Another rendition of my beloved Acai bowl!

For those of you that have been stopping by for awhile you may know of my love for acai bowls.  Post morning run today I was craving one, they are just so refreshing.  I switched up the recipe a little, I'm always attempting to make it a bit thicker and I did it!  The key to a good consistency is the cold temperature.

Ingredients:
(1 serving)
1 individual frozen pack of acai 
1 frozen banana (this is the key, it must be frozen)
1/2 cup unsweetened Coconut Almond Milk

Toppings:
1/2 tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 of a kiwi sliced
3 strawberries sliced

Blend the first three ingredients until one smooth consistency,  Pour into a bowl and top with hemp seeds, kiwi, and strawberries.

Close your eyes, transport yourself to somewhere tropical and enjoy!

Mango Colada Smoothie! Take me to the beach.

About two weeks ago Chobani released one of its newest flavors, Coconut Blended!  Coconut is one of my favorite fruits and flavors.  I was so excited to get my hands on it and it is becoming harder to find it already as I think everyone is trying it out finding out how amazing it is.  The flavor is perfect, sweet, creamy, and mixes well as a base for smoothies with an extra punch of flavor.
One of the first things that comes to mind when I think coconut is pina colada.  I remember going on vacation to the Caribbean as a little girl and getting a virgin "smoothie" and when I was old enough to get one with alcohol I still chose without because the booze just muddles the flavor.  Today I put together a healthy version of the old favorite drink with the added protein of the greek yogurt.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 Chobani Coconut Blended Greek Yogurt
1 cup frozen or fresh diced pineapple
1 cup fresh or frozen chopped mango
1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Water
 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend away! 

Food Should Taste Good. Great name for a product and even better taste.

I came across a product called Food Should Taste Good at our local grocery store a few months ago and being intrigued by the name I picked it up.  I immediately turned the bag around and starting going through the ingredients and was pleasantly surprised, simple, clean, you can pronounce them all (always a good sign), and they come in a wide array of flavors.  I shouldn't be that shocked that the product is so great because it is in the way bottom corner of a shelf at my grocery story, and I hope you all know one of the rules of the grocery store...the healthiest items are stocked on the way top and the way, way bottom!

Food Should Taste Good provided me with free samples of the product with some exciting flavors in hopes that I would write about it.  I was so excited to see a box of products at my home last week, especially because we have only had the blue corn tortilla chips and white cheddar tortilla chips prior to this and in addition to the chips, how cute are those chip clips (you can never have too many of those).  I was most intrigued by the chocolate tortilla chips, what could be bad about salty and sweet in one bite.  The chocolate tortilla chips were good!  At first bite I didn't taste too much chocolate but definitely after inhaling a few it was there, pure cocoa.  We really enjoyed all of the flavors and I love reading the ingredient lists: ranging from quinoa, flax, sunflower seed, sesame seed, jalapeno, cocoa, kimchi (yes, they have kimchi chips), etc.  You should stop by their website to see the full list of their flavors and pick up a few bags.  They are available at my local grocery store, Mariano's and hopefully they are at yours too!  

Oh, and they hold up great when being dipped or dunked!

Product Review: Brainy Oats. Take your oats with you, anywhere!

A few weeks ago I came across a product called Brainy Oats, made locally here in Chicago.  I have a deep love for oatmeal and eat it almost every morning with almond butter and cinnamon.  Brainy Oats is a handheld cup of oats, that is quick, easy and you can take it on the go with you or even better when traveling!

Brainy Oats comes in four different flavors; 
1) banana and walnut
2) blueberry, apple, and raspberry
3) maple & cinnamon
4) strawberry, banana, and almond

I was very intrigued by this product because there are other companies that have put out products like this before but all of them I have come across add artificial flavors and sweeteners.  These do not, this is the real deal.  Brainy Oats are made with natural whole oats (not instant) and natural flavors including; turkish cinnamon, organic evaporated cane sugar, kosher sea salt, blueberries, bananas, strawberries, apples, raspberries, walnuts, all natural maple sugar, and almonds.  All four flavors are under 300 calores and contain a good amount of fiber and protein.  The best part about the product is how easy they are to make and eat wherever, whenever, just follow the simple instructions on the side of the container and go!

After the package of oats arrived, I had to fight Ryan off them so I could try at least one of each flavor.  My favorite by far is the maple and cinnamon.  I've decided that I'm not a fruit or nuts in my oatmeal type of person, I like to keep it simple.  That being said, the others flavors were good just not my style but they were Ryan's, he loved them.  The oats were very satisfying and filling.  Brainy Oats is available throughout the country at coffee shops and other various locations but will be available for direct shipping soon, so check back to their website often if you are interested.  I will definitely look for them soon as they make a great travel breakfast or snack, it really is a complete meal.

Thank you Brainy Oats for the samples!  No compensation was received for this post.

All ready to eat!