In My Bag » food

Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce

Jenn — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:28:54 +0000

Once upon a time, the only condiment I would put near my meat was ketchup. I had nothing on my fast food sandwiches except for cheese and ketchup; at Chinese restaurants I ate nothing but sweet & sour chicken (without the sauce) and white rice; and at Mexican restaurants I’d have tortilla chips and a grilled cheese sandwich. But as I’ve aged, and especially since having weight loss surgery a little over two years ago and thus being much more picky about what I put in my body (space is limited, you know!), I’ve branched out. Now I’m all about all sorts of seasonings and spices and sauces.

The right kind of sauce can really make a huge difference in a meat’s juiciness, tenderness, and all-around flavor. I’ve read some really good reviews of Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce, so I was definitely excited when the company offered to send me a few bottles to review. Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce comes in several flavors: Original, Spicy, Honey Habanero, and Apple Chipotle. We received the Original flavor, which is perfect for adding flavor to or even marinating all sorts of meats in – chicken, beef, pork, fish. You name it, it can be jazzed up with Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce. Check out the dozens of Country Bob’s recipes for main entree, side, and appetizer recipes; or use your own creativity to come up with a great-tasting dish.

We have used Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce on steaks, steak sandwiches, hamburgers, grilled chicken, even on French fries! Recently I made meatloaf following Country Bob’s meatloaf recipe (though I used ground venison instead of ground beef, and I added some ketchup and a pinch of ground mustard) – delicious! Even my super-picky five year old son cleared his plate, and asked for seconds!

Needless to say, Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce is a huge hit in our household. We’ve quickly gone through two of the three bottles, and it won’t be long before we’ll be purchasing more. If you love steak sauce and barbeque sauce, then you’ll love the zest and excellent flavors that Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce can provide you with.

Follow Country Bob’s on Facebook and Twitter.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Disclosure: Country Bob’s provided me with free products in exchange for my honest opinion.

Buddy Fruits

Jenn — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:41:52 +0000

What child doesn’t like fruit snacks? Both of my children have loved fruit snacks since their very first taste of them, which was when they were toddlers and I offered them toddler-appropriate fruit snacks. What I loved about those fruit snacks is that they were packed with real fruit. These days, most childrens’ fruit snacks are nothing more than sugar, food coloring, and artificial flavoring.

Then there are Buddy Fruits. Unlike so many other types of fruit snacks, Buddy Fruits are a type of fruit snack that are actually made out of fruit. In fact, each pouch of Buddy Fruits contains 100% fruit – no additives or artificial substitutions. The story behind Buddy Fruits is an awesome one: a French family traveling across America were on a quest to find fruit pouches, similar to those that are so popular in France, for their children; and they were unable to, so they decided to create their own!

Buddy Fruits are especially awesome because they are available in three different forms: Pure Blended Fruits (fruit juice in a squeezable, collapsable pouch); Pure Fruit Bites (soft fruit snacks); and Blended Milk & Fruit (fruit smoothie). All sound appealing to me, but I have a feeling that my children would like the Pure Fruit Bites most – and that’s exactly what Buddy Fruits sent us to review.

My friend’s daughter was at our house the weekend that we “reviewed” Pure Fruit Bites. They were an instant hit – of the available flavors, pomegranate and orange seem to be the most favored. We made sure to try them all, and each definitely tasted deliciously fruity and natural.

Buddy Fruits have definitely found a permanent home in our snack cabinet. 100% fruit-containing treats that my children like and want to eat – what’s not to love? Want to provide your children with a nutritious and delicious treat? You can buy Buddy Fruits online, or use the Where to Buy section to find a local retailer.

Follow Buddy Fruits on Facebook and Twitter.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Disclosure: Buddy Fruits provided me with a free product in exchange for my honest opinion.

Market Pantry Diced Grilled Chicken Breast

Jenn — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:20:05 +0000

Lately I’ve been on a salad kick, and one thing I like to add to my salad is bits of cut up or diced chicken. Forget flavor, the addition of chicken means additional protein, which is very important for me, a post-op gastric bypass patient. So anyway, when I saw that Target carries Market Pantry Diced Grilled Chicken Breast, I went for it. The chicken is already pre-cooked, and can be heated up in a skillet or in the microwave – your choice. This was especially appealing to me, as it’s nice to have the opportunity to quickly throw together a meal.

Unfortunately, Target’s Market Pantry Diced Grilled Chicken Breast turned out to be a bust. Whether it’s cooked on the stove or in the microwave, the chunks of chicken come out chewy, slightly rubbery in texture, some had a bit of gristle on them, and the flavor was bland, and almost slightly off, as if the meat itself were sub-par or old.

While a great product in theory, and at a great price, in reality Target’s Market Pantry Diced Grilled Chicken Breast isn’t a high- or even mid-quality item, and not one I will purchase again.

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

Inspire Protein Powder – Ice Cream Sandwich

Jenn — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:27:45 +0000

One necessary evil in a post-op bariatric patient’s life is protein. Prior to weight loss surgery, it was easy for us post-ops to get enough protein from meat, cheese, eggs and other sources. But after weight loss surgery, there’s no way we can consume enough protein-rich foods to get enough protein in a single day. I’ve never tried or sat down and figured out an exact calculation, but I’d estimate that it would take a post-op bariatric patient three to four days to eat the quantity of food required to get just one day’s worth of protein.

So obviously, protein supplements in the form of powders and special drinks are not just recommended, they’re required. But most of them suck. Believe me, I’ve tried. However, I have finally stumbled across one protein powder that doesn’t just provide a lot of protein in a small amount, but also tastes good! That magic, almost too good to be true product is none other than Inspire Protein Powder in the Ice Cream Sandwich flavor.

Just one scoop (35mg) of this protein powder provides 30g of protein, and requires only four ounces of water or milk (I recommend milk for a creamier taste, and an extra 4g of protein!) to mix (whereas most standard protein powder supplements require a minimum of 8-10oz worth of water or milk).

And the taste? Awesome! It really does taste like a liquid ice cream sandwich. There’s a very slight aftertaste from the protein itself, but that’s to be expected, and compared to the aftertaste of other protein powders I’ve tried, this one is pretty much non-existent.

So there you go – a protein powder that you won’t just tolerate, but enjoy!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Archer Farms Taco Seasoned Dip

Jenn — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:33:00 +0000

If you like all things related to Mexican food, especially tacos and nachos, but you’re watching your weight (and perhaps are on the cusp of throwing in the towel and purchasing best weight loss pills), stay far, far away from Archer Farms Taco Seasoned Dip. This dip is amazing, and oh so creamy… and oh so bad for you! Sure, two tablespoons worth has a mere 80 calories, but the fat content is INSANE – those same two tablespoons have 8g worth of fat! For a post-op gastric bypass person such as myself, that is over 25% of what I should be consuming in a day. Ergh.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Tasty Twisters Frozen Soft Philly Pretzels

Jenn — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:37:01 +0000

I am from Philadelphia. I grew up there, and didn’t move away until I was a teenager. One of my fondest memories of Philadelphia food is the pretzels. Nothing beats an authentic Philly soft pretzel! So when I saw that Tasty Twisters was selling frozen Philly soft pretzels in packs of 3 for $3.99, I decided to try them out.

Ultimately, they suck. They’re doughy, and have that “spongy” feel to them that other brands of soft pretzels have. In short, nothing beats an authentic, straight-off-the-streets-of-Philadelphia soft pretzel.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

New Whey Liquid Protein Shots

Jenn — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:32:46 +0000

Nothing comes without a price. And in this case, taking in a large amount of protein — 42g worth, to be exact — without having to drink a lot of liquids or consume a large amount of food, isn’t done easily. You see, the New Whey Liquid Protein Shots may be terrific because they deliver a whopping 42g worth of protein in just 3.1oz of liquid, but the downside is that liquid is syrupy in consistency, and worse still, absolutely terrible tasting.

Now, I have a relatively strong stomach, and over the past year have learned to like or at least tolerate many sources of good protein, including protein shakes, protein bars, and certain kinds of fish. But there is just something about New Whey Liquid Protein Shots that are hard for me to swallow — literally. I battle my gag reflex every time.

But honestly, it’s worth it for the amount of protein that these shots deliver.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars