Must-Have Healthy Food Products (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo, Whole 30, or Keto) Healthy Hot List – Part 2

Welcome to another installment of the Healthy Hot List! This is now a regular feature over here at Give It A Whirl Girl. There are health food items everywhere I look nowadays. People are focusing on health and wellness and fueling their bodies with healthy and nutritious foods. This is where I break down those must-have health food items that you just gotta try.

Some I have tried and I can vouch that they are great, while others are just sitting around on my Amazon wishlist waiting to be swept up and brought over here. I also added a few supplements to this list, two of which I have tried, and another that I want to give a whirl.

You can read Part One of the Healthy Hot List HERE

Healthy Hot List Part 2 – Must-Have Health Food Products

Vanilla Bean Grass-Fed Ghee Butter by 4th & Heart, Pasture Raised, Non-GMO, Lactose-Free, Certified Paleo, Keto-Friendly

Want to take your next baking project up a notch? Why not try out 4th & Heart Vanilla Bean Ghee Butter in your next recipe? When I think of great ghee this brand here certainly comes to mind. The wonderful thing about this ghee is that it is spreadable and does not require any refrigeration. Ghee is a clarified butter with milk solids removed so there is nothing here that will spoil. Available in chocolate too!

Nutpods Variety 3-Pack, Unsweetened Dairy-Free Creamer, Whole30, Paleo, Keto, Non-GMO & Vegan, for Coffee, Tea & Cooking, made from almond and coconut

Move over dairy coffee creamers that are laden with sugar and calories! Nutpods is my new favorite coffee cream. These are unsweetened and taste rich and smooth in my coffee. Each 1 tablespoon serving is a mere 10 calories and ZERO grams of sugar. Nutpods are made with coconut cream, almonds, and other natural flavors.

CAULIPOWER Paleo Cauliflower Pizza Crusts, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Non-GMO, Lower Carb (4 Crusts)

I bought myself a Caulipower paleo crust for a Greek pizza this week. I am excited to work with this blank canvas gluten-free crust. You can read my veggie pizza review: HERE. What a time it is to be alive with a cauliflower pizza crust that takes the place of regular pizza crust so well. The veggie pizza that I tried had a great crisp crust. No soggy cauliflower there. I have a great feeling that this paleo crust will by a go-to product for my next pizza concoction.

Rao’s Tomato Basil Sauce

I have been hearing a lot about this brand of pasta sauce. This marinara from Rao’s contains only pure and natural simple ingredients and Italian tomatoes. I will say that it seems to be a bit on the pricey side but if you are looking for a high-quality sauce for your next Italian dinner look no further than to Rao’s.

No tomato blends, paste, water, starches, filler, colors or added sugar. (source)

Rao's Homemade Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce — Rao’s Homemade Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Primal Kitchen – Avocado Oil-Based Mayo, Garlic Aioli, 12 oz, Gluten and Dairy Free, Whole30 and Paleo Approved

I just used this Primal Kitchen Garlic Aioli Mayo last night to whip up one hell of a tasty tuna salad with some sundried tomatoes in it! This was my first time using this mayo (I have used the regular one previously) and I love the added garlic flavor in this. Primal Kitchen takes pride in only using all natural and pure ingredients in their food. This mayo is the first avocado oil-based of its kind.

A creamy combination of garlic, lemon, and cage-free eggs, this savory mayonnaise spread is infused with real food ingredients and uncompromisingly delicious taste. (source)

You can save on your order at Primal Kitchen with my special Primal Kitchen coupon code

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Birch Benders Pancake & Waffle Mix Health Variety Pack, Gluten Free, Protein, Paleo, Pack of 3

Awesome pancake mix alert right over here! I have used Birch Benders to whip up some delicious and fluffy chocolate chip pancakes recently. Their mix is one of my go-to brands and I am always happy with how these pancakes turn out. This particular brand has great reviews on Amazon, and for a great reason, they are fantastic!

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix, 16-ounce (Pack of 4)

Bob’s Red Mill is a brand that I rely upon heavily for quality products. I have tried several in their line and have never felt let down. This Wonderful Bread Mix is gluten-free and results in a wonderful, fluffy loaf of bread. Considering the fact that this bread is gluten-free, it does a great job of mimicking regular whole grain bread. You can read more about this bread mix on my two posts on the blog: HERE and HERE.

Bob's Red Mill Wonderful Bread Mix — Bob’s Red Mill Wonderful Bread Mix

Garden of Life Kombucha – Vitamin Code Raw Dietary Supplement with Probiotics and B Complex, Vegan, 60 Capsules

This supplement by Garden of Life is something that I recently came across that intrigued me. Drinking kombucha gets expensive when you add up all of those bottles. This supplement has all of the healthy gut benefits that you will find in kombucha and it comes in capsule form. This supplement is great for boosting energy and your immune system.

Purely Inspired 7-Day Cleanse, Flush Excess Waste, 42 Count Cleanse Supplement

This is a product I have actually tried quite a few times. Without going into too much detail or getting graphic, this gentle cleanse by Purely Inspired will release any backed up waste that you are walking around with and storing in your body. I take my capsules and in the evening I am ready to go! This product never gave me diarrhea but it sure did clean me out after a week of taking the capsules.

Purely Inspired 7 Day Cleanse Supplement

NatureWise Whole Food Multivitamin for Women | Whole Foods Complex with Vitamins & Minerals for Healthy Heart, Bones, Hair & Nails | Brain Health, Focus & Memory Boost with Cognizin Citicoline | 60 ct

I have tried several multivitamins that are on the market today and so far this one by NatureWise has been my favorite. I felt my best while taking this. The main thing that sucked me into purchasing this multivitamin was that it supports brain health. The older I get, the more brain fog I am getting. This supplement did seem to improve mental focus and did give me a boost in energy. I did not have any ill side effects while taking this and it was gentle on my stomach.

Naturewise Multivitamin & Minerals Supplement

Have you tried any of the health food products on this list? What health food item do you want to try out?

Leave me a comment and let me know.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a health or medical professional. This content is for entertainment purposes only and not to be taken as any medical advice. Please consult with your doctor before taking supplements if you have any health concerns. I am not responsible for any side-effects that may occur from supplements and vitamins listed here.

Curious about ButcherBox? Read my ButcherBox review HERE.

Want to learn more about Kettle & Fire? Check out my Kettle & Fire review HERE.

September 29, 2018 0

Sacred Springs Kombucha REVIEW – Take A Sip! Your Gut Will Thank You

Today I would like to introduce you to a line of kombucha that was birthed in my home state of Michigan. This kombucha is brought to you by Sacred Springs. I actually ordered all five flavors from Shipt but one flavor was out of stock… boo! I will be honest here, I am a huge sucker for labeling and packaging. If a label draws me in enough I will purchase that product and bring it home with me. I have had my eye on this kombucha for awhile, particularly the Root Of Life bottle with the bearded man. Maybe his eyes mesmerized me? Whatever it was, it worked!

First things first, what is kombucha and why you should try it

Chances are you have heard about kombucha by now. It seems to be all the rage these days in the world of healthy living. Kombucha is a fermented tea (with sugar) that is full of good bacteria for your gut and probiotics. This can all strengthen your immune system, give you energy and focus, and also give you a boost in overall health.

When I first tried kombucha I will always remember it. I had no idea what it was when I bought it. It was GT’S Raspberry Chia and I bought it at Whole Foods. I was sitting out on the patio with my daughter and we gave it a whirl. At first, I was totally turned off by the vinegar-like taste. I just could not drink it. I do believe that like many things in life, kombucha is an acquired taste. I believe that once you get through your first couple of bottles and begin to experience all of the wonderful health benefits, you will be craving a bottle daily. That’s where I’m at right now!

Kalmbucha

The first flavor that I tried out was the one with holy basil. This one is called Kalmbucha. This one was very light tasting and easy to drink for me. There are a lot of kombucha haters out there (I know because I used to be one) and I feel that anyone could enjoy this particular flavor. Holy basil is known to bring balance to your life and even you out. It truly did have a calming effect that swept over me.

Flower of Life

The second kombucha that I went for was the Flower Of Life. This bottle has a beautiful red hue to it, making it somewhat irresistible to me. This drink has a beautiful mix of the following flavors: jasmine flowers, hibiscus, rose hips, elderflowers and elderberries. This one can be best described as a little sweet and a little sour. So if you are into sweet & sour this one might be your jam! I really enjoyed this flavor and I felt great after drinking it.

Root of Life

The third one that I consumed was called Root of Life and this is the one with the label that I was head over heels in love with. This one is infused with a heavy taste of beets and also a blend of ginger and turmeric. When they created this flavor it was akin to winning the lottery. The combination of flavors is just BAM!! If you love beets as much as I do you will really enjoy drinking this one. This one had a ton of fizz to it too, which I love! That’s when I know I have a potent kombucha.

Tzintzer Trifecta

This kombucha is all about the ginger. Ginger is one of those elements that definitely has a zing to it. Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants, can even out blood sugar, promote weight loss, and is also hydrating. I am a big fan of ginger so this flavor won me over.

Use the handy store locator to find out where you can grab each and every one of these! CLICK HERE to find out where you need to go. If you are in Michigan or Ohio you are in luck because that is where Sacred Springs can be found. Hopefully, in the future, this can be found nationwide because I feel that everyone should get on board with this brand.

Have you ever tried kombucha? What are your thoughts on it? Leave me a comment and let me know what is on your mind when you hear the word, “KOMBUCHA”.

August 19, 2018 0

Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker Easy-To-Do Healthy Popsicles Made At Home – REVIEW + RECIPE

Summer may be winding down here but when is it ever a bad idea to enjoy a homemade frozen treat? Never! Making my own popsicles at home is a new venture for me. I have dilly-dallied around with making my own ice-cream on occasion and found that to be a fun experience. Making homemade popsicles is an easy treat to prepare and I can even have my 8-year-old daughter, Chloe help me out with this project. In this post I will be discussing the Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker.

Kombucha popsicle with passion fruit and blueberries

Zoku has a product line that includes popsicle-making kits. I had the opportunity to try out the Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker and also the Zoku Character Kit. You can enjoy your homemade popsicles in as little as 7-8 minutes. In order for this to work, you must place the Quick Pop Maker (the inner core) in the freezer overnight. Once this has been in the freezer for at least 8+ hours you pour your desired juice into the popsicle maker with the popsicle stick in place. It is so wonderful to have a product like this so you can conveniently whip up a tasty frozen treat in a matter of minutes. Need a healthy dessert? No problem! Having this quick and easy device on hand will produce that nutritious dessert that you desire.

Check out the video below to see how simple the Quick Pop Maker is to use!

The Zoku Character Kit includes several stencils that you use with sliced fruit to make fun faces on your popsicles. Honestly, we found this quite difficult to do because the popsicle opening is not very wide and fruit needs to be razor thin in order for it to be placed inside.

You start out by using the stencils on your fruit. You then apply the cutouts to the face plate. The next step is to place the frozen Quick Pop Maker on the stand and insert face place. Press the face plate up against the top side of the mold and hold for 15-30 seconds. You then remove the face plate and pour in your favorite fruit juice after you put the popsicle stick into position. Allow the pops to freeze for at least 8 minutes.

My favorite pop that I created was made by using fresh passion fruit and also a bit of Juice From The Raw‘s Passion Fruit Cleanser juice. Making that particular pop is simple and easy. What I did was scooped the guts out of the passion fruit and placed it on the little green board (faceplate) and then inserted it inside the pop maker (while pop maker is in vertical position) and pressed the board up for 30 seconds to get the fruit in place. After your fruit is inside the pop maker place the pop maker in an upright position, place the popsicle stick in place, and then gently and carefully pour the juice inside. There is a fill line inside of the pop maker. I can not stress this enough but do not let your juice contents go above that fill line because you will have a very difficult time removing that pop. I had my juice go very very slightly above that fill line and ran into a problem removing it.

Kevita Kombucha Blueberry Passion Fruit Popsicle

The wonderful thing about the Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker is how versatile it is when it comes to ingredients. The possibilities are endless and all rely on your imagination. We made a popsicle with Kevita Raspberry Lemon Kombucha and we also made a protein pop with Svelte French Vanilla Protein Shake.

Final Thoughts

My overall opinion of the popsicle maker was that it was a little finicky to get it to work properly. There is a learning curve to this. It takes a lot of trial and error to get the popsicle to come out correctly. We were not successful at producing a popsicle with a fun face with the character kit. I just could not get the fruit sliced thin enough to go into the cavity. However and despite all of this it was very fun to use and a fascinating project for my daughter to work on. Teamwork and creativity resulted in some tasty frozen treats!

You can find out more about Zoku on their social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

If you feel inclined to give this a whirl I have added the links to these items. They can all be found on Amazon.

DISCLAIMER: Zoku sent me these products to review. All opinions stated here are my own. This is my honest review. Also, this post contains Amazon affiliate links. I receive a small commission if items are purchased through those links.

August 9, 2018 0

Kiwano Horned Melon For Tried It Out Tuesday!

Kiwano Horned Melon - REVIEW - Tried It Out Tuesday

Yesterday I had a $25 credit for Instacart so I decided to hurry up and spend it right away. I have no control over myself when it comes to having money for food. I spend, spend, spend. I live for the thrill of trying new foods out. My game plan yesterday was to use my credit to stock up on not only healthy foods BUT adventurous foods as well. I ended up getting a kiwano horned melon! What?? Keep reading to learn more!

In the photo above you can see the small haul that I acquired from Meijer. I usually avoid the Meijer near our house because of the long checkout lanes as opposed to the speedy service at Kroger that is right across the street. However, Meijer does carry quite a bit of food that is not available at Kroger. Since I had the credit to get food delivered to my home and avoid the checkout lines altogether, I placed my order with Meijer.

I ended up with 6 bottles of Kevita Kombucha. They had a promo where you could get free delivery if you purchased $20+ of this line of beverages. I love kombucha anyway and it is a nice treat for me to have some in my fridge so I figured I would load up on that to waive the $10 delivery fee.

I also stocked up on exotic fruits. Dragonfruit is a very rare treat for me because of the high cost. My daughter has been begging me to get one so I did. I also got a passionfruit, starfruit, papaya, kiwi, and last but not least~ a kiwano horned melon (see photo below).

I have always wondered about this fruit. It is a bright orangish-yellow color and it covered with little spikes. It actually looks quite intimidating with the spikes all over it. I had to do a little research on this fruit before I bought it. I wanted to know what I was getting myself into. I basically just wanted to make sure it was something I could cut into with ease. I have an issue with mangoes. To me, they are very difficult to cut. The kiwano horned melon was easy peasy though with just one long slice down the middle length-wise.

So what on Earth does this look like inside? Check out the photo below.

The inside of a kiwano horned melon is certainly unusual. Was not really expecting the insides to look like green slime but that is what it resembles most~ slime! There are also a ton of seeds inside, which are edible. My 8-year-old daughter, Chloe, and I got brave and decided to give it a whirl. I scooped out the guts with a spoon and put it inside of a bowl. We ate it like a soup. It had a very faint taste of citrus. We were expecting much more flavor than it delivered so it was a bit of a letdown.

The kiwano horned melon has quite a few health benefits that may make it worth eating. It is packed with antioxidants. It can also help improve cognitive function, heart health, weight loss (boosts metabolism), improve vision (lots of vitamin A), and it can also aid in digestion (contains a great amount of dietary fibers).

Would I ever purchase this fruit again?

The answer to that is no. This melon is quite pricey coming in at about $5 a melon (at Meijer). The price was worth it, to me, for the experience of trying it but the flavor was so bland and the slimy texture with all of those seeds in there was not very palatable. Also, I am not sure how this food would be used in any type of recipe. It is not versatile at all. So if you enjoy eating a bowl of bland slime the kiwano horned melon just might make your day.

On the other hand, I asked my daughter if she would want me to purchase this again and she told me that she would love to have it again. She describes the taste of the kiwano horned melon as, “sweets slime”. A future foodie in the making? Considering that she is only 8 years old, I think she is definitely an adventurous eater.

Have you ever tried the kiwano horned melon? What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment below.

If you are interested in trying out Instacart service you can claim $10 off your first order with the code: KRIPLEY1051BA

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS (no extra cost to you). ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

July 17, 2018 5

Tag: kombucha