Tag: food

Food, Natural Foods

Naturipe Snacks Bliss and Boost Bento Snacks

Erin Sluka
Naturipe Snacks™ Bliss and Boost Bento Snacks

In this house I have a tween who loves the style bento snacks, my husband loves snacking on nuts and I love fresh fruits – we all love cheese! It is like Naturipe Snacks™ were made just for us!

When these snacks arrived, my tween was hovering (as he does when he sees food coming out of a box or bag) and immediately grabbed a Naturipe Boost Bento that had strawberries. I had no idea a strawberry could excite him so much until I accepted his ask to try them right away. Those strawberries were the freshest I have ever tasted. It was a fight on who could get their hands on that variety until they were gone.

These  perfectly-portioned and ready-to-eat Bento snacks have the perfect mix of sweet and salty. Every included bite is full of freshness! Naturipe ® is a farmer-owned producer of healthy, good-for-you fresh berries grown by working family farmers in the US.

There are 4 Boost Bento Snacks (for cheese lovers) –

  1. Sweet ‘n Crunchy – Strawberries & Blueberries, Cinnamon Almonds, & White Cheddar Cheese
  2. Sweet ‘n Zesty – Strawberries, Cracked Black Pepper Cashews & Aged Swiss Cheese
  3. Classic ‘n SZharp – Grapes & Blueberries, Roasted Sea Salt Almonds & Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  4. Rich ‘n Savory – Strawberries, Roasted Salted Pistachios, & Mild Gouda Cheese

There are also 4 Bliss Bento Snacks (for the sweet flavors)

  1. Chocolate Cheer – Blueberries, Dark Chocolate Chunk Granola Clusters, & Dark Chocolate Covered Chickpeas
  2. Vanilla Crunch – Blueberries & Grapes, Mini Vanilla Formed Granola, & Honey Roasted Walnuts
  3. Salty Caramelicious – Blueberries, Salted Caramel Granola Clusters, & Salted Cashews
  4. Berry Lemony – Blueberries, Lemon Coconut Granola Clusters, & Yogurt Almonds

The snacks are the perfect COVID-safe food – mix and match two, three, or all the flavors and you have the perfect gift that will surely blow the minds of your foodie friends! Visit Naturipe to start!

Visit our 2020 Fall Foodie Series for more food topics
Food, Natural Foods

Opal Apples, the only naturally non-browning, non-GMO apples

Erin Sluka

I was sent samples. Opinions are my own and this post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for visiting.

Opal Apples, the only naturally non-browning, non-GMO apples

A post about apples. This is new to me but very much needed. There is not a sweeter treat then a crisp apple full of flavor…until it browns on you. It doesn’t take long for most apples to brown either. Then it is a bummer when you are like me and eat with your eyes so if it is brown – apples, bananas, potatoes I don’t crave them anymore and choose another food. Opal® apples are a game changer and now they have kids packs available.

Opal apples are non-browning, non GMO and so full of sweet flavor! They are yellow and have a bit of a floral aroma making them perfect for baking, but only if you love the smell of apples baking in your kitchen!

Because Opal apples don’t easily brown they are great to last in salads, to cut up with dips for kids snacks they can can come and go to in the afternoon and their aromas are great for baking as I mentioned already.

Opal apples are available at select locations across the USA and Canada. Visit the Opal apples website for more information, store locator and delicious recipes.

Visit our 2020 Fall Foodie series for more food topics

Brands with a Cause, Food, Natural Foods

CHUM Fruit Bites have the simplest, purest ingredients

Erin Sluka

Comment: I was sent these sheets. Opinions are my own and this post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for visiting.

CHUM Fruit Bites have the simplest, purest ingredients

There are fruit snacks and then there are CHUM Fruit Bites. They are like fruit snacks in that they are fruit-flavored but unlike the fruit snacks you know because they are ONLY fruit. Also, despite the fun colors and animal designs they are not just for kids because I can’t get enough of these myself. I love these as a mid-day working snack.

I feel like I should tell you all about these CHUM fruit bites so you know what they are made of but the ingredient lists are literally just fruits. That’s it! 100% wild without the fake stuff!

I can tell you that when you buy CHUM Fruit Bites you are helping them make a difference. They donate 15% profits to Wild Aid, protecting wildlife.

You can find these REAL fruit bites online at the CHUM Fruit Bites shop and on Amazon. Right now they are having a #StaySafe sale and shipping is free on their site!

Visit our 2020 Fall Foodie Series for more food topics
Food, Healthy Living, Natural Foods, Recipes

Lemon Chicken Edamame Spaghetti Recipe

Erin Sluka

This post is in partnership with Explore Cuisine. This Edamame Spaghetti recipe is my own

Lemon Chicken Edamame Spaghetti Recipe

My husband and I are month 2 into a low carb/low calorie diet. The two things I miss most is steak and pasta. The good thing about changing eating habits is that we are doing it together. I have never been so successful on a healthy change prior to having my husband jump on board. We hold each other accountable and at night discuss what we ate during the day, almost in competition form to who kept closest to the new regimen. Then we allow ourselves a cheat night once a week and look forward to our reward.

Both of us have dropped weight and I reached my goal weight this week. I also learned something else and that is how to get real creative in the kitchen. Ever heard of Edamame Spaghetti? It exists and I am so glad I tried it because I don’t have to crave actual pasta anymore.

Explore Cuisine have taken that popular soybean and created a delicious pasta noodle that I personally love better than actual pasta for more than one reason. First, it cooks in about 4 minutes in boiling water so that saves time. Second, it is delicious and that is an understatement.

When I first served it my husband was a bit skeptical as if we were cheating on our diet. It is so  much like spaghetti but I handed him the box to read and we felt so good about our meal that night because it fits right in with how we are eating. We can have pasta again and not wait until our cheat night run to Italian restaurants.

This Edamame Spaghetti recipe was literally thrown together with leftovers in my kitchen. We are moving next week and living in transition until the home build is complete so I have to use up what we have in the fridge and freezer. It turned out delicious. The house LOVED it. Edamame is loaded with plant-based protein (25 grams per serving), fiber and iron. Explore Cuisine Organic Edamame Spaghetti is made from 100% organic ingredients and is vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO and kosher. Let’s get to the recipe!

Lemon Chicken Edamame Spaghetti Recipe

I had some green peppers I needed to use up so that is what I added to my recipe. It is nice to have a crunch with this dish so you can use any bell pepper and even some pine nuts or zucchini. I just sauted my peppers in some coconut oil and garlic until cooked down a bit.

Tip: When cooking down spinach remember that spinach holds a lot of water. I used fresh spinach and rinsed. Then I drain and blot as much water out as possible. Cook down in olive oil. It just takes a moment or two so don’t overcook. Then I drizzle with some lemon juice and take it from the pan and lay it out on a paper towel lined cookie sheet and cool a tad before grabbing more paper towels to absorb the water still remaining in the cooked spinach.

The picture above is the final step. Put all of your cooked ingredients back together in a large pan or wok. I have cooked chicken breast, cooked spinach and sauted green peppers and minced garlic. Add the cooked and drained Edamame Spaghetti noodles and toss. Drizzle more lemon as you toss. Plate it and top with grated parmesan cheese.

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