Scrutiny by the Masses

Get an Authentic Taste of Greek Tradition with Olympus Authentic Greek Strained Yogurt

I was provided with samples of Olympus Authentic Greek Strained Yogurt to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions expressed here are my own.

We eat a lot of yogurt in our house. With eight different sets of taste buds, as well as varying levels of nutritional needs, it can be a stretch to try to find a variety that will please everyone. Greek yogurt is a personal favorite of mine - it's thick, rich consistency and higher levels of protein mean that I will be less likely to be hungry within ten minutes of eating it. One of the problems with many brands of Greek Yogurt sold at the grocery is the high amounts of sugar - and this can be difficult to avoid. Not so with Olympus Authentic Greek Strained Yogurt, which is actually from Greece.

Olympus Dairy International,  the largest organic dairy manufacturer in Greece and one of only five companies worldwide that produce Grade A all-natural yogurt, is importing their authentic strained Greek yogurt to the US. Olympus Greek Strained yogurts also contain a high amount of protein, is available in 0% and low fat options, and many people who have lactose sensitivities find Greek yogurt easier to digest, as it is naturally lower in lactose.

That's all very well and good - but how does it taste?

In a word - delicious. And unlike any other Greek yogurt that I've tried. I was provided with an assortment of flavors, many of which contained real fruit, as opposed to a sugary jelly mixture - and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every flavor I sampled. I was also sent a sample of Feta Cheese as well as Goat cheese, and both products crumpled nicely and had good flavor. My mother termed the Goat Cheese "absolutely delicious" and wondered if I'd find her a local grocery that carries it.

Olympus is committed to always providing an authentic Greek yogurt that gives you a true taste of Greek tradition with every bite. The rich velvety texture is proud to be all-natural, non-GMO and Kosher, offering Plain, Honey, Blueberry, Vanilla, Cherry, Peach, Strawberry and Lemon flavors.

My particular favorite was the Cherry, followed closely by the Vanilla. Would you like to try Olympus Authentic Strained Greek Yogurt for yourself? One lucky winner will be provided with coupons for free cups - to enter, please tell me the flavor you are most interested to try!

Nakano Seasoned Vinegars

This is a compensated post. I was provided with a bottle of Nakano seasoned vinegar and a gift card to purchase the ingredients. The opinions expressed are my own.

I love to cook. It's therapy for me, and I'm committed to serving my family healthy, nutritious meals. (Well, there usually is some chocolate cake around the house, but you can't possibly hold that against me. I have teenage girls. Plural.)

Nakano seasoned vinegars are all natural, low calorie, non fat, gluten free and have no preservatives.  Oh-and they have 50% less sodium then their competition! They really look good on paper, but, often things that look good on paper don't taste so good. (Shirtaki noodles, anyone??)

From their press information: Splash Nakano’s Seasoned Rice Vinegar on everything from salads and vegetables to meats and more. There are seven varieties, and each enhances the flavor of food without overpowering it. Their light, tangy taste adds zest and flavor without adding fat.

I'm happy to say that, indeed - these vinegars live up to their hype. They were indeed flavorful and light, and sprinkled on fried fish, really brought the flavor to light. I was sent the Italian Herb flavor, and used it to make one of the enclosed recipes, Penne with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese. YUM! I followed some of the other recommendations and was happy with each and every use. In fact, I purchased two other varieties, the Roasted Garlic and the Balsamic Blend.

Nakano Quick Tips:

• Splash on sliced fresh tomatoes
• Splash on green leafy salads
• Mix with oil and splash over salad
• Stir into cole slaw
• Toss into bean salads
• Splash on hot veggies
• Splash on grilled, baked or roasted potatoes
• Season chicken or beef stir-fires
• Splash on white or brown rice
• Splash on pasta dishes

One lucky reader will win their own bottle of Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar, a $25 Visa Giftcard and a coupon/recipe booklet. To enter, please leave a comment, detailing the way you'd like to try this incredible, delicious and versatile vinegar.

Contest will be open until 11:59 p.m. August 20, 2010. Winner will be chosen via random.org and has 24 hours to get back to me.

Sea Cuisine - Yay or Nay?

I received a very interesting offer in my email a few weeks ago.  A company offered to send me fish. 

I know, right?  Fish.

The promo material began: High Liner Foods’ newest line of products Sea Cuisine, offers the at-home cook restaurant quality seafood at home—and on a budget.  This line of products that were developed by our in-house executive chef, Owen Tilley, who has left the life of high end restaurants to come on board and develop this recipe.

Yes, ok.  Fish is not one of my favorite items, but my kids, husband and mother like it.  So I agreed to try it, and I received a package packed in ice.  I was skeptical, but when I opened the box the fish packets were frozen solid - so I took the chance and baked it.

And what was the end result?

Before, sitting down with a plate of food:

And, after tasting that same food?

The fish fillets were large, not pieced together.  The Parmesan crusted Tilapia was a big hit with my kids, and my mom and husband both loved the Potato crusted Cod.  The flavors were true and the coatings didn't overwhelm the fish but instead enhanced it. It cooked quickly and would make a great quick dinner - and served with a fresh veggie and fruit would be a very healthy choice indeed. The entire line consists of shrimp, salmon, cod and tilapia offerings.  The coconut shrimp looks amazing and it's HIGH on my list of future purchases. I'd like my kids to eat more fish - after all, it's AMAZINGLY good for you and wonderful brain food - it's just time consuming and, let's face it, a touch smelly to prepare. I like that Sea Cuisine has made this just a bit easier for me.

Thanks for the offer, Sea Cuisine.  I highly recommend this product, especially seeing as it's sold in grocery stores right near my house. It makes a much better quick dinner on soccer night(s) dinner than peanut butter sandwiches.

Let's Talk...Period

Did you know that 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year? If you didn’t, chances are neither do the women in your circle or your readers.

In accordance with their mission to educate women, Seventh Generation has teamed up with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) to dedicate one day where women would start talking about ovarian cancer and to try to raise much need donations to help educate women on the signs of ovarian cancer.

They’ve created “Let’s Talk… Period” Day and a website, www.LetsTalkPeriod.com where they’re encouraging people to log on September 1st. When you register your email address, Seventh Generation will make a $1 donation to the OCRF, with an overall donation of $22,000 representing the women that will be diagnosed this year. The website has information on ovarian cancer signs, symptoms, risk factors and prevention, because the best way of prevention is through education.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and we’re hoping that this campaign will get you and other women talking. As a thank you for participating, Seventh Generation will give each registrant a coupon for their organic cotton tampons that are not bleached with chlorine, free of rayon and don’t contain added perfumes or dyes.

You can also enjoy these videos - I really recommend the comedienne in particular!

“Let’s Talk…Period” Videos

Woman on the Street: Find Out What’s In a Conventional Tampon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-CT_PgVHgI

Dr. Alan Greene discusses organic cotton tampons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L79y6gkefso

Comedienne Jessica Bern, channels Aunt Flo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ml4-L-1-o

Comedienne Josie Leavitt, talks about tampons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2vJT9GCwfA

Follow Up Answers From Campbell's

The kind, gracious, very witty and oh so beautiful Juli Mandel-Sloves, Senior Manager for the Nutrition and WellnessCommunications, has been kind enough to answer the questions that you all ask, pertaining to gluten free products and their use of High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Below please to find her responses:

Gluten Free:
 
At Campbell we have compiled a task force to review our product ingredients one by one to make absolutely certain that only those we can confirm are gluten free are put on our list for our Consumer Response Information Center.  Some items that may have been listed previously could have been removed for further consideration to be 100% certain.  At this time we do not certify our products as Gluten Free.  However we do compile a list for consumer inquiries once our review process is complete.  The most recent list is attached.  Our Consumer Response Information Center is currently working with bloggers to provide this list in response to inquiries.
 
In terms of why certain products are made with modified food starches, the answer is that these starches provide texture to certain recipes.  Each of our recipes is hand crafted, which explains why some contain food starches while others do not.  What works in a broth based soup is different from what works in a cream-based soup.  We do not make private label products.
 
HFCS:
 
At Campbell we are aware that people sometimes prefer to purchase foods without certain ingredients.  We have a wide portfolio of products and it's likely that in that portfolio you will find a product that meets your taste and lifestyle needs.  High fructose corn syrup is a safe ingredient that is commonly used by Chefs and those in the food industry.  We have reviewed the research and find that HFCS is metabolized by the body in the same way as sugar.  In fact, the American Medical Association has recently come out with a statement that HFCS is treated no differently than sugar by the body. 
 
For those that prefer foods without HFCS, they will find many Campbell products without this ingredient, these include our line of Campbell's Select Harvest soups, Prego Italian sauces, V8 V-Fusion 100% juices and many other products. 
 

Long John Silver's Healthier Meals While On The Go

Recently I was sent gift checks to try out the new Healthier Options now being served at Long John Silver's.  LJS offers low-fat, non-fried seafood choices with their new Freshside Grille^TM  menu. This menu features Grilled Salmon, Grilled Tilapia and Shrimp Scampi, all of which have health benefits for the heart, eyes, brain and immune system.

Sounds good, but how do they taste?

I have no idea.  I don't eat fish.  (I take a complete 3-6-9 every day, though!)  I don't actually like the taste of fish.  My mom and my husband both LOVE fish, and they agreed to be my taste testers. From my husband: "I loved the Tilapia and the Salmon.  It was so good that I licked the plate.  It compared right up there with some of the fancier presentations that I've seen at more expensive restaurants."  He has eaten both of these several times - and that's high praise, indeed - he doesn't often pay to eat a meal out.

My mother was similarly impressed.  She ranked them right up there with the Tilapia in a bag from Red Lobster. She was happy to see that the meal comes with seasoned rice, vegetable blend and corn on the cob, as well as a breadstick.  It was a delicious, satisying and nutritious meal.  It was low carb and lower in calories and fat.

Lower in fat, not fried and flavorful - I think this was a win-win situation for all!

Snacktrition Fruit and Nut Choices

Recently, I was sent a box of new fruit and nut choices from Snacktrition.  They looked yummy, and did NOT disappoint.

The Snacktrition line consists of nut and fruit choices.  While almonds and cashews are already fairly high in fiber, the Snacktrition line goes a step further by adding inulin fiber during the baking process while cutting the unnecessary oils and saving you extra fat in your diet.  Additionally, they've added calcium to the almonds by 7 percent. 

Well, that's all well and good, but how do they taste?  My husband is a HUGE connoisseur of nuts, so I gave him the Sea Salt  Almonds, Sea Salt Cashews, and the Salt and Pepper Cashews to try.  He ate ALL of the three bags in two days.  Every single nut, and he pronounced them delicious and asked that I purchase them in the future.  I brought the Smoked Almonds to work, and my boss ate the entire bag in one day.  These are some GREAT, very tasty nuts - and the added fiber and calcium are a wonderful bonus.

The Snacktrition line also contains a fruit and nut mixture, packaged in a reuseable container that is dishwasher and microwave safe.  Containing almonds, cashews, dried cranberries, raisins and blueberries, this medley was delicious over yogurt and mixed in with ice cream.  The mix has an additional bonus of added calcium and fiber - if you are going to eat a fruit and nut mix, why not pick one that has extra nutrition?

I was also sent FruitaBu Smooshed Fruit and Organic Twirls.  Have you seen the Fruitabu Smooshed Fruit?  Very similar to fruit roll ups, but without the processed additives, dyes and sugars, it's just fruit. And delicious fruit at that.  My kids love fruit leather of any type, and so we were already familiar with this product.  The packaging is cool, and the fact that it's organic makes it even more cool with me.  It's an entire serving of fruit in one little package, and I LOVE the fact that I can pronounce all of the ingredients - and none of them are sugar.

I highly recommend both of these product line.  Yummy, nutritious and delicious - what's not to enjoy?

Senseo - Truly, A Gift from Above

I love me some coffee.  Love it, love it, love it - want to marry it and have it's little espresso bean babies.

Oh, sorry, getting a little carried away.

I was sent the Senseo to try out.  I took it to work to have my boss give me her opinion, and we both loved it.  A truly fresh, frothy cup of steaming goodness in under a minute - really, what's not to love?  The set up was the hardest part, and that really wasn't too bad.  My only trouble was that the directions didn't tell us to make sure it was clamped down and I ended up flooding her desk.  But, hey, it's all good in the name of coffee, right?  Doubling the pods makes two cups - a genius idea, so that you can avoid waiting while your boss drinks and sighs ecstatically.  The clean up is a breeze; simply dump the pod out and you are free to go again, with no loose grains to clean up.

I brought the machine home and we tried several different pods - the thought that my coffee comes from a pod cracks me up each time - including the tea and the espresso and the milder coffees and the Barista blends - the list goes on and on.  With that kind of variety, I can use the Senseo every day. 

And I do.  And so does my mom.  We are one happy Senseo coffee drinking family here!

I've got five $20 off coupons to give away, so leave me a comment if you are interested, and check out this link for your chance to win your own system!