone almost instantaneously!

The Organic Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies are tiny and crunchy, reminiscent of store brands like Chips Ahoy. They are incredibly addictive!



The Organic Oatmeal Cookies come six to a box. They're more of a home-style cookie, very dense and soft and chewy. Each cookie packs a whopping 13g of whole grain and 2g of protein with a very low sodium and glycemic profile, too, so you can feel pretty good about serving them as an afterschool snack.



HomeFree also offers a variety of other allergy-free products, including Coffee Cakes, Baking Ingredients, and an Allergen-free Baking Cookbook.

Disclosure: We received samples of the cookies shown above in order to review them.

Building A Better Basket

Hershey's is asking people to "pay it forward" this Easter. They asked 20 bloggers to use their products to create Easter baskets to donate to the charity of their choice. I was excited to be asked to participate, since my entire family is addicted to Reese's. I was able to make three baskets that will be donated to needy families who participate in our local Parents as Teachers program, which Roo and Jasper (and Bob and I!) have gotten so much out of. Check out this Whrrl story to see what I bought and how the baskets turned out:

More check-ins at Wal-Mart Supercenter

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I'll be letting you know about an easy way you can help Hershey's raise money for the Children's Miracle Network very soon and I hope you will consider joining in.

Disclosure: I received a gift card courtesy of Hershey's and Collective Bias to purchase the goodies to create these baskets.

Attune: Your Daily Dose of Chocolate

***WINNER PICKED 4/5 WITH RANDOM.ORG***

***CONGRATULATIONS, #10 Nancy!!!***

her comment...
Mint Chocolate would be my favorite!




Attune wellness bars are packed with with probiotics that can help promote healthy digestive and immune systems. Each bar contains five times the live active cultures found in a serving of yogurt! Each one has just 80-90 calories, meaning you can eat one every day without any guilt. Think of it as your daily dose of chocolate.



Each Attune wellness bar also gives you 25% of your daily recommended calcium and 3 grams of dietary fiber. And did I mention they're chocolate bars? Actual chocolate bars, not just chocolatey-flavored, in seven different varieties. Plus three probiotic granola bars if you're (totally insane) not into chocolate. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating…two of the three granola offerings also contain chocolate. Attune is a company after my own heart– and tummy!



Probiotics help to regulate the body's own inner flora that can get out of whack with our stressful lives and rushed diets. Your body can act against itself and cause intestinal problems like cramps and bloating. I just finished up the Attune 14-day Challenge with a week's supply of the Chocolate Crisp and Coffee Bean Dark Chocolate bars*. It was definitely easy to remember to eat a bar a day- at .7 oz, the serving size is small. I had assumed I would want to plow through the entire 7-bar week's supply in one sitting but the chocolate is actually flavorful enough to be satisfying. I especially liked the crunch of the rice in the Chocolate Crisp and the coffee beans in the Coffee Bean Dark Chocolate, although my daughter said the latter made my breath stinky! I am feeling less puffy than I ordinarily would around this time of the month (sorry if that's TMI), so I am attributing that to Attune.



To enter and win enough bars to embark on your own Attune 14-day Challenge, please comment on this post with your favorite Attune Probiotic Wellness Bar flavor.


Entries will be accepted through March 31st and I'll pick the winner using Random.org. US readers are eligible.


For an additional entry, post my button on your blog (see code on sidebar), follow my blog, follow me on Twitter, fave me on Technorati or subscribe via email or subscribe via reader. Leave an extra comment letting me know what you did for each additional entry.


Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win!


***Click Giveaways on my sidebar to see what else you could win!***





*Disclosure: I received the two boxes of Attune bars reviewed above in order to write this review and they are sponsoring the prize for the giveaway. No other compensation was given and my opinions were not shaped by receiving free product. Although I suppose I wouldn't have known it existed otherwise. FYI.

Wanna Buy Some Cookies?

Roo just joined a Daisy Girl Scouts troop, right in time for cookie season. Technically, we can't take orders online but if you want to buy some cookies from Roo, email me and we'll hook you up…




Here are the Girl Scout Cookie varieties we are selling. Bear in mind that the names might be a bit different, depending on your region– the cookies I grew up calling "Samoas" are called "Caramel deLites" and "Dos-i-dos" are the same as "Peanut Butter Sandwiches."



Roo highly recommends the Peanut Butter Patties. She keeps telling prospective customers that she doesn't like the Lemonades, which I doubt is the best sales method, although she's sold quite a few boxes. The very first house we stopped at signed on for 80 boxes-and no, they aren't even related to us! I tried to tell Roo that probably wasn't going to happen at every house but I think she's setting her sights pretty high. After all, if she sells 1000 boxes, she wins a Nintendo DS. It's good to have goals, huh?

If you want to buy Girl Scout Cookies from Roo, email me for more info. Remember, even if you're on a diet or (heaven forbid!) hate cookies, you can always buy some and donate them to our troops via Cookie Share…

Funky Monkey Fruit Snacks

My kids love fruit. All kinds, all ways. They can't get enough. They also like crunchy snacks. Funky Monkey calls itself "Fruit That Crunches!" so, naturally, I figured my kids would like these healthy treats.



We received three of the seven flavors of Funky Monkey freeze-dried fruit snacks to try: Applemon, MangOJ, and Pink Pineapple. All were tasty but the Pink Pineapple pouch was gone in an instant, possibly because Bob and I liked them the best, too! The pineapple-guava flavor reminded me of the juice we always had at school growing up in Hawaii. The texture is crunchy and the flavor is intense. Funky Monkey makes a great lunchbox addition or after-school snack and I could even see using them as an exotic salad or yogurt topping.



Become a Funky Monkey fan on Facebook!
Follow Funky Monkey on Twitter!

Disclosure: we received three pouches of Funky Monkey in order to write this review.

Snacking in the New Year

We've been trying to eat healthier but it's sometimes hard when you're a family of snackers. Most prepackaged, convenient treats aren't particularly good for you. Especially those puffy, cheesy things that leave orange residue on everything. You know what I'm talking about. I love cheesy poofs but they're pretty much totally devoid of any nutritional value so I hate feeding them to my kids. As I've mentioned before, there is a snack that manages to satisfy crunchy, poofy cravings without ruining your diet: Pirate's Booty. And they've introduced a brand new flavor to their already stellar line-up: New York Pizza. Full of Italian spices and mozzarella cheese, you can snarf down a whole bag of these for only 120 calories and half a gram of saturated fat. That's about as close to a guilt-free munchfest as I can think of, plus you get 2 grams of protein in there, too. So, really, you're eating healthy… or at least, healthier.




If your kids like printables, check out the Pirate's Booty downloads!

Disclosure: I received several bags of New York Pizza Pirate's Booty in a super cute pizza delivery box that I can't believe I didn't photograph. Adorable.

Super Fruit!

My mom brought these over the other day. What do you think they are?



They look like olives or opaque grapes but they're actually… kiwi berries! (Note the quarter on the bowl for scale.) Each berry looks and tastes like a miniature kiwi fruit. You don't have to peel them, because there is no fuzzy skin to worry about. Kiwi berries have smooth, edible skin.



These are not merely a novelty fruit. They taste great and pack the same dense nutrients that their bigger, fuzzy-skinned cousins do: antioxidants (vitamins A, B2, B6, C, E and folic acid as well as carotenoids and flavonoids), insoluble and soluble fiber, zero cholesterol, very little fat (about 1g per serving from the seeds), and a wealth of minerals (more potassium than bananas!). Plus they're cute and little, so you can coerce most kids into trying them… Roo and Jasper wolfed them down in a couple of minutes. We're going to have to look into planting one of the vines in our yard since it's apparently frost-resistant. I would imagine homegrown kiwi berries would be even more delicious!

Zone Perfect Twitter Party Tonight! #GNO

Please join the #GNO launch party TONIGHT (Thursday, October 22) on Twitter from 8-10pm CST! The party hashtag will be #zoneperfect and there will be prizes and samples of ZonePerfect Indulgence Nutrition Squares. Follow @ZonePerfect and @superdumb or use this special Tweetgrid to keep up on the action!




ZonePerfect is dedicated to making all-natural nutrition bars that help you live the healthiest life possible. Their goal goes beyond being simply nutritious, though. ZonePerfect bars are also one of the most delicious nutrition bars on the market. Now they've raised the bar (pun intended!) with the introduction of a new product: ZonePerfect Indulgence Nutrition Squares.




ZonePerfect Indulgence Nutrition Squares are decadent chocolate-y treats that come in three rich flavors: Caramel Toffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse and German Chocolate Cheesecake. All three look and taste like something you might feel guilty about eating but at under 200 calories per square and at least 10 grams of protein and 18 vitamins and minerals, ZonePerfect Indulgence Nutrition Squares are truly a perfect indulgence.





Another reason to love them: ZonePerfect's live.create mission statement:

Creativity. It’s all around us. In our thoughts and actions; in our hearts and minds. It exists to enrich our lives. We believe that the spirit to create and discover needs nourishing. And that taste - unique and delicious - truly inspires. Which is why we select ingredients and develop flavors that not only satisfy hunger, but can surprise and even delight you. And why we tour the country, giving people a taste of the latest all-natural ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars, while supporting the organizations that enhance our world. live.create.



With every single bar UPC code entered on their website, ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars will donate $0.05, and for every multi pack carton UPC code $0.50 to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, for a total donation of $120,000.

Please join the #GNO launch party TONIGHT (Thursday, October 22) on Twitter from 8-10pm CST! The party hashtag will be #zoneperfect and there will be prizes and samples of ZonePerfect Indulgence Nutrition Squares. Follow @ZonePerfect and @superdumb or use this special Tweetgrid to keep up on the action!

Full disclosure: As part of Collective Bias, an online community group, I received a sample box of each flavor to try. The Caramel Toffee was probably my favorite although I did, indeed, like them all. It took some serious willpower not to snarf up a whole box in one sitting- they are that tasty! As a meal replacement or a nutritious snack, though, I think ZonePerfect Indulgence Nutrition Squares are a great way to stick to my diet plan while still feeling slightly naughty.

Go Picnic- Good Food on the Go

Go Picnic is a line of ready-to-eat boxed meals that are not only shelf-stable but also nutritious, featuring high-quality ingredients. Initially created to meet the challenges of feeding airline travelers, Go Picnic has evolved beyond mere grab and go convenience to include many offerings suitable for even strict dietary requirements such as Kosher meals, Gluten-Free meals, Vegetarian meals, and Halal meals as well as dairy, soy and nut allergies.



I received a sampling of Go Picnic meals and was impressed with the diversity of foods represented: everything from Nutella to hummus to tuna fish!



Go Picnic's forte is obviously to throw into your bag on the way out the door, but I found their meals are also a great way to sample brands that I might not necessarily want to buy a whole box full of at the health food store like Enjoy Life cookies or Late July crackers. The packaging seemed a bit excessive to me intially (every component of a meal is individually-wrapped within the main meal box) but much of it is recyclable and I have to admit that the small package concept was very successful with my kids. For example, I never would have suspected that Jasper would like salami, since he really isn't into meat! I have no idea why pre-packaged food is so much more appealing to children, but at least Go Picnic is committed to using as few preservatives as possible so you can be sure there aren't extraneous fillers.

Overall, I think Go Picnic is a great solution when you know you will be unable to find healthy food on the go and can't take a cooler with you.

Thar Be Pirate's Booty!

I am a big fan of the styrofoam-esque nuggets of florescent orange cheesy goodness that shall remain nameless but the greasy orange fingerprints and heavy sodium and fat content make them a serious no-no. Thankfully, I have found an alternative that satisfies my cravings while being moderately healthy (as snack food goes), with no trans fats, gluten or tree nuts and a scant 130 calories per serving. What is this delectable treat? Pirate's Booty. Check out the adorable snack hamper they sent me:





I'd seen Pirate's Booty on the shelves at my local supermarket and wondered if it was any good. I was afraid nothing could take the place of the cheese puffs I love, especially something that claims to be healthy. I was impressed! The texture is perfect without being overly greasy. I heartily endorse the Aged White Cheddar Pirate's Booty and Real Wisconsin Cheddar Smart Puffs, which both have a satisfying cheese flavor. I was surprised at how much I liked the Barbecue and Bermuda Onion permutations of Pirate's Booty and I expected to love the Salt and Vinegar (one of my favorite potato chip flavors) but was underwhelmed. Fans of crunchy puffs should check out the awesome Original Tings, which have a really pleasant crunch and corn flavor. The Veggie Booty has a green cast to it, since it contains spinach, kale, carrots and parsley but even green-resistant Roo chomped it down with wanton abandon and has requested it as a permanent afternoon snack staple.



Pirate's Booty is available in most grocery stores but click here for a store near you. You can also order cases of convenient 1 oz bags (only 130 calories!) online. These are the size I received to review and I think they are perfect for school lunches for older kids or snacking in the car.