Keep Healthy Snack Bars Review

I homeschool, but still love to have snacks on hand at home and traveling when my family members get a little peckish. I try to find snacks that are healthy and wholesome, but sometimes I cave into my cravings and the kids want for sugary sweets and unhealthy confections. I am only human! Fortunately I was given the opportunity to try something in the snack food world that is good for my family.

Keep Healthy Inc. is a company that produces healthy snack bars. Their bars have no artificial ingredients or preservatives. The ingredient list on each bar is short and sweet. Every ingredient is pronounceable and fairly simple! All of their bars are gluten free, Non-GMO, kosher, and made in the USA. They also do not use refined sugar or high fructose syrup - just fruit and nuts. I love that these are easily packed in a lunch or on-the-go snack when we have field trips and outings. There are 6 different types of bars including: Original Date Bars, Chocolate Covered Date Bars, Original Fruitkies Bars, Chocolate Fruitkies Bars, Organic Protein Bars, and Organic Low Glycemic Bars. Keep Healthy is also a proud sponsor of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. 2% of sales are donated with a minimum donation of $10,000 in 2016/2017.

Some of the Keep Healthy variety of snack bars.

Keep Healthy Inc. sent me a variety pack of 16 individually wrapped bars to try. In it each bar was a different flavor...so as you can imagine I didn't have time to try them all. Every bar I did sample (which was actually quite a few) was really yummy though.

The Original Date Bars have a base of dates, the fruit superfood that is high in fiber and antioxidants. Dates are also great for anti-inflamatory benefits.These are all gluten, dairy, and GMO free. Includes 4 delicious varieties to try including: Apple Walnut, Apricot Coconut, Cashew Date, and Pecan Date. I loved the Apple Walnut one the most from this section.

The Keep Healthy Chocolate Covered Apricot Coconut Date Bar is my absolute favorite!!

The Chocolate Covered Date Bars are their original date bars covered in dairy free chocolate. Includes four delicious varieties to try: Chocolate Covered Apple Walnut, Chocolate Covered Apricot Coconut, Chocolate Covered Cashew Date, and Chocolate Covered Pecan Date. I love chocolate, so these were my favorites out of the date bars and my absolute favorite was the Chocolate Covered Apricot Coconut.

The Original Fruitkies Bars have only three kinds of ingredients: fruit, nuts, and brown crisps. These are in their health bar section because the sugar is lower than the snack bars. Still they are sweet enough to gratify the hankering for other things. These come in 9 delicious flavors which include: Blueberry Pecan, Cherry Fig, Cherry Walnut, Cranberry Pumpkinseed, Macadamia Date, Mango Almond, Papaya Cashew, Pineapple Coconut, and Strawberry Apple. I love the Pineapple Coconut and Mango Almond one. So delicious!

The Chocolate Fruitkies Bars are better for you than any regular candy bar or cookie. They are so luscious and guilt free! They come in 8 flavors including: Chocolate Covered Apricot, Chocolate Covered Blueberry, Chocolate Covered Cherry, Chocolate Covered Cranberry, Chocolate Covered Mango, Chocolate Covered Papaya, Chocolate Covered Pineapple, and Chocolate Covered Strawberry. I got to try the pineapple and mango one. Both were really yummy!

The Organic Protein Bars are new to the Keep Healthy Health Bar collection. Each provide 15 grams of plant based protein.These are a great to replenish protein right after a workout. These are also USDA organic as well. There are 6 flavors including: Almond Vanilla Crisp, Apple Cinnamon Crisp, Chocolate Cherry Crunch, Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate Fudge, and Strawberry Banana Crisp. I love the Apple Cinnamon Crisp the most out of the ones I received.

Delbin enjoying the Keep Healthy Banana Nut Organic Low Glycemic Bar.

My oldest son, Delbin, has Type 1 Diabetes, so when he has a low blood sugar I like to have healthy snacks on hand that will supply him with the proper things he needs. I hate having only sugar-filled or overly processed snacks to offer him. Keep Healthy Bars have the perfect bars for his low blood sugars and they also have Organic Low Glycemic Bars that won't radically change his blood glucose levels. These particular bars help him be fueled with all natural, plant based ingredients and keep his blood sugar stable. Besides diabetics watching their levels, these bars are great for Great for: busy lifestyles, the sugar conscious, weight management, and before or after a workout (12 grams of plant based protein!).There are 5 different flavors of the Low Glycemic Bars including: Banana Nut, Chocolate Cherry Mint, Coconut Crunch, Lemon Zest, and Sea Salt Brownie. My favorite of these was the Coconut Crunch and Lemon Zest.

Keep Healthy Snack Bar Varieties.

I love these snack and health bars. Keep Healthy Inc. offers a wonderful variety of yummy flavors that you are sure to love. These are perfect to satisfy those cravings and energize you throughout the day. They are the perfect snack without the guilt and great to refuel your kids for an after school snack or brain food if you homeschool.

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You can purchase the bars from the online store on Keep Healthy Inc.'s website. A box of 16 bars is $23.84 to $39.84 depending upon which bars you select.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Garden Lites SuperFood Veggie Cakes Now at Northwest Costco Stores! Garden Lites Review

Garden Lites are delicious and healthy snacks, muffins, and entrees that are packed with vegetables as the first and main ingredient. These nutrient-rich, heart-healthy foods are vegetarian and GMO free. A lot of their products are also gluten free, dairy free, nut free, soy free, and/or allergen free (look at packaging to make sure). Most do contain eggs. Look for Garden Lites at many stores across the US in the refrigerated section, including local to me stores like: New Seasons Market, Whole Foods Market, Target, Walmart, and now Costco!!

Garden Lites products we received.

We got to try Garden Lites: SuperFood Veggie Cakes, Chocolate Muffins, and Blueberry Oat Muffins. I love the fact that they are all easy to heat up and take with you on-the-go. These are also great for a snack or side dish. These were all very yummy and I'd definitely buy them if I saw them in the store.

Garden Lites SuperFood Veggie Cakes are small veggie-rich cakes that are only 100 calories per cake and have a Weight Watchers PointsPlus value of 3. These are vegetarian, GMO free, gluten free, dairy free, and nut free. Like all Garden Lites, vegetables are their first ingredient. They are packed with a super food veggie blend of carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, onion, red bell pepper, and zucchini! These are available exclusively at Costco in the refrigerated section as a box of 12 veggie cakes. These should be kept refrigerated or frozen until eaten.

I found these very tasty and easy to make. Since it has been hot here and the oven heats up my house my preferred method was popping them in the microwave for about 25 seconds. You can also cook them in the oven or toaster oven on 250 degrees on a baking sheet for 12 minutes. These cakes reminded me of a Japanese recipe I have made in the past called Okonomiyaki (vegetable pancakes) or a vegetable filled quiche/souffle. I love these for breakfast, snack, or with a meal. I can easily pack them for lunches when my family goes on outings too. I love how healthy and delicious these are and that I can understand all the ingredients on the packaging.

Garden Lites SuperFood Veggie Cakes and Muffins.

Garden Lites Muffins come in a assortment of flavors with seven different variations. These are great at getting vegetables into your family's diet without compromising the flavor and if your kids are picky eaters these might just be the ticket to a healthier snack alternative. Comes individually wrapped in BPA free plastic and the box contains 4-6 muffins depending upon the variety. These should be kept frozen until eaten.

We got to try their Chocolate Muffins and Blueberry Oat Muffins. They are both packed with fresh zucchini and carrots. They are both: a good source of fiber (3g) and whole grains (5g), vegetarian, GMO free, allergy-friendly, gluten free, dairy free, and nut free. At 120 calories per muffin these have a Weight Watchers PointsPlus value of 3. These have 4 muffins per package and are easy to pop in the microwave bag and all on high for 10 seconds if defrosted or 35 seconds if frozen (although microwaves do vary and mine seemed to want an additional 10-35 seconds so the middle wasn't still cold). You can also defrost at room temperature for about 4 hours if you aren't in a hurry to eat them right away.

The Chocolate Muffins are similar to lava cakes I've eaten. They are moist with a gooey center of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. The very first two ingredients are zucchini and carrots and you can hardly taste them! They are hidden and you won't even know they're there. My kids and I liked them and ate 'em up.

The Blueberry Oat Muffins are delicious and moist with plump blueberries filled inside. You can see the shredded carrots and zucchini if you look, but these are delicious anyway. They also have gluten-free oats in them along with other gluten free ingredients. My kids and I liked these best because blueberries are one of our favorite berries!

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BUY IT
You can now find the Garden Lites SuperFood Veggie Cakes at Costco Stores across the country, including Texas, the Southeast, the Southwest, the Northwest and the Northeast regions. You can order these online if you live in the Continental US with free shipping at Healthy Goodness. You can also locate a store near you to purchase the other Garden Lites products.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

The Planet Friendly Diet Book Review and Giveaway

I was provided with a complimentary copy of The Planet Friendly Diet to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

A part of my New Year's Resolution is getting my family to eat a lot healthier. This is a huge undertaking, let me tell you! My husband and kids have been less than cooperative with the changes I have tried implementing in the past few weeks. When I go grocery shopping with my husband he usually breaks down and buys something unhealthy. I have been trying to change my family's habits, but habits are very hard to break!

Enter, The Planet Friendly Diet by Cat Smiley, a book about getting back to healthy over the course of 21 days. This is how many days it usually takes to create good habits. You may be thinking to yourself why does a skinny lady like me need a weight loss book?? Well Cat's book is really more than just a weight loss book. I need all the help I can get to stay a healthy weight since usually I am considered underweight by physicians and I really do need to eat healthier and exercise more. This book is chocked full of helpful advice and hints to get you well on your way to a healthier, happier lifestyle. It is based on a gluten, wheat, dairy and meat free diet. Some suggestions with recipes in the book do involve fish, with a totally vegetarian option also available. The Planet Friendly Diet is a cleansing program that resets and replenishes without resorting to fasting, hunger, or deprivation. It basically consists of drinking 4 liters of clean water a day - 2 liters before noon and 2 more before 5pm, having a super smoothie for breakfast (or alternative breakfast listed) and super smoothie for lunch, a sensible dinner with healthy ingredients, and nutritious snacks in between. All of this should add up to about 1200 calories per day.

The recipes for the dinners all sound delicious and not at all bland. They usually consist of fish or tofu (these are used instead of red meat and poultry). She also uses beans, brown rice, quinoa, dairy free yogurts/cheese/milk, veggies/mushrooms cooked in veggie broth, and lemon/herbs/garlic/spices/homemade salsa/etc. to season and flavor her recipes. Each single portion recipe has a lovely photograph of the completed meal, is under 500 calories, takes 20 minutes or less to prepare, and costs less than $5.

I love that The Planet Friendly Diet book includes a lot more than recipes and nutrition information. It has a total of 63 tips to help start you out on this journey and make things easier. These tips include information on what to do to get started, basics, hydration, fruit & veggies, grains & fiber, eggs & dairy, meat & fish, salt & sugar, and how to keep going after the 21 days have ended. There are blank lined diary pages to fill out for each of the 21 days with weight, goals, notes, what you ate for each meal and snack with cost and time taken, estimated calories eaten, and how much water you consumed. Weekly shopping lists are also included for the 21 days to ensure zero-waste.

This is a great 21 day guide to sustainable weight loss and optimal health. I do feel that in addition to a physical exercise routine The Planet Friendly Diet book would be the perfect melding of disciplines. If you stick to the plan and don't stray you will be well on your way to a beneficial lifestyle in 21 days.

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Prize: One Copy of The Planet Friendly Diet by Cat Smiley!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.