Product Feature: barkTHINS Snacking Chocolate
Quite often, food products are sent to me at cavegrrl.com headquarters to get my opinion on them and to share them with you here if I like them. The latest product I tried and happened to LOVE is barkTHINS snacking chocolate.
barkTHINS are made with Fair Trade and non–GMO certified ingredients and are a delectable treat that fit into a healthy/active lifestyle.
The team at barkTHINS sent me four varieties of their snacking chocolate including: Blueberry with Quinoa Crunch, Almond with Sea Salt, Pumpkin with Sea Salt and Coconut with Almonds. All four of these flavors are gluten-friendly (not made in a gluten free facility, but do not have gluten as an ingredient. My fingers are crossed that they will develop a gluten friendly pretzel/dark chocolate barkTHINS.
My favorite barkTHINS is the Pumpkin Seed with Sea Salt! I really enjoy pumpkin seeds and they have a high nutritional value. My favorite dessert (not every night, but a few times a week if we have a lighter dinner) is a few barkTHINS, some nuts or seeds, a few pieces of dried fruit (like pears or figs), and a small piece of hard cheese.
Andy also tried some of the flavors and noted that his favorite thing about the chocolate was that it really was like bark, each piece was a different shape and size. The only bad thing about barkTHINS is that they are so GOOD that you might accidentally eat the entire bag. 😉
You can find barkTHINS on Facebook here, on Twitter here and on Instagram here. Join the community of #barkFANS to share the joy of snacking chocolate with others.
Ready to try the chocolatey goodness that is barkTHINS? You can order online here.
Giveaway!! Get Gluten Free Delivered Right to Your Door with Send Me Gluten FREE!
I am a fan of trying new things and I love getting surprises in the mail, so when I heard about Send Me Gluten Free, I immediately checked them out!
Send Me Gluten Free is a monthly subscription service that introduces you to new gluten free products. The company was kind enough to send me a sample box (just like I would get if I had a subscription to their service).
I didn’t want to describe/review the individual products I was sent, because they vary so much in individual boxes each month, but I will tell you that I enjoyed everything in the box, and there were even coupons/offers in the box along with the products. I want to thank the people at Send Me Gluten Free, as they must be mind readers!
But, to be honest, they sent me some REALLY addictive (yet organic, non GMO!! stuff), and I’m sure that’s pretty much the norm every month!! Some of these items included: Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter that can substitute peanut butter), Skinnypop popcorn (hello popcorn, I missed you!), some amazing chocolate coated pumpkin seeds called SuperSeedz (probably my fave in the box), and some Alter Eco chocolate. YESSSS!! Box already scarfed down. 😉
Along with the assortment of products, I also received an envelope in the box containing coupons good for gluten free products. I’ll definitely be using the one for SunButter spread.
Soooo, the Send Me Gluten Free subscriptions range from month-to-month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months (the 3, 6, and 12 months are prepaid in advance, and offer discounted rates that increase the discount the longer you commit to the service).
Each month, your box will contain 8-10 new gluten free products. You’ll get both full-size and sample size food, personal care items, supplements and household products that support your gluten free lifestyle. Your chosen subscription will automatically renew, but you can cancel at any time. You box will ship on the first Monday of each month.
Send Me Gluten Free requires all of their brand partners to be certified gluten-free or tested to the FDA standard of less than 20 parts per million.
You can find Send Me Gluten FREE on Facebook here and follow them on Twitter here.
Would you like to try a sample box from Send Me Gluten Free? You can enter to WIN one by commenting below AND sharing this post on Facebook with your friends. In your comment, please answer these questions: Why did you go gluten free & what is your favorite gluten free snack? Also, let me know in the comments that your shared with your friends and please tag cavegrrl.com when you do. Contest lasts until the end of April, and I will pick a winner at random.
Below is an example of the type of products found in a box, not the actual contents of what the winner will receive. It changes every month, that’s the fun of it!
PS!!: If you decide to subscribe, Cavegrrl.com readers can get a 20% off an subscription length by using discount code BLOG20 at checkout.
Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites Giveaway
OK, I know it’s the end of a four-day weekend for most of us, so I have a little giveaway planned to make the work comeback sting a little less! By the way, I am actually starting a new job today, so I am just thankful to have work again after a 3 1/2 month hiatus. 😉
Today, I would like to share with you a new snack item sent to me by Setton Farms: Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites. It’s got two of my very favorite ingredients: pistachios and cranberries. The pistachios used in the Chewy Bites are grown right in the heart of California’s central valley (San Joaquin), and Setton attends to each detail of growing, harvesting, processing the pistachios.
Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites provide healthy snack lovers the amazing benefits of pistachios, cranberries and agave nectar in a delicious bite size bar. Pistachio Chewy Bites are heart healthy, 100% all natural, gluten and dairy free, low in sodium, GMO free, vegan and a great protein snack on the go. They also have no cholesterol, zero trans-fat and are a good source of dietary fiber. Each bar is about 100 calories. They’re also great before or after a race!
Do you want to try Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites for FREE? Enter to win a 16-pack bag by clicking the link below!
You can find Setton Farms Pistachio Chewy Bites on Facebook here.
Simple Squares: Simple Ingredients
I found Simple Squares at the Fancy Food Show last January, and they were also featured at the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo last month. The makers of Simple Squares were kind enough to send a sample package to me. I was really impressed with the quality of ingredients and the different/unique flavors. Each flavor is made with five ingredients, and they happen to be all natural and organic.
The flavor line-up includes Cinna-Clove, Coconut, Coffee, Rosemary (my favorite), and Sage. Coming soon will be Ginger. The bars are not overly sweet and actually a little bit savory. With those components, I could almost see them cut into small pieces on a cheese plate, and paired with wine as an appetizer or a dessert.
But the company’s founder Kimberly Crupi Dobbins (whom I met at the Fancy Food Show) says she developed Simple Squares after traveling extensively (42 straight days) and being advised to follow an elimination diet. Which I am sure if any of you have tried to cut wheat, sugar, and dairy from your diet and tried to have a snack at an airport or even on a plane, you know it’s pretty tough. Kimberly says, “Refusing to compromise yet recognizing the need to indulge, I set out on a mission to create great tasting and healthy snacks.”
Simple Squares are high in protein, low in sodium and sugars, contain no wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, or corn, and no refined sugar brown rice syrup, or agave nectar. Sounds perfectly Paleo to me. 🙂
You can buy Simple Squares directly from their website or find them in your area by entering your zip code in the Store Locator here.
You can find Simple Squares on Facebook here and follow them on twitter here.
Cauliflower “Breadsticks” Recipe & Wild Garden Hummus
At this year’s San Francisco Winter Fancy Food show, I saw that one of my favorite products (Wild Garden Hummus) was on display. This product is not considered “paleo” or “primal”, as it’s main ingredient is garbanzo beans (not accepted in the paleo diet), but I personally find it to be a nutritious and delicious snack food, and healthier than bacon (which is double the calories and fat per serving and completely accepted by paleos.) Wild Garden Hummus is completely portable, convenient and does not need to be refrigerated until opened.
Wild Garden Hummus comes in jars, triangle-shaped tetra packs, and boxed with a bag of pita chips for the ultimate snacker. 😉 I took pictures of the products that the vendor sent home with me, and also a picture of the product on sale at one of my sponsors: Nugget Market (at West Sacramento, last week).
Wild Garden Hummus comes in 6 flavors: Traditional, Sun Dried Tomato, Roasted Garlic, Jalepeno, Fire Roasted Red Pepper, and Black Olive.
2 heads of cauliflower
2 tablespoons of Italian seasonings
(mix anything you like: basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel, garlic, onion powder, red pepper flakes)
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, not the powder kind, the GOOD kind. 😉
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Steam cauliflower until it is mushy and almost overly cooked. I do it in the microwave and it takes a while. You could even cook the cauliflower the night before and do the remaining steps the next day. Cool slightly (so you don’t prematurely cook the eggs) and pulse in a food processor with the eggs until you form a purée.
3. Add your spice mixture and pulse until well combined.
4. Add the parmesan sheet and pulse until the cheese is also incorporated.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Invest in a roll of parchment paper. It’s well worth the sticks NOT sticking to your pan. Spread the cauliflower mixture on the parchment in an even, medium thick layer (3/4 in thick).
6. Place in oven and bake until the sticks start to dry out and turn golden brown. Then, remove from oven.
7. Flip bread over and cut it into “sticks”. Top with a little more cheese if desired. Place under oven broiler to complete the browning and get the sticks slightly crispy. Watch closely to prevent burning.
Tip: Don’t roll out the mixture too thin on the baking sheet, and don’t skip step 7! It really gets the breadsticks more like “breadsticks”…crispy/chewy on the the outside and softer in the middle.
Enjoy! Is it Friday yet? 😉
Updated: Tanka Bars: Ain’t no Bull, It’s Buffalo!
Mmm… meat candy. That’s how I would describe the Tanka Bar. It’s a jerky-type bar made of buffalo and dried cranberries. Flavor-wise, it’s got a sweet and savory combination that I really love.
I also love the small amount of ingredients used to make them: Buffalo, Dried Cranberries (cranberries, sugar), Water, Salt & less than 2% of Flavorings, Red Pepper, Granulated Garlic, Granulated Onion, Lactic Acid Starter Culture.
They are surprisingly low calorie, and make a great breakfast or afternoon snack. They are small and compact, and perfect to pack on a camping or hiking trip.
Tanka…What a funny little name. What does it mean? From the Tanka website: “In Lakota, Tanka means large or great. It changes depending on how it is used when spoken. What Tanka means to me is a little different. When I see people doing good for themselves and their families, that is Tanka.
When I see people saying good words and backing it up with good actions — when there is no separation in someone’s belief and their reality — that is Tanka.”
The only thing not so “Tanka” is the price of the bar. 😉 They retail for about $3 apiece. However, if you use the promo code CAVEGRRL during checkout when you shop the Tanka store, you’ll get 15% off on REGULARLY-priced items. The code is not valid on specials and is good until June 30th!
You can follow Tanka Bar on twitter here and find them on Facebook here.
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