Fiber One Meal Bars

 

Looking for a new post-workout snack? Try these Fiber One Meal bars. They are 1.59oz bars packed with 10g of protein, 9g of fiber and 40% less sugar than a Special K Meal bar. They come in three different flavors - Strawberry Greek Yogurt (above), Chocolate Peanut Butter (above) and Dark Chocolate Almond.

 Since I am a BzzAgent through BzzAgent.com, I was lucky enough to receive one box of the Strawberry Greek Yogurt and another box of Chocolate Peanut Butter absolutely free! I was not paid to promote this product. These bars are so good that they can sell themselves. You can be a BzzAgent too through their website and sign up! BzzAgent.com.

How do these guys taste? Pretty good! I am not into super sweet food however I do like some sweetness. These Fiber One meal bars are perfect for me because they are not overloaded with sugar. Only 9g of sugar. The texture of these bars are chewy yet crunchy at the same time. The Chocolate Peanut Butter (pictured above) contains whole grain oats, chocolate flavored drops, cocoa powder and peanut butter.It also contains soy and milk.

The Strawberry Greek Yogurt is another great flavor. These contain almonds, strawberry flavored fruit pieces, soy and milk ingredients. I love crumbling up a bar over some strawberry or vanilla yogurt and then adding some fresh fruit. Makes a great breakfast parfait!

Other than the awesome taste, my favorite thing about these Fiber One Meal Bars is the nutritional value. The soy protein isolate and the nuts give these a bars a boost of protein compared to other brands. In addition fiber is good for gastrointestinal discomfort. I don't feel guilty eating these because they only come out to about 170 calories (Strawberry)/ 190 (Chocolate), 2g of saturated fats, 9g of sugar and 160mg of sodium (Strawberry)/ 180mg  (Chocolate). 

If you are always on the go and sometimes skip a meal, grab one of these Fiber One Meal Bars.

Pepperidge Farm Swirl - Gingerbread

   I get disappointed when the holidays end...mainly because all the limited edition flavors that come out during that time eventually disappear. This is one of those limited edition products. This is +Pepperidge Farm Swirl bread - Gingerbread flavor. They recently announced it will disappear because a new flavor will appear on shelves. I had to give a quick post about this for my reference as well so that I remember to stock up on this next holiday season!

     This was a great flavor for bread. Not too sweet. Soft and chewy with a little touch of cinnamon. If you happen to see this on shelves now then grab it because it will be awhile before it returns. Well done +Pepperidge Farm!

Multivitamins!? I Thought It Was Candy!

I was able to receive some free samples of the Centrum Flavor Burst MultiVitamins early this January. These can be found in your local drugstore, +Target or +Walmart. These are great to your new health kick for 2014.

They look and taste just like candy. Suggested intake is 4 pieces a day for an adult. They come in a variety of delicious flavors. If you are in the market for a new multivitamin I highly suggest Centrum. Thank you +Smiley360 for providing the samples! I got hooked on these that I got double pack at +Target for about $9.00!

New year, new scent

Axe recently came out with two new lines of Axe scents- Harmony (picture above) and Peace. Harmony has a masculine fragrance blend of citrus, pepper and ginger while Peace has notes of citrus, nutmeg, cedarwood and amber. Both smell great but I was leaning toward Harmony. There's a mild sweetness to the Harmony which I like.

In addition,  Harmony had a unique packaging of teal green container with a gold (not seen) & black top. Peace had a overall, classic black appearance.

The new Axe scents also come in 16 oz shower gels so that you can layer the scent. I purchased my body spray at +Target. I believe it's also available at +Walmart. 

I Love Protein Powder! Part 3

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Happy New Year! It's 2014 and I want to start off on a good note. Over the holidays, I came a cross a brand of protein powder that is amazing! So amazing that I'm considering it my go-to brand when it comes to protein supplementation. It's from TruNutrition Sciences and it's called Trutein.

Trutein is somewhat different compared to other brands that I have tried. Unlike proprietary blends where they they don't tell you specifically how much of micellar casein protein or how much isolate protein is in their protein blends, Trutein markets with a percentage of how much you are getting in terms of protein types. 40% is Whey, 40 % is micellar casein and 20% is Egg White. Now for me, this is my first time taking a protein supplement that included egg whites. So far, I have not had any issues (stomach aches, allergic reactions, digestive issues) with this change. Of course, everyone is different but I am just sharing my experience.

There are many flavors from this company. I chose the exclusive Pumpkin Pie. I have never even heard of a pumpkin pie flavored protein supplement so I had to try this. Plus it was perfect for the holiday season. Other flavors include Banana Cream, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Chocolate Truffle, CinnaBun, Orange Creamsicle, Peach Mango & Vanilla. All of these flavors can be found at BodyBuilding.com which is where I usually purchase workout supplements. In terms of flavor, this stuff is AWESOME!!!! It really captures the pumpkin pie flavors like nutmeg and cinnamon. Apparently, there's a limited edition flavor, Shamrock Shake, which usually comes out around in March so I'm looking forward to that.

24g of protein, 3g net carbs, 100mg enzymes, 1.5-2g total fat per scoop. It is gluten free as well if that is an important factor before purchasing. I usually take this after a workout but you can take it before a workout or before going to bed. This a blend of whey (fast acting) and casein (slow acting) so its great either way.

Using my blender bottle, I was able to mix two scoops of protein powder with 16 ounces of milk. After shaking, I take a close look at the bottom and top of the shake. This is when I get happy or upset. I look for clumps......

THERE WAS NONE!

I had a bad experience with another brand which I also reviewed. They did not pass my test.

      However, Trutein passed with flying colors! I bought a 5lb container and I have 3lb left and I have never came across this issue. One thing I want to point out which isn't a bad thing but it is noteworthy. There is sedimentation in this flavor at least. As you can see in the photo there is some dark sediment at the bottom of the bottle. However, that is just awesome pumpkin spice goodness settling at the bottom. There's no harm and you cannot feel or taste a difference at that point. This flavor is soo good that you will want to drink every last drop and not waste anything.

I was so satisfied with my first experience that I also ordered another 5lb container of Trutein but this time I wanted to try out their popular CinnaBun flavor. If you are looking for a change or looking for a way to increase your protein intake, I would suggest looking into this product. Please remember these products are not alternative for food. These are supplements meaning they are taken along with a healthy, balanced diet. 

I believe in 2014, I will get closer to my fitness goals using this product. 

Happy 2014!