Hydrate, Caffeinate!

Amid the endless summer basketball camps I have found a new love....Coco Cafe!  It is Coconut Water Espresso and it is delish!!  This product is a blend of natural coconut water, reduced-fat milk, and organic fair trade espresso.  Not only does Coco Cafe quench your thirst in a hydrating way, but it gets you through through those 15-hour days of high school girls' basketball camps (well maybe that's just what I've been doing constantly for the past week).  Coco Cafe is all-natural and gluten free. There are only 140 calories, 3g fat (0 trans fat), 180mg sodium (which is kind of a lot, but we're aiming for hydration here), 600mg potassium, and 229mg of calcium in this product!

Although Coco Cafe is a bit pricey ($2.48), just like it's Coconut Water counterparts, I highly recommend it for the hydration and caffeination benefits.  The best part is... I found it at Wal-Mart; you don't have to go to a specialty store to purchase it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Let me know what you think!

My Morning Indulgence...

Clearly, while reflecting on my previous posts, I have an obsession with peanut butter.  It is a problem and I am willing to admit it, however I will never relinquish this addiction.  While browsing the cereal aisle at Kroger (which happens to be my favorite aisle) I was reaching up to grab the always delicious Chocolate Cheerios and to my pleasant surprise, came across Peanut Butter Cheerios!!! Truly this was a gift from Heaven!  Obviously I had to buy both Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cheerios :) The first thing I did when I got home was pour a heaping bowl of both cereals and added a sliced banana which was DELISH!

Not only is this the best tasting combination ever, but it is nutritious as well = double bonus.  They're multi grain Cheerios, so with each serving you get 16g of whole grain. It is also a great source of calcium, low in fat, has 5 different whole grains, as well as 8 various vitamins and minerals. Peanut Butter Cheerios is definitely worth adding to your daily diet. I hope you indulge as I have. 

Possibly Perfect Peanut Butter

As I've mentioned in the past, I absolutely love peanut butter....I'm addicted to it and cannot get enough!  I love peanut butter with everything, crackers, bananas, apples, chocolate, oatmeal, even carrots!  The only thing that I do not love about peanut butter is all of the fat in it- meaning I have to restrict myself to 2 tablespoons which is virtually impossible. My amazing sister once again came through with a crazy good peanut butter solution: PB2.  PB2 is powdered peanut butter, they take dry roasted peanuts and press it to remove all the oil, then water is added to give it somewhat of a peanut butter consistency.  By removing the oil, this peanut buttery mixture has 85% less fat calories than normal peanut butter! What an amazing concept! This means that the usual peanut butter that I indulge in (Jif Natural) has 145  more calories per serving than PB2, as well as 14.5 more grams of fat...I am beside myself at the thought of this. 

I believe one of the best ways to use this kind of peanut butter is in smoothies, where it mixes great with the other ingredients.  On the PB2 website, it says that it is great for recipes and can be utilized in almost all recipes that call for peanut butter.  I haven't noticed PB2 being sold in regular grocery stores like Kroger, Publix, or Wal Mart.  You will have to go to a health foods store such as Whole Foods, Central Market, or Fresh Market to purchase this.  I highly  encourage you to try it out so you can still enjoy the tasty goodness of peanut butter without all of the fat!!!

Healthy Buddies

On a recent trip to visit my sister, I was introduced to a truly delicious snack, Buddy Fruits.  I'm pretty sure that she originally bought these 'fruit snacks' for my 2 year old nephew, however we are both now addicted to them!  These pure fruit bites only have 95 calories and are 100% fruit.  There is no added sugar and no preservatives. Since I am traveling all the time, it has become increasingly hard to buy fresh fruit to take on trips since it goes bad in a few days. Also, I have a hard time eating an entire giant orange or banana because, well- I'm strange, and either get too full before I finish, or I get tired of eating it.   Buddy Fruits are great because you get real 100% fruit in each bite and the package is RESEALABLE!!! What an amazing idea for little kids (who never finish their entire snack) and me (who gets tired of eating a whole orange). Buddy Fruits are definitely my new favorite snack!

There are several flavors, including Orange, Pomegranate and Acai, Raspberry and Apple. My favorite flavor is the Pomegranate and Acai.  I highly recommend this yummy treat for anyone on the go or who loves fruit snacks!!!

The Orange Buddy Fruits Bites are made of 7.2oz fresh apple and 4.2oz of fresh orange.

Ingredients:

Fruits extract, apple juice concentrate, apple puree concentrate, orange juice concentrate

*The Buddy Fruits company also offers Pure Blended Fruit pouches that I have yet to try, but sound and look delish!

Naturally Sweet

                                      
       
I'm always seeking for a sweetener that is fairly good for you, with minimal side effects, and has fewer calories than sugar. Until now I have been a believer in Splenda (which I still use on occasion because it is so readily available wherever you go).  My roommate recently brought home Truvia.  Since I am always willing to try new things and experiment, I gave it a go and sprinkled some onto a grapefruit half.  To my pleasant surprise, it was DELICIOUSLY sweet!  It actually tasted like sugar and didn't leave a strange after-taste like most artificial sweeteners.  I will now be using it on/in everything!  It is perfect for bland, barley tasting cereals and also to put in tea or coffee.

Truvia is made from the Stevia plant, so it is all-natural.  Apparently, it has been used medicinally for centuries by indigenous people!  I'm so grateful that it is now put into a form that today's consumers can utilize!

                                                                   

Carrots 'N Cake

                                                 

I love to read, especially since I travel for about 4 months straight, I am able to endulge in reading continually.  One of my favorite books is Carrots 'N Cake.  This book, written by Tina Haupert, is very beneficial to those of us who want to eat healthy as much as we can, while still enjoying a cookie every once in a while.  Haupert also has a blog, by the same name, which I love reading because she constantly adds new healthy recipes that she discovers or creates.  This is a light-read book that includes nutritious recipes for cooking and life.  I found this book on Amazon for about $11 and I also sent one to my sister, although I know she has not read it yet and I'm very disappointed....  Nevertheless, I highly encourage anyone wanting to make their lifestyle a bit healthier, while still enjoying delicious foods, to read it. 

Wonder Waffles, "Sting or be stung!"

                                       

Every Christmas my dad sends me a random combination of gifts...mostly from the checkout line in R.E.I. Without fail I always get some kind of all-natural sunscreen, at least 3 types of chapstick, several packages of mints, some winter socks, and a monogrammed notepad (don't ask me why my father sends me these things). This Christmas my package had a nice little surprise that I'm now obsessed with; Honey Organic Stinger Waffles.

Apparently Lance Armstrong loved the energy waffles he could get while biking through Europe so he sought out to have them made specifically for him (or so the package says). This product is all-natural and organically made. I love eating one of these for a pre-workout snack or if I'm in the middle of a long, grueling workout/day and in need a little burst of energy.

I have had the honey and vanilla flavors, but there's also strawberry. The honey was my favorite and it contains 160 calories, 7g fat (0 trans fat), 0 cholesterol, 55mg sodium, 14g sugar and 1g fiber. The ingredients include: Organic wheat flour, organic palm oil, Organic rice syrup, organic cane sugar, organic Honey, organic Whole wheat flour, organic Soy flour, sea salt, Organic soy lecithin, Organic spices and baking soda.