First week of Spring Semester and Last Heart Thrive review

Last week was the first week of spring semester at ISU AND also the first week of my last semester in undergrad! I have a great line up of practical courses and am excited for the next step in my life... graduate school!!

And now for my last two Heart Thrive reviews:

First is the Date Heart Thrive. I give it an 8 out of 10. It was quite datey and sweet with the usual oaty texture. I heated it up 10 sec to enhance the flavor. Even though it was a tad bit dry, I liked how soft and chewy it was. Substantial too! Also very versatile! Check out their website for more information: http://www.suncakes.com/ Also, here are some different ways to eat Heart Thrives: http://www.suncakes.com/serving.htm And here are my pics:




I finally tried the Apricot Heart Thrive for breakfast this morning with an orange. I give it a 7.5 out of 10. I really liked the apricot flavor but do wish that it was even stronger. The apricot chunks were delicious, but perhaps putting in a few more would help. On my second one I added some peanut butter for some healthy fats. Speaking of fat, these Heart Thrives have very, very little, which some people may like, but I think they could make some that had more since unsaturated fats are quite healthy. I'm thinking that a peaunut butter and jelly flavor would be delish!! Anyway, here are the pics:





And now for some giveaways!!

First, there is a Vitamix 5200 giveaway at Chocolate-Covered Katie at http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/01/16/vitameata-vita-mix-giveaway/

Second, there is a lisa leonard giveaway at Meals and Moves at http://mealsandmoves.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/lisa-leonard-designs-a-giveaway/#comment-10350


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Chocolate Heart Thrives review

Yum! I give the Chocolate Heart Thrives an 8.5 out of 10! I was a bit leary of something this healthy AND chocolate, but it turned out great :-). I took one bite and when I saw there were whole chocolate chips inside, I decided to microwave it for 10 sec. to halfway melt the chips - it worked! While the outside of the Heart Thrive was a little dry, the inside was heavenly. It had a nice chocolate flavor, not too strong, yet not too weak since there was basically a chocolate chip or more in every bite (and good sized chocolate chips too!). It basically tasted like a chocolate chip cookie that wasn't too sweet, and that's a positive as far as I'm concerned.




I'm just happy I could eat this even though I'm still recovering from my wisdom teeth extraction. After microwaving it, I was able to chew it ever so slightly, taste, and then swallow - no heavy labor or crunching required :-). And so far all is well with my mouth - not a lot of pain and just minimal swelling. Still no exercise though! I'm awaiting it eagerly, as well as being able to fully open my mouth and smile! It's the simple things you miss the most, isn't it?!


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On the Road Heart Thrives Review

I traveled with my family to visit my grandparents this past weekend and used the opportunity to try two flavors of Heart Thrives on the go. First I tried the Apple flavor as a light lunch with carrots and hummus.





I give it an 8.5 out of 10! It has a nice, strong green apple flavor and my first thought was that it was like a portable apple crisp. It was chewy with apple chunks and a nice sweetness, though perhaps just a bit too sweet for my liking - more of a dessert flavor with the nutrients of a meal (that's good though, right?!). Of course, I'm not a big fan of sweet things. I did let my brother and father try little bites of this flavor too. Both are pretty anti-health food, and my brother said it tasted dry and powdery with a hint of sugar. My father had a similar reaction and said it should be called Apple sawdust and should be dipped in sugar. Well, I guess this just shows you how different taste preferences can be! Later this weekend I tried the Cranberry Heart Thrives.





I give this flavor 7.5 out of 10. It was oaty and semi-sweet with a tinge of sour. It was chewy like the others with a texture that reminded me of coconut. For some reason it just didn't impress me as much as the apple, which is definitely my favorite so far! I think that perhaps the cranberry flavor wasn't quite strong enough. I think I'll try to experiment more with the remaining flavors if I don't eat them on the go. I think they could be quite tasty with warm peanut butter or even some nuts to add some crunch... we'll see! Happy New Year everyone!

And tomorrow I have my impacted wisdom teeth removed. Keep me in your prayers if you so choose - maybe I'll be able to post a picture of some smoothies if I'm feeling up to it since that's all I'll be able to consume for the first day or two.



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Heart Thrives - my first product review!

First, here is part 1 of my breakfast - some milk and natural applesauce with cinnamon, which causes an unnatural golden glow in the picture. Then I went on to try my Lemon Poppyseed Heart Thrives that came in a wonderful package from The Healthy Baking Company who were so generous as to send me some samples to review on my blog. I encourage you to check them out at http://www.suncakes.com/index.html!!

Here is the package:

And the informational brochure that came with it (just click on the photos for a closer view so you can actually read all the information!):





Now for the Lemon Poppyseed Heart Thrive, the first one I have tried:




I give it an 8 out of 10! When I first opened the package the aroma blew me away. It was a truly wonderful whiff of lemon poppyseed! I could tell that they were very fresh too, and the first bite confirmed that. It was soft like a muffin and chewy like a cookie. It had the perfect amount of sweetness and lemon flavor without being overpowering, which I certainly enjoyed since lemon isn't exactly my favorite flavor (which is why I tried this first - I like to save the best for last!). After a couple bites, I decided to microwave it. Unfortunately, I think 25 sec. is too long, for it was a bit too hot and had dried out some. The heat seemed to diminish the flavor too. I had the next one cold though and loved it! I'll probably try microwaving again, but for a shorter duration. And you can't be disappointed in the nutrition facts! I wasn't sure something this healthy would taste so good, but it did! The only way it could possibly be improved nutritionally is by adding some vitamin D to go along with the calcium ;-). All I can say is that I'm definitely looking forward to the other flavors, and I'll let you all know how they taste!

Do check out their website at http://www.suncakes.com/index.html and let me know if you've ever tried them and what your thoughts were! Thanks!


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