IAteAPie.net Guest Post!

Hey guys!!!

One quick update before I get back to studying for midterms D:

I'm doing a guest post on IAteaPie.net tomorrow @ 12:30 PM! They are a healthy diet food review site. Some of you may want to check it out. ;)

I promise I'll be back with some new posts sometime soon, but test's are getting crazy during this time of year. I probably won't have any followers by the time I'm done studying for Chem (yes, in ninth grade, what's wrong with my school?).

Love you all! <3

Beautiful Blogger Award ♥

Hey guys! Today is going to be an irregular post, perfect for the first day of 2O1O. I got tagged by the lovely and artistic Vanilla Swirl AKA Eliane!

If you want to check out her blog, click here. :) I highly recommend it, her posts are so unique and filled with cute graphics and yummy eats! ^^

How was 2OO9 for you? It could have been better for me. :( I spent my 14th birthday in Disneyland, the happiest place on Earth, but I was miserable. Why? You can thank ED for that one.

Throughout the entire plane ride there and back, I was up because it hurt to sit down on my bones for so long. My hair was thin and brittle and I always wore a sweatshirt because I was ashamed of my body. People could still tell, though, and I had to deal with horrified stares everyday. I was 79 pounds at 5' 8", a deadly weight with a BMI of 12.

All I wanted was to look healthy, but I couldn't bring myself to eat. It was living hell, as I'm sure many of you can relate with. My family didn't understand me, and to this day think I lied to them about food because I wanted to. They don't feel that it's a MENTAL disorder, something I wish I could get them to understand. Ah, well, there's always something to work on.

So, on to the award!

7 Random Facts about Me:

1. I was almost named Arielle after the Little Mermaid, but that became my middle name instead.

2. I desperately am trying to teach myself guitar, unsuccessfully.

3. I am half Chinese, half Irish.

4. When I was little, I had bright red hair (COUGH Irish COUGH)

5. I have an obsession with reading; there are three bookshelves in my room!

6. My favorite band is Escape the Fate.

7. I'm only a freshman in high school!

So that's it! I've never done this before, but here's a question for you to answer in the comments. :) This is a "different" post to say the least!

Question: What's your New Year's Resolution? (very original, I know...)

EDIT: Ha, I forgot to tag people. :P

Here are my seven:

1. Jenny: Peanut Butter & Jenny

2. Karina: Like Some Cat From Japan

3. Maya: Pistachios and Rainbows

4. Eliza: Nourishing Mornings

5. Kris: Vivez Riez Aimez

6. Lisa: Healthy Product Reviews

7. Nattie: Eating to Live

There we go! If you've already been tagged, please let me know so I can tag someone else. :P Thanks!

Giveaways:

Krittie's Daves Killer Bread Giveaway!

Sharkies Organic Fruit Chews

So we all try to eat healthily as much as possible, but sometimes we just can't do it. I know I have a love/hate relationship with the sight of those Welch's Fruit Snacks in the vending machine. They're just full of sugar, preservatives, artificial junk... you name it. Still, we all have to have something sweet once in a while! Introducing... Sharkies Organic Fruit Chews!

The Sharkies company has products for both adults and kids, but you guys know me, I had to try the kid version! A lot of people have been criticizing these chews as mere candy, but they most definitely aren't. First off, they're not made with refined sugars. Secondly, half the product is brown rice syrup, which gives the chews complex carbohydrates for that extra energy boost. And last, but not least, unlike candy, there is no high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or other artificial sweetener.

I love the fact that I can just pop a bag in my tote and go. There's no mess! I also love the fact that there's no gelatin, which truly freaks me out. Have you heard what they say about that stuff?

Click if you dare.

Gelatin is Made Out of What???

What about the taste? Well... these things are delish. I do have some cons about them though. Even though they look, and at first bite taste, like real chewies, they... kind of aren't. They're less sticky but get stuck in your teeth for a while. They have a non-rubbery texture and aren't too sweet or too tart. I wouldn't, however, eat this everyday. They're a treat! I know I usually do separate reviews for the flavors (Tropical Splash and Berry Blast), but they both taste similar.

The nutrition facts include what I stated before, but Sharkies are also gluten, nut, gelatin, wheat, and fat free. They're also kosher and vegetarian!

I know at this point you're probably wondering, "Where can I buy these lovely things?". Well, you can find them at Whole Foods or Target, but Target is significantly cheaper, as always, at $3.50 a box. Still expensive, but like I said, they're a treat!

Calories: 140 per bag

Price: $3.50 per box

Fage 0% Greek Yogurt

This has to be one of the creamiest, thickest Greek yogurts I've ever had, and it's fat-free! How great is that? I absolutely love Fage 0%. I just tried it for the first time a few days ago, but I know it's going to be a staple in my fridge already.

Now, it wouldn't be an honest review if I said I ate this yogurt straight up. I always add a packet of Truvia. I don't really like plain yogurt by itself, but I love the texture, so... Problem solved! In my opinion, why would you have a full fat yogurt with more calories if this is just as good? I love you, Fage. :)

One thing I do have to note about this Greek yogurt is that it isn't as tangy as most. I actually don't taste the tang if I add sweetener. Definitely buy this yogurt TODAY!

I know most of you are like me with the whole "I-don't-really-like-plain-yogurt-but-I-love-yogurt-itself" thing. So here's a list of things you can add to your yogurt for a delicious twist!

1. Honey - just a drizzle will do to add that desired sweetness

2. Fruit - get your daily serving of it as well as a delicious kick to your yogurt

3. Cereal - a nice crunch to go with the creaminess

4. Jam/ fruit spreads - it'll even color the yogurt!

5. Granola - need I explain more? Thought not. ;)

So there you have it. If you're a yogurt fan, go buy Fage. If you're not a yogurt fan... go buy Fage!

Here are the nutrition stats:

Definitely my new yogurt of choice, I don't know about you! I just have one issue... Sometimes the calorie count for the 0% is 80 and sometimes it's 90. Why is that?

Price: $1.99 per container at Whole Foods

Calories: 80 or 90 per container

Celestial Seasonings Holiday Tea

Hey girls. :) I know I took a short hiatus without telling you, but it was much needed, believe me. I'm so sorry I keep leaving out of nowhere! I'll try to be on the blog more often. I'm really grateful for all of the wonderful, heartwarming comments I keep receiving. They keep me going and make my day. I love you guys!

It's finally December, just that much closer to Christmas. With that in mind, I decided to try some of Celestial Seasonings' Holiday Teas to keep with the spirit of the season. I love tea, so we'll see how this review goes. ;)

The first flavor, if you can't read the title, is Candy Cane Lane. This one is nice and minty, but the taste isn't really strong. The scent is more delicious than the actual drink. It's like green tea with a peppermint kick.

This one is Gingerbread Spice. The name itself makes me want to just eat the box! It has a mild spice with some cinnamon in it. Also not strong, but soothing and complex with the mix of flavors.

This was the first Holiday Tea I bought. It smells exactly like freshly baked cookies. I literally sat there for an entire minute just inhaling the mug. As with all of the other teas, the flavor is VERY mild. Still delicious though. :D

~~~

There are two other teas I haven't tried yet. I was thinking maybe adding a packet of sweetener would help enhance them, but I haven't tried that so far. The aromas set such high expectations for the flavors, but it's a little bit disappointing. Oh, well. I'll still buy these if I see them in the store.

The nutrition facts are the same as any other tea! Don't be too surprised on that one. xD All natural, caffeine-free, and zero calories. Yum!

You can get these at Shop-Rite, Kings, Whole Foods, even online... basically anywhere that sells tea. Go get some riiight now. Now. :)

Price: $2.79 per 20 bag box

Calories: o

VitaBrownies

Ahh... Gone again. :/ I keep disappearing on you guys! I'm actually having a little bit of a difficult time struggling with ED... I feel uncomfortable just like I did before I was anorexic. Sigh. I just want to lose the weight again, but I know I can't. Any ideas? So sorry if this is triggering to any of you, but I'm really at a strange point right now.

On to more important things. :) VitaBrownies! I absolutely love these little things, almost as much as I love the VitaMuffins. I still haven't found any VitaTops though, which I find a bit weird. I can't find the most popular item in the Vitalicious company.

So... At first I was a little disappointed that there were only two VitaBrownie flavors at my store, but then I realized there are only two. I got a box each of Dark Chocolate Pomegranate and Deep & Velvety Chocolate. Both sooo good!

Deep & Velvety Chocolate: Imagine a brownie; delicious, warm and melted (from the microwave, shh...), decadent... Now imagine it healthy and GOOD FOR YOU! Sounds impossible? Not anymore. Vitalicious has achieved what we all thought to be fantasy. This brownie has a sprinkling of crunchy walnuts on the top, a con for me, but a pro for some. I'm not really a nut person. The brownie tastes great, but the texture is more crumbly than a normal brownie. I love the petite portion because it kicks my sweet tooth craving. Perfect!

Dark Chocolate Pomegranate: For some reason, I didn't like this flavor as much as the Deep & Velvety Chocolate. It was a little bit more tart than it was pomegranate-y. It's still an amazing snack that I love the taste of, but I just like the other flavor better, although I pick off the nuts. :P

A little bit more than a sprinkling there...

Now, time for the nutrition label. The brownies are almost identical to the muffins. I really think they ARE the same, just in a different mold! :D Still fun to be able to eat a healthy brownie though.

Lovely! One of the best labels I've seen in a while. :) Beware, they are PRICEY. I think these are sadly going to be a once in a while treat. :(

Price: $4.49 per box of four

Calories: 100 per brownie

Trader Joe's Cereal Bars

So I'm pretty sure ALL of you have been to a Trader Joe's before. It's kind of a food blogger rite of passage. No joke.

Anyway... A new one just opened up near me and I went with my mom to take a look. Kind of small, and there's a lot of space that isn't utilized, but still awesome. Especially the food!

I picked up these little boxes of love last week. I think they're one of my favorite bars ever! And don't you just love the title? This "Insert Fruit Here" Walks into a Bar. <3

I tried three flavors, fig, strawberry, and apple. All delicious by the way, but I loved fig the best. It tastes exactly like a healthy Fig Newton!

Fig: Nice and sweet, with that trademark fig crunch in the filling. I love those little seeds. :) I swear this one tastes exactly like a Fig Newton. I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference during a blind taste test.

Apple: Not as apple tasting as the Kashi bars, but still really good. The flavor just isn't as strong, which is good for some people. I found this one to be less sweet than the Fig for some reason. Buy this bar if you want a milder cereal bar.

Strawberry: I used to love the taste of strawberry a while ago, but now it's moved down on my list of fav fruits. I don't really know why... But anyway. This strawberry bar is definitely true to the fruit. It tastes like a squished up strawberry in a bar! I don't usually say that about bars because there's generally that fake fruit taste, but not this one.

The nutrition stats on these bars are pretty good, considering they're the cereal kind. With either 120 or 140 calories per bar, they can be an easy on-the-go snack. There are also around 2 or 2.5 grams of fat, 24-28 grams of carbs, 1 or 2 grams of dietary fiber and protein, and finally, around 17 grams of sugar. A little bit high on the sugar side, but nice for a treat once in a while.

Nutrition Facts for "This Fig Walked into a Bar..."

Serving Size: 1 Bar

Amount per Serving
Calories 120 Calories from Fat 20
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2g	3%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 75mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 24g	8%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Sugars 13g
Protein 1g	2%

Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	2%
Iron	2%
Thiamin (B1)	10%
Riboflavin (B2)	10%
Niacin (B3)	10%
Vitamin B6	10%
Folic Acid (Folate)	10%
Vitamin B12	10%

---

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 15.0% Carbs 80.0%

Protein 3.3%

So there you have it! I really like Trader Joe's. I hadn't been to one in a long time, and it was a good experience. :)

Ooh! And I want some ideas on what else to incorporate into my blog... Any ideas? What do you guys think?

Price: $1.99 per 6 bar box

Calories: 120-140 depending on the flavor