THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE:

·         Multi Grain & Flax Tortilla Chips:  Made with an ancient grain medley of amaranth, millet, quinoa, sorghum and teff, these chips also deliver 20g of whole grains and 200mg of Omega-3 ALA per serving.

·         Grilled Vegetable Tortilla Chips:  By using a vegetable medley of green and red bell peppers, broccoli, tomato and carrots, these chips deliver 1/3 cup of vegetables per serving.

·         Whole Grain Sea Salt Crisps: With 19g of whole grains per serving, the Whole Grain Crisps are a light, great-tasting and low-sodium snack.

·         Mild Garden Salsa: Features 66 percent less sodium than mainstream brands.

·         Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce: The first ingredient in Wholesome Goodness barbecue sauces is tomatoes, unlike most mainstream brands that start with high fructose corn syrup. The Kansas City-inspired version delivers a sweet and savory smoked flavor.

·         Rice & Wheat Flakes with Strawberries: This cereal features 9 grams of whole grains per serving and is cholesterol-, saturated-fat and trans fat-free. It also offers 29 percent less sodium and 50 percent more fiber than competing brands.

·         Omega Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars: These hearty granola bars are made with a blend of whole grain rolled oats, whole grain wheat flakes, crisp rice, brown sugar, pumpkin seeds, roasted sunflower seed kernels and more, with flax seed meal for an Omega boost.

·         Multigrain Maple Brown Sugar & Pecans Hot Cereal: With 33g of whole grains and 4g of fiber, this hot cereal is a great all-natural start to the day.

·         Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats: The great taste of steel cut oats in only a fraction of the time, one serving features 40g of whole grain and is an excellent source of fiber, iron and protein.

·         Mountain Mix Trail Mix Snack Tubes:  A mix of raisins, almonds, peanuts and sunflower seeds and dark chocolate chunks, served in a lunch box-friendly, single-serving snack tube.

HOW TO WIN:

1. Contestants must have a USA shipping address to be eligible for entry (sorry non USA readers!)
2. “Like” the Wholesome Goodness Facebook page and leave a comment saying you did so
3. For an extra entry tweet about this giveaway and/or like the All Natural Annie Facebook page (please leave a separate comment for each of these actions)

You have until 10:00pm ET Thursday, March 1st to enter. Visit on Friday to see who won all of this goodness!

Currently, Wholesome Goodness is only available at Walmarts in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia. Find out the specifics with their store locator link: http://wholesome-goodness.com/US/locator/.  

Lauren is the wife of one of my old co-workers who I became fast friends with (mainly virtually since they now live in St. Louis).  I’m happy to say that since she and Andrew moved away over a year ago, our blogs and common interests (including natural child birth, healthy eating/cooking, and many more) have kept us in regular contact.

If you read her blog, you will quickly see what an incredibly energetic, loving, fun, creative and thoughtful mom she is to her three ridiculously cute boys (see the little Crumb Bums below). Lauren, you truly make me look forward to being a mom one day. Thank you so much for sharing a piece of your life and bread with us this morning!

Healthy Snacks for Kids

With 3 boys under the age of 5, we go through our share of snacks around here. And though we occasionally indulge in some not-so-healthy munchies, there are so many healthy options that are just as easy that we can feel good about giving our boys. Not only are we nourishing little growing bodies, we are also responsible for culturing a taste for healthy, nourishing foods for when our kids are adults.

This past weekend, be made a super-healthy banana bread with chia powder (if you’re not familiar with the health benefits of chia, check out Annie’s past post about it!) and whole wheat flour. It’s texture is dense and sweet, perfect for an afternoon snack!
My four-year-old Milo helped me with this one!

Banana Bread with Chia Powder (Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, Flaxseed Banana Bread)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt (you can use any flavor- this time we used banana mango)
3 ripe bananas (if you like yours less dense, omit one banana)
1/2 cup rolled oats, ground into flour
1/4 cup chia seeds, ground into flour (we used chia powder, but you can also use ground flaxseeds)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (bread flour works great too)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

How to:

• Preheat oven to 350. Oil a 5×9-inch bread pan

• In a mixing bowl, mash bananas.

• Add oil and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat well.

• Mix in yogurt.

• Grind rolled oats and chia seeds (or flaxseeds, if using)

• Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir with a whisk until combined.

• Add dry mixture to banana mixture and stir until just combined.

• Pour batter into bread pan and bake for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you don’t have an hour or more to spare, here are some good quick snacks to whip up in no time for the youngins!

Avocado on whole wheat toast with sea salt
Sesame tahini on a honey rice cake
“Ants on a log” (celery filled with natural peanut butter, with raisins)
Apple slices to dip into almond butter mixed with honey and wheat germ
A cheese plate with grapes and crackers
Veggie sticks and hummus

Enjoy your snacking! ~Lauren

Our talk inspired me to make a yogurt smoothie with just the right amount of natural sweetness last night.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 16 oz plain whole milk organic yogurt
• 4-5 large ripe strawberries
• 1 tbsp of honey (or less if you like)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender
2. Mix for about 30 seconds
3. Enjoy!

This smoothie turned out tasting SO similar to strawberry ice cream. It was really delicious, but it was also light and refreshing (unlike ice cream). Simple yet really satisfying. I thought it was worth mentioning. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product – I was too busy guzzling it down :)

Wondering how they’re made? The water is simply removed from the fresh fruit in cold (freezing) vacuum conditions, leaving behind the essence of the fruit in the form of light and crispy goodness. So that’s it – the water is taken away, but nothing is added. Take the Crispy Apples for example — Ingredients: Fuji Apples. That’s it. One ingredient – the fruit – and nothing else! They’re a fun snack and especially great for when you want something sweet yet healthy. Added bonus – they won’t rot or bruise when storing/transporting :)

Would you like to try out all of the delicious flavors, including some of the FruitziO line (fruit + a touch of cane sugar)?

How to win:

1. Be a follower of AllNaturalAnnie.com
2. Leave a comment below

For extra entries:

1. “Like” Crisy Green on Facebook (please leave a separate comment letting me know )
2. Tweet about this giveaway (again, separate comment)
3. “Like” this post (separate comment)

You have until 6pm EST on Thursday, February 24th to enter. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday, February 25th .

Good luck and Happy Friday!

We usually pair this with white wine and sit outside on the patio while we eat..really feels like vacation that way! It’s the perfect weekend (or anytime) snack or light meal.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend filled with delicious and healthy meals! :)

]]> http://allnaturalannie.com/2010/10/perfect-weekend-snack/feed/ 17 http://allnaturalannie.com/2010/08/some-of-the-healthiest-chips-around/ http://allnaturalannie.com/2010/08/some-of-the-healthiest-chips-around/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 07:00:49 +0000 All Natural Annie http://allnaturalannie.com/?p=4107 I just mentioned kale in Monday’s post and it seemed like a lot of people were interested in finding out more ways to enjoy it… Well here is one easy way – try snacking on these delicious kale chips made by New York Naturals. Yes, I said “kale” before “chips” and “delicious” before “kale”. They are actually really good! They’re also 100% raw and vegan. How do they get cripsy you might ask? They are air-dried at 115 degrees for up to fifteen hours.

I’m a huge vegetable lover, especially of leafy greens like kale, so I was expecting to like them, but I wasn’t expecting that from everyone else… I’m happy to say that my husband and several friends are also now fans. My point: you don’t have to be a crazy vegetable lover to think these taste good. I definitely like the “cheese” (they’re vegan) the best, then the ranch and then the spicy miso while my husband says the exact opposite.  Decide for yourself – either order them online or visit a store currently keeping them in stock (the most options are not surprisingly in New York). Here’s a cute story about the creation of this kale centric company:  slashfood.com .

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• If you want to avoid high sugar content just go with plain! Even the plain varieties naturally have 12 g of sugar. The sweetened have up to 35 g!
• Greek yogurt, which is much thicker, can contain up to twice the protein of a non-Greek brand, but it has less calcium.
• Yogurt contains probiotics, which is healthy bacteria. Probiotics are linked with a healthy digestive system and a stronger immune systems.
• Do not drain out that top watery layer! That liquid is pure protein (specifically whey protein).
• Some of my favorite additions to plain yogurt: a drizzle of honey (a prebiotic which encourages the activity of probiotics), walnuts, fresh berries, sliced banana, and wheat germ.
• Since yogurt has probiotics, a lot of people that are lactose intolerant do not have issues with consuming it!

Photo Credit: Stonyfield Farm

 Here are some coupons & discounts from one of my favorite brands: Stonyfield Farm

Recipe:

• 1 bag organic plain popcorn  (An option: Newman’s Own Organics — go for the no salt, no butter variety)
• a really good drizzling of extra virgin olive oil (probably 1 tbs total)
• 1 – 2 tbs of Brewer’s Yeast Powder *not the flakes (Easily found at your local healthfood store. One option: NOW Foods)
• sea salt to taste
• mix it all up
• Enjoy!

So it’s a combination of fiber + good fat + B-complex vitamins. The Brewer’s Yeast actually makes the popcorn taste a bit cheesy and I’ve found this is my favorite way to take it (much better than adding it to water or juice). I made this last night and I literally could not stop eating it. I love when something so nutritious is also so delicious!

Whether you choose the chez cocoa, s.s. sea salt, or salty pepper, you will experience a tasty, unique, and wholesome treat!

Photo Credit: Somersault Snack Co.