·product review· Ener-g Gluten Free Vegan Ginger Cookies

The team at Ener-G is always so kind, and I was so happy to receive this package on my doorstep.  Total surprise!  Inside, I found the above: two light loaves of GF bread, a box of pretzel cookies, and a bag of Ginger Cookies!

I was so excited to try out these ginger cookies, especially since they were so macro-friendly!  

Here's what I thought:

Texture:  They aren't soft and chewy cookie like a chocolate chip cookie from a cafe- they are those delicious crunchy and crumbly cookies, like what I remember Chips Ahoy being like.  They are easy to bite into yet they have a nice crumb-y cookie texture, and they aren't too messy!

Flavor:  These tasted exactly like the gingersnaps my mom used to make- sweet, spiced, and a little buttery, but they are 100% vegan!  Best cookie flavor I've had in a while.

Afterthoughts:  Absolutely delicious and a pretty good size for the calories!  Two cookies would be a delicious dessert/nightcap.  I'm excited to try the rest of their products out!

Here's a list of stores where you can find Ener-G products!  I recommend these highly!

These products were provided free of charge from Ener-G for sampling.  All opinions are authentic.

·product review· Arctic Zero NEW Salted Caramel Bars

Arctic Zero, you've done it again!  The fit frozen dessert company recently released new Chunky Pint flavors (read my review of those here!), but these are just as exciting and not talked about nearly enough!  Arctic Zero also carries ice cream bar with a hard chocolate shell coating, and these new ones are in a salted caramel flavor!  

A foodie's true love, salted caramel is that perfect marriage of sweet and salty that sings in delicious desserts.  I had high hopes for these bars!

These bars are not available in stores except for a few Sprout's locations.  They will be launching soon!  Thank you to Arctic Zero for teaming up with me on this review!  

Here's what I thought:

Texture:  The chocolate coating is a little thinner than what I remember on a Klondike Ice Cream bar, but it is incredibly smooth and provides a nice crunch on the exterior.  The ice cream inside is soft and creamy.  The coating melts into the ice cream when you take a bite, making for a delicious mouthfeel.

Flavor:  The chocolate coating was absolutely delicious- very rich in cocoa flavor.  The inside ice cream didn't taste all that much like salted caramel to me, unfortunately.  It was sweet and delicious, though!  I think if you had blindfolded me and not told me it was caramel, I would have thought that it was a mocha flavored bar.  Even though there isn't coffee in it, I kind of got that note.  While it didn't taste like salted caramel to me, I thought it still tasted absolutely divine.  I sprinkled some himalayan pink salt on the exterior for some added salty-sweet contrast, and it was heavenly.

Afterthoughts:  The bar is a pretty good size and nicely satisfies an ice cream craving.  It almost made me feel nostalgic for my childhood, when I ate Klondike bars with reckless abandon.  This is a wonderful nightcap or after dinner dessert, and these treats will be making a reappearance in my freezer!

Watch for these in your stores soon!

These products were provided free of charge from Arctic Zero for sampling.  All opinions are authentic.

·product review· Arctic Zero NEW Chunky Pints - Brownie Blast, Snickerdoodle Dandy, and Banana Pudding

Today's healthy food review is on the new Chunky Pint flavors from Arctic Zero!

I love love LOVE the Chunky Pints by Arctic Zero, and these three new flavors made me so excited!  I already reviews the Brownie Blast pint here, but today I'm trying the other two new flavors, Banana Pudding and Snickerdoodle Dandy!

These flavors are not available for sale yet, except for in a few select Sprout's locations.  They will be launching soon!  Thank you to Arctic Zero for teaming up with me on this review!  

Here's what I thought:

BROWNIE BLAST

Texture:  The ice cream itself, while it's no full fat ice cream, is soft and scoopable, especially after a few minutes left to temper on the counter.  I loved the chunks of chewy brownie bits throughout to add some mouthfeel appeal, and the chocolate chips for some crunch.  Overall, it was wonderful!

Flavor:  The chocolate base tastes very richly of cocoa and didn't taste too strongly of monk fruit, which is the natural sweetener used in these pints.  The brownie chunks were sweet, buttery, and rich, which added some decadent appeal to this dessert.  

Afterthoughts:  Satisfying (I was fine with a 1/2 cup serving), light in the stomach, and easy for me to digest, since it's lactose free.  I loved this one the most, and will definitely be making this a staple in the freezer!

SNICKERDOODLE DANDY

Texture:  Again, it's not like a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in texture, but it's nice and smooth.  Arctic Zero has really improved the texture of their pints over time!  The chunks in this one were sugar cookie, and they were a a little more crumbly and less solid than the brownie bits or cookie dough chunks in their Cookie Dough Chip pint.  

Flavor:  The ice cream's scent was the first thing I noticed, and goodness, it smells like one of those amazing fall candles.  Cinnamon and oatmeal cookie flavor and scent are the first things that came to my mind when I tasted the ice cream base.  No monk fruit taste, as the cinnamon does a great job of masking it.  Nicely spiced, and they did a really great job of capturing the Snickerdoodle flavor.  It's not just straight up cinnamon, there is a warm, hearty cookie flavor in there that I can describe as oaty, nutty, and sweet.  The chunks of sugar cookie were really cinnamon heavy and delicious.

Afterthoughts:  Again, I was satisfied after a serving, but you can definitely have more with these pints!  I'll be rebuying this as well!

BANANA PUDDING

Texture:  Arctic Zero has actually recommended on their Instagram to pop a pint in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up, and I wanted to try it out with this one.  It was nice and scoopable after about 15 seconds in the microwave!  The vanilla wafer crumbles in the inside have the texture of a broken-up graham cracker, and the ice cream itself is lightly creamy and smooth.

Flavor:  It's super banana flavored, which you can tell just by looking at it.  The ice cream is yellow!  It's not just straight up banana, though!  I would describe it as a bananas and cream flavor, like banana mixed with some white chocolate.  The vanilla wafer crumbles were awesome, and this was kind of reminiscent of a banana cream pie!

Afterthoughts:  This leaves a bit of a banana aftertaste, but it doesn't turn gross in the mouth after a few minutes and was really satisfying and pleasant!  This fruity flavor was a refreshing change!

In terms of price, this is available at my Sprout's for $5 per pint.  Pricey, but definitely worth the occasional splurge for these chunky pints!

Overall, I loved them!  Arctic Zero's ice creams are getting better and better, and these new flavors are awesome!  Stay tuned for a review on another new product that's not out yet!  

These products were provided free of charge from Arctic Zero for sampling.  All opinions are authentic.

·product review· Enlightened Ice Cream Bars in Salted Caramel

These were an awesome find last month at my Sprout's, and they've been a staple ever since!  I'm in love with these Enlightened ice cream bars, and here's a review of the salted caramel flavor!

They have awesome macros, high in protein and low in fat.  Their line has a ton of flavors and even delicious ice cream sandwiches, which I will also review on here soon!

 Here's what I thought.

Texture:   Smooth and creamy, especially after being left to soften for a minute or two.  The caramel swirl is fudgy and not too sticky.  

Flavor:   The base ice cream has a soft, light flavor of a vanilla mixed with a touch of caramel sauce.  The caramel swirl is hands down my favorite part: the caramel has a hint of fruity flavor that I LOVE.  And there's a little bit of saltiness too, which really holds up the "Salted" Caramel end of the name.  It's so delicious, and definitely doesn't taste healthy.

 

Afterthoughts:  No gross feeling after this!  One time I treated myself to a Haagen Daaz ice cream bar, and could get through half of it before my stomach felt burbly and sluggish.  These bars actually satiate without the bogged down feeling afterwards.  That's why I keep buying them!

 

In terms of price, this is on the expensive side.  My Sprout's has them for anywhere from $5 to $5.49 per box, and they are occasionally on sale.  4 come in a box.

9/10
-1 point for price

·product review· Arctic Zero Chunky Pints in Brownie Blast

When I saw this at my local Sprout's, I almost screamed!  Arctic Zero has released new flavors of their chunky pints and I am so excited to try them all!  I'm a lover of their Cookie Dough Chip flavor, so I was really excited to try out this Brownie Blast!

The base ice cream flavor is chocolate, which little brownie chunks scattered throughout the frozen dessert.  Arctic Zero's ice cream has great macros and their chunky pints are really great tasting!

Here's what I thought.

Texture:  It's not like regular ice cream in texture.  It's better in texture if you leave it out on the counter for a bit before scooping.  I thought it was nice and relatively creamy. 

Flavor:  The chocolate flavor base was super delicious.  I'm a chocoholic, and this chocolatey flavor was rich and delicious.  While the monk fruit flavor is there, the chocolate flavor masks it and is delicious.    There are chocolate chips throughout that contribute to the cocoa flavor.  But the real kicker is the brownie bits.  They are buttery, decadent, and filled with cocoa flavor.  SO GOOD.

Afterthoughts:  I didn't feel tired or sluggish after having this.  A serving was satisfying, and the triple chocolate was really delicious.

In terms of price, this is available at my Sprout's for $5 per pint, but I got it on sale for $4.   Still a bit pricey, though.

9/10
-1 point for price

·product review· Arctic Zero Chunky Pints in Cookie Dough Chip

Arctic Zero's frozen desserts are a healthier alternative to ice cream!  These pints have low macros and come in an assortment of delicious flavors.  I tried their "creamy" pints a while back and wasn't too much of a fan, so I was excited when they released their chunky pints, especially this flavor.

The base ice cream flavor is a light vanilla, and there are mini chocolate chips and balls of cookie dough through the ice cream!

Here's what I thought.

Texture:  It's not like regular ice cream in texture.  It's definitely better in texture if you leave it out on the counter for a bit before scooping.  It's not super icy, but not all that creamy either.  The texture could use some work, but I didn't mind it.  

Flavor:  The vanilla base was tasty and sweet, but I was glad for the chunky add ins to break it up a bit, as I definitely would have tired of the plain ice cream after a cup or so.  You can definitely taste the monk fruit, and that "Arctic Zero" flavor, but it was still much better than my past pints.  Maybe they reformulated?  The chocolate chips tasted like normal chocolate chips, so there's not much to say there.  But the cookie dough was the saving grace.  It tasted like real cookie dough!  Buttery, sweet, and like chocolate chip cookies dotting the ice cream.  

Afterthoughts:  I didn't feel tired or sluggish after having this.  A serving was satisfying, and definitely helped my cookie dough craving!

In terms of price, this is available at my Sprout's for $5 per pint, but it's usually on sale for $4 so I'm able to get a deal!  Still a bit pricey, though.

8/10
-1 point for price
-1 point for monk fruit flavor

·product review· D's Naturals No Cow Bars

I first heard of D's Naturals No Cow Bars through Instagram, and I was eager to try them out!  They currently come in four flavors (but look for new ones hitting soon!)  They are incredibly natural and have only the best ingredients.  I decided to try these out as my Quest bars were upsetting my stomach with their corn fiber, whey protein, and sucralose.  

The main sell for me was that they are vegan.  Not only that, but these No Cow Bars are:

All Natural

Non GMO

Vegan

High Fiber and Protein

Gluten Free

Low in Sugar

Dairy, Soy, and Lactose Free

AMAZING MACROS!

Here's what I thought:

Flavor:  This bar was my favorite of the bunch.  I don't think it's a cookie dough bar, though.  I think a more accurate name would be Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.  The protein bar part has a very prevalent peanut butter flavor, which I love.  The roasted peanuts and cacao nibs throughout the bar add great peanutty and chocolatey flavor.  It's just sweet enough, but not overwhelmingly sweet.  They taste very natural, clean, and delicious.  I loved this one!

Texture:  A wonderfully chewy texture.  Softer than a Quest bar, it's like a protein fudge texture, but way better.  I really liked the contrast in texture that the nibs and peanut pieces added.  

Afterthoughts:  This bar has 170 calories, 20g of protein, 2g net carbs, and 5g fat.  The macros are amazing, and it's a really great sized bar.  Unlike Quest bars, I noticed that I didn't feel it in my stomach afterward, and felt lean and amazing.  They also aren't so saccharine sweet that you're craving more after you finish.  Just perfect!

Flavor:  The mint flavor was really strong.  I got a little bit of chocolate, but mostly mint.  I did like the flavor of the cacao nibs throughout the bar, as it added some much-needed chocolate flavor,  If you're not a huge fan of mint, you probably won't like this bar.  I didn't mind it, as the cacao nibs saved it for me, but I was expecting the flavor of a Thin Mint and didn't get that.

Texture:  Nice and chewy like the other bars, and the cacao nibs offered some contrast.  Texture here was great.

Afterthoughts:  Not bad, but not my favorite of the bunch.  The mint flavor is a little overpowering, but I wouldn't mind eating it again!  Again, I didn't feel bogged down after eating this one, which is great.  This one has 160 calories, 2g net carbs, 5g fat, and 20g protein.

Flavor:  This one was my second favorite.  The blueberry flavor was nice and fruity, and it did have a dessert-y flavor, and not just "fruit".  This one was really great.  I would have loved some kind of extra flavor to add some contrast, like maybe some oats or vegan graham crumbles.  

Texture:  Very nice and chewy, although there were no chunks in this one like the nibs in the other flavor.  I would love some textural contrast to counteract the chewy protein bar component.

Afterthoughts:  I loved this one, and its macros were exceptional.  170 calories, 3g net carbs, 21 protein, and only 2.5g fat!

Flavor:  When I first tried this one, I thought I loved it, but the second time, I wasn't such a fan.  There is a very light raspberry flavor, and the nibs are my favorite part.  However, I got quite bored of the flavor about halfway through and it kind of fell flat for me.  Maybe I got a bad batch?  Anyways, first impression was great, second impression was less great.

Texture:  Nice and chewy as always, and the nibs were great for added texture.  

Afterthoughts:  I really wanted to like this one.  Maybe I would like it more with a dark chocolate touch?  The macros are 160 calories, 4g fat, 21 protein, and 4g net carbs.  

OVERALL

These are my new staple protein bar.  I love love LOVE the peanut butter flavor and like to keep that and the blueberry cobbler stocked up.  I can't wait to see what new flavors they come up with!