BzzAgent: Fiber One Protein Cereal in Cranberry Almond #Review

I drink Cranberry juice on a daily bases and use the fresh fruit in baked goods even when it’s not the Winter season. Cranberry in dried fruit form is something I enjoy by itself, on salads to even mixing what I call a “snack cup”, with whole raw almonds and even sometimes a few peanut butter chips.

When I saw the second flavor in the box was Cranberry Almond….I felt this mix was made for me. That evening I took 1/2 a cup of yogurt and mixed in some cranberry preserves, so it could sit overnight and have that Cranberry punch I desire. I woke up the next morning and then just added a 1/4 cup of the Fiber One Protein cereal and it was perfect!

Fiber One’s Protein cereals are made with sweetened granola so it goes beyond just the flakes. You get 10 grams of protein in every serving and this is a value with the addition of milk. The Cranberry Almond version has dried cranberries and small almond pieces. You also get 20% of your daily fiber intake.

Nutritional Facts:
220 calories per one cup serving and it goes up to 260 with skim milk. You have whole grain oats, crisp rice and soy protein isolate to Corn Bran and Puffed Wheat. Lower in sodium than the Maple Sugar version, at 140 mg of Sodium and 16 grams of sugar. I found several undesirable ingredients like Caramel coloring and Corn Syrup listed and below is the link for you to review.

• Full Nutrition Index Link-

http://www.fiberone.com/products/cereal/fiber-one-protein-cranberry-almond

Cranberry Taste Test:
I did find the Cranberries are not as bountiful and when you catch one, it is very sweet but still good when it comes to moisture. I barely picked up the Almond pieces and chunks in the mix. I did find when I added more of the dried fruit and some whole raw almonds to the cereal, it was then to my satisfaction and again the additions help mellow out the sweetness. Since the cranberries were super sweet as was the cereal, I did not eat this box with milk but with plain yogurt. I even had some with frozen vanilla flavored yogurt in one of our many non-winter days we have been enjoying in California. I thought this mix would be my favorite but because it lacked in quantities of fruit and nuts listed, I tended to be left with a sweet mix that tasted more like brown sugar coated cereal. I also noticed as I reached the bottom of the box, the cereal was finer and more crushed, so the texture was not as crunchy as the Maple Brown Sugar variety……almost mealy.   I don’t think this is a bad variation but I will just stick to adding cranberries and whole almonds to the Maple Brown Sugar & Pecan version for a bowl that is more to my liking 🙂

If you would like to visit Fiber One’s Protein Cereals, please visit:

• On-line– http://www.fiberone.com/products/cereal/fiber-one-protein-cranberry-almond
• Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/fiberone
• Coupons– https://www.facebook.com/fiberonecoupons

I received the above product free of charge from BzzAgent & Fiber One. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours. #GotItFree

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BzzAgent: Fiber One Protein Cereal in Maple Brown Sugar #Review

I love Maple Brown sugar flavored treats from cereals, bars to even a bowl of oatmeal, so when BzzAgent and Fiber One had this campaign……well, I was hoping to get in and so happy I did.

I still eat cereal regularly but not always with milk. I go with my cravings and love switching it up from Coconut milk, Almond milk to just regular old fashioned….well, cow milk. There are times I even mix milks just because I can! Other times I use cereals as my “granola imitation” combined with yogurts and dried fruits. It’s like eating a delicious but healthy parfait.

Fiber One’s Protein cereals are made with sweetened granola so it goes beyond just the flakes. You get 10 grams of protein in every serving and this is a value with the addition of milk. The Maple Brown sugar version has Pecans, so you get a nice crunch and the nuts were fair in size. You also get 20% of your daily fiber intake.

Nutritional Facts:
220 calories per one cup serving and it goes up to 260 with skim milk. You have whole grain oats, crisp rice and soy protein isolate to Corn Bran and Puffed Wheat. 150 mg of Sodium and 16 grams of sugar. I found several undesirable ingredients like Caramel coloring and Corn Syrup listed and below is the link for you to review.

• Full Nutrition Index Link- http://www.generalmills.com/~/media/Images/Brands/Nutritional_Images/Big_G/Fiber_One_Protein_Maple_Brown_Sugar.aspx

Maple Brown Sugar Taste Test:
I found the texture nice on it’s own but did find it more on the sugar sweet side than the Maple side. The bites that contained pecans helped to mellow out the sweetness. When added with milks, I did notice it did not play well with my Vanilla flavored Almond Milk, so I stuck to plain. I found it was better with yogurt because of the crunch and the yogurt tends to dilute the sweetness. I usually just purchase a large container of plain greek yogurt that lasts a little under a week, so making this mix was great. I added almonds on certain days and on others even added a banana with flax seeds. I did enjoy the cereal and  how versatile the it can be, just wish it was a touch less sweet but it’s nothing you can’t fix!

If you would like to visit Fiber One’s Protein Cereals, please visit:

• On-line– http://www.fiberone.com/products/cereal/fiber-one-protein-maple-brown-sugar
• Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/fiberone
• Coupons– https://www.facebook.com/fiberonecoupons

I received the above product free of charge from BzzAgent & Fiber One. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours. #GotItFree

Swaggable: Peeled Snacks, Much-ado-about-Mango

I enjoy eating fruits and to avoid boredom, I try to eat them dried, dehydrated, baked…..you name it and I usually will try fruit anything…but canned!

I received the Peeled Snacks product from Swaggable last week and I consider myself a Mango “liker” versus a “lover”. I enjoy the fresh fruit but if you have strawberries or pineapple, Mango loses.

The first thing that jumped out was that the product is Organic and the simple words, “nothing added”. Naked fruit as I call it, is best in my book so this is a great start. I noticed the package has a little clear window that allows you to see the product and I love when manufactures do this because how many times have I opened a package to find it was not close to how it was pictured. So again, great beginning.

I flip the product and notice some very positive nutritional facts starting that one bag is considered 1 serving and it’s a generous amount at 48 grams (1.40 ounces), with only 120 calories. You have Calcium and Iron at 2% each, 20% Vitamin C, and 30% Vitamin A. Gluten, dairy, wheat and cholesterol free. You wrap it up nicely with 2 grams each of Protein and Dietary Fiber.

I open the package and take a sniff and the product smells close to apricots mixed with a slight orange scent. Good start as it’s not off in odor or like some dried fruits, they stink of chemicals or smell like they have been in a cardboard box for half a century! The fruit looks leathery but I have purchased “leather fruit” strips in the past so I am familiar and accepting of such a  texture. The peels almost look like strips of carrots (in color) that were partially dehydrated and remained bendable. I take a shaving out and notice the remaining pieces have no uniform shape to them (nice natural look). The product was a little on the chewy side so I went from biting and pulling with my front teeth, to having to put some “oompf” with the back ones but I finally won! The fruit goes from feeling leathery on your fingers and dry when biting, to instantly re-hydrating to a gummy like texture. So gummy in consistency that the molars that helped me win my battle had Mango bits embedded all around them. Very sweet and I understand the natural pectin in fruit amps up when dried but this was so sweet and intense, that Mango was the last thing I tasted. As my mouth cleared from the gumminess, I did pick-up some Mango notes but the sweetness really turned me off. I was left…..well craving a Mango. So in some ways this snack encouraged me to add Mango to the grocery list but of the fresh kind.

Does it have it’s place?

Yes, I see maybe a tart yogurt being able to curve the sugar taste a bit but I’m unsure if it would help with the gummy factor. Maybe the wetness of a yogurt would aid or it could result in a bit of a mess. Baking with the product could be it’s only hope! I wanted to like this product because everything outside the package called to me when it came to the brand Peeled Snacks, it just was not what I desired from a Mango. I understand nothing is added to the Mango and respect that but if they could maybe find a way to take some sugar away, I maybe could accept the gummy factor better. I would still try one more time with Peeled Snacks but just a different fruit.

You can check-out the Peeled Snacks collection at: http://www.peeledsnacks.com/

I received the above product from Swaggable free of charge. I am not obligated in providing a positive/favorable review. just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product, which may differ from yours.