stevia

Congratulations to Madeline for winning the Luna Fiber Bar giveaway!

Madeline Brubaker, 18 May, 2012 23:15 I love kashi and Fiber One brownies.

Check your email! Thanks to everyone who entered. I have a few more giveaways lined up that I think you all will enjoy, so stay tuned!

A cool perk of blogging is getting the opportunity to sample different products, some that are new products from brands I've tried before and others I have never tried. My objective when I review a product is to select those that are relevant to my blog and give my readers an honest review. That's where this next product review comes in, which I think will be a great way to stay cool and refreshed this summer. Courtesy of BzzAgent, I was given two bottles from the new SoBe Lifewater drinks with coconut water line to sample. They also sent me coupons to pass out to help spread the word. Coconut water apparently has many benefits that supposedly makes it nature's perfect sports drink, like being naturally rich in electrolytes, among others. I've seen many running bloggers hit the coconut water bandwagon, though I've never tried it myself (cost reasons). All I know is that I like the taste of coconut. It's tropical, rich, and amazing. The three new flavors released by SoBe are SoBe Pacific Coconut with Coconut Water, Pomegranate Nectarine with Coconut Water, and Mango Mandarin with Coconut Water. Each bottle contains 10% of coconut water, has natural flavors (out of curiosity, I looked up the FDA's definition of natural flavoring - click the link and search for "natural flavor" to read more) and is sweetened with sugar and stevia. There's a slight aftertaste from the stevia, but it's not as pronounced as other drinks with it that I've tasted. The entire 20-ounce bottle contains 80 calories and 20 grams of sugar. Compared to other SoBe beverages, this is very light but contains enough substance for an energy boost. I tried the pacific coconut and pomegranate nectarine. The coconut was my favorite (yes, I'm biased -- so is Pippin, apparently) because the flavor of the coconut was strong and very refreshing. The pomegranate nectarine was good, but tasted more tea-like in terms of strength (keep in mind that this is technically an enhanced water beverage, after all) and I couldn't taste the coconut, though I expected not to taste it in this one. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try the mango mandarin since I like mango, though my favorite will probably remain pacific coconut. Overall, I'm pleased with the line. The drinks will be perfect for times when I want something more than water but less than a sugar bomb. The flavors are well rounded and didn't taste overly sweet. The drinks retail for around $1.79. If you're interested in trying one yourself, I have three 50¢ off coupons available. Just send me an email at christinaATrunningfoodieDOTcom with your name and address and I'll mail coupons out to the first three who respond.

I could have sworn that I blogged about this, but I guess not. Anyway, way back in April I had a craving for a stick-to-your-ribs kind of breakfast. After reading a post about baby biscuits and gravy on Disgustingly Good, I entered the kitchen ready to cover the counters in flour. His recipe uses all white whole wheat flour. I've always preferred biscuits with white flour so that they'll stay

If you suddenly found yourself craving Luna Fiber bars after reading my review yesterday, I can help you out. The Luna folks are giving one of my readers the chance to win their own three-pack of Luna Fiber bars, pictured above! To enter, comment and tell me what your go-to fiber food is. Giveaway runs through Monday and the winner will be chosen Tuesday morning. Include your email address if you

I really like bars. They're good to have around for times when you don't plan ahead and are snackless. They usually last longer than homemade versions, and not all of them are as bad as a candy bar. I mean, I like my candy bars, but I know I can't always grab a Zero bar (the "zero" has nothing to do with the calories - I don't even know what about the bar it has anything to do with, actually) to

Easy Vanilla Fig Bars made with dried figs, shredded coconut and almonds --gluten free, Paleo, Primal, delicious. I've been working on various power bar recipes lately as I need some easy to pack snacks for an upcoming adventure. My husband and I are planning on climbing a 14'er (that would be a 14,000 foot mountain) [...] Click on the title to be taken to the full post at www.elanaspantry.com. Please note: This email was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming email. Please do not reply to this message.

Just in time for National Chocolate Chip Day! Actually, I didn't plan that at all - I'm the last to know about all these ancillary food holidays, and I'd go crazy trying to blog recipes for all of them.Instead, I choose to repeat recipes with variations to keep myself from being bored. I suppose I could make a more complex cookie except that I've had this lazy streak I can't seem to shake. I have

Yeah... I did say I wasn't going to run it. However, my leg showed signs of improvement a few days after the initial incident, and my run one week later felt alright. I hate to pass up on a race I trained for, so I decided to go ahead and do it. I felt that although my fitness had been compromised a little I could still pull off a good race. In case a paragraph without any pictures is all that

Grain free cookies made with high protein almond flour, naturally sweetened with honey. Primal. Paleo. Specific Carbohydrate. GAPS. Call it what you want. I began the grain-free diet in 2001. I have adhered to it religiously ever since. When I began, I followed the Specific Carbohydrate Diet; since then, although I've used various sweeteners and [...] Click on the title to be taken to the full post at www.elanaspantry.com. Please note: This email was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming email. Please do not reply to this message.

Well, turns out that I injured myself. I seem to have strained my soleus on the left leg. My foot still hurts, too. Unfortunately, this means Pittsburgh is out, which I'm pretty bummed (har har) about because I really thought I could do well. My hope is that my leg will heal in a few weeks and I might be able to salvage the Sunburst half. I'll cycle and do yoga (when it's okay to stretch again)

Gluten free, grain free raspberry streusel bars, made with high protein almond flour, lightly sweetened with xylitol. This recipe for vegan raspberry streusel bars is based on one by Brittany at Real Sustenance. Ever since she posted her delicious looking recipe last year during the holidays I've been wanting to make it. I adjusted her [...] Click on the title to be taken to the full post at www.elanaspantry.com. Please note: This email was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming email. Please do not reply to this message.

My foot didn't feel too bad this week. It still flared up a bit, but on Monday's run it was barely noticeable. Perhaps all the icing and exercises have helped, though it's nowhere near healed. Because my foot held up, I had a decent week of running. Monday -6 miles. This was the run where my foot felt pretty good. Usually, it takes about a mile for my foot to feel okay, but it felt fine from the

This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.Let's talk about mashed potatoes. I make them all the time and I'm pretty damn good at it. The only problem is that I don't particularly like eating them all that much, but I make it because others do. I've seen recipes

One of my favorite salads (or side dish, rather) is this fresh black bean and corn salad. There are many different versions out there and this one is mine. It pairs well with fish, chicken, steak, or solo and I have yet to meet the person who does not like it (not that I would be friends with the person who refuses to see how great this dish is). I said "fresh", though you'll notice I have a bag

Here is the strawberry pretzel dessert I mentioned yesterday. I followed a recipe from Allrecipes.com, but I changed the proportions a little. We usually make either a coconut cake or fruit-based dessert for Easter, with a key lime pie being the norm. I wanted to make a new dessert this time, albeit not one we haven't tried before (it's good practice never to attempt a new recipe for a holiday or

I hope you guys had a good Easter weekend! I kicked things off on Saturday by preparing Joy the Baker's Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls before my long run.The dry ingredients were prepped the night before and chilled in the fridge overnight. I also mixed the sugars and cinnamon with softened butter and left it out, covered, overnight. This cut down on prep the next morning so that all I had to do was form