My Honest Good Chop Review – High Quality Meat and Seafood Right to Your Door

When it comes to cooking meat and seafood, I can be very particular. I like to know exactly what I’m getting, where it’s coming from, and how it’s been raised. Nutritionally (and ethically) these things are really important to me, so when I found out about Good Chop, I was very interested in trying out a box.

Good Chop is a flexible subscription service for high quality meat and seafood. Their meats and seafood come exclusively from American family farms and fisheries with no added hormones, growth promotants, preservatives, or antibiotics, ever. Each box is completely customizable, from the size of the box to the products you want inside, and every box ships absolutely free. Everything in your Good Chop box is flash frozen which is not only great for you flexibility-wise; it also means less waste for the planet.

With Good Chop, you first select your box size, medium of large. The medium box allows you to choose 6 proteins, and with the large you select 12. I personally tend to get the medium box since I live alone, but I love that I can upgrade to the large box when I’m expecting company or planning something special. The medium box costs $149 and includes 36 portions, averaging out to about $4.14 per meal. The large box costs $269 and includes 72 portions, averaging out to about $3.74 per meal. You’ll receive your box monthly with completely free shipping and can always change the frequency as needed.

From there you select the specific items and cuts you want. Whether you want beef, pork, chicken, sefood, or a combination, the choice is completely yours which is one of my favorite parts about Good Chop. Once you receive you box, you can put it straight in the fridge or freezer depending on when you plan to use your items. They last from for up to an entire year in the freezer! You can find more specific information about Good Chop’s sourcing here as well as check out their weekly menu here. You can choose your plan and enjoy $100 off your flexible Good Chop subscription here!  

I made a couple of delicious, easy recipes with some of the contents of my Good Chop box. You can get those recipes by clicking the pictures below.

FlorastorPre and FlorastorPlus Review

As you may know from my previous review, I’ve been taking Florastor, a probiotic for a few months now. It’s become a part of my every day routine, and I honestly love it! I’ve been feeling great, and Florastor is super convenient in that it doesn’t need to be refrigerated like some other probiotics. I can take it with me on the go without having to worry about keeping it cold. My digestion has been great, and I feel like the probiotics have really given my immune system a boost. I really can’t say enough good things about Florastor! So when I was recently introduced to two more of Florastor’s products – FlorasterPre and FlorastorPlus, I obviously had to give them a try.

FlorastorPre is a daily probiotic and fiber supplement. It has a unique prebiotic and probiotic blend which is great for your digestive health. It contains Florastor’s signature probiotic strain, and it has the addition of prebiotic fiber.

FlorastorPlus also contains Florastor’s signature probiotic strain plus zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D3. You get all of the benefits of Florastor’s original probiotic plus an additional immune system boost from the essential vitamins.

I honestly loved both products! I love that they both have the base of Florator’s probiotic, and that each product can cater to something specific depending on what you’re looking for in a supplement. If you feel like you need a bit more of a digestive aid, FlorastorPre’s a great option. If you feel like you need that immunity boost, FlorastorPlus has you covered. And like any Florastor product, they’re super convenient. I’d definitely recommend giving either (or both) a try if you’re looking for a probiotic supplement with that something extra!

Manna Organics - Sprouted for Life

I wanted to start 2016 out with something that I felt really passionately about, and there's no better way to do that than with Manna Organics. 

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon the company Manna Organics. I was initially attracted because they had sprouted grain bread, which I had tried from other companies before. But Manna was different. They had everything from multi-grain to carrot raisin, not to mention gluten free and sour dough breads. 

But Manna isn't just a bread company. They have organic nut butters, kale chips, and other snacks. So I pretty much wanted to eat the whole food index, but I decided to start with some of their sprouted bread that initially drew me in and their toasted coconut cashew Manna butter. 

The sprouted grain bread is nothing like other sprouted breads I've tried before. With other breads, they're pretty similar to a standard loaf of bread. Manna sprouted bread is more of a cake-like consistency. It's more moist and a little sweeter which lends itself perfectly to some of their amazing flavors. It's vegan and yeast free with no salt, oils, sweeteners, or leavening agents. I've only tried the carrot raisin and multigrain so far, and they are both phenomenal. I have every intention of trying a different flavor each time that I go to the super market, but I've been having some trouble steering away from these two because they're just that delicious! I've used them to make French toast (highly recommended), as toast on the side of soup, and topped with some nut butter as a part of breakfast. You really can't go wrong with this bread.

Which brings me to the Manna butter. I've had plenty of nut butters, and I've also had coconut butters. But I haven't had anything quite like the coconut cashew Manna Butter. I don't feel like I can even put into words just how good it is. It's a delicious cashew butter with actual pieces of coconut in it. It is the perfect combination of salty and sweet and pairs so well with the carrot raisin bread. I could eat that combination every day. 

So would I recommend Manna Organics? I think the answer is pretty obvious - of course! Their products are delicious, healthy, and organic. They have something for everyone whether you're vegan, gluten free, or have no food restrictions. You will find something, and trust me you will love it!

Essentially Coconut - It's Like a Vacation in a Jar

I recently had the pleasure of getting my hands on a few flavors of Essentially Coconut's coconut butters. They are made from coconut meat and nuts (minus the original coconut flavor), and that's about it. This is exactly what caught my eye about them. They're made in small batches with straight the point ingredients. I'm starting to feel overcome with emotions to slather some on an RxBar as I write this because these coconut butters have no B.S. 

I tried the original coconut flavor and the sweet almond flavor. They are the consistency of coconut oil, so at room temperature (especially in the fall/winter weather) they're hard. You can easily soften them by running the jar under warm water, or my go to trick is putting them in a mug of hot water to soften while I cook the rest of my meal. 

I had each flavor multiple ways, on the breakfast wrap pictured above, in yogurt, in a smoothie, on waffles. So what's my verdict? Drop everything and go order some right now! These coconut butters are life changingly delicious. Skip the syrup on your pancakes and waffles, slather some on a piece of toast, even add it to your coffee. These are amazing. They add the perfect sweetness without the processed junk.

The coconut flavor adds a nice sweetness that pairs well with almost anything. And the sweet almond flavor is a great nut butter replacement. I actually REALLY loved it paired with pumpkin spiced waffles. But they'd both be good as a sweetener, syrup, or nut butter replacement in basically anything.

All in all, the only reason I would say don't buy these is if you don't like coconut because, well, duh they're made out of coconuts. But otherwise I give two thumbs up to these delightfully tasty coconut butters. 

If you'd like to learn more about Essentially Coconut's story and products you can go to their website here. 

RXBAR - No B.S.

The first thing that caught my attention about the RXBAR was the packaging. I love that it flat out lists the ingredients right there. They clearly aren't hiding anything in these bars, and that is amazing given all of the processed, well, everything out there right now. These bars are non GMO and contain no dairy, soy, or gluten. They're also paleo and Whole 30 friendly. And to top it all off, they finish it off with No B.S. as one of the ingredients. So I pretty much knew I had to try them.

I decided to go for a sample pack of all the flavors: apple cinnamon, chocolate sea salt, pumpkin spice, blueberry, coconut chocolate, peanut butter, and coffee chocolate, and I worked my way through each one.

Needless to say, I am impressed. Every single flavor tastes like it's labeled. Apple cinnamon tastes like fall in your mouth, blueberry tastes like a blueberry muffin, and pumpkin spice tastes like pumpkin pie (which I'm so happy I had on Halloween), Their ingredients speak for themselves. They're simple, straightforward, and delicious. Plus they're easy and great for fueling or refueling pre or post-workout.

So who should eat RXBARs? I don't think they're a bad choice for anyone. I think they're great for athletes or anyone who works out. But they would really work for anybody as a quick on the go snack or meal. The limited, straight forward ingredients would be a good addition to anybody's (who doesn't have allergies or other ailments towards any of the ingredients) diet.  They're a great source of protein and other nutrients. I'd highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in trying them.

If you want to find out more about RXBAR, how to order them, or where to find them click here.