French Meadow Bakery

Let me just start off by saying that I LOVE bagels but I NEVER let myself eat them. Well, that might be changing, my friends. I recently tried some bakery products from French Meadow Bakery and I think I found a bagel that I can actually feel good about eating. But first, a little about the company and my favorite part...they use sustainable ingredients and "avoid using ingredients that contain genetically-modified organisms, which impact biodiversity in the plant world and have an unknown effect on human health." They have a good selection of products from breads, bagels, tortillas and even desserts. For those of you with gluten allergies, they also make gluten free products.

I recently tried the sprouted 16 grain and seed bagels and bread. Both products had flax seed and sunflower seeds with gave them a really nice crunch. While the bread was very dense, I thought it was really tasty. I had one slice with some PB2 before a run and it held me over for hours!! The bagels I've enjoyed as a treat and let me say, with 10g of fiber, 14g of protein and only 250 calories, I didn't feel bad about eating what usually is no-no for me.

I haven't tried the wraps yet but they are considered a complete protein and are organic sprouted 100% flourless. Getting ready to start the Eat Clean Diet, I think these will be perfect.

I've checked out the prices and they are spot on with what I see in the grocery store for high end breads and bagels. The package also came frozen so everything was nice and fresh when I tried it. But I did burn myself on the dry ice...that sort of sucked. Check out their website cause there's also some on line coupons.

I'm really trying to eat some more healthy carbs and I liked what I tried from French Meadow. However, after comparing it to the Ezekiel bread I bought today, I like the fewer ingredients in the Ezekiel bread. But if French Meadow was sold in a store near me, I would buy their products and I'm giving them 6.5 Biscuits.

Tierra Farm

I recently received a box of goodies from Tierra Farms. A little bit about them..."Tierra Farm is a small, privately-owned, certified organic producer and roasting company in upstate New York. We maintain a diversified organic vegetable farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York state, but specialize in nut and seed roasting and dried fruits. At Tierra Farm, we strive for A+ quality in all of our products." All of their products are 100% organic and they roast all of their nuts (heh, that sounded funny) in-house in small batches. Oh, and they are a peanut free facility for those of you with allergies. They sent me so many things to try out but I have to say, hands down my favorite was their dried mango and the Maple Cashew butter. The cashew butter tasted so fresh...and as you see, I barely had it around long enough to take a picture!

They have a good variety of nut butters and I think the chocolate honey cashew butter sounds awesome! They also have a lot of different flavored nuts like curry cashews and agave ginger cashews. While I haven't had the chance to taste all the nuts they sent, the ones I have tried are delicious and everything is really fresh. As for pricing, the nut butters are really reasonable...$10 a jar. The nuts, a pound of their almonds is $8.00. For comparison, I just paid around $10 for 3lbs at Costco. But then again, I didn't buy Organic.

Reading up about the company, I saw this and thought it was really interesting: "The nut, seed and dried fruit portion of the business was originally an attempt to create a source of income for the winter. That winter job has become a thriving year-around business, thanks to our tasty product selection and a reliable and energetic staff with an eye for quality." I'm all about supporting companies like this, who make things in-house in small batches. I like knowing what I'm getting is fresh and hasn't been sitting around in preservatives for years. So, I'm giving Tierra Farms 8 Biscuits.

Whooha Gear

Have you heard of Whooha?? It stands for Women Having Optimistic Objectives & Healthy Attitudes. When I stumbled upon this company I was impressed and inspired. I love supporting companies who promote active, healthy lifestyles and I loved that this one was founded by two women. When they offered to send me a shirt to review, I had the hardest time choosing one. They have some adorable shirts!! I went with a Dri-Balance technology t-shirt and I am really happy with the fit and feel of this shirt. While I could wear it working out, and I'm sure I will in the summer when I'm back in short sleeves, this shirt is cute enough to wear out and about.

They have all sort of shirts and a really cute bag that I have my eye on that says "play hard, take chances, keep smilin'." Again, if you're looking for a gift idea, I highly recommend this product and would not be disappointed if a few more of their items found there way under my Christmas tree this year. I'm giving Whooha 10 biscuits!! That's 2 reviews in a row with 10 biscuits!! I'm a roll....

SPIbelt

I found a new running must have!! The awesome people at SPIbelt sent me a belt to try out. I've seen them at Expos and considered getting one but didn't think I'd really use it since I have a pouch on my hand held and water bottle waist belt. Well, I was very wrong! I tried this out the other day and I'm sold! This will be around my waist from here on out. It fits so well and doesn't move or bounce around at all. In fact, I could hardly tell I had it on. Don't let the size of the pouch fool you, either. This thing holds a lot. I have an LG Dare (comparable in size to the iPhone, but thicker) and it fits in there perfectly with room to spare. They come in all different colors and patterns and you can even get them with multiple pockets.

Here is a picture of the belt and you can see my phone in the pocket, along with a chapstick, in the second picture.

I know it might shock you, but I'm giving the SPIbelt 10 biscuits!! If you need a gift idea for a runner in your life, this would be perfect.

Nutridel

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/11/4-days-to-goand-some-cookies.html

Pace Band

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/11/shot-blok-holder.html

NuttZo

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/10/nuttzo-and-results.html

No More Naked Popcorn

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/09/no-more-naked-popcorn.html

Sensible Foods

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/09/sunday-funday.html

Gnu Foods - Flavor and Fiber Bars

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/08/gnu-foods-flavor-and-fiber-bars.html

Chia Seeds

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/06/cha-cha-cha-chia.html

Make Your Own Cereals

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/06/make-your-own-cereals.html

Myoplex

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/05/one-long-run-down-one-more-to-go.html

Rudi's Organic Bakery

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/05/rudis-organic-bakery-review.html

The Raw Bakery Review

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/04/raw-bakery-review.html

Luna Moons vs Clif Bloks

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/04/moons-vs-bloks.html

Barney Butter

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/04/barney-butter-review-my-mix-granola.html

My Mix Granola

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-mix-granola-review-and-giveaway.html

Naturally More Review

http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/03/naturally-more-review.html