Wow, it has been a BUSY few weeks! SO, we are going to hit rewind and review several products that some lovely companies sent us over the last several days! First up:
RelaxZen & RelaxZen Night. These drinks are great because they are primarily vitamins: B6 & B12. I waited to try the RelaxZen until a day when I was feeling particularly stressed, as it is formulated to help you feel less stress and more calm. The flavor is not bad-kind of like an energy drink, but I actually liked it, and I don't like any other energy drinks. J really liked the flavor too, but didn't feel as much of a difference after drinking it. I felt more focused and calm for approximately 3 or 4 hours, which was amazing, because it was a CRAZY day at work. The only thing I didn't like about it was that I felt EXTREMELY tired when it wore off. Much like a caffeine crash. The RelaxZen Night drink was great too. It has vitamins, valerian, and chamomile, and I slept VERY well that night. Look for these products in your local airport-they are created to help those who dislike flying.
Next up to bat is the delightful
French Meadows Bakery of Eagan, MN.
The friendly folks of the FMB sent us a fantastic care package of samples to try and review. Included were a loaf of Hemp Bread, a sleeve of Sprouted Cinnamon-Raisin Bagels, a bag of Sprouted Grain Tortillas, and they tossed in a cute to-go coffee mug as well! FMB specializes in all-natural & organic ingredients, and they strive to make healthy food that is eco-friendly. I am not a huge fan of raisins, but J & my brother R both really loved the bagels. They said they were more chewy than the frozen kind, and tasted much better. J liked them best with a bit of strawberry cream cheese. :o) The tortillas were fantastic-I will be ordering these in the near future. I much preferred them to your average wheat or flour tortillas that are available at your local grocery store. As for the Hemp bread... I am sorry to say that I was not a fan. J & R tried it as well, and it was simply not for us. The package states that is fairly chewy, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but we just did not care much for the flavor. That being said, the rest of the products they sent were great, and we will be ordering from them in the near future.
Kettle Brand chips sent us two bags of their flavorful baked chips to try and review. We loved both flavors, and especially the fact that they contain 65% less fat!!! The chips had a great flavor, and we loved that they did not have too much seasoning. J preferred the Hickory Honey Barbeque, and I liked the Lightly Salted better. Layla preferred the Honey Barbeque as well. ;o) We will definitely be switching to these tasty snacks. It's pretty amazing the difference you can taste in each chip, when compared with Lay's or even Ruffles. You can tell that they are better for you, by the crispness and the flavor. Not your healthiest snack, but a step in the right direction.
Layla was not to be left out, and
Bing's Barkin' Bakery of NY was happy to send her a birthday cupcake!!! She absolutely loved it! BBB specializes in Gourmet Dog Treats, and are known as The Best Online Dog Bakery. Layla was thrilled with the peanut butter honey cake they sent her. It even came complete with a little candle! Adorb. Given her delight in consuming this tasty treat, I feel confident in giving it a big "Paws Up" from her. ;o) We'll def be ordering her treats through them going forward. The delivery was quick to arrive, and had instructions for refrigerating the cupcake upon receipt. I would recommend this bakery to ANYONE with friends of the four legged variety. As long as they're dogs. ;o)
Das Foods was a favorite treat this past week. They sent us a Lolli Sampler, Classic Caramel Petites, Chocolate Caramel Petites, and some of their gourmet Black Lava Salt to try and review. We were impressed with the creative lolli flavors: My favorite was the Salty Caramel, and J's was the Orange & Pomegranate. They sent several, and I took them to work to let my co-workers try. They were a hit! We were all curious about the Maple Bacon, but it was actually not bad at all! My boss, S, used to own a popular candy shop, and he was impressed with the texture of the caramels. He enjoyed the classic, especially the lavender notes, but felt that the chocolate could have been more pronounced. We tried the Black Lava salts on some steak and chicken that we cooked for dinner this week, and we really enjoyed the unique flavor. It reminded us of sea salt, but better. We gave Das foods RAVE reviews, and will be doing a bit of Christmas shopping with them! I received the closet organizing products from Real Simple magazine last week, but have been so busy I have yet to reorganize our closet! Rest assured, as soon as I have a few spare hours, that will be the next review! An update on our outdoor escape: NONE of our flowers have died!!! In fact, I have some lovely little shoots starting up from the wildflower seeds I planted a couple of weeks ago! Could it be that perhaps I'm developing a bit of a green in my black thumb? ;o)
The friendly folks of the FMB sent us a fantastic care package of samples to try and review. Included were a loaf of Hemp Bread, a sleeve of Sprouted Cinnamon-Raisin Bagels, a bag of Sprouted Grain Tortillas, and they tossed in a cute to-go coffee mug as well! FMB specializes in all-natural & organic ingredients, and they strive to make healthy food that is eco-friendly. I am not a huge fan of raisins, but J & my brother R both really loved the bagels. They said they were more chewy than the frozen kind, and tasted much better. J liked them best with a bit of strawberry cream cheese. :o) The tortillas were fantastic-I will be ordering these in the near future. I much preferred them to your average wheat or flour tortillas that are available at your local grocery store. As for the Hemp bread... I am sorry to say that I was not a fan. J & R tried it as well, and it was simply not for us. The package states that is fairly chewy, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but we just did not care much for the flavor. That being said, the rest of the products they sent were great, and we will be ordering from them in the near future. 
Kettle Brand chips sent us two bags of their flavorful baked chips to try and review. We loved both flavors, and especially the fact that they contain 65% less fat!!! The chips had a great flavor, and we loved that they did not have too much seasoning. J preferred the Hickory Honey Barbeque, and I liked the Lightly Salted better. Layla preferred the Honey Barbeque as well. ;o) We will definitely be switching to these tasty snacks. It's pretty amazing the difference you can taste in each chip, when compared with Lay's or even Ruffles. You can tell that they are better for you, by the crispness and the flavor. Not your healthiest snack, but a step in the right direction.
