I was given a care package of Enjoy Life Protein bites and I am loving each flavor of these little chocolate morsels. As you may already know, I am a big fan of the Enjoy Life Foods Brand. They create and produce food that is free of common allergens that anyone can eat. You will not find gluten (wheat), dairy, peanuts, soy, egg, tree nuts, among other food allergens in any of their products. You can have peace of mind with this brand because they only use quality ingredients and their products are REAL FOOD. If you are following a gluten-free diet or vegan diet this brand has a ton of great products available to you. Today I am sharing my Enjoy Life Protein Bites review with you. I am a huge fan of these healthy snacks and I think that you will be too! Keep reading to find out more!
Allergy Friendly Enjoy Life Protein Bites
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I receive a commission from items purchased through these links with no extra cost to you.
Let’s kick this off by saying that this recipe made my house smell so incredible! Freshly baked bread is amazeballs! I wasn’t sure what to have for dinner and then I got that brinner (breakfast for dinner) craving. I also had a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix in my pantry. I will tell you this too, I am always looking for a reason to put my apron on and get busy in the kitchen. So my Tuesday afternoon was spent working on a loaf of cinnamon, raisin, and ground flaxseed bread that I created with Bob’s Red Mill bread mix. This bread was simple to make and actually fun. I made the bread with the intention of using it for French Toast. I always enjoy making my own bread for French Toast. It is a rewarding feeling making an entire meal from scratch. I think the use of Chef Shamy’s amazing butter really helped make this bread extra special.
Easy Gluten-Free French Toast With Bob’s Red Mill and Chef Shamy
Bobs’ Red Mill Bread Mix review
This bread mix is versatile. The first time I used the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Bread Mix to make a blackberry lemon loaf of bread. Having a KitchenAid Stand Mixer really comes in handy to make recipes like this. I was so extremely satisfied with this bread mix so I had to give it a whirl again. This time around I used Chef Shamy’s Honey Butter – Cinnamon and Brown Sugar. What a genius idea to pair the mix with the butter. That butter is my jam! I have fallen in love with every Chef Shamy flavor.
Give It A Whirl Girl with Bob’s Red Mill Wonderful Bread Mix
Last night I made a wonderful healthy dinner. We had chicken marinated in Primal KitchenHoney Mustard and some roasted broccoli. I really wanted a dessert though and then I remembered that I had a bag of Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie & Bar Mix stored away in the pantry. I am a big fan of Pamela’s line of gluten-free products and I have tried several and have been quite satisfied. It was a first for me, though, making her oatmeal cookies. I doctored up the cookie mix to take it from ordinary to extraordinary. No shame in using a mix to create your baked goodies! This mix was outstanding and the cookies are disappearing quick! Read my Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie review to find out more about this gluten-free baking mix.
My Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie Mix review
Ingredients used for my gluten-free oatmeal cookiesSimple Truth Black Chia SeedsMcCormick Organic Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Chia
I gathered up my ingredients for the cookies I was making with Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie & Bar Mix . The recipe called for butter but instead of butter, I ended up using Barlean’s Butter Flavored Coconut Oil. This coconut oil is a healthy alternative for butter and can be used in place of butter in most, if not all, recipes.
I knew raisins belonged in my oatmeal cookies and I had some Simple Truth raisins in the pantry, a nice fresh bag!
Gotta have my Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips!!
To make my husband happy (because he is obsessed with chocolate chip cookies) I added in some Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips. I just can not say enough nice things about those chocolate chips from Enjoy Life. They are vegan and free from all common food allergens. They taste fantastic. I have a confession to make too. Sometimes I eat those chocolate chips straight out of the bag as a little snack. They are so freaking yummy.
Chia seeds & spicing things up!
I started up the KitchenAid Stand Mixer (my BFF in the kitchen right now!) and got all of my ingredients mixed up and then I continued to add a few more things. I added some Simple Truth black chia seeds (about a tablespoon) and then I gave it a heavy shake of my McCormick Organic Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Chia spice blend. I love that spice so much and it comes in handy for some of my baked breakfast creations.
What I recommend for bakeware
For my baking, I really love the Circulon Bakeware. I have the bakeware set in chocolate. I sprayed my sheet pan with some coconut oil and the surface is nonstick. I have never had a problem removing anything off of this bakeware. You can find the cookie sheet on Amazon. This is the bakeware I have ever owned. I have had it since early this year and I am thoroughly impressed with it.
I did not take long for these cookies to bake. I believe it took 12 minutes. That 12 minute waiting period was agonizing for me. I could not wait to take a cookie off the tray and have a nice, warm one. Warm cookies are the best… a true comfort food for most I would say!
Pour yourself a glass of milk for your oatmeal cookie
I poured myself a glass of Unsweetened Califia Farms Almond Milk and I mixed in a scoop of Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel. I dipped my cookie into the milk and a had a tremendous FOODGASM! I was really on the struggle bus trying not to consume every single cookie that was on the tray. They turned out just that good! I will admit it, I did end up eating three warm cookies. Not a healthy choice but I ended up going for a long walk with my dog to burn off some of the cookies.
Gluten-Free Oatmeal, Raisin, Chocolate Chip, and Chia Cookies With unsweetened almond milk w/ Collagen Fuel
Final thoughts on Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie Mix
I usually avoided using mixes for the past year. I figured I was better off DIY’ing the whole recipe for it myself. But if you are doing any kind of gluten-free baking the cost of ingredients really inflates and seems astronomical. So to me, it just seems more cost effective to spring for a mix. Most of what you need is there in the mix and you can doctor them up yourself any way that you would like. We all enjoyed Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie Mix and would definitely buy it again in the future!
How do you make your cookies special if you are using a mix? I’m really happy with the outcome of these. Leave me a comment and let me in on your cookie secrets! Hope you enjoyed this Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie review and I hope it inspires you to give it a whirl!
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I am so happy to be an Ambassador to this great company Thunderbird Bars. Now is the time for me to spread the word about these amazing bars to my readers with this Thunderbird Bar review. I want to let you in on a little secret… these bars are amazeballs! The best thing about them is that they are all natural and made with REAL FOOD ingredients: fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices. If you are vegan, following a paleo diet, and are looking for a no-added-sugar treat, Thunderbird Bars are for you! You have to trust me on this, these bars are an excellent snack and they are especially great while on-the-go and the hunger hits you. I have been eating these for the past month now and I feel the need to spread the word about them.
Thunderbird Bar Pecans + Goji + Pistachio in Eastern Market, Detroit, MI
There are ten flavors available for Thunderbird Bars and every single one of them is delish!
No boring flavors over here! These bars are unlike every other bar I have experienced. As you may already know, I live for the thrill of trying new foods. These flavors do not disappoint one bit and they satisfy my hunger. Their flavor combinations are unique and each and every single one of them delivers a satisfying taste.
Thunderbird Bars Variety Pack
Want to know my favorite flavor of the ten that are available? I’m going to say it is the Pineapple + Mango + Papaya. I’m always a sucker for anything tropical and I love how all of these flavors blend together.
I have included an image of the bar in a photo below. It might look a bit on the small side but these bars are quite filling. This bar has seven simple ingredients noted on the label: prunes, buckwheat groats, papaya, raisins, mango, pineapple, and Hawaiian black lava salt. No BS here… just pure + simple real food ingredients.
This bar comes in at 145 calories, 30g of carbohydrates, 3g of fiber, and 22g of natural (no-added) sugar.
Thunderbird Bar also stays away from sweeteners. You will not find any real, artificial, honey, syrup, agave or any other variety of sweetener in their bars. There are not many bars that you can come across that promise that.
These bars will give you energy and endurance during your day derived purely from the real food ingredients. I love to start my day with a Thunderbird Bar. It gives me the fuel that I need to conquer the day.
Thunderbird Bar in Detroit, MI – Cashew + Fig + CarrotThunderbird Bar Pineapple + Mango + PapayaThunderbird Bar Pineapple + Mango + Papaya Nutrition FactsThunderbird Bar in Detroit, MI – Cashew + Fig + CarrotThunderbird Bars – Pineapple + Mango + Papaya in Eastern Market, Detroit, MIThunderbird Bars – Cacao + Hemp + Walnut in Eastern Market, Detroit, MITwo of the Thunderbird Bars flavors available for children
Thunderbird Bars also encourages your little ones to eat healthy and they offer four flavors for kids, also known as Thunderkids.
Fruit Punch
Apple Pie
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Chocolate Chip Cookie
I love when a healthy brand of food makes kid-friendly products. I try my best to avoid giving my daughter junk. When I give her a Thunderbird Bar as a snack I feel good about it. Chloe also really does enjoy eating these. They are naturally sweet and satisfy a sweet tooth craving in a more healthy approach. These bars will be a great thing to pack for her daily snack during school when she goes back.
Thunderbird Bar Thunderkids – Chocolate Chip Cookie (image courtesy of thunderbirdbar.com)
Thunderbird Bar Thunderkids – Peanut Butter & Jelly (image courtesy of thunderbirdbar.com)
Want to try a variety pack of Thunderbird Bars? Find them on Amazon:
Learn more about how I got inspired by the cacao in Thunderbird Bars and created a healthy smoothie bow. READ HERE.
Hope you enjoyed this Thunderbird Bar review! What Thunderbird Bar flavor interests you the most? Leave me a comment and let me know which one you will try out first!
Please join my Facebook Group Give It A Whirl Girl so you can participate in the weekly Tried It Out Tuesday challenge.
You all know me! Trying out new foods all the time. This time around I had the chance to try out a plantain for the first time, AKA the “ugly bananas”! I ran into Kroger with my daughter to pick up some ingredients for some homemade popsicles that I will be creating this week. We were checking out the exotic fruits and a big plantain made its way into my shopping basket. I only purchased one. I had no clue what I was going to do with it but I wanted to bring it home anyway. I got home and did a bit of research on plantains. You do not want to eat these things raw. I did discover that these are best prepared cooked because if you bite into a raw one you are going to experience a bitter taste. You will not get sick eating a raw one but you will likely regret the taste in your mouth! I needed to figure out a plan of action with the plantain. I was sent a variety pack of SmashMallows to review. I already have a special recipe post drafted up for National S’mores Day (August 10th) featuring these yummy marshmallows. So I figured I could somehow incorporate the Cinnamon Churro flavor with the plantain. I made a roasted s’mores banana earlier this year and it turned out fantastic! I had the idea to use my plantain with the SmashMallows and roast it all up. I sprinkled some unsweetened coconut on it and a bit of cinnamon and cardamom.
I could not wait to tear into this when it popped out of the oven! I really enjoyed the taste of the plantain combined with the SmashMallows. After roasting the plantain for 13 minutes it had softened and was the perfect texture to eat.
Ingredients:
1 plantain
6-8 Cinnamon Churro SmashMallows (or as many as you can cram inside!)
Tablespoon of unsweetened coconut
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Sprinkle of cardamom
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Slice the plantain down the middle but not completely. Leave a little space at top & bottom.
Stuff the plantain with the SmashMallows. I used a teaspoon along the sides to spread it open.
Top with unsweetened coconut, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Place the stuffed plantain onto a baking sheet or pan and wrap it up with foil, leaving an opening at the top.
Roast for 13 minutes (or until the SmashMallows get a golden crust on them).
Enjoy!
Cinnamon Churro SmashMallow Stuffed Plantain before roastingCinnamon Churro SmashMallow Stuffed Plantain after roastingCinnamon Churro SmashMallow Stuffed Plantain after roasting
This sure was a great dessert for my daughter and me to share. Of course, she loved the ooey, gooey toasted marshmallow part the most. I ended up being the one to eat most of the plantain. That was perfectly fine with me. I am really happy that I finally gave the “ugly banana” a whirl. I have seen those plantains around for ages and have always been so curious about them.
Tidbits of information on the plantain:
1 medium cooked plantain contains approximately 230 calories.
1 medium plantain has appx. 4.6 grams of fiber.
Plantains are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and potassium.
Plantains come from several parts of the world: West & Central Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, and coastal parts of South America.
If you are following a paleo diet plantains are ok to eat. They are starchy but considered a good source of carbohydrates.
When the plantain gets brown/black it is at its peak stage of ripeness. This is when it is the most sweet.
SmashMallows source organic cane sugar to make their marshmallows.
SmashMallows are ok to eat if you are on a gluten-free diet.
They do not contain any GMO ingredient.
They do not contain any corn syrup, artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, or preservatives.
There are 80 calories in 4 SmashMallows.
You can find the Cinnamon Churro SmashMallows on Amazon:
Or why not try a variety pack?!!
Have you ever tried a plantain? How do you like to serve yours? Leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from you!
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS. ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.
