your personal food ambassador

So I consider it my personal duty to try new food products. I seriously cannot resist them, especially when they involve chocolate. However, as of late, I've eliminated most processed sugar (Reeses Eggs are exempt) and white flour from my diet. Now, it ain't doing a bit of good, and I'm still roughly the size of a barge! (name that Disney movie), but I'm not giving up. Mostly because I am honestly trying to change the way I (and we) eat. Permanently. Not a diet, not a temporary fix. But real change. Here's the trick though: I'm looking for real change that still tastes good. This has involved a lot more cooking and substituting recipes and snacks. And to be honest, we've found some really delicious food and snacks that don't clog our veins and taste delicious. It's more work and trickier to manage the budget, but it's been worth it. In truth, I wish I could drop some weight, but it's become less important as I really do feel better. (Remember when I did this when I was pregnant and felt like a million bucks? You'd think I'd learn.) That said, I've stumbled upon a few new products that pretty much fit my new bill of health, and are rather tasty. And of course, as the ambassador of new food products, I consider it my duty to share:

1. Nature Valley Protein Bars (Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate is my favorite): I try not to be obsessive about labels, but these fit the label requirements - low carbs and sugar, high protein and fiber. They're not super sweet, but they're super delicious and filling. A much better option than, say, a Reeses Egg.

Dang. It.

2. Belvita Breakfast Biscuits: Please ignore the stupid name. I didn't want to try these just because I thought their name was too stupid and rhymed with Velveeta. But they kept calling out to me with their boasted 18g of whole grain per serving. Then they went on sale and a coupon came out for them, making my box just over a buck. So I gave them a try. (Tip: Most new products will go on sale and have a coupon with their first few weeks to try and entice people. So if you want to try random new junk like me, wait it out a bit and see. I bought all three of these products on sale with a coupon.) Back to the biscuits - super wheaty and full of good grains. They're kind of like those Biscoff cookies on Delta flights (and available in most grocery stores these days), but far less sugar. They're a graham cracker on steroids, basically. Yum.

3. Mio Water Enhancer: Don't be fooled by it's spacey packaging. If you just hate swallowing water like me because you find it bland and boring, and if you don't mind artificial sweetener (like me - um, hello Diet Dr Pepper?), give these a try. I just use a teensy tiny squirt in my water sometimes to give it that little umph that will convince me to, you know, swallow. And although this will be frowned upon in some parental circles, I use it to get Belle to drink water sometimes too. Colored water does wonders for a toddler's will to drink.

And there you have it. Some semi-healthy new product options. You are soooo welcome.