Health and Nutrition - Faith and Family Reviews

Tag Archive for Health and Nutrition

Calorease Review

Posted by html404 on October 17, 2013
in All Natural Products, Health, Health and Fitness, Health and Nutrition, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meetsm program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC. or the manufacturer of the product.

Weight loss has been on my mind lately and not just weight loss for the sake of losing weight but for the sake of getting healthy. You see my husband and I started going to the park to shoot hoops. Playing one on one left me breathless. We ended up playing the game of “horse”. For those of you unfamiliar it’s basically choosing a spot to shoot from and the other player(s) shoot from the same spot, if they miss they earn a letter. The one with the least amount of letters in “horse” wins or the one who earns “horse” loses. The breathlessness like this has never happened to me before and I didn’t like it. I know I’m getting old but not that old.

I am not much for diet fads or diet pills but a few all natural and seemingly “safe” products have come across my inbox that I thought I’d give them a try. Calorease is one of them.

Facts About Calorease

• Stimulant free.

• FBCx (TM), a patented heart healthy fiber.

• If taken as recommended, results can be seen in about 2-3 weeks. Keep in mind that Calorease is not a license to overeat, nor is it a magic bullet for quick weight loss. As always, results will vary from person to person.

• There is no program or special diet involved with taking Calorease. A reasonable, balanced and nutritious fat-containing diet is recommended. Click here for sample meal plans.

• Calorease does not contain gluten, lactose, yeast, wheat, sugar, salt, egg, soy, dairy, artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives. It is naturally sourced from grain and is suitable for vegans.

• It binds with fat in food to reduce up to 500 calories a day. That’s equivalent to 15000 calories a month, which could be a whole pant size!

Calorease Review

I haven’t been very consistent, nor have I used the product long enough to see a significant difference. I feel no different when taking Calorease. It’s easy to take. Just take two tablets with water after a fat containing meal or snack, up to three times a day. The package contains 90 tablets so about 15 days worth of product, if taken consistently. A 90-tablet pack retails for $29.99. They do have a 180 count pack for 30 days for $49.99.

I liked the idea of Calorease because there is no special diet plan. You eat healthy, treat yourself if need be and exercise. So many diet programs or diets are so restrictive that it feels like you are starving and depriving yourself. I’ve always been able to lose weight by increasing my physical exercise, cutting back on sweets (not that I eat a lot of sweets anymore), so that is what I am working towards…ever so slowly…after all that’s another reason I want to farm – physical work.

Special Discount

Calorease is offering you a 50% discount! You’ll pay only $14.99 for a 90-tablet pack! Visit calorease.com/buy and enter code 4MOMS. You can also find Calorease on Facebook.

{3 comments}

Pompeian Olive Oil – Smiley360.com

Posted by Brande on October 8, 2013
in Coupons, Food and Treats, Health and Nutrition, Recipes, Saving Money, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product through Smiley 360 Bloggers program in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

I have been trying to incorporate more healthy options in my family’s meals. I was extremely excited to try Pompeian Olive Oil. What a pleasant surprise, it’s light and healthier for my family. I’ve replaced regular oil for Pompeian Olive Oil.

One of my favorite recipes from the Pompeian Olive Oil is the Honey Whole Wheat Waffles. Mmmm….. Click here for the recipe! You can try some great recipes as I have from the Pompeian Website also!

Come and get your $1.00 coupon for your next purchase! Don’t forget to you and LIKE the Pompeian Facebook Page for more coupons!

Smiley 260 & Pompeian Olive Oil are doing a survey, when you take the survey you can enter for a chance to win $200.00 gift card!

{16 comments}

V8 V-Fusion Refreshers

Posted by html404 on October 2, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health and Nutrition, Reviews, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product and a gift card in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

We recently tried V8 V-Fusion Refreshers and were pleasantly surprised by their yummy flavors.

What are V8 V-Fusion® Refreshers?

New V8 V-Fusion Refreshers are a light and crisp juice drink with a 20-25% blend of fruit and vegetable juices that come in four delicious – and unique – family pleasing flavors. Made with both fruit and vegetable juices, V8 V-Fusion Refreshers are naturally sweetened, contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and are an excellent source of Vitamin C.

V8 V-Fusion Refreshers are available in four tasty flavors, Black Cherry Berry, Cranberry Grape, Tangerine Passionfruit and Peach Strawberry, providing premium juice refreshments that will make the whole family happy.

We received Tangerine Passionfruit and Black Cherry Berry in 46 oz bottles. The ingredients of these two V8 VFusion Freshers are as follows:

Tangerine Passionfruit: Water, reconstituted vegetable juice blend, (water, concentrated juices of sweet potatoes, carrots), reconstituted fruit juice blend, (water, concentrated juice of apple, tangerine and passion fruit), sugar, contains less than 2% of citric acid (for flavor), natural flavoring, passion fruit concentrate, vitamin C (absorbic acid).

Black Cherry Berry: Water, reconstituted vegetable juice, (water, concentrated juices of purple carrots, sweet potatoes, carrots), reconstituted fruit juice (water, concentrated juice of apples, cherries, strawberries, red raspberries, black berries), sugar, contains less than 2% of citric acid (for flavor), malic acid, natural flavoring (contains pomegranate juice), vitamin C (absorbic acid), natural flavor.

All these ingredients do not look so bad to the naked eye, but the natural flavoring is obscure so I’d like to know what exactly it is, pretty please, V8?

V8 V-Fusion Refreshers Review

I turned to my dear husband for V8 VFusion Refreshers review photos, because as you know he adds a definite umpf to my blog posts. 😉 Remember, he’s the one who turns his nose up at most veggies, so getting him to drink something with the word vegetable in it was progress in and off itself. The children are easy!

Hamming up his taste testing….

Tentatively bringing the cup to his mouth….

Taking a drink…..

Mmmmm…..surprisingly good!

Ahhhh…..the Black Cherry Berry is refreshingly good!

Therefore, we have a winner! Both the V8 V-Fusion Refreshers Black Cherry Berry and Tangerine Passionfruit were a big hit among the children as well. They even asked if we could buy more. We found the V8 V-Fusion Refreshers were tasty, tasting more like fruit juice than vegetable juice. Personally, I preferred the Black Cherry Berry over the Tangerine Passionfruit because the Tangerine Passionfruit flavor tasted something like peach to me and I’m not a huge peach fan. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop me from going back for more later in the evening!

{8 comments}

Why is Organic Dairy So Important? #FightPesticides

Posted by html404 on September 17, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Home, Organic, Safety, Uncategorized

This post is part of my application to become a Stoneyfield ambassador and I will receive Stoneyfield coupons for my participation. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Why is Organic Dairy So Important?

I know our family knows why organic dairy is so important but thought I’d share with you our reasons for wanting to eat and drink organic dairy to the point of owning our own cow. As you know, organic anything can be expensive, especially when buying for ten people. A huge reason for our buying a cow is so we could provide fresh milk for our family (and animals because we do share!). You also know from our Mariano’s shop, organic milk is around $7.99 per gallon at Whole Foods and Mariano’s. However, our reason for feeding her organic feed and hay is to be free of harmful pesticides (and GMOs – Genetically Modified Organisms) often used on crops. Now that we have our own pasture and hay, we know without a doubt our milk is organic, free of harmful GMOs. We have been supplementing Miss Moo with certified organic feed because when we brought her home she was underweight and want to fatten her up so she’s a good weight for her age and stage of lactation. We also know exactly what Miss Moo is fed, how she how the milk is handled and how she is cared for. We like knowing where our food comes from, and for our large family that means we are raising our own at this stage of our lives.

Don’t just take my word for it. Research it for yourself.

Resources:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/07/milk-101-whole-raw-organic-low-fat-etc/

http://www.utne.com/Environment/organic-milk-USDA-amendment.aspx#axzz2f5HSUr2e

http://www.realmilk.com/

{2 comments}

My First Trip to Mariano’s in Chicago

Posted by html404 on August 20, 2013
in All Natural Products, Deals, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Health and Nutrition, Money & Finances, Parenting, Reviews, SALES, Saving Money, Shopping, Things to Do in Chicago, Uncategorized

It takes a lot to feed our family of ten. A huge reason we started farming was to grow our own food because buying all organic food for a large family is soooo expensive! There is no way we could do it by shopping at Whole Foods. We try to buy as much organic as we can, but it’s not always possible due to our budget. Enter Mariano’s. We had seen bags with Mariano’s on them but until we shopped there we did not know anything about this store or that they offered organic produce.

My husband and I went out ALONE to Mariano’s in Jefferson Park, Chicago. It was a rare treat to be alone but it was also a treat to go into the city for a change. We looked forward to purchasing organic milk, natural products and organic produce. First we went to Whole Foods in Sauganash, Chicago, then we went to Mariano’s in Jefferson Park. The stores are literally only a couple miles apart. We bought the exact same items at each store. The goal was to see how much money we could save by shopping at Mariano’s for organic produce and all natural products.

Mariano’s in Jefferson Park

Mariano’s in Jefferson Park is a large spacious store. There was lots of room to maneuver aisles, even though there were lots of people in the store. It was pretty easy to find everything. The only thing we couldn’t find right away was Kombucha but we found it just before we checked out because I almost forgot to buy it!

Shopping at Mariano’s was a good experience for us in that we discovered a new store we can shop for organic produce and all natural products our family loves and enjoys and SAVE money, which makes my hubby very happy!

Here’s a list of items we bought:

Organic Valley Milk
1-1.5 lbs Organic Tomatoes
2 lbs Organic Carrots
2 lbs Organic Blueberries
2 pkg.Applegate Organic Bacon
1 bottle of Kombucha (fermented tea that is carbonated)

Below is our receipts from both stores to show you how much we saved by shopping for organic produce at Mariano’s. We saved a whopping $12.24! We were impressed.

This past weekend was customer appreciation at Mariano’s. In celebration of this they featured over 3,000 roses on display at all stores – just $1 each. Over 100 varieties – a rainbow of color and called it their Rose Extravaganza! It was truly a gorgeous display of roses. Robert and I loved looking at the roses and we even took time to stop and smell them.

Customer appreciation at Mariano’s includes a FREE rewards card with the potential to earn rewards!

We are looking forward to shopping at Mariano’s again in the future.

Please mark your calendars because you are invited to Mariano’s Twitter Party which will be on Thursday, August 29, from 12-1pm CT/1-2 pm ET RSVP link: http://cbi.as/5bh5f #cbias #MyMarianos. Consider “liking” them on Facebook as well.

{17 comments}

Wallaby Organic Kefir

Posted by html404 on August 20, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Home, Organic, Reviews, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

What is Kefir

Kefir is an ancient beverage that is packed full of wonderfully good stuff! This is what the National Kefir Association says (I didn’t even know there was such an association for kefir!). I thought this information was interesting and I learned a few things:

The name Kefir comes from the Turkish word “keif” – meaning “good feeling” – for the sense of well-being experienced after drinking it.

Kefir is often compared to yogurt, because they have similar tastes and both contain live and active probiotic cultures, which support immunity and ease digestion. One difference between the two is that Kefir is a drink, so it can be enjoyed on the go. But the biggest difference is that Kefir contains three times the amount of probiotic cultures typically found in yogurt – Kefir usually has around 10 – which means a bigger benefit for your digestive and immune systems. Kefir is also an excellent source of protein, calcium and fiber. Plus, it’s gluten-free, 99% lactose-free and comes in many different flavors, as well as lowfat, nonfat and low-carb versions, so even the pickiest eaters can enjoy the health benefits of Kefir.

Wallaby Organic Kefir

When there is food in the house to review I have to take photos right away. I did this with this review, but what I forgot to do was take photos of the actual kefir and of someone drinking it! If I don’t do it right away, it gets eaten or gobbled up before I even get a chance. This is what happened with the Wallaby Organic Kefir….until….my older daughter found the second bottle of strawberry! So she got to be my model!

We all love yogurt and amazingly all the children love kefir too, especially Wallaby Organic Kefir. We got the strawberry and vanilla flavored, but it comes in two additional flavors of blueberry and plain. We downed it. It was thick, tasty and over all very good. There are definite advantages to training your children’s palate to healthy food. Once their taste buds get accustomed to it they will usually eat anything good set before them. There are exceptions to this of course, as we all have our own unique likes and dislikes.

When Wallaby Organic Kefir says it is creamy, they are not lying, it truly is creamy. It also contains 12 different strains of Live and Active Kefir cultures and boasts the health benefits listed above from the National Kefir Association. The organic milk comes from local farms in California.

I really do not have anything negative to say about this kefir. It was a little hard to find so don’t go by the store locator unless it specifically states the stores carry kefir. I went to Jewel, which carries Wallaby Organic Yogurt, but it did not carry the kefir. My husband went to Whole Foods for it.

Two thumbs up from us!

{16 comments}

Happy Family #hfbrightside

Posted by html404 on July 26, 2013
in All Natural Products, Baby Products, Contests, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Health, Health and Nutrition, Humor, Kids Stuff, Organic, Parenting

Readers familiar with our blog and family know that we value healthy eating and living. We try to promote products our family is personally interested in and enjoys. We review a lot of green, eco-friendly and organic products because we want to use products that are safe for the whole family. As beginning organic farmers, we desire to eat organic foods, including snacks, because we want to provide only the best food possible for our children. Their future health depends on it.

Happy Family

Happy Family offers organic meals and snacks for infants and toddlers (older children will love them too – ours did!). They are also great for traveling.

Happy Family products are a wholesome start for babies and are organic meals and snacks that your toddler will love, ours did!

Specific Happy Family products include: Happy Baby, Happy Tot, Happy Bellies, Happy Puffs, Happy Yogis, Happy Squeeze and more. Our children loved everything we tried and have asked for more! If you want to learn more about their full line of products or specific nutritional information, visit www.HappyFamilyBrands.com

Happy Family – Bright Side Campaign

As parents of eight children, we know how hard it can be at times to get a child to eat what is put before them. We do not require them to eat a plateful of something they do not like but they have to at least try a little bit of it. We learned that the hard way with our oldest child when she was little and now our youngest children thank us (or maybe not) for our foresight. (wry smile). We actually made her eat a bowlful of broccoli for fussing about it. Amazingly, she loves it to this day. However, we no longer require a full portion of anything be eaten if a child does not like it! That’s our “Bright Side” story because it did end well for all of us and we can laugh about it now. Though at the time it was an ordeal.

Happy Family’s Bright Side Campaign is a campaign that shares:

Stories in a a humorous light on food and feeding challenges that parents have through sharing funny stories told by top bloggers that are then acted out by improv troupe the Upright Citizen’s Brigade.

Happy Family wants YOU to share your personal “Bright Side” or funny feeding stories about food and the challenges that come with raising your children. Part of this campaign includes a sweepstakes. Happy Family will pick a funny feeding story to award $20K towards a child’s college education (the rules and regulations are on their Facebook page). To share your story or to view the contest rules visit: https://www.facebook.com/HAPPYFAM/app_512040132171168

For an example of a funny feeding story, watch the video below of Fellow blogger’s, Jim Lin from Busy Dad Blog, special feeding tactics – be prepared to laugh!

And don’t forget to share your own funny feeding story on Happy Family’s Facebook page for a chance to win $20K towards your child’s education! https://www.facebook.com/HAPPYFAM/app_512040132171168 . If you share your story or link on Twitter, be sure to use the hashtag #hfbrightside.

{22 comments}

Jamba Juice Review

Posted by html404 on July 13, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Fitness, Health and Nutrition, Kids Stuff, Reviews

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet (TM) program. May Media Group LLC, who received it directly form the manufacturer. As a Moms Meed (TM) blogger, I agreed to use the product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer.

We’ve been on a journey to improve our eating habits and quality of food ever since our children were little and we learned about the harmful affects of dyes and preservatives found in mainstream food. We don’t always get it right but growing our own food is certainly helping us move in the right direction, as well as increase the nutritional value of a lot of the food we eat.

Our children are not that picky. We’ve always required them to eat at least some of the food they say they hate or don’t like. We also find they are more open to trying new veggies if we grow them ourselves. I love the summer when they can just munch on fresh picked vegetables straight from their little garden patch! Remember, they even eat green smoothies!

We recently had the opportunity to try Jamba Juice. Jamba Juice is a restaurant retailer offering better-for-you foods, including fruit and veggie juices and smoothies.

Jamba Juice

Did you know:

Only 8 percent of Americans achieve their recommended target for fruit in an average day
Only 6 percent of individuals meet their recommended target for veggies in an average day
1 percent of adults and 2 percent of children meet both their recommended fruit and veggies servings each day.

**Source: State if the Plate: 2010 Study of America’s Consumption of Fruit & Vegetables

Jamba Juice Review

We tried Jamba Juice’s new Tropical Harvest™ Smoothie and the Jamba Kids™ Berry Beet It!™ Smoothie.

The Tropical Harvest™ Smoothie contains: Mangos, peaches, yellow vegetable juice (sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash), passion mango juice, ice and is only 230 calories.

The Berry Beet It!™ Smoothie contains: Strawberries, mangos, bananas, mixed berry juice, carrots, beets, broccoli, spinach, kale, lettuce and is only 190 calories.

My children loved the Berry Beet It!™ Smoothie. All of them drank it with gusto. They even liked the Tropical Harvest™ Smoothie. I, on the other hand, am not a huge fan of mangos. However, it grew on me as I drank it. To me the mango really came through. Otherwise, I actually preferred the Berry Beet It!™ Smoothie.

These smoothies were very flavorful and made a great treat on a hot day. The only thing we didn’t care about was the price. They are pricey. We realize we are paying for quality but it’s an ouchie on the pocket book when a smoothie outing costs our family over $30! They sure are tasty though!

Feel free to check Jamba Juice out on Facebook.

{26 comments}

Smiley 360 – Centrum Flavor Burst Review

Posted by Brande on July 1, 2013
in Coupons, Health, Health and Nutrition, Personal Care Products, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized

“I received this product for free from Smiley360 in exchange for my honest review. You can join Smiley360 here!”

Centrum Flavor Burst Review

When presented with Centrum Flavor Burst I have to be honest, I was a little skeptical. How could a multivitamin actually taste good? Sometimes the things that are good for you don’t always taste good. I’m here to tell you that Centrum Flavor Burst Supplements actually do taste good. The cherry (red), blueberry (blue), and grape (purple) balls look similar to gum balls. Centrum suggests taking 4 chewable tablets per day and they can be consumed with or without food. I do caution that they contain soy.

Who has kids? You probably need more energy and an immune booster, Centrum can help you out. With the Vitamin B and antioxidants included in your flavor burst delivery capsule, you’ll keep up with your kids and be healthier!

Packed with Vitamins A, V, D, E B6, B12 and folic acid, this is the vitamin for everyone! Get yours today, Centrum is offered at most grocery and big box stores, as well as your local pharmacy!

Click here for a coupon and don’t forget to like Centrum on Facebook.

{6 comments}

Sambazon Smoothies Review & Giveaway

Posted by html404 on June 1, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Organic, Reviews

Disclaimer: I received Sambazon Smoothies and Juices coupons for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

I have mentioned time and again that we really try to eat well. I’ve also shared how much our family enjoys fruit smoothies and green smoothies, which we usually make at home with our blender. However, we learned of a pre-made product called Sambazon Smoothies and Juices that peeked our interest. Sambazon also has superfood juices as well.

Sambazon Smoothies Facts:

Sambazon smoothies and juices are made with the finest organic Amazon
Superfoods™ on the planet such as Açaí [Ah-sigh-ee], Acerola [Ah-sir-o-la], and
Yerba Mate [Yur-ba Mah-tay].
• Their juices and smoothies are available in ten different delicious flavor varieties,
and packed with antioxidants and healthy omega 3-6-9s.
• All Sambazon Superfood juices are NON-GMO, USDA organic, vegan, gluten-free,
and provide whole food nutrition.
• A bottle of Sambazon Superfood juice (10.5 ounces) retails for $2.99.

Sambazon Smoothies Review

My two year old and I really enjoyed the Sambazon Smoothies and Juices. We tried the Blended Breakfast Smoothie with Strawberry, Banana, Chia and Ancient Grains (Amaranth & Quinoa) and Acai Superfood Juice. They tasted like green smoothies to me. The juice is not as thick as the smoothie. Not too sweet but not bitter either. I cannot say I noticed any difference in how my toddler or I felt after drinking the Sambazon Smoothies and Juices but appreciate the nutrition they provided our bodies.

I thought they were a little pricey for such a small bottle, but have come to accept that we often have to pay premium prices for good food. I also found not all smoothies and juices are available at all locations so if you decide to look for them check for their availability and store locations on Sambazon’s website.

Feel free to follow Sambazon on Facebook and Twitter. Please use the hashtag #momsmeet. And be sure to enter the giveaway below so you have a chance to try Sambazon Smoothies and Juices too.

Sambazon Smoothies Giveaway

One winner will receive three free product vouchers, plus a wooden bowl and spoon (pictured in the photo above) valued at $45. Giveaway prizes will be sent to the winners directly by Moms Meet.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{2 comments}

« Older Entries Recent Entries »