Gluten Free Snacks: Nutty Bean Co. Sesame Crunch Chick Pz

PRODUCT NAME:                        Sesame Crunch Chick Pz

BRAND:                                       Nutty Bean Co. 

COST:                                          $3.75 

SIZE:                                            3oz (Net Weight)

COST PER OZ:                             $1.25

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:           NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:            N/A

ORGANIC:                                    N/A

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:            N/A

VEGAN:                                        NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:             NO

LOCATION OF FACILITY:             San Jose

SHELF LIFE:                                12 Months

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

The deliciously understated chick pea has been given a makeover with Nutty Bean Co’s Chick Pz snacks.  These unique snacks were the result of a husband and wife team trying to create a snack that was both healthy, full of flavor, and a fusion of different elements from many cultures around the world. They discovered that roasted chick peas were already a popular snack in the Mediterranean, India, and Latin America. After figuring out how to roast chick peas themselves, they were also challenged with the task of creating recopies that would make these crunchy snacks flavorful and healthy. From the encouragement of family and friends that were  the initial guinea pigs to these unique snacks, Nutty Bean Co. launched in early 2010.

With the company still in its infancy, each package is hand-made, and served in small portions. The mission of the Nutty Bean Co. is to, “provide the healthiest all natural products by using the freshest highest quality ingredients that meet or exceed the needs of today's health conscious consumer”. I fully believe this is a testament they hold true, as their products are simple, yet high in quality which makes for a delicious and nutritious snack.

Taste:  The sesame crunch flavor is sweet and crunchy on the outside, with a burst of roasted chick pea earthiness on the inside. Since the sesame seeds are toasted and the chick peas are roasted, they provide a smoky layer of flavor to the sweet honey and sugar. These opposing characteristics to the spectrum of flavor complement each other very well, and provide a unique flavor that will keep your taste buds on their toes.

Labeling:  Sticker with logo and product name on front, sticker with nutritional value on the back.

Packaging:  small, clear plastic ziplock bag. Serving size is 1oz with 3 servings per bag. 

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:               4                             

Taste:                   4                             

Value:                  4             

OVERALL:            4             

Reviewed by Allison R.

Gluten Free Cookies: Caveman Bakery Alpine Caveman Cookies

Gluten Free Cookies: Alpine Caveman Cookies

PRODUCT NAME:                       Alpine Caveman Cookies

BRAND:                                      Caveman Bakery     

COST:                                         $5.45

SIZE:                                           3.4 oz (6 cookies)

COST PER OZ:                            $0.62 per cookie

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:          YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:           GFCO

ORGANIC:                                   NO     

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:           NA

VEGAN:                                      YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:            YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:            New York, NY

SHELF LIFE:                               1 Year

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.            

REVIEW:

Today, we have Alpine Caveman Cookies up for review.  They are hearty little snacks made of honey, hazelnut meal, almond meal and toasted ground carob.  That’s it!  Hurray for simple, good and tasty ingredients with no hidden unhealthy additives.  Being Caveman snacks, the website promotes a “paleolithic” diet, which according to them means, simple, natural basic ingredients.  I’m all for it.

Nutrition Facts

The cookies are a half ounce each so they are pretty small, but they are certainly satisfying.  They are surprisingly filling too so they make a great grab and go snack.  These Caveman cookies are pretty healthy cookie alternatives, packing a respectable 1.5g of protein and 4.5g of fat, .25g saturated, per cookie.  I am a fairly healthy eater and if I am going to splurge on something sweet, I try to get things with simple ingredients.  These definitely fit the bill .

These little cookies make a great sweet pick-me-up snack to get you through the day.  I recommend spreading peanut or almond butter on them for an extra protein kick.  They have a really nice hazelnut flavor that blends well with the carob.  It reminds me of Nutella without the chocolate.  I’ve found some things with carob to be a little pasty and this is definitely not.  It is smooth tasting with a nutty, slightly chunky texture.  They come in individually wrapped packaging that is easy to throw in a purse or gym bag for whenever you need it. 

Check out the website for other flavors and more info:  www.cavemancookies.com

Taste:  Simple, tasty, Nutella-like with nutty chunks

Labeling:  Cute Cavemen logo

Packaging: Simple brown paper bag with catchy caveman label.  The cookies are individual plastic wrappers.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:               3.5                         

Taste:                   4                             

Value:                  2             

OVERALL:            3.2         

Reviewed by

Krisztina L.

Gluten Free Granola: Love Grown Foods Cocoa Goodness Oat Clusters & Love

Gluten Free Granola: Love Grown Foods Cocoa Goodness

PRODUCT NAME:                    Cocoa Goodness Oat Clusters & Love

BRAND:                                   Love Grown Foods

COST:                                      $4.99 

SIZE:                                       12oz (Net Weight) 

COST PER OZ:                         $0.42oz            

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:       YES 

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        GFCO

ORGANIC:                                NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        N/A

VEGAN:                                    N/A

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:         YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:         COLORADO

SHELF LIFE:                             6 Months        

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.            

REVIEW:

The Love Grown Foods Company is all about making delicious foods that will inspire or supplement a healthy lifestyle. Their belief is that the consumer should be able to pronounce every single ingredient in a product and that the food will taste amazing. Love Grown Foods strives to only use the purest products and wholesome ingredients that are delicious and affordable.  They also take great pride in their recipes and even claim they are made with love (hence the company name) and reflect the importance of a wholesome diet along with an active lifestyle.

With several flavors in the Oat Clusters & Love line, Cocoa Goodness is one of the flavors on the sweeter side. The front of the bag boasts five ingredients in this particular mix—gluten-free toasted oats, honey, agave, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate. However, when looking at the back of the bag there are a few added ingredients such as canola oil, sunflower seeds, and sea salt. Still all natural ingredients, so rest assured they are not sneaking anything strange inside the bag.

When consumed straight from the bag, this chocolaty oat cluster assortment is a perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth. The back of the bag suggests adding it to a trail mix or paring it with milk to make it a sweet morning treat. I have yet to try it with milk, but I assume since there are morsels of dark chocolate tossed around with the oat clusters, the milk itself would turn into an additional sweet cocoa beverage to finish off post-cereal consumption.

Taste:  I love oat clusters in general, and this particular flavor from Love Grown Foods did not disappoint. There is often a need to add chemicals or sweeteners to other chocolate flavored oat medleys I’ve tried, and this is where things can get a bit too sweet. The cocoa goodness oat clusters, however, have the perfect blend of cocoa powder and toasted oats. The 63% dark chocolate morsels add the right amount of sweetness and do not overpower the palate while crunching away at the oat clusters. Overall, I liked this product by itself, but I could see how it would be a perfect addition to trail mixes or plain yogurt. I never knew chocolaty snacks could be so delicious and healthy at the same time!  

Labeling:  brown and white color scheme with product logo on the front and nutritional information and company information printed on the back.

Packaging:  clear, plastic ziplock bag. Serving size is ¼ cup with eleven servings in each bag.   

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:               4                             

Taste:                   5                             

Value:                  3             

OVERALL:            4             

Reviewed by Allison R.

Gluten Free Bars: Kind Health Snacks Fruit & Nut Bar

Gluten Free Bars: Kind Health Snacks Fruit & Nut Bar

PRODUCT NAME:                        Fruit & Nut: Nut Delight

BRAND:                                       Kind Healthy Snacks

COST:                                          $1.99

SIZE:                                           1.4oz    

COST PER OZ:                             $1.42/oz                   

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:           NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:            NA

ORGANIC:                                    NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:            NA

VEGAN:                                        NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:             UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:              New York

SHELF LIFE:                                 1 Year

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.   

         

REVIEW:

Finding something sweet that tastes good and is good for you is often a difficult task.  There is a sea of sugary snacks to choose from, but find a healthy one and you’ve hit the jackpot.  We’ve hit the jackpot here with these KIND Fruit and Nut snack bars.  They are all natural and made with things that you can actually pronounce.  All of their bars are made from a blend of whole nuts and fruit.  It’s the perfect healthy snack. 

I met KIND at a food show earlier this year and they provided us with a few samples of their bars and I’m glad they did.  These things are delicious!  What impressed me most about this bar was that it tasted very fresh.  You can really taste the freshness of the nuts.  The other thing that impressed us was the sweet flavor.  Seeing the glaze on the bar had us expecting a really sweet bar, but we were pleasantly surprised with a very mellow sweetness.  If you’re a fan of nuts, you will love these bars.  They come in a large variety of flavors so you will find something that caters to your taste. 

These bars have a lot going for them.  They taste great and they are packed with the good nutritious things you need for a healthy diet.  Each bar contains 210 calories, 16 grams of fat, no cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of fiber 5 grams of sugar and 7 grams of protein.  You might be alarmed by the 210 calories and 16 grams of fat, but don’t be, most of it is from the nuts that.  These bars have a ton of fiber in them which, according to Kind’s website, is attributed to curbing cravings.  The protein content is also very high in these bars and as we know, it gives us strength.  

Gluten Free Bars: Kind Health Snacks Fruit & Nut Bar Nutrition Facts

Overall, we loved these bars.  They taste great and are pretty good for you.  It would make a great breakfast snack or a middle of the day snack for when you need a pick-me-up.  At $1.99 a piece, it might not be an everyday snack, but it is definitely something we would eat several times a week.  For more information about KIND products, visit their website at: www.kindsnacks.com.

Taste:  These bars taste great!  They taste extremely fresh, they have great texture and great flavor.  They are the perfect mix of sweet and savory.   

Labeling:  The labeling on these bars is very well laid out.  I like the checklist of health benefits on the front. 

Packaging:  These bars come individually wrapped in plastic.    

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 5             

Taste:                     5             

Value:                    3

OVERALL:              4.3

Reviewed 5/6/11 by Calvin C.