Natural Family Food Reviews:
My family and I tried a handful of new products lately and I wanted to a quick write-up for each and give our thumbs up or thumbs down. Hopefully this will be a regular feature as we try new things.
Wholesome Valley Organic Hummus in Roasted Pepper- I have to admit that I am not a big Hummus fan. This is unfortunate because Chickpeas are so good for you. With reluctance my family and tried the Roasted Pepper Hummus and and guess what…it wasn’t awful, LOL. The kids and I actually liked it for dipping fresh cut veggies in and and my hubby liked it enough to request we keep buying it. So if they carry it at Whole Foods we will be picking this up occasionally. It is organic and has no trans fats and no preservatives.
Our verdict: Thumbs up
Wholesome Valley Organic Mozzarella & Chedder Cheese Slices – Now these I don’t usually buy. In fact I can’t remember the last time I bought pre-packaged cheese slices so when Galaxy sent me these, my kids didn’t even know what they were. These too are organic and they contain no antibiotics or growth hormones. Personally I did not care for them much. My kids ate the cheddar cheese ones and didn’t complain but they didn’t ask for more either. I used the mozzarella cheese slices on a Chicken Parmesan dish and they tasted kind of bland and they didn’t melt very well.
Our verdict: Thumbs Down
Raw Hemp Nut Brownies with Almonds- Brownies are yum right? Well, not these ones. Generally my kids and I thought these were gross. These uncooked brownies are made with hemp and cacao powder and then sweetened with agave. They are supposed to be a sweet and nutritious source of protein and they were….they just didn’t taste good. My hubby on the other hand thought they were “okay”.
Our verdict: Thumbs down
R.W. Knudsen Organic Sensible Sippers- I was already a fan of R.W. Knudsen Organic juices so I pretty much knew I would like these. They are juice boxes with organic juice, no sugar added and 40% fewer calories than regular juices. The sippers have the Berenstain Bears on them too so my daughter referred to the different flavors by the different characters on them…aka the sister juice or the papa juice, etc. Pretty cute.
They come in four flavors: Apple, Banana, Fruit Punch, and Mixed Berry. My kids liked them all but Apple and Mixed Berry were the faves here.
Our verdict: Thumbs up
I haven’t found a packaged form of hummus that I like yet. But the homemade stuff is great…see my recipe at: http://stretchmarkmama.blogspot.com/2008/02/food-fixin-friday-hummus.html
I love hummus and we have a natural food store in town that makes their own and it’s to die for but lots of garlic! Thanks for thumbs on the juice boxes. I’ve been looking for a good kind for my son.
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Hummus is incredibly easy to make, although I think an immersion blender is almost a necessity. A regular blender requires too much shoving the hummus back into the blades.
Lemme do this from memory:
1 can chickpeas w/ about 1/4 of the liquid
2 cloves garlic (or, if you’re like me, 6 cloves garlic)
1 tablespoon olive oil
lemon or lime juice to taste (a few teaspoons, or maybe half a medium lemon)
Salt to taste
Your choice of extras: black pepper, cayenne pepper, etc
Mix it all to together and blend ahoy!
Warning: the 6-clove version should be outlawed in most muncipalities. The garlic density warps natural law. People will run screaming from the room. Your sinuses will attempt to take leave of your skull. You will smell garlic on your skin for 24-48 hours afterward, long after you’ve brushed your teeth.
Okay…you all talked me into it. I will try and make my own hummus. The processed, pre-packaged aspect of all my previous attempts may very well be the reason I don’t dig hummus.
Where can I find the juice boxes? I’m very interested in those. Why on earth do people think that kool-aid or capris suns are ok to give children???
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The juice boxes can be found at Whole Foods nationwide,