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.

WrawPs - Gluten Free, Raw, Vegan Wraps

I was on a sandwich-making spree and dreaming about lunch one day when I literally thought to myself, "I wish that wraps were made out of veggies". I was so sick of either eating a ton of bread or tortillas or feeling too guilty about eating all of that bread to make another sandwich. I'm not anti-carbs by any means, but eating a lot of flour or corn products can really add up. Unfortunately, I don't really know how to make a wrap out of vegetables, but lucky for me I realized that I was following this company WrawP. That is a true story, not a very good one, but it's what happened. So of course, I needed them.

WrawPs are all natural, vegan, raw, paleo, gluten free wraps. They are made with mostly vegetables, fruits, seasonings, and other great, healthy ingredients like flax. They come in a number of different savory and sweet flavors from spicy to energizing morning to original. They are intended to replace carb filled flour and corn products. If you'd like more information about them, check out their website.

I tried one and have been hooked every since. So far I've used them for tacos, flatbreads/pizzas, burritos, wraps, and even in the place of a hotdog bun, and they've yet to disappoint. You can check out a couple of my recipes over on the recipes tab. They are really perfect for anything you'd use bread, wraps, tortillas, pizza crust, and even chips for. 

So do they really taste good? Honestly, yes. I really enjoy them. They are a great component to all of the meals I've listed above. They add a nice flavor without being overwhelming. The consistency is a bit tougher than an average wrap, but that doesn't compromise the taste at all. There are even a few flavors that are more like fruit leather if you're hesitant about the vegetable, savory ones (I plan to fill one up with some greek yogurt, berries, and granola later this week)! 

Who should buy WrawPs? I'd really say everyone. Do I think it's bad to eat bread or standard wraps? No, but I think it's great to have a healthy alternative that packs in a lot of nutrients, vegetables, and fruit. They're great for anybody, and they're definitely fun to play around with.

Let me know if you've tried WrawPs in the comments below and what you thought of them! 

Kura Lifestyle CORE Sweet Mint+Berries Review

Last week I was fortunate enough to receive a few samples of Kura Lifestyle's CORE Sweet Mint+Berries powder. If you don't know what this is, it's a dietary supplement that is packed with vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, electrolytes, and plant-based protein. It's key ingredients include super greens, camu camu, and eleuthro root. For more information about the product and their story, feel free to check out their website.

On the bottle it says to mix with water, yogurt, granola, and oatmeal. You just don't want to cook with it so that it doesn't lose any nutrients. I decided to go with just putting it in water first to really test out the taste.

It instantly changed the water to a really dark green color, so I was a little nervous that the flavor would be overwhelming. But I was completely wrong. The powder added just a mild and delicious berry flavor. It wasn't gross or overpowering in any way. I could easily drink the whole thing and had to stop myself from chugging it because it was pretty darn good. 

Now that I knew the taste, I knew that the powder would be a great addition to some of my foods without compromising the flavor. I decided to create this  blueberry pie overnight oats recipe, and the powder was a perfect compliment. I think it would also be great with yogurt (like they suggested), so I think I will be adding it to my Greek yogurt next time around.

So would I recommend this product? It depends. I am no expert on supplements. I don't know the cost of similar supplements or powders. I also generally try to get most of my vitamins and nutrients from the food I eat.

I DO think this product is worth a try if:

1) You're taking multiple supplements or pills all of the time. You just add a scoop to food or water which, in my opinion, is much easier than taking 10 pills. 
2) You don't feel that you're getting the nutrients your body needs from the food you're eating. I would really recommend looking at the root of this problem first, BUT I don't think trying this product is bad option. There's nothing wrong with adding in some super foods.
3) You struggle to drink enough water. Plain and simple, this product tastes good. It makes your water taste good. If you don't feel like you drink enough water, try adding a scoop of the powder. You'll want to drink more.

I hope this review helps! Let me know if you do try Kura Lifestyle's powder and what you think of it in the comments below. Also feel free to subscribe for e-mail updates.

Product Reviews and 1,000 Followers

So it has been well over month since I have posted a blog entry! I have been so focused on recipes that I've kind of failed at keeping you updated about what's going on in my life and with All Roads Lead to Healthy. Recipes are a huge part of All Roads Lead to Healthy, but it's in the name, I want to touch on all roads that lead to health and living a healthy, balanced life.

I have started coming across a lot of new (at least to me), exciting, and different food products whether it be at the market or on Instagram. I've decided to start doing product reviews to not only introduce you to some of my favorite products you may not have heard of but also give you my input on the health, taste, etc. on these products before you go out and spend money on them yourself. I only want to promote products that I truly stand behind, so I will really be giving my two cents.

On an unrelated but exciting note, I reached 1,000 followers on Instagram a couple of weeks ago. This is far more people than I ever realized I would reach , especially in such a short period of time. I'm really grateful and lucky to have so many great people not only following All Roads Lead to Healthy but also interacting, leaving comments, sharing their input and stories, and inspiring me every day. Thank you all so much!

With this 1,000 follower milestone, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to team up with Urban Raccoons to give away some of their new, grainless bars to five of my followers. This was an awesome opportunity in general, but I am really a fan of the Urban Raccoon bars. I've been eating them for months as a pre-workout bar or afternoon snack, so to team up with a company whose product I actually use and enjoy was really exciting. The winners were contacted at the end of last week, and I can't wait for them to receive their bars and try them for themselves!

Beaver Brook Trail to Lost Lake

To continue on with my hiking challenge, this past week I hiked the Beaver Brook Trail in Marcella, NJ. It was a beautiful trail mostly in the woods, ending at the Lost Lake (pictured above). It was mildly challenging incline-wise, but those parts were very brief and limited.

We started out on the Highlands Connector trailhead which brings you right to Saffin Pond (pictured below). It's quite a nice view to start.

The path brings you along the side of the pond until you reach a bench where you make a left to continue following the Highlands trail.

You follow this trail for the first 1.6 miles. It's all in the woods and mostly flat or declining. We rarely ran into anybody except for a few bikers and a couple of people walking their dog. This was the last point we saw walkers before returning to the pond. At 1.6 miles you reach the Beaver Brook Trail.

You continue to follow the Beaver Brook Trail (crossing over the Yellow Trail at 2.1 miles). The trail begins to get a bit more challenging with a change in the terrain and a couple of steeper inclines (but nothing too crazy). You cross over some unmarked trails and the lake starts to come into view.

Once you can see the lake, you're very near the end. You come upon Split Rock which is just a giant split rock.

Once you get through the rock and continue a little further you reach a beautiful view of the lake. There are tons of lily pads and a couple of beaver dams. Make sure you continue until you see the very large dam on the right side. The dam kind of creates a second mini lake, and an amazing view.

After soaking in the view (and trying to spot some beavers, which we didn't), we turned around to head back. We did keep hearing a plopping noise into the water, but we couldn't see anything but the splash unfortunately.

We followed the same trail backwards until we came upon the yellow trail. We decided to take this back instead. It also made the trail longer (instead of 6.6 miles we did about 7.5 miles).

The trail back was relatively similar, a little wider and maybe a little less rugged at points. We did see a random rock with smaller rocks piled on it from a previous hiker.

We mostly just wanted to switch up the scenery instead of doing the same trail twice. But we did also get to enjoy the added view of a marshy area and a little frog friend.

We followed the yellow trail all the way back until we came upon the initial pond and finally the parking lot. Our legs were ready for some stretching and our feet were ready for a break at this point.

Overall, the hike was very pretty, especially the lost lake. The beaver dams were an awesome and unique sight. The trail was very empty, and we rarely passed anybody (especially on foot). Most people we crossed paths with were bikers or people by the pond in the beginning. In terms of difficulty, I expected this hike to be harder than it was. From what I had read, it was given a moderate level of difficulty. I might give it an easy. There weren't many inclines, but the distance did add up. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice walk with some great views.

For a full step-by-step overview of the Beaver Brook Trail to Lost Lake click here.