Food Review Archives

Cascadian Farm Granola Cereal Bars and Treats Perfect for Back To school

August 12, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

We received quite a few samples from Cascadian Farm to review, try out and share. I shared some with our friends with teenage children because my kids and I can’t get through food as fast as they can. My kids have been going to camp every week and the camp provides their snacks and they can’t take anything with peanuts in it. SO, the peanut butter granola bars were the first to be given away, even though I wanted to devour them.

I LOVE Granola and Cascadian Farm Granola products are so fresh and delicious. They’re ORGANIC, and granola sadly is very hard for me to eat right now. So that’s why I shared so much of it with our friends. I did however, keep some to test out, and have plans on putting it into little sandwich bags to send to school with my kids as one of their snacks. Both of my children will be in full day school this school year. Which means, I’ll be making lots of lunches and snacks. I’m actually really excited about it. Oh and of course it’s great used in recipes. Stay tuned for one of those! For now watch this quick video of my taste test of the Cascadian Farm Granola Cereal.

And Cascadian Farm is thrilled to be among the list of winners with SHAPE’s 7^th Annual Snack Awards, an annual list of the best snacks to help you make delicious and nutritious snack choices. Oats & Honey Crunchy Granola Bars. Made with Non-GMO, organic ingredients like rolled oats, honey and sunflower oil, these deliciously-crunchy bars promise to satisfy your snacking desires with 180 calories per package. We believe that making small choices can have a long-term impact, and choosing a smart snack is one small, but helpful way to make sure you’re making a good choice!

Dr. Praeger’s Frozen Foods: Delicous, Easy Meal Solutions

August 5, 2013 by Beeb 17 Comments

Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods

Dr. Praeger’s samples were received for review.

Easy to prepare foods are not only a sanity saver for me, but a necessity in order for me to maintain good eating habits. As a business owner, if I don’t have food options that are quick to prepare, I’m likely to wait all day to eat anything and end up famished and feeling awful. I tackle this problem by making sure I have no-brainer meals I can throw together, preparing ingredients ahead of time, and utilizing pre-made food items. So when I received a big box in the mail from Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods, I was so happy! Dr. Praeger’s is a line of frozen foods that create meals in a snap, and it’s been a great addition to my kitchen this week!

Dr. Praeger's Veggie Burger

We’ve really been enjoying Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers – both the California Veggie Burger and their brand new Asian Veggie Burger patties. They’re both great and heat up quickly in the microwave – I was out of buns when I first got the shipment, so I actually ate a few of the California patties just by themselves, and they’re tasty that way too! After we had a chance to get to the store, we picked up some Kaiser hamburger buns and paired the burgers with red onion, iceberg lettuce, avocado, Jalapeño pepper, and mustard. Oh so good!! The Asian Veggie Burger patties are easily my favorite; they have such a delicious combination of flavors with ingredients like water chestnuts and soy sauce.

Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks

I also receive a couple of boxes of Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks, which were the first item I cooked and the first item to completely disappear from the freezer! These are really nice and were quickly devoured by Jai and I. The cooking temperature of 450 degrees that was recommended seemed a little hot to me, but although they browned quite a bit, they didn’t seem to burn the way I thought they would.

SpongeBob Broccoli Littles

As a big SpongeBob fan, I thought this box of SpongeBob Broccoli Littles was just too cute! The box contained Broccoli Littles in the shape of SpongeBob, Patrick, and Gary – maybe Dr. Praeger’s can introduce a line of Krabby Patties next?!

These were yummy – a little like tater tots with broccoli inside. These are cooked on broil and they definitely do burn so just keep an eye on them. Ovens can be pretty variable so I’m sure it’s different in every kitchen.

Spinach Pancakes

Jai and I also enjoyed these Spinach Pancakes, which are basically a potato pancake with a heavy dose of spinach. They heat up really fast in the microwave so they make for a super fast snack or meal addition.

All of these products have so much flavor and quality even when cooking in the microwave – I was really impressed and thoroughly enjoyed everything I tasted. To find these products, check Dr. Praeger’s store locator to see if any of your local stores carry them; if not, you can order them directly from DrPraegers.com.

Food Review: Way Better Snacks

July 30, 2013 by Beeb 10 Comments

Way Better Snacks

Chips were provided for review. Yum!

This week, I received a parcel in the mail containing several bags of Way Better Snacks. It’s always a good day when I get chips in the mail! This brand calls themselves “Way Better” because of their chips’ myriad features. They are – drumroll please – made from sprouted ingredients, gluten free, vegan, Kosher, processed in a nut-free facility, contain no GMOs, and have no trans fat – phew!

Way Better Snacks also have a sense of humor; included with my chips was a pamphlet entitled “The History of Things Made Way Better”, which included upgrades through the ages, like swapping leaves for bath tissue. Ha! One of the promotional fliers was printed on recycled paper containing seeds, so that it can be planted and turn into flowers. I thought that was a nice touch!

I received a total of six bags of tortilla chips to sample. All of the chips contain ingredients such as daikon radish and broccoli seeds, giving them a really nice, distinct flavor – think sesame seed crackers or snacks along those lines. The flavors included:

Simply Sunny Multi-Grain
Simply Unbeatable Blues
Simply Beyond Black Bean
Simply Sweeet Potato (Yes, with 3 “e”s – told you they had a sense of humor!)
Simply So Sweet Chili
No Salt Naked Blues

Jai and I have been loving all of these flavors – they’re really good! We both came to the conclusion that the Sweeet Potato and Sweet Chili were our favorites. As Jai put it: “The Sweeet Potato is subtly good, and the Chili is dramatic.” The Chili has a bit of heat to it which mixes well with the sweet overtones – I had some of these with a wedge of creamy cheese, and the coolness of the cheese really complimented the spice of the chips. It’s not overpoweringly hot, but if you’re not much for chili then you may not be crazy about it. I used to have a really hard time with anything spicy until a few years ago, and now I love hot food…go figure!

All of the chips have a nice taste to them – the No Salt Naked Blues is very plain, so I enjoyed that one most served with some garlic hummus. Yum! Way Better Snacks are way tasty and would be great for parties. If you’d like to give these chips a try, you can locate a retailer near you by clicking here or order them online here.

Favorite Stuff In Your Purse Include Kind Bars

March 16, 2013 by Momstart 5 Comments

Favorite Stuff In Your Purse Include Kind Bars

By Rachel

Hey there, I’m Rachel. I haven’t done any writing for MomStart in a LONG time, but I’m super-excited to be back! Even more exciting was that Louise started me out reviewing one of my absolute favorite snacks; KIND Bars.

About a week after Valentine’s Day, I got another Valentine on my front porch from the awesome folks behind KIND Bars.

It was a “KINDer Box of Chocolates”, if you will. These were the four varieties from the new “Nuts and Spices” line: Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, Madagascar Vanilla Almond, and Cashew & Ginger Spice. I’ve been a long-time fan of the “Fruit & Nut” bars, so I was eager to give these a try. Looking at the two varieties which were drizzled in dark chocolate, I made a premature assumption about which were going to be my favorites!

First of all, why do I love KIND Bars so much? Well, I’m a busy, active, on-the-go kind of mom. I have 3 kids who all go to different schools and have different activities. I have my own activities that I am always running to, just as soon as I’m done taking my kids where they need to go. In other words, I spend a LOT of time in my minivan. Portable snacks are kind of a necessity for me. The quality of those snacks is very important, however, and KIND Bars definitely fit the bill for me. In the last year and a half, I’ve had to change my diet after learning that I’m allergic to wheat and dairy (among other things). That kind of limits a lot of traditional go-to snacks. I also work out almost every day of the week, so getting enough protein is essential for me, as is a low sugar content and the simple fact that I prefer to consume real food.

These Nuts and Spices bars meet all of my criteria! All 4 varieties have all-natural ingredients, protein, fiber, and only 5 grams (or less) of sugar. That makes this sugar-Nazi mom very happy!

And… how did we like them?

Well, I was sort of right! My absolute favorite of the 4 was the Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt. Yum, yum, YUM! My second favorite, however, was the (non-chocolaty) Madagascar Vanilla Almond. I also really liked the Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan, and my oldest son must have, too, because the last one mysteriously disappeared before I had a chance to eat it! My husband liked the Cashew & Ginger Spice, but it wasn’t really my thing.

Bottom line: this line of KIND Bars is definitely worth a try. I’ll be adding a couple of these to my favorite “stuff in my purse” snacks, along with my previous KIND Bar faves!

About Rachel

Rachel is also a MOMS club member. She is thankful for the blessing of staying home to raise her three crazy, wonderful kids. In addition to scrapbooking, she likes knitting, gardening, reading, blogging and otherwise avoiding the housework she should be doing. You can read about her adventures and disasters at rachel’s ramblings.

Quick Fix Salad For A Crowd: Crunch Pak Salad Kitz

December 27, 2012 by Momstart 10 Comments

I wish I would have taken a photo of these salad Kitz but we went through them so quickly because I ended up doing more entertaining than I first thought I would. Crunch Pak has created these new salad kitz that have everything in them we need to have a great apple salad in less than a minute and they taste really good too. One reason I know they were a crowd pleaser too is because they were devoured when I took them to a holiday meeting. What did we receive to try out?

We received the only two varieties they have so far. The Waldorf Salad Kitz and the Tropical Salad kit.

The Waldorf Salad was my favorite because I found the nuts and cranberries and dressing to be a fantastic mix. It’s my first time to have a Waldorf Salad. The Tropical Salad was the crowd pleaser that I took to our Holiday Meeting and served it with ham and mashed potatoes and a cheese platter. I love using Crunch Pak because we trust them to have fresh ingredients that are healthy for the whole family. We often buy the apple slices from Costco because they carry the Crunch Pak in bulk for an amazingly low price. Crunch Pak ® was started in the year 2000 by a group of Washington state apple growers. In addition to apples, these growers produce cherries, pears, and other tree fruits in the North Central Washington area.

Contessa Meals Orange Chicken and Beef Mongolian

December 3, 2012 by Momstart 11 Comments

By Lynn,

Well my review tonight was very timely – a meal made in a matter of minutes! Something parents need every now and then; maybe even more times than we’d like to admit! Am I right?

Contessa Meals is a complete meal in a bag. I was first drawn to the fact that they made gluten free options, always nice to have a quick meal that my whole family can enjoy. For tonight though I tried the Orange Chicken and Beef Mongolian varieties (Not Gluten Free). The instructions are straight forward, and quick to follow. I actually forgot to read the instructions at first – I was SUPER distracted! – but no harm done! The foods are cooked, frozen and put into separate bags: Meat; sauce; rice and then veggies in the main bag. I decided to cook both varieties so that I could try the different flavors. My mom had just arrived from South Africa (hence the distraction) so I wanted some extra any way. I also didn’t realize that the bag INCLUDES the rice, until after I opened the bag (as I said, I was majorly distracted!) but it says so right there on the bag, includes rice! I had already started to cook my own rice, because you know how long it can take!, only to read that the Contessa rice would take as little as two minutes in the microwave! URGH! I was kicking myself.

Both my husband and I really liked the Orange Chicken. The chicken was nicely moist and the breading was really yummy! The Beef Mongolian was tasty too, I think we both just have a preference to the flavor of the chicken. I liked that the veggies were quick and easy to cook too. They were very flavorful and colorful, bright green broccoli and red peppers. Overall the meal was fresh tasting. Oh! I almost forgot the best part! ONE PAN! Ha! Yes, it all cooks in one pan (just the rice/pasta gets cooked *in* the bag it comes in, in the microwave, or another pan if you want to). The only thing I’d say is that if you have two big hungry boys, it won’t fill them. This is a great meal for two who want something light and quick and not make you feel overstuffed afterward.

I am going to hit the grocery store and find some gluten free options, so my daughter can have some too. This is a great meal to have in the freezer. You don’t have to think if you have all the right ingredients, it’s all there! Veggies, meat, sauce and rice (or pasta, etc)! There are many flavors to choose from: with meals “from around the globe”.

You can print this coupon for a $1 off. I think the meals were competitively priced to other similar meals.

Enjoy!

About Lynn:

I met Lynn in MOMS Club and she has two children. One of which is the same age as my daughter and they love to giggle and play together. Lynn Hooper is also a local Mary Kay Consultant while also being a full time mom. “A lot of what the business stands for is true to my heart. Mary Kay Inc. has a foundation that donates funds to help end domestic violence and also funds research into cancers that affect women. Mary Kay also has what’s called "The Golden Rule" which means God (faith) first, family second and business third. A great principal for me and nice to know I am part of a team that believes in this too.”

LYFE Kitchen Frozen Meals

September 2, 2012 by Momstart 12 Comments

LYFE Kitchen, a lifestyle brand of good tasting, good-for-you food including a restaurant in Palo Alto and ready-to-eat retail products, will launch a new product line available on AmazonFresh, Amazon.com’s online grocery delivery service offered to Seattle-area residents. I received four different flavors to try in my house.

New LYFE Kitchen AmazonFresh product line includes:

· Orange Mango Chicken with Whole Grains, Kale & Broccoli

· Chicken Chile Verde with Corn Polenta and Black Beans

· Farmer’s Market Frittata with Mushrooms, Goat Cheese & Sweet Potato Hash

· Lemon-Spiced Barramundi with Market Greens, Mushrooms and Soba Noodles

So far I’ve only tried the Chicken Chile Verde and I really liked it. The flavors were very southwestern in my opinion. The meals come in a brown bag that you place in the microwave and heat. Then when it’s done you just dump it on a plate. Then you can enjoy it. I love that all the packaging is recyclable and I enjoy that the options are all made of really good and healthy ingredients.

LYFE Kitchen, recently highlighted in Wired Magazine as “shifting the calculus of American cuisine,” will offer a delicious line of frozen ready-to-eat meals for Seattle families and individuals on-the-go, including four tasty individually sized frozen meals. The chefs behind the brand, and responsible for popular restaurant menu items, include celebrity Chefs Art Smith, Oprah’s former personal chef, and vegan culinary sensation Tal Ronnen. The ready-to-eat meals feature recipes inspired by the restaurant which champion taste, nutrition and convenience. All of the packaged goods feature fresh and great-tasting, good-for-you dishes that are preservative-free, contain zero-trans fat and use antibiotic and hormone-free meats.

We received samples

Year of the Dragon with P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Dishes and Bistro

February 2, 2012 by Momstart 5 Comments

PF Chang’s celebrated Year of the Dragon with new prosperity peace and happiness. Why? Prosperity, peace, happiness and longevity all symbolize the Chinese New Year, one of the most important and festive Chinese holidays. And they make great Chinese food. If you’ve been a reader of MomStart long then you know that I enjoy their freezer meals like the Pepper Steak with Chow Fun Noodles. This is a yummy steak with a sweet and peppery sauce, bell peppers, onions and chow fun noodles.

In this “Year of the Dragon” that actually began January 23, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and P.F. Chang’s Home Menu want to ignite your good fortune and share the spirit of this holiday. They want you to enjoy some of their different varieties while experiencing peace and longevity. So relax and create a masterpiece in less than 20 minutes or try you local PF Chang’s local bistro.

I received a Red Envelope Kit, the Red Envelope itself represents another significant tradition in Chinese culture. Red Envelopes, filled with gifts, are presented to family and friends during the Chinese New Year. The color red symbolizes good luck, and this kit was filled with festive items that our family was able to use to get in the Year of the Dragon mood, like cute red lanterns. Love them!

There are a wide variety of P.F. Chang’s Home Menu noodles for you to enjoy! The flavors of Home Menu noodle entrees include Pepper Steak with Chow Fun Noodles, Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Lo Mein Noodles, Garlic Chicken with Dan Dan Noodles, and Firecracker Shrimp with Yakisoba Noodles. Yum Yum Yum.

Be sure to visit the P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Sweepstakes tab on Facebook and follow them on twitter @PFChangs

We received samples to facilitate this review.

Bob’s Red Mill Granola Review

September 8, 2011 by Momstart 10 Comments

If you like to cook from scratch or bake, you should know Bob’s Red Mill. I have used them in the past for “odds and ins” like unsweetened coconut, rice flour, corn meal, wheat germ, and steal cut oats. If you’re a gluten-free home you should know Bob’s Red Mill too! If I’m introducing you to Bob’s Red Mill, your life is now changed for the better and you’re welcome!

I’m lucky that Bob’s Red Mill contacted Louise and that I was given their new granola products to review. I’m already a fan, as you can tell, but to be honest about their granola … TASTY! I was given their natural, honey oat, cinnamon raisin, and apple blueberry granola products. You know from other posts that my husband and I love to eat granola in yogurt. My kids haven’t been into it until recently and my picky-eating 4YO even loves Bob’s Red Mill granola in his yogurt now! This makes a great snack or addition to breakfast (or second breakfast for those of you with hobbits for children, like mine).

We have also used Bob’s Red Mill granola in homemade trail mix. Take a flavor you know your family will enjoy and add dried fruit, natural candy pieces, nut and seeds, and other bit-sized house favorites. This makes a great daily snack and travels well for afterschool snacks before extracurricular activities. Using Bob’s Red Mill products, you know you’re providing your child with a high quality, filling, nutritious snack. If fact, Bob’s Red Mill granola has an average of more than 27 grams of whole grains, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein per serving.

You can also cook with Bob’s Red Mill granolas. You will want to look for my Thursday Treat recipes including Bob’s Red Mill granola – “Low-Sugar Bob’s Red Mill Granola Oat Cookies” from September 8 and “Easier-Than-Pie Cobbler” to be posted on October 13. Stay tuned to Mom Start for these delicious new recipes.

Locate the Bob’s Red Mill products in your local grocery store. My favorite local store, TOP Food, offers a large selection of their products in the baking isle. Their products come in plastic bags and are stood together in cardboard bases. (By the way, this bag only system uses less than other brands which use the bag-inside-box method.) When looking for Bob’s Red Mill granola, the bag size is 12-ounces for about $3.89 MSRP.

Locate Bob’s Red Mill in your area with their store locator. If you can’t fine Bob’s Red Mill in your favorite grocery store, request it; stores love to know what you want to purchase! You can also get hooked up with some great deals shopping Bob’s Red Mill on their site. For more from Bob’s Red Mill, keep up with them on their blog, Facebook, and on Twitter @Bobs_Red_Mill.

Disclaimer: Samples were given for the facilitation of this review.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm.

Byron’s Fully Cooked Pork BBQ Review & Layered BBQ Salad Recipe

July 20, 2011 by Momstart 10 Comments

My MOMS Club of Woodinville (MCW) recently had our End of Year Party. This is our biggest and best party of the year, and mostly highly attended. This year our party was catered by “For the Love of Food” a new company by one of our members. She homemade most of our magnificent dishes, but also on the menu was Byron’s Fully Cooked Pork BBQ.

We had a tray that boasts feeding 30 sandwiches and was 4lbs of meat. We maybe got 30 sliders out of it. They recommend ¼ cup of meat as a serving with 33 servings in the tray … we MCW women must like our meat since our tray didn’t stretch that far. You can enjoy Byron’s Pork in sandwiches as we did or get some new ideas on the Byron’s recipe site.

Try something new for dinner tonight!

Layered BBQ Salad Recipe
Serves 8

3 cups Byron’s Fully Cooked Pork BBQ, warmed according to package directions
1 can baked beans
2 cups colorful coleslaw
1 bag (10 ounces) frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 cups green bell pepper, diced
Pickled okra for garnish

Heat baked beans on the stove on medium heat until warm (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Layer bottom of a serving dish with the heated baked beans, followed by an even layer of corn kernels and then a layer of green bell peppers. Place an even layer of BBQ on top of the bell peppers, followed by the coleslaw. Place pickled okra on top for garnish.

I found Byron’s to be fully tasty and, unlike other pulled pork I’ve had, Byron’s is not fatty and fully meaty. I can pronounce all the ingredients which I love about a product, but I don’t like that one of them is High Fructose Corn Syrup which is in the ketchup in their sauce. There is also corn syrup in the Worcestershire sauce concentrate.

Byron’s is available at local stores as well as at Sam’s Club and BJ’s though products are not available at all locations so you’ll have to check your local store.

Samples received to facilitate this review.

About Summer: