Real Talk: Manitoba Harvest Hemp Heart Bars
Posted: March 1, 2016 Filed under: Food, Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | Tags: chocolate, Food, health and wellness, healthy-living, hemp heart bars, hemp hearts, review, snacks 2 CommentsHelloooo! Happy Tuesday y’all!
Can we talk about snacks today?! I am stopping in today with a quick review for Manitoba Harvest. They recently came out with a new product, their hemp heart bars, and I was lucky enough to get to sample two of the flavors!
*Full Disclosure-Manitoba Harvest provided me with product for review purposes through my relationship with Fit Approach as a Sweat Pink Ambassador. Per usual, all opinions are my own.*
I was excited to test these out as I am a big fan of hemp seeds as a plant-based protein and am always game for trying new snacks.
There are many days when I get caught up at work and do not have time to sit down and eat a real lunch, so I try to keep relatively healthy and filling snacks around. These definitely fit the bill!
I was sent the apple cinnamon and the chocolate to try. While both were good, the chocolate was definitely the winner in my book. I will be on the lookout for the vanilla so I can try all three!
Side note: I know this probably doesn’t matter to most people, but I really like the packaging for these… it’s nice and simple, just like the ingredients.
Speaking of the ingredients, I can pronounce all of them, which if you know me, is very important! You can also see pretty much everything listed!
A quick run down of the bars from the Manitoba Harvest Website:
“Manitoba Harvest Hemp Heart bars are crafted with the goodness of hemp and other tasty ingredients too. We’ve whipped up three different delicious flavours to choose from: vanilla, chocolate and apple cinnamon. Each 45 gram bar contains 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of omegas, so whether you grab one for a pre-workout snack or nutrition on the go, these convenient bars are sure to get you through even your busiest day!”
10 grams of protein! I was super thankful to have one of these in my purse the other day… Once again, I hadn’t had time for a real lunch and I needed a quick snack before heading out to meet a friend for a run! It didn’t bother my stomach and kept me satiated through my workout and up until dinner! Winning!
Overall, I would absolutely buy these again. However, I would definitely recommend the chocolate over the apple cinnamon. It’s just…I personally would rather eat an actual apple…but that’s just me…don’t let that rain on your apple cinnamon loving parade!
In other exciting news, Manitoba Harvest is running a wicked cool photo contest! You can find the full details here.
Here are some quick details if you’d like to play along:
- Tag @manitobaharvest #hempheartbar #fuelledbyhemp #sweatpink @fitapproach for a chance to win a box of your favorite flavor of Hemp Heart Bars!
- A winner will be chosen each month!
- Eligibility: open to US and Canada residents.
AND if you’d like to order your own hemp heart bars, Manitoba Harvest is generously offering 15% off your purchase. You can buy them here.
- The discount code hhbarlaunch1015 will get you 15% off! Expires 3/31/2016
A big thank you to Manitoba Harvest and Fit Approach for allowing me to sample out another awesome product!
Lets’ chat: Hemp Hearts-yes or no? Favorite pre-run (or other workout) snack? Chocolate or Apple Cinnamon?
Real Talk: Tuesday Night
Posted: February 19, 2013 Filed under: Confessions, Entertaining, Food, Random, Recipe | Tags: chocolate, Chocolate pretzels, cravings, easy recipe, kitchen adventures, quick treat 1 CommentThis is happening in the kitchen… well, technically in the freezer, right now.
I promise I will be back with regular posts tomorrow.
Happy Tuesday.
PS. I originally titled this post Monday Night. It’s going to be a long week.
August Foodie Penpals!!!
Posted: August 31, 2012 Filed under: Food, Foodie Penpals, Fun, Local Food, Uncategorized | Tags: all natural, almonds, banana chocolate, care packages, chocolate, chocolate bar, crackers, fellow runner, Food, foodie penpal, graham crackers, local food, orange, orange foods, peach salsa Leave a commentIt’s Foodie Penpal Reveal Day! This month, I sent a package to Marcia from Florida. She’s a fellow runner and I loved getting to know her and reading her blog. You can check out her blog by clicking here.
You can see what others got from their Foodie Penpals by going here: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/august-foodie-penpals-reveal-day/
I was lucky enough to be paired with Kelsey. She sent me a pretty amazing package full of goodies from California.
California Goodness
Kelsey-Huge thanks, this was awesome!
Such a nice note!
Here’s the low down on what I received:
- A homemade baggie of cocoa haystacks!
- A Banana Chocolate Bar
- An organic dark chocolate bar.
- A nice little card (above) and recipe for peach salsa-yum!
- Locally made orange graham crackers
- Honey Almonds
I was so excited about the recipe, I decided to share it with all of you!
Can’t wait to make this!
Chocolate bars… she just gets me. I don’t know why this picture is flipped… I’ll call it artsy…
Bananas and Chocolate? Yes, please!
These almonds were so addicting! I had to hide them…
Wowowowow
I can’t decide what my favorite thing was… but these crackers are definitely up there.
So good!
The haystacks didn’t hold up too well in the mail…but I still munched on them. Tasty.
This was such a great package, I love that Kelsey sent me local products, allowing me to get a taste of California.
Another huge thank you, Kelsey! This was such an awesome package!
If you’re interested in becoming a Foodie Penpal, here are some details. To sign up, visit this page! You must sign up by the 4th of the month.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.
***If you’re in Europe, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!
Happy Friday!!!
July Foodie Penpals!!!
Posted: July 31, 2012 Filed under: Food, Foodie Penpals, Fun, Local Food, Uncategorized | Tags: all natural, Caramel, care packages, chocolate, chocolate cranberries, Cookie Butter, Food, foodie penpal, fruit snacks, local food, peanut butter, popcorn, pretzels, Snapea Crisps, snapeas, Speculoos Cookie Butter, Trader Joe's Leave a commentIt’s that time of month again-Foodie Penpal Reveal Day! This month, I sent a package to Emily from “Chicagoland.” I really enjoyed picking out her package because I got to use my imagination!
Collyn from Mass sent me a pretty awesome package full of Trader Joe’s goodies. Thank you so much, Collyn! I am loving all of it!
Here’s the low down on what I received:
- Caramel Popcorn
- A Jar of Speculoos Cookie Butter
- Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels
- Dark Chocolate Covered Cranberries
- Snapea Crisps
- A blueberry fruit strip
First and foremost, cookie butter?! Where have you been all of my life? It is absolutely out of this world! It’s good enough that I’ve had to talk myself out of just eating it straight from the jar. I’ve also had to talk the hubs out of it. I am going to find a Trader Joe’s for the sole purpose of stocking up on this little gem.
The Snapea Crisps disappeared in about two days… not my usual snack food, but I think I’ve been converted. The crunch is perfect.
Dark chocolate cranberries. DOUBLE WIN! I’ve been savoring these. I also love that they are local to Mass. Kudos!
Ben ate the fruit strip. Grrr…..
Obviously I loved the popcorn and pretzels… two weaknesses…what can I say. I’m also trying really hard to savor these…we’ll see how I do.
Another huge thank you to Collyn! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this!
If you’re interested in becoming a Foodie Penpal, here are some details. To sign up, visit this page! You must sign up by the 4th of the month.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.
***If you’re in Europe, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!
Happy Tuesday!
Whipped. Chocolate. What?!
Posted: July 3, 2012 Filed under: Entertaining, Food, Random, Recipe | Tags: breakfast, chocolate, chocolate coffee, chocolate whipped cream, coffee, coffee chocolate, coffee date, dessert, easy recipe, espresso bar, Food, heavy whipping cream, iced coffee, raspberry sorbet, recipe, Starbucks, whipped cream Leave a commentTwo weekends ago, Farmer Ben and I went for our semi-regular Saturday morning coffee date, followed by the farmers’ market.
I ordered my usual-unsweetened iced coffee with cream…Ben went for a froo-froo drink.
Actually, allow me to clarify; I contemplated getting a kicked-up, flavored, slushy, coffee drink, but changed my mind, partially because I got the judging eyes from Ben. Then I ordered my iced coffee and he ordered the drink I had decided against.
My jaw dropped and I let him know how shocked I was… and then, something amazing happened. Our barista gave me a brilliant idea.
“You know,” she said, “Chocolate whipped cream on your iced coffee would make it so much better!”
I had never thought of that!
“I’ll allow it,” I replied.
It was delicious.
I’ve been thinking about chocolate whipped cream ever since. It’s the perfect combination, light and fluffy but with just enough give. Not too sweet, yet full of flavor. So simple…yet, just the right amount of … extra.
I’ve felt a need to whip some up and last night was the perfect chance. The hubs and I both had the night off so I volunteered to make dinner.
As the weather has been especially hot as of late, I opted for something simple. Lentil patties over a salad with yogurt sauce…and raspberry sorbet for dessert.
Don’t get me wrong, I love raspberry sorbet as is… but last night, I needed that something extra.
So I made chocolate whipped cream. Then I chopped up a dark chocolate espresso bar that had been hanging out in our cupboard and sprinkled some over the top. Suddenly, a simple dessert was taken to the next level of delish.
I apologize for the photo quality but I couldn’t stand it any longer-I had to wolf this down!
And now, without further ado, here’s the recipe! Per my usual M.O., I didn’t really measure, so the best way to make this is to taste. Enjoy!
Chocolate Whipped Cream:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (1/2 pint) Heavy Cream
- 2-4 tbsp. Powdered Sugar- do this to taste… I prefer a creamy flavor rather than a super sweet, using less sugar.
- 1-2 tbsp. Cocoa Powder- again, to taste. I didn’t really measure but 1 or 2 tbsp. is a good amount.
- A Splash of Vanilla (1-2 tsp.)
Process:
Pour heavy whipping cream into a bowl and beat using an electric mixer.
When soft peaks begin to form, slowly add in powdered sugar and cocoa powder to taste, continue to beat.
Add in splash of vanilla.
Beat just until stiff peaks form.
If not using right away, cover and refrigerate. Makes about 2 cups.
Serve over ice cream, fruit, cake or with your favorite coffee. It’s a great life decision.
Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut!
Posted: March 8, 2012 Filed under: Entertaining, Food, Fun, Handmade, Health and Wellness, Life, Local Food, Random, Recipe | Tags: breakfast, chocolate, chocolate nut spread, easy recipe, entertaining, hazelnuts, morning, Nutella, party food, quick recipe, running, simple food, snacks, spring, vegan, vegetarian 2 CommentsWow! What a gorgeous day! It was 48 degrees when I got up to run this morning. 48 degrees! The sun was shining and there was a light breeze. Perfect running weather. Unfortunately, I only had time for a short run, but every little bit helps! That’s what I keep telling myself.
So in short, I am feeling pretty charged and pumped to take on the rest of the day!
Another awesome thing about this week; Chocolate Hazelnut Spread! Holy cow is it good. And soooooooooo easy to make! Seriously, if you can work a blender, you’ve got it in the bag. This would be a great spread for a fancy party or a brunch with your family and friends-the hit of the party. OR you can hide it in your fridge and eat it by the spoonful… whichever you prefer.
I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Per usual, Deb did not disappoint. I’ll let you visit her post because she explains it so well.
A couple of notes:
I ended up using just under a cup of powdered sugar and 2 tbsp. of oil instead of 3. I also added a splash of vanilla… this is just personal preference on sweetness and texture. Tweak to your taste. It would still be amazing with more sugar and oil.
The SK recipe called for peanuts and peanut oil…I happened to have hazelnuts and walnut oil on hand, so that’s what I used. Still delish. You could probably also use Tahini if you don’t have some sort of nut oil.
It may seem that you are running your food processor forever… don’t worry, the nuts will liquefy. It takes patience and scraping down the sides of the processor. Just when I was about to give up, I had liquid! So just…keep blending. Also, don’t make this past 9 pm…unless you want to tick off your neighbors.
The finished product!
Spread lasts in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week. Makes about 1 3/4 cups. Serve on toast, with fruit, in oatmeal..or by the spoonful. The options are endless.
According to my ingredients, a serving (1 tbsp.) has the following: 92 calories, 7 g of fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 65.6 mg potassium, 6.2 g Carbohydrates, 4.7 g sugar and 2 g of protein.
Enjoy!
Whiskey Cookies? Whoa.
Posted: December 28, 2011 Filed under: Food, Fun, Random, Recipe, Uncategorized | Tags: Butter, chocolate, cookies, cooking, cooking with booze, delicious, desserts, flax seed meal, Food, healthy cookies, pecans, recipe, serious eats, sugar, whiskey 6 CommentsI know what you’re thinking. I spent yesterday’s post talking about how I was so sick of cookies and how much I love veggies and how I was getting back on track…and now I am going to tell you about another cookie?! What kind of sick person am I?! Awkwaaaard.
But in all seriousness, I need to tell you about these. They are…in my opinion, the perfect cookie. Chewy but not crunchy, soft but not mushy, with just a hint of healthy. Oh, and did I mention the whiskey-chocolate-pecan combination? Yum.
Check out that texture.
Also…I made these on Monday. So… that makes it okay.
I got the original recipe from the Serious Eats 2010 Cookie Swap but have made a few changes. It’s a pretty basic recipe. The whole wheat flour and the flax seed meal add a nutty texture and instead of being uniformly flat like most cookies, they are a bit puffed up…I love this, it gives them major character. When I make these, I usually use Red Stag, which gives a lovely cherry tone but this time I used some sort of Jack Daniels Black Label Specialty… whatever you have on hand.
Whiskey Cookies:
*adapted from Rachel Heise Bolten via Serious Eats*
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use the unbleached stuff)
- 1 cup stone ground whole wheat flour (Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite brand)
- 2 tbsp. ground flax seed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter, room temp.
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 2 large eggs
- 6 oz. (Or about half a bag) bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans *I’m lazy, so I usually just break the pecans up in my hand before I throw them in)
Preheat oven to 375.
In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar, vanilla and bourbon until creamy. I use my trusty pastry blender to do it by hand, but you can also use the paddle attachment on your KitchenAid.
Add your eggs in one at a time. Mix until combined.
Add your dry ingredients to the butter mixture. I added half, mixed and then added the rest.
Once your dry and wet ingredients are nicely combined, stir in your chocolate chips and pecans with a spatula.
*The original recipe calls for letting the dough sit in your refrigerator for at least three days, because I significantly increased the amount of whiskey, I don’t believe this is necessary. However, if you’re looking for a bit more whiskey flavor, stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours.*
Drop cookie dough by the (large) spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet-use parchment paper for super easy cleanup.
Bake until edges are golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
Noelle's Notebook 