Deep & Velvety Chocolate VitaBrownies

There is nothing like a moist chocolate brownie.  The smell, the sweetness and taste is like a hug from a loved one.  Unfortunately, these brownie treats do not always agree with our bodies for various reasons.  Don’t fret; I believe I have found a delicious alternative that will not divert us from our healthy eating regimens.

I first discovered the Vitalicious brand browsing through the freezer section of the supermarket.  The box boasts low calories and fat, while full of vitamins and fiber.  Sounds like a dieter’s dream, unfortunately flashbacks of similar products I had tried in the past went through my mind.  As I relived the memories of eating sawdust-tasting products, I quickly put the Vitalicious product back in the freezer.  I just resigned to the fact that I would have to give up these types of treats.

Over the next couple of weeks the Vitalicious brand kept popping up all over.  They were highly recommended by fellow students and on several TV shows including Hungry Girl and Dr. Oz.  Then they went on sale at my supermarket, well for sure that was my sign to try these products.  Vitalicious has several products to choose from, but I of course was drawn to the Deep & Velvety Chocolate VitaBrownies.

I find these brownies to be a fantastic alternative to their sugar laden counterparts.  They are indeed very chocolately (is that a real word?) and moist.  Now let me just say I have read other reviews that say these taste JUST like the brownies your grandmother used to make.  If you buy these expecting your grandmother’s brownie, you will be disappointed.  The vitabrownies have a different texture, they are a little denser, they are not as sweet and there is a faint vitamin taste in the background.  This in no way takes away from the fact that they are a terrific little snack.

Vitabrownies are a great 100-calorie snack and they are actually nutritious.  Each generous 2 oz. brownie as 2 grams of fat, 10 grams of fiber and loaded with vitamins essential to a healthy you.  Getting 100% of your recommended daily requirements of essential vitamins and minerals is the key to staying strong and healthy. Vitalicious products are fortified with as many as 15 of the crucial vitamins and minerals you need, including folic acid, niacin, iron, calcium, vitamins A, B, C, E and more. In fact, a 4 oz. serving of Vitalicious products are USDA certified to have 100% of the recommended daily adult requirements of many of the most important vitamins and minerals.  I do not recommend you ONLY use these to get your daily vitamins.

This product contains no artificial additives or preservatives.  Ingredients: Water, Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Sugar, Egg Whites, Natural Chicory Fiber (Inulin), Cocoa Powder, Soy Fiber, Chocolate Chips (Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Dextrose, Soy Lecithin [an emulsifier], Vanilla), Wheat Gluten, Dried Honey, Wheat Protein Isolate, Walnuts, Natural Flavor, Leavening (Potassium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate), Lecithin, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum, Natural Sweetener (Rebiana), Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Folic Acid, Iron, Biotin, Zinc. Contains: Egg, soy, walnuts and wheat.

About Vitalicious

“Vitalicious is the creator of innovative "vital and delicious" baked goods that promote a healthy lifestyle, without sacrificing taste. Vitalicious is leading the way to a holistic approach to maximize satisfaction with minimum calories, with products that are low fat and high in fiber and nutrients. Vitalicious has created a unique triangle of need-satisfaction, All-Natural ingredients + Nutraceuticals + Weight Management. What are Nutraceuticals?  Nutraceuticals are foods that are enriched with the kinds of vitamins and minerals that are important for maintaining health and preventing illness. Vitalicious offers a variety of unique and healthy products.”   Visit their website at www.vitalicious.com.  Vitalicious products are sold nationwide at a variety of stores including Fairway Supermarkets, Pathmark, Waldbaums, Target and Stop & Shop.

I highly recommend vitabrownies as a part of your overall healthy eating plan.  I eat them several ways, defrosted right from the freezer, warmed up topped with frozen yogurt and crumbled over greek yogurt.  Even my husband, who is a sweetaholic (I know that’s not a word!), likes them.

If you try the vitabrownies or have already tried them or any other vitalicious product please tell me about your experience.

Healthy eating…

Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops

We have all had instances when we need just a little something sweet, so we reach for hard candy.  We are in the doctor’s office, bank, or at the receptionist desk when we mindlessly reach into the candy jar.  We may even have our own candy dish on our desks at work for “the office.”  For those of us who are trying to eat well, the run of the mill hard candy is no longer an option.    Why?  They are all full of sugar, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial colorings and artificial flavorings. 

Don’t give up hope, I have found the natural answer to this dilemma, Yummy Earth.  Yummy Earth offers all natural organic candy.  I have only tried their lollipops, and will be trying their other products in the future.

Lollipops not just for kids anymore!  I do not recommend candy as a regular part of your diet, but everything in moderation.  Now, when you get the urge to treat yourself, why not do it with a healthy and delicious all natural organic product.  I was first introduced to these lollipops by my husband.  He came home from work and said I have an organic lollipop for you, someone in his office had given him some.  You know even after being married for 18 years the little things he does still make me smile. 

Anyway, I don’t normally eat candy and am skeptical when things are labeled organic, so I left it on my dresser.  Besides, I truly believed it would be a tasteless waste of time.  About a week later the lollipop resurfaced and I decided to try it.  Well I can tell you I was pleasantly surprised, it was the cherry flavor and it was fantastic.  Of course, I jumped on the internet and began to research Yummy Earth. 

About Yummy Earth

The first thing I discovered was “Yummy Earth does not use artificial dyes, corn syrup, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, dairy, MSG or GMO products in their lollipops.”  They actually use organic fruits and veggies to create these delicious morsels!  Needless to say, I was hooked.

The website boasted about their various flavors, Wet-Face Watermelon, Tooberry Blueberry, Sour Apple Tart, Pomegranate Pucker, Mango Tango, Googly Grape, Strawberry Smash and Very Very Cherry.  Of course I had to see if the other flavors were as good as the cherry so I ordered a bag, mind you I paid $4.69 for a bag of 50 lollipops.  They did not disappoint!  Every flavor was as delicious as the next. 

My favorite flavor is the watermelon, I must say my least flavor was the pomergranate.  It was still good but I would say more for a discerning palate. It was not as sweet as the others, some might even say it had a borderline medicine flavor.  Needless to say, they were still eaten.

These lollipops begin to tantalize your senses as soon as you open the bag.  My office is always teasing me about eating organic foods, “if it is organic it must taste nasty.”  I tell them you would be surprised and in the end a lot healthier.  I happened to open my bag of lollipops at my desk and the smell wafted through the office.  In about one minute I had three people at my desk trying to figure out what the smell was.  They are always trying to tempt me with donuts, cakes and candy.  They thought I had fallen off the wagon, and I happily informed them they were organic lollipops.  Before they could get another word out, I said here try one.  Next thing you know they were coming back for more, one lady even ordered her own bag.

I also love these for my family.  My kids are teenagers and I am always trying to get them to eat less sugar.  I had to take my son completely off sugar because it was having an adverse effect on his behavior and these lollipops were ideal to keep him on track.  My mother is a diabetic and always looking for something sweet, I gave these to her also.

Yummy Earth’s list of ingredients is impressive and suitable for any diet preferences.

Yummy Earth offers a variety of products including gummy bears, sour worms, jellybeans and hard candies.  Their products a readily available at www.yummyearth.com, various websites including www.amazon.com and many health food stores including Whole Foods.  I bought mine from www.swansonvitamins.com.

If you have any questions, if you have tried them or have any stories about these, I’d love to hear from you!

Healthy eating…

Banana Ice Cream

Banana ice cream is my new healthy indulgence! Okay so you are thinking how any kind of ice cream can be healthy, well this one is. I am an ice cream lover it is one of my favorite comfort foods. When I decided to make better food choices, I thought I would have to give up ice cream. The average supermarket brands, even the low fat and sugar free varieties, have ingredients I am not happy with including corn syrup and MSG. They also have more fat and calories than I would like. Even the more healthy varieties, organic, soy, non-dairy, can still have a good amount of fat and calories. Then there is the debate over dairy, non-dairy and soy. It was becoming too much work to find ice cream that worked for me.

I was home one Saturday afternoon watching Food Network looking for some new healthy recipes and Claire Robinson from 5-Ingredient Fix solved my ice cream dilemma. This ice cream comes out smooth, creamy and custard like, just like I like it. The best part is that you get all of this with just one ingredient…BANANAS!

Before I give you the recipe let me give you a little information on bananas. Bananas, natures wonder food, is low in calories and fat yet high in fiber and vitamins. Here are some of the highlights – Bananas are high in iron good for anemia, potassium essential for lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of stroke; vitamin B6 for your blood; tryptophan a mood stabilizer (makes you happy); is a natural antacid; and has a low glycemic index slowly releasing the carbs into the body. What other ice cream can do all of this for you.

As promised, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe bananas

Optional ingredients: (will explain further)

¼ cup milk

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1 to 2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Cut the bananas into approximately ½ -inch pieces and freeze at least 1-2 hours. Put the frozen bananas in a food processor (I use my Ninja blender) and puree, scraping down the sides periodically, until smooth. That’s it! For the optional ingredients, I sometimes use a little milk to help the bananas along. This is not a necessity this recipe works fine without it. You can also add peanut butter for an extra protein boost and honey for sweetness and flavor. I have also added frozen mangos, simply delicious. Play with this recipe, let me know what you come up with.

Obesity in the pews...

We go to church to draw closer to God and to be spiritually fed.  Looking around the church today, I realize that the church is feeding more than our spirits!

I have been attending church faithfully for more than 18 years.  In those 18 years I have participated in more than my share of pot luck Sundays, bake sales, dinner sales, fried fish and chicken sandwiches, luncheons, catered dinners and the weekly fellowships after Sunday service over every comfort food known to man.  In our society most celebrations and holidays occur around an abundance of food.  So when we are celebrating Jesus food will be a natural part of the celebration.  Some churches use the promise of a big Sunday meal to entice new membership.  While the idea of fellowshipping and “breaking bread” with church family is great, the problem is amount of calories and fat we are consuming  while at these events.

I have battled my weight issue for most of my life.  Recent health concerns have now prompted me to change my lifestyle.  I not only want to drop the excess weight for good, but I also want to stop taking all the medications I am currently on.  I want to stop hurting my body with food and begin to nourish it.   I have begun to change my eating habits and exercise regularly.  I have also decided to go to school to study nutrition and learn how food affects our bodies.

In my lifestyle change I have started preparing more healthy foods at home.  Packing my lunches, making sure I include fresh fruits and vegetables.  I also purchase organic foods to eliminate some of the unnecessary hormones.  I really feel good about my changes.  However, I was recently at a women’s conference, at church, that of course included a luncheon.  This church is full of fantastic cooks and the food is always delicious.  I sat in anguish over how I was going to avoid the temptation of the fried chicken and potato salad. 

Why have these foods become the accepted norm?  Is it possible to have the same fellowship without all of the fat and calorie laden food?  It is time for us to take responsibility and promote more healthy eating habits.  Losing control of our eating does not glorify Him, we have to take care of the temple He has given us. We can change our church functions and events to offer healthy alternatives.  Don’t get me wrong we cannot blame the church entirely for our eating habits.  However, the church is a major influence in how we live our lives. 

We all have to deal with life circumstances.  Christians go to church to be encouraged and gain strength to face our problems.  Church is a time to leave your problems outside and enjoy the presence of God.  It makes us feel good!  Studies have shown that eating certain foods also make us feel good.  So maybe eating these foods after services prolongs your good mood a little longer.  Why can’t we feel great without all of the extra calories.

Let’s put our minds together and see how we can change our view of food as well as the churches.  I would like us to share our journeys.  Share your thoughts and comments with me. Whether you're overweight or dieting, or was overweight and lost the weight. Diet suggestions and thoughts are always welcome!

What are some of your experiences with those infamous church meals?