Healthy Hot List – Must-Have Health Food Products For Your Lifestyle (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan, Paleo, Whole 30, or Keto)

Healthy Hot List - Must-Have Healthy Food Products For Your Lifestyle (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan, Paleo, Whole 30, or Keto)

I would like to start up a new regular feature on the blog featuring items that I have used and fallen in love with. I will be calling this the Healthy Hot List. These are all health food items that I have given a whirl and want to spread the word about so this fits in perfectly with my Tried It Out Tuesday weekly feature. These are healthy foods that can fit into your routine.

Many of these health food items fall within the realms of several different diets: gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, Whole 30, keto, and vegan.

Whenever I try out a new product and I become a fan I do my best to promote these items and spread the word about them. I would love my good words for these brands to travel far and wide because they earned it with their quality health food products. Hope you enjoy this list and let me know if you have tried anything on this list.

Healthy Hot List – Health Foods Your Pantry Needs

Caulipower Variety Pack – Cauliflower Crust Frozen Pizza – Gluten-Free

I recently blogged about this Caulipower pizza. I tried the veggie one out and doctored it up a bit. I was really impressed with the quality of this frozen cauliflower crust pizza. This is a low carb pizza alternative and features a gluten-free crust. The cauliflower crust mimics a regular crust quite well considering the fact that it is all veggie!

Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo

This Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil mayonnaise is a must-have in your fridge. It is paleo-friendly and Whole 30 compliant. It is also egg-free and dairy free. I have made tuna salad, potato salad, and macaroni salad with this mayo and the flavor of it was impressive.

Check out my: Primal Kitchen Lemon Turmeric Chicken

Terrasoul Superfoods Cacao Nibs

Did you know that chocolate in its purest form is actually quite healthy and good for your body? These raw cacao nibs from Terrasoul Superfoods are an antioxidant powerhouse. Cacao nibs are also vegan-friendly. I enjoy eating these on top of my smoothie bowls or incorporating them into my nice-creams.

Mamma Chia – Chia Squeeze – Variety Pack of 4 flavors

I consider myself a big fan of Mamma Chia. I often purchase their chia drinks and chia seeds. The squeeze pouches are an awesome on-the-go snack. These pouches come in at 70 calories and contain 1200-milligrams of Omega-3. These squeeze pouches are also a great source of protein, antioxidants, and fiber.

Enjoy Life Foods Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – Package of 6

Here is another brand that I am a huge fan of- Enjoy Life Foods. At the moment these are my favorite chocolate chips. They are a trusted brand for me and the only brand I purchase my chocolate chips from. I usually use the dark chocolate chips. They are free from common food allergens. If you are looking for a dairy-free, vegan option for chocolate chips this is the brand I recommend going with.

**Find out how I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips in THIS RECIPE!**

4th & Heart Grass-Fed Ghee Butter – Variety Pack

A lot of talk about ghee these days! Ghee is a clarified butter with all milk solids removed. It is a dairy-free option to butter and this can replace your current butter or cooking oil with a 1:1 ratio. I use 4th & Heart ghee for my cooking and my baking. The smell of a ribeye steak cooking in some ghee is divine. I will never turn my back and go to regular butter again. Ghee not only tastes better but it also has some health benefits as opposed to butter. This variety pack includes regular ghee and a vanilla ghee, which would be great for your next baking project!

Banza Chickpea Pasta Variety Pack of 6

If you are looking for a lower carb pasta that is gluten-free and high in protein look no further than Banza! I have been using Banza quite often in my pasta dishes and it is one of my favorite pasta that is gluten-free. You can check out the macaroni salad that I made with Banza HERE. I whipped that up for family and even though it was gluten-free the pasta salad was a smashing success. Pro tip: undercook your pasta just a tiny bit. I always do a minute or 2 less than the suggested time on the box. I also give my pasta a rinse before serving.

Nut Cravings Raw & Unsalted Cashews

If you are interested in making a vegan and paleo cheesecake raw cashews are a must! Nut Cravings has pretty reasonable prices. Raw cashews can be quite pricey! When the raw cashews (soaked overnight) are mixed with a bit of coconut milk and lemon juice you end up with a faux cheesecake filling. I honestly prefer my raw paleo cheesecakes over traditional nowadays.

Thai Kitchen Coconut Cream

Coconut cream is essential for paleo or vegan baking. If you are in need of a dairy-free whipped cream the best way to go is to use Thai Kitchen coconut cream. You simply refrigerate the can overnight and then scoop the solids out of the can (no water) and then use your whisk attachment on your stand mixer.

Kiss My Keto Chocolate

Sugar-free, low-carb chocolate bars? Can I get a hell yeah! Check out this variety pack of chocolate bars from Kiss My Keto and let me know which flavor you will try out first!

What health food items have you tried from this Healthy Hot List and what are your thoughts? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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September 25, 2018 1

Cactus Pear Nice Cream RECIPE With Pomegranate & Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites – (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

Cactus Pear Nice Cream RECIPE with Pomegranate and Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites

Wondering how I naturally obtained this lovely shade of hot pink in my bowl of nice-cream (vegan ice-cream)?? Easy! I owe it all to the cactus pear, also known as the prickly pear. The flesh of a cactus pear, when combined with a banana, will give you this gorgeous magenta hue. This cactus pear nice cream recipe is a healthy dessert that will most definitely make your child excited for a yummy treat that is naturally sweet from nature with no added sugars. Other ingredients in this frozen treat are frozen pomegranate, two frozen bananas, some coconut milk and Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Raspberry Protein Bites. This is a much healthier alternative to traditional ice-cream and I always enjoy creating this and serving it at home. Super simple and easy to do too!

Nice-cream is the vegan and paleo version of ice-cream. It is dairy-free and lactose-free.

Cactus Pear & Pomegranate With Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites Nice-Cream

Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I receive a commission if items are purchased through these links with no extra cost to you.

A good food processor comes in handy for making vegan nice-creams at home. You will also want to prepare in advance for making this by freezing two sliced up bananas overnight. Also, chill a can of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight for best results. If you have a can of coconut cream on-hand that makes for even better results, a lot more creamy, but coconut cream is usually around $4 a can and coconut milk works just fine.

The Enjoy Life Foods Dark Raspberry Protein Bites were a wise choice here as a nice-cream topping. I chopped them up small and placed them on top. The dark raspberry flavor is actually my favorite flavor of all the Protein Bites and it paired nicely with the flavors of the cactus pear and pomegranate. It also gave this bowl of nice-cream a boost in protein, which is always welcome, especially if you are following a vegan diet.

Ingredients used to make Cactus Pear & Pomegranate With Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites Nice-Cream (Protein Bites not shown in this photo)

Cactus Pear Nice Cream Recipe

Cactus Pear Nice Cream RECIPE With Pomegranate & Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites

This simple and easy to do gluten-free and vegan nice cream recipe results in the prettiest of pink nice creams you have ever seen.

2 Bananas (Frozen)
1 Cactus Pear
1/2 cup Pomegranate (Frozen)
6 Enjoy Life Foods Dark Raspberry Protein Bites
1/2 cup Full-fat organic coconut milk (Chilled overnight in fridge)

Place the frozen bananas, cactus pear, pomegranate, and chilled coconut in the food processor.
Blend until smooth.
Remove cactus pear nice-cream from food processor bowl.
To the nice cream with small chunks of Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites. I used the Dark Raspberry.
Divide into two bowls.

Serve, eat. and enjoy!

Cactus Pear & Pomegranate With Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites Nice-Cream in the food processor. Do not add Protein Bites at this time!

Enjoy Life Foods Dark Raspberry Protein Bites chopped into small pieces

Final thoughts on the cactus pear nice cream recipe

I do believe that you will love this hot-pink cactus pear nice cream recipe if you do decide to give it a whirl. It is super unique in its flavor and unlike anything I have ever tried! I am extremely happy with the results of mixing these ingredients together. I was not sure what the outcome would be, but I got brave in the kitchen and I have no regrets!

If you are looking for a healthier alternative to ice-cream that is dairy-free and contains no added sugars, you should try making vegan and glutern-free nice creams at home. They are very versatile and you can get creative by whipping them up and experimenting with different ingredients. As a base, I usually use two frozen bananas and make sure I have a can of chilled coconut milk (it must be full-fat and not light coconut milk) on-hand to make this. This will result in approximately 2-3 servings. Most often it is just my daughter and I sharing but sometimes my hubby wants some too.

You can read more about the Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites on a previous blog post:

HERE

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Have you ever tried vegan nice cream? How do you like to create yours? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Here are some other posts you will enjoy!

Want to find out more about Enjoy Life Foods?

September 6, 2018 8

Enjoy Life Protein Bites REVIEW – A Vegan & Gluten-Free Snack Available In A Variety Of Flavors!

Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites REVIEW by Give It A Whirl Girl

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.

Enjoy Life free from common food allergens info (Image courtesy of https://enjoylifefoods.com/)

They come in a variety of four flavors:

Continue reading “Enjoy Life Protein Bites REVIEW – A Vegan & Gluten-Free Snack Available In A Variety Of Flavors!” →

August 30, 2018 1

RECIPE – Make You Own No-Bake Toasted Coconut, Chocolate, & Chia Granola Bars

There are so many ways you can make your own granola bars at home. Making my own is a fun, rewarding experience for me. I ask my 8-year-old daughter, Chloe, to help with the stirring because she has some good muscles for her age and you really have to give them a big stir with the spatula. For these granola bites I used gluten-free ingredients and also paleo-friendly ingredients. No sugar was added to these, they are naturally sweet from the Medjool dates and raw honey. These are a great snack that you can just grab and go. I hope you love these paleo granola bars as much as we did. They sure went quick!

Ingredients:

1 cups pitted Medjool dates
1 1/4 cup gluten-free oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cook Oats)
1/3 cup raw honey (I used Madhava Very Raw Organic Honey)
1/3 cup almond butter (I used Maranatha No Sugar No Salt Added Almond Butter)
1/4 cup of chocolate chips or more (I use Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chip Morsels)
2 tablespoons chia seeds (I used Simple Truth)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (I used Simple Truth)
Tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil (I used Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil)

Recipe:

The first step is to heat up some water on the stove so you can soak/soften up your Medjool dates. They will be easy to process if soaked for a few minutes. Place 1 cup (apx 8 dates) into a warm bowl of water and soak for a few minutes.
You will then heat up a tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan. Once the oil is warm add 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut and cook until golden in color.
Using a food processor, place your dates inside and blend them up until no lumps remain.
You will need a large mixing bowl for this next step. Place the date mixture, oats, raw honey, almond butter (you might need to warm this up to soften it), desired quantity of chocolate chips (1/4 cup works best), and chia seeds in a large bowl. Stir until well combined.
Line an 8×8 square cake pan with parchment paper. Place granola bar mixture in the lined pan and spread until flat and the mixture reaches the edges. You can use a flat-bottom measuring cup to help press the mixture down.
Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Slice into bite-sized bars and enjoy.
Keep refrigerated to maintain freshness.

Toasted coconut and Medjool dates soaking

Processed Medjool dates

Maranatha Almond Butter warmed up

Madhavea raw honey

Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips

Simple Truth black chia seeds

Ready to stir all of the ingredients

Press the ingredients into a parchment paper -lined pan

Toasted coconut, chocolate, and chia granola bites ready to eat

Have you ever made your own granola bars? What do you like inside yours? Let me know in the comments!

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.

July 28, 2018 0

Fat Stack of Gluten-Free Pancakes With Enjoy Life Foods – Product Review, Recipe, & Giveaway – CLOSED

Yesterday and the day before were both dreary, overcast days in Michigan. I really needed a plateful of something to cheer me up. In times of need, we often turn to comfort food. Pancakes, for me, definitely fit the bill for that! I also decided to inject some color to them for added smiles! I have been opting for more gluten-free food products in my diet. I have been feeling a whole lot better both physically and mentally. I have been keeping track of my diet and I have come to the conclusion that gluten somehow affects my mood and I often feel run down and fatigued. So for now I am just doing my best to avoid it and keep my gluten intake at a minimal amount.

I am a big fan of Enjoy Life Foods products. I am currently obsessed with the dark chocolate chips and it is the only brand I buy now. They offer a line of gluten-free, vegan, products that are free from several other allergens (wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, casein, soy, egg, sesame, sulfites, lupin, mustard, fish, shellfish & crustaceans). Their products are created in an allergen-free facility. You can enjoy their foods with confidence that they will do your body good.

I tried out the Enjoy Life Foods pancake and waffle mix a couple times before and my daughter and I loved the finished product. They don’t hold up well for waffles but they do make a wonderful pancake. The taste of these pancakes was on point! I would never even know they were gluten-free because they taste just like regular pancakes.

I wanted to amp it up a bit so I swapped out the water and used Bolthouse Farms Unsweetened Plant Protein Milk instead. An 8 oz serving of this milk is a whopping 10 grams of protein. I also used a mashed banana in the mix to add in some fiber. A banana has approximately 3 grams of fiber.

I also added some Simple Truth natural food coloring to the pancake mix. I am not a fan of artificial dyes in my food so I wanted to give this a whirl. Unfortunately, the colors are not as vibrant as the artificial ones but they are still fun to eat. Next time I make these I will experiment more with the amount I use (probably needed to use more). The batter was colorful and bright but when the pancakes were cooked the color faded. Perhaps you will have more luck with the colors!

Stack of Enjoy Life Foods natural color pancakes with rainbow sprinkles

Now let’s get busy with the recipe!

37723362_10156514054359420_1377611683609968640_n — Products I used to make the banana protein Enjoy Life Foods pancakes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Enjoy Life Pancake & Waffle Mix
1 1/2 cups Bolthouse Farms Plant Protein Milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 mashed banana
Simple Truth Natural Food Color
Pure maple syrup (optional)
Candy Sprinkles (optional)

Bowls of the pancake mix with natural food color added

Simple Truth Natural Food Color

I was able to put 3 pancakes in the skillet

Recipe:

Prepare your batter by placing the mix, milk, and oil into the bowl and stir until no lumps remain.
Mash 1/2 of a ripe banana and then incorporate this into the mix.
Using 6 bowls, place a small amount of batter into each bowl and add food coloring to each bowl until you have red, orange (red & yellow combined), yellow, green (blue & yellow), blue, and purple (red & blue).
Warm up a tiny bit of coconut oil in a pan, just enough to give it a thin non-stick coating.
Place the batter into the skillet or griddle one color at a time. You may have to do a couple batches to get all 6 pancakes cooked. I used two large skillets simultaneously with 3 colors in each pan.
Cook the pancakes on a medium setting. Flip the pancakes when the edges are noticeably formed. After flipping continue cooking until thoroughly cooked.
Remove pancakes from pan and top with maple syrup and/or candy sprinkles. Enjoy!

Stack of Enjoy Life Foods natural color pancakes with rainbow sprinkles

Hope you enjoy this fun recipe for Enjoy Life Foods gluten-free pancakes! What Enjoy Life Foods product do you think you would enjoy? Check them out RIGHT HERE!

Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card so you can purchase some Enjoy Life Foods products!

CLICK HERE —> http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b7225bc83/?

Use the Store Locator to find Enjoy Life products near you.

You can purchase this pancake and waffle mix on Amazon.

You can find Enjoy Life Foods on the following social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I receive a commission if items are purchased through these links with no extra cost to you. I purchased these products and all opinions are my own.

July 23, 2018 46

Two Hiccups In The Kitchen In One Day

You know what? We eat our mistakes here. Sometimes you end up with a happy accident. Well, that happened today! There were two obstacles that I had to overcome in the kitchen today. It was one of those days where everything seems to go wrong but in the end, it turns out alright.
The first hiccup in the kitchen occurred during lunch. I used Enjoy Life Foods gluten free pancake/waffle mix and put some LivFit cacao powder in the mix to make chocolate waffles. I have been craving breakfast foods like crazy and I had a craving for some waffles.
I forgot to spray the waffle maker to make it nonstick sooooo…
Here are my chocolate [messy] waffles topped with Enlightened Red Velvet ice-cream. I was so lucky that I was able to salvage these waffles because they tasted incredible. It was my first time trying out this gluten-free waffle mix. Enjoy Life is free of many common allergens: wheat, dairy, soy, sulfites, peanuts, tree nuts, casein, egg, and more! That makes this mix vegan and paleo friendly!

36895073_10156483341224420_2261293714339004416_n — Chocolate Enjoy Life Waffles with Enlightened Red Velvet

36910223_10156483341339420_3575802978226929664_n — Enjoy Life Gluten Free Pancake/Waffle Mix and Enlightened Red Velvet

My daughter and I grabbed two forks and fought over every bite… it was that good! The presentation was not there but the flavor combo of the waffles with the ice-cream was on-point! And we also had to add a bit of maple syrup because a waffle is always deserving of that.

If you are looking for a healthy option for ice-cream look no further than to Enlightened! The entire pint of this particular flavor is only 280 calories and only 5g of net carbs. I will be doing a post in more detail soon about this product. The Red Velvet paired perfectly with the chocolate waffle. This flavor has a cream cheese frosting and chocolate flavor.

The second obstacle that happened was during the dinner hour. I was whipping up more breakfast food. Whenever I have breakfast for dinner I like to call it “brinner”. This time I was making some paleo-friendly French Toast with chia and flax seeds. I am trying to boost my fiber intake and adding those seeds really assists in some smooth moves. I also really enjoy paleo baking. I have this thing for making fresh, gluten-free breads. It brings me a lot of joy.

This particular recipe for the bread used coconut flour. I used a square baking dish and that gave me 4 nice, thick slices of bread to work with. The batter was egg-free and I used a mashed banana mixed with some unsweetened almond milk and cinnamon. I also made some caramelized bananas, using coconut sugar, to top the French Toast.

I had my bread baked and cooling on the countertop. My batter was prepped and prepared. The bananas were caramelized. All I needed to do was cook the slices that were dipped in batter. Then all of the sudden out of nowhere we experienced a power outage! It was totally unexpected because there was no inclement weather. I was a little bit freaked out at this point. How was I going to cook the rest of my dinner without any power? Thank goodness my hubby came home from work. We brainstormed and came to the conclusion that our best bet was to bust out the cast iron pan and finish “brinner” off on the grill outside. Genius plan! It totally worked too.

36998523_10156485192559420_5355657676460130304_n

36903181_10156485192634420_7275079677734027264_n

36905814_10156485192769420_1273205233417191424_n

36943762_10156483925024420_1991211988784513024_o

I am so happy to report that my little family of 3 enjoyed this meal. Each one of us joined the Clean Plate Club and were left wanting more. It was so delicious! Next time I make this dish I will be sure to have more bananas because those were like eating candy!

37000430_10156485192889420_8491919443985694720_n — Candied Banana Paleo French Toast

Cooking sure does require a lot of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Knowing what to do when things are not going your way is critical. My two problems in the kitchen turned out awesome in the end. So when you are cooking do not be discouraged if things are not going the way you intended them to.

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.

July 11, 2018 4

Healthy Hot List – Health Foods Your Pantry Needs

You might also love my: Greek Caulipower Pizza Recipe

Check out my: Primal Kitchen Lemon Turmeric Chicken

Find out how I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips in THIS RECIPE!

What health food items have you tried from this Healthy Hot List and what are your thoughts? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Save with these coupons!

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Cactus Pear Nice Cream Recipe

Cactus Pear Nice Cream RECIPE With Pomegranate & Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites

Final thoughts on the cactus pear nice cream recipe

You can read more about the Enjoy Life Foods Protein Bites on a previous blog post:

Have you ever tried vegan nice cream? How do you like to create yours? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Here are some other posts you will enjoy!

Want to find out more about Enjoy Life Foods?

Share this:

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They come in a variety of four flavors:

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Have you ever made your own granola bars? What do you like inside yours? Let me know in the comments!

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.

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Hope you enjoy this fun recipe for Enjoy Life Foods gluten-free pancakes! What Enjoy Life Foods product do you think you would enjoy? Check them out RIGHT HERE!

Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card so you can purchase some Enjoy Life Foods products!

CLICK HERE —> http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b7225bc83/?

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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.

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Disclaimer – The Fine Print

**Find out how I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips in THIS RECIPE!**