Stats:  Cal 100/Fat 0g/Carb 24g/Protein 0g/Sugars 12g/Fiber 0g/Serving size 3 pieces

Flavors:  Black Cherry, Cola, Cran Razz, Lemon Lime, Margarita, Orange, Pina Colada Strawberr

Cost:  $1.95 per package (6 in each package)

Review:

This was a new product for me, having never needed them in any of my extracurricular activities before.  I packed them for a long walk and found them quite easy to grab and scarf down.  They are pretty tasty and the texture is unique - they are little little square “bloks” of Jello, only not as soft as Jello.  They come in several flavors, my favorite being the black cherry.

One word of caution: they do contain caffeine and I learned the hard way not to eat them on an empty stomach because I quickly got a caffeine buzz which was hard to shake.  Other than that, they are a great, portable burst of energy when you need some help during a long workout. 

Pros:

• Easy to carry and eat
• Tasty
• Made from mostly organic ingredients (Organic Brown Ricy Syrup, Organic evaporated cane juice, Organic sunflower oil, etc.)

Cons:

• Seemed a lot of calories for three little pieces, but maybe that’s the idea

Website:  www.clifbar.com

Rating:  4 Stars

Stats: Calories 120/Fat 7g/Sodium 490mg/Carb 1g/Fiber 0g/Sugars 1g/Protein 13g/Serving Size 2 patties

Cost:  $3.69

Review:

For someone who doesn’t eat red meat, I sure like my turkey sausage!  These come fully cooked and are an average size.  You can microwave them but it’s better to cook them on the stove.  They taste great, are low fat (for sausage) and smell delicious!  I highly recommend!

Pros:

• Pre-cooked so easy to prepare
• Tasty, Tasty
• Zero trans fat

Cons:

• Would like them to be a little lower fat, but don’t know if that’s possible

Website:  www.jimmydean.com

Rating: 5 Stars

Stats: Cal 110/Fat 3g/Fiber 1g/Carbs 4g/Protein 15 g/Sugars 0g/Serving size 1 pattie

Cost: $2.99

Review:

These burgers are amazing!  The first time I ate one I didn’t look at the nutritional facts first (I know - cardinal sin) and was shocked to find out afterwards how low-fat they are.  They taste great!

They come frozen in packs of four and need to be grilled or broiled, NOT microwaved.  This minor inconvenience aside, they are definitely worth the preparation time and the cost is right too!

Pro’s:

• Low-fat, healthy
• Low cost
• decent size portion (although not terribly thick like a true burger would be)

Website: www.traderjoes.com

Rating: 5 Stars

Stats: Cal 40/Fat 0g/Carbs 10g/Sugars 10g/Protein 0g

Flavors: Pomegranate Cherry, Blackberry Grape, Orange Tangerine, Strawberry Kiwi, Passionfruit Citrus, 

Cost: $1.39 for 20 oz.

Review:

I really don’t care for this water.  And I am willing to try any water once.  In fact, I consider myself quite the connoisseur of water.  That is why I was so disappointed with this one; I blame it on my high expectations.

The taste is bitter and fairly strong.  It’s one of those drinks where you can almost see the artificial sweetener - you can definitely taste it!

Pro’s:

• No fat
• Colorful
• Nice bottle

Stats: Calories 100/Fat 4g/Sugars 5g/Fiber 5g/Carb 14g/Protein 6g/Serving size 1 bar

Flavors:  Peanut Butter Crisp, Chocolate Caramel Crisp, Vanilla Crisp

Cost: $.99 - $1.58 each

Review:

A little piece of heaven.  That is seriously about the only thing I can say about these bars.  Well, that and “There’s no way these have only 100 calories!”

They seriously taste like candy bars.  They have 5 g of fiber which is nothing to joke about so they’re reasonably good for you.  The only downside is that it’s hard to stop at just one because they are not very large.  

Pro’s:

• Excellent taste
• Good source of fiber and protein
• 19 vitamins and minerals