Category: Eating

Bai 5 is the newest addition to the “healthy drink alternatives” category and certainly worth checking out if you’re looking for a better beverage choice.

Bai 5 is made with coffee fruit, which is the juicy red covering that protects the coffee beans while they grow. However, Bai 5 does not taste anything like coffee. It’s fruity, sweet, and refreshing-more like a juice drink than coffee.

Coffee fruit is incredibly rich in antioxidants, containing more than blueberries, raspberries, or pomegranates. Antioxidants have been shown to fight free radicals that cause signs of aging, which is a plus because every woman wants to look as young as possible! Antioxidants also protect against heart disease and inflammatory skin problems.

Bai 5 is all-natural, low-glycemic, Kosher, GMO-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. It has just 5 calories and 1 gram of sugar per serving. However, Bai 5 does contain caffeine. It has 35 mg of caffeine per serving, which is roughly the same as a cup of green tea. This is enough to give you a bit of an energy boost without leaving you feeling anxious or jittery.

There are 10 different flavors of Bai 5 to choose from. I have not tried all of the different flavors yet, but Pomegranate is my favorite of the ones I’ve had a chance to sample. I had expected it to taste like Crystal Light or some sort of flavored water, but it tastes like a low-cal version of POM Wonderful.

I also really like the Tanzania Lemonade Tea, which tastes more like a glass of lemonade than iced tea.

Visit the Bai 5 website to learn more about the different Bai 5 flavors, locate products in a store near you, or to purchase online.

Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of preparing this review.

Photo credit: Bai 5

Don’t you hate it when fresh produce goes bad before you have a chance to enjoy it? If you’re looking for a way to ensure that your fruits and veggies stay as fresh as possible so you can get the most bang for your grocery buck, Food Huggers are a must.

Food Huggers are made of silicone and designed to create a tight seal that fits neatly around your leftover fruits and veggies. This means that if your child only wants half a grapefruit for lunch or your recipe only calls for half a tomato, you can pop a Food Hugger over the leftover portion and save it for later.

A set of four Food Huggers includes small, medium, large, and extra large sizes so they can be used with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. They can also be used as makeshift lids for tin cans or glass jars, if needed. If you frequently enjoy avocados, a set of two Avocado Huggers can be purchased separately.

I like Food Huggers because I don’t keep very many food storage containers on hand due to the fact that I have a very small kitchen. Since Food Huggers nest inside each other when not in use, they require next to no storage space. Over time, Food Huggers are also a more economical choice than constantly buying disposable plastic wrap or tin foil.

Visit the Food Huggers website to learn more or to purchase the product. Food Huggers recently dropped in price to $14.99 for a set of four. The Avocado Huggers sell for $9.99 for a set of two.

Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of preparing this review.

Photo credit: Food Huggers

If you’re trying to stay away from soda this summer, Third Street’s single serving premium ice teas are an excellent alternative.

Third Street’s summer beverage selection includes:

• Unsweetened Black
• Slightly Sweet Black
• Raspberry Black
• Peach Black
• Unsweetened Green
• Slightly Sweet Green
• Mint and Honey Green
• Half and Half Lemonade

Half and Half Lemonade is my favorite Third Street drink. I normally drink either green tea or lemonade, but this fusion of flavors was a treat for my taste buds.

Like the Third Street flavored teas, Half and Half Lemonade is sweetened with organic cane sugar for a fresh, homemade taste. However, it does have 140 calories per bottle, so it’s not something you’d want to drink all day long if you’re watching your weight.

My husband’s favorite Third Street drink was the Unsweetened Black Tea. Black tea offers several health benefits — including promoting a stronger immune system and a healthier digestive tract while lowering your risk of developing diabetes. Like the Unsweetened Green Tea, this Third Street product is also naturally calorie free.

All Third Street beverages are organic, Fair-Trade Certified, Gluten-Free Certified, and Non-GMO Verified. Tea leaves are hand picked from Nilgiri, India and then micro-brewed in Colorado.

Third Street beverages are packaged in recyclable glass bottles with fun animal print graphics. The single serve bottles are 14 oz., but select products are also available in one liter family size bottles. Visit the Third Street website for details.

Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of preparing this review.

Photo credit: Third Street

If you’re planning a tea party for your little princess, these teacup cupcake molds look like a fun finishing touch for your event.

The white cupcake molds are shaped like teacups and saucers. You can bake and serve the cupcake directly in the molds to make a special addition to any tea party celebration. I can see these molds being an adorable addition to an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party or an American Girl tea party where guests have tea with their favorite dolls.

There are four molds and saucers per box. They are made from food safe silicone. Hand washing is recommended, which is usually a good idea with most silicone baking molds.

The teacup cupcake molds are designed by Fred & Friends. This company is well known for making a variety of cute molds in various themes. I don’t own this particular product, but I’ve been pleased with other items I’ve purchased from the company in the past.

You can purchase the Fred & Friends teacup cupcake molds on Amazon for $15.99. They have a four star rating on the site, with several reviewers deducting points because the molds will stain if you overfill them and the cake batter bubbles over or if you forget to use cooking spray to coat the molds before filling them.

However, there are a few people who suggested baking cupcakes in regular cupcake liners and just plopping them into the molds before serving. Since I’m a bit of a messy baker myself, this is probably what I’d do.

What do you think of this item?

Photo credit: Amazon

If you’re a new tea drinker, or just looking for something different to add to your beverage selection, David’s Tea Fair Trade Collection is an excellent way to sample a wide variety of teas without breaking your budget.

The flavors included are:

• Organic Silk Dragon Jasmine
• Organic Buttered Rum
• Organic Cinnamon Rooibos Chai
• Organic Blood Orange Pu’erh
• Organic Lapsang Souchong Star
• Organic Pu’erh Ginger
• Organic La La Lemon
• Green and Fruity
• Fantasy Island
• Organic Green Rooibos
• Organic Guayusa
• Organic Rooibos

If you’re primarily drinking tea as an alternative to coffee, keep in mind that some of the teas are caffeine-free and some only have a small amount of caffeine. My favorite caffeine-free tea from the collection is the Organic Cinnamon Rooibos Chai. My favorite tea for when I need an energy boost is the Organic Guayusa.

All of the teas are Fair Trade certified, which means that they were ethically grown using environmentally responsible farming practices and that the farmers producing the tea were paid fair wages and enjoyed safe working conditions.

Each pound of Fair Trade certified tea that you buy also contributes to a special fund that is used to provide health care centers, scholarships, microloans, and retirement funds for the farming communities that grow your favorite teas.

As an added bonus, the packaging for this tea collection is adorable. The little tea tins can easily be used to store craft supplies or other small items when you are done. I ended up using my empty tea tins as containers for my homemade lip balm.

Visit the David’s Tea website to learn more or to purchase the Fair Trade Collection.

Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of preparing this review.

Photo credit: David’s Tea

Juice boxes may be convenient for you as a mom, but fruit juice is generally high in sugar and low in nutritional value. If you’re looking for a convenient yet healthy beverage for your child, consider Little Me Tea

Little Me Tea is a fruit, veggie, and tea blend that is low in sugar, completely organic, vegan, gluten free, and caffeine free. The 6.75 ounce juice boxes have no added sugar and contain just 6 grams of natural sugar per box.

Each box has just 25 calories, which is important because pediatricians agree that consuming too many calories from sweet drinks is a factor in the rise in childhood obesity. (As a point of comparison, a box of Juicy Juice has 100 calories and 22 grams of sugar.)

There are two Little Me Tea flavors: Julia’s Tropical Tea and Zane’s Grape Tea.

Julia’s Tropical Tea is made with apple, sweet potato, mango, orange, pineapple, carrot, white tea, rooibos tea, hibiscus extract, and chamomile extract. It’s sweeter and more like a traditional juice drink than Zane’s Grape Tea. This was the option my son prefered. He thought it tasted like a cross between orange juice and the iced tea my husband and I normally drink.

Zane’s Grape Tea is made with red grape, apple, carrot, sweet potato, white tea, rooibos tea, hibiscus extract, and chamomile extract. My son thought this tasted like watered down grape juice. When I tried a sip, I agreed that it’s not nearly as sweet as Julia’s Tropical Tea.

If you’re trying to coax a picky eater into making healthier choices, I imagine you’ll have better luck with Julia’s Tropical Tea. If you’ve already been watering down your child’s juice to cut sugar consumption, however, Zane’s Grape Tea will probably be a hit.

Little Me Tea is available at Whole Foods and Central Market throughout the United States. Visit the Little Me Tea website for details.

Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of preparing this review.

Photo credit: Little Me Tea

If you have any Star Wars fans in your home, homemade ice pops that look like light sabers are sure to be a popular treat!

This Star Wars glowing lightsaber ice pop maker lets you freeze any drink into clever lightsaber ice pops that are sure to please Star Wars fans of all ages. Each ice pop hilt (handle) has an LED light on it to light up the blade. The ice pops are six inches long and the hilts are five inches long.

To use the Star Wars glowing lightsaber ice pop maker, fill the molds with Kool Aid, fruit juice, or a fruit puree. Freeze the pops, then screw on the hilts and push the button to make the lightsabers light up. (Since the hilts have the LED lights, they should not be frozen.)

The components of the Star Wars ice pop maker are made from food safe plastic. The tray and inserts are dishwasher safe, but the hilts should just be wiped clean with a damp cloth to avoid damaging the power source.

As far as I can tell, the main drawback to this mold is that it only includes four saber hilts. You can make two Luke and two Vader ice pops at once, but that’s not nearly enough for a true Star Wars fan. Even with one child, I’m fairly certain I’d go through more than four ice pops a day. They’d be awesome party treats, but buying two or more sets would get expensive very quickly.

You can purchase the Star Wars glowing lightsaber ice pop maker on the Think Geek website for $34.99.

Photo credit: Think Geek

The next time you’re craving something sweet, I highly recommend picking up a package of BarkTHINS. These thin slivers of rich chocolate are easily snappable into perfect portion sizes.

Available flavors of BarkTHINs include:

• Dark Chocolate Almond
• Dark Chocolate Pretzel
• Dark Chocolate Mint
• Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed
• Blueberry Quinoa
• Milk Chocolate Peanut

The Dark Chocolate Almond, Dark Chocolate Mint, Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed, and Milk Chocolate Peanut flavors are gluten free, but Dark Chocolate Pretzel is not. All BarkTHINS are Non-GMO Project Verified and made without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. There is a 60-65% blend of cacao in all of the dark chocolate BarkTHINS flavors.

If you’re trying to be a socially conscious snacker, you’ll be pleased to hear that BarkTHINS are made with Fair Trade certified ingredients. The certification from Fair Trade USA means that the farmers who grow the cocoa beans used to make BarkTHINS are paid a fair wage, which lets them invest in their business and gain access to better education and healthcare for their families.

BarkTHINS are available at grocery stores nationwide, including select Whole Foods and Costco stores. All flavors come in a 4.7 ounce package size and there are about 3.5 servings per package. Visit the Ripple Brands website for details.

The Dark Chocolate Almond flavor is the only one I’ve had a chance to personally try yet, but it was seriously amazing. My sample arrived on a day I was having serious PMS-induced chocolate cravings and BarkTHINS turned out to be just what I needed. I’m not entirely sure I like the idea of Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the other flavors next time I’m grocery shopping.

Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of preparing this review.

Photo credit: BarkTHINS

If you need a morning pick-me-up and you’re not much of a coffee drinker, Runa’s guayusa herbal teas are an excellent alternative. Runa means “fully alive” or “fully living human being” in the indigenous Kichwa language of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Guayusa is the Amazonian cousin of yerba maté, a plant native to the Atlantic Rainforest in and around Argentina. Guayusa provides similar health benefits to yerba maté, but without the bitter taste. It is silky and clean with a sweet finish.

Guayusa has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, but twice the antioxidants of green tea. It’s also much less likely to cause the nervousness and jitters that some people get when drinking coffee.

The Ginger Citrus and Cinnamon Lemongrass Runa teas are my favorites. I love their fruity flavor and the energy boost they provide, since I’m really not a morning person and I hate the taste of coffee. I tried the tea bags, but Ginger Citrus and Cinnamon Lemongrass are also available in tins of loose leaf tea if this is your preferred brewing method.

Runa teas are kosher and certified organic. The Non-GMO Project verified Runa teas as non-GMO in September 2013.

From a social perspective, you’ll be happy to hear that Runa earned a Fair Trade certification from Fair Trade USA in February 2012. Runa teas help improve the lives of over 2,000 indigenous Amazon farmers. The company plants over 150,000 trees per year and invests over $20,000 per year in community development efforts through the Runa Foundation.

Visit the Runa website to learn more or to find a store that sells Runa teas near you.

Disclaimer: Product samples were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of preparing this review.

Photo credit: Runa