Category: Food

Food, Natural Foods

The Lovely Candy Company just launched a first-to-market Organic Candy

Erin Sluka

I have partnered with Lovely Candy Company for this feature

The Lovely Candy Company just launched a first-to-market Organic Candy

Candy! The common belief is that it is loaded with artificial ingredients, loads of sugars and unhealthy sweeteners that rot your body and teeth. However, they also told us once in a common belief that sugar MAKES our kids hyper and that was proven false. So what is the candy debate results?

Let’s just say that MOST candy is harmful. It can be fun in small doses, but too much leaves your body trying to digest and store a multitude of bad ingredients. So here is how you can eat your candy and feel a little less guilt about it too…..

Eat the candy in moderation and make sure it is made with ingredients such as the ones found in the Lovely Candy Company products of chocolate, gummy and hard candy sweets.

Lovely Candy products are free of high fructose corn syrup, gluten, trans fats, GMO’s and artificial colors and ingredients. The candies are also kosher. This makes a great snack choice to soothe that sweet tooth for you or the kids.

Here are some of the ingredients used to make these candies:

  • real butter
  • pure vanilla
  • hormone-free dairy
  • natural flavors
  • raw honey
  • natural extracts
  • pure 99% dark chocolate liqueur (in the truffles)
  • rich dark chocolate
  • coconut
  • real fruit bits

gummies

You can find a variety of these organic candies at retailers such as Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods and even Hallmark and Burlington Coat Factory stores just to name a few. A list of all retailers is found here.

gummy bears

Lovely Candy Company has a variety of candies to choose from including caramels, fruit chews, honey gummy bears, sour bears, licorice, hard candy, suckers, chocolates and more! Visit LovelyCandyCo.com to learn more!

hard candy

Back to School 2018, Food, Natural Foods

Slammers Super Food Snacks are a delicious instant organic fuel for active kids

Erin Sluka

Slammers Super Food Snacks are a delicious instant organic fuel for active kids

Fruit and protein in a pouch just grew up! There comes a time when you child actually does NOT want that pouch they loved as a toddler in their lunchbox. They are around friends at a lunch table and associate the fruit pouch with being from the diaper bag. That is until they try the Slammers!

_Slammers Super Food Snacks are a delicious instant organic fuel for active kids

They have really gone far out and made these pouches for the older child to want for lunches and snacks after practice. I eat them! Seriously! They are delicious!

kids snack

Slammers Snacks can be purchased nationwide at Target, Safeway, Kroger, Costco and Walmart:
  • Watermelon Kiwi Burst (7 grams of protein per pouch) – strawberry, kiwi, watermelon, apple, banana & beet
  • Pomegranate Grape Crush (7 grams of protein per pouch) – grape, pomegranate, coconut, apple, banana & purple carrot
  • EPIC – mangoes, bananas, oranges, carrots, Greek yogurt & real vanilla
  • AWESOME – bananas, blueberries, strawberries, beets, acai, amaranth (a highly nutritious gluten-free grain)
  • CHILL’N – bananas, blueberries, butternut squash, Greek yogurt & yumberry

Slammers pouch

If you buy one this the next time you are shopping, pick up a box of the Watermelon Kiwi burst and try one when you get home. You’ll thank me later!

There are no artificial colors or flavors, no peanuts or gluten and NON GMO as well as USDA organic.

Slammers Website * Facebook

Food, Travel

Snack Foods You’ll Want to Take Camping

Erin Sluka

I have partnered with the following brands for feature

Snack Foods You'll Want to Take Camping

We bought a new Toy Hauler last year and we love taking weekend camping trips here in the Pacific Northwest. I pretty much have packing and food prep down to a science, but when we first started RV camping it took some research and planning to make sure I packed everything we need and minimize store trips into towns. The first weekend of new RV owners we took it to a very local campground for a weekend as a trial and learn what we were missing.

Our first weekend out I realized some of the things I wish we had were cleaning wipes (boys and toilets in tight spaces), smaller kitchen garbage bags and more snack variety. The snack thing was tough because with boys and us we sort of got bored with our options by day 2 and found ourselves overspending a tiny grocer near camp so we can find some different snack ideas. I am always prepared with some guilt-free snacking options.

Here a few favorites I have stashed aside for our Memorial weekend RV trip. My son LOVES Snikiddy’s Grilled Cheese Puffs. We actually leave on his real birthday (Friday the 25th) so I geared a lot of snacks for him and the friend he is bringing along. He also loves Bare Snacks in his lunches at school and I have the apple packs packed in the RV.

My husband is a Jerky loves so he has some Country Archer Jerky packed. We just tried the honey chipotle flavor and I was a bit skeptical trying it but I like it. Not too much of a heat kick and still addicting.

My personal favorite is PopCorners. I love all of their flavors and having the Kettle Corn flavor is the most snack dangerous for me. I cannot stop eating them. Of course, I love a good potato chip when we grill hot dogs. To me, you can’t eat hot dogs when there are no potato chips handy and I feel much better munching on the Good Health Avocado Oil chips as opposed to those cooked or fried in unhealthy oils. I use avocado oils to cook with so these are the chips I choose.

We also need grab and go snacks for by the lake or polls on site and the Enjoy Life Grain & Seed bars make a great snack. They love the chocolate marshmallow flavor best! When you pack snacks, remember you will be eating more than an average weekend at home. It just always works out that way so make sure the snacks you choose are on the better side of ingredients and oils. It makes you feel a lot less guilty in the end after a weekend of food and fun!

Food, Healthy Living

New Clear Protein Drink by Premier Protein

Erin Sluka

I have partnered with Premier Protein via TapInfluence for this feature. All opinions are my own

New Clear Protein Drink by Premier Protein

I am a Mom and Bonus Mom to a total of 3 boys. Our son is 9 and like his older brothers, is heading into the tween years. Help me! We have been through it twice already but with a coparenting situation so this time we are 100% responsible for how this son gets through it. I recently bought a book a friend recommended that I am reading with my son and it is all about is his changing body and emotions. We just read the chapter on nutrition where it really stresses to stay away from sugary sports drinks and drink more water. My son (and myself) are not good water drinkers.

So I made him a deal. We would measure out a healthy amount of daily water and both of us will work together to drink more water. He does sports year round and I am busy and always on the go so we both need healthy hydration. I do allow his water drinks to include a natural flavor added-cucumbers or lemons added to make it more enjoyable and I have added a bottle of Premier Protein Clear Protein drink to my daily beverage consumption.

Premier Protein Clear Protein drinks are only 90 calories and offer 20 grams of much needed protein for me. There is 0 grams of sugar and no fat, soy, gluten or artificial flavors. I need that boost and protein gives my muscles that lift it needs to help me out whether I am hauling groceries, walking the puppy and even getting a meal prepped and packing lunch at the same time.

With a protein water I don’t have to mix anything, get the blender out. No extra dishes to wash. I can just grab a bottle and go. Clear Protein drinks can be found at Sam’s Club stores nationwide so make sure you pick up your daily helper in the form of protein water by Premier Protein on your next trip in.

Make sure the protein products you consume offer the best ingredients like Premier Protein. Other brands out there may contain artificial ingredients and synthetic nutrients so you really want to do your homework and choose wisely. I have been a regular consumer of Premier Protein for years. The water is so much appreciated and I am so glad I have another protein option I can consume.

Want more food topics? Visit our 2020 Fall Foodie Series!