Yes, FTC, as the title implies, these snacks all came in my swag bag at FitBloggin’, AKA free – score! And as you might have gathered, everyone got swag bags, so no one was expecting me to write anything or pose in my super awesome shirt while eating my tasty brownie. 😉 If I thought being a food blogger was hard, being a fashion blogger would have to be the hardest. I might be a major fashionista, but when I think of all the work that goes into posing for beauty fashionshoots all I can do is give huge props. So, you will have to forgive me for looking like the blurry FitBloggin’ zombie in this one – I’ll call it interpretive art since that’s kind of how I feel after conference week. ANYWAY!

So Lenny & Larry are two cool dudes that make “Muscle Brownies” packed with protein. I got a few of these to taste test in my swag bag and they’re quite nice – they come in flavors like Triple Chocolate and Cookies & Cream, which are sweeter than you’d expect for this type of snack/meal replacement. I love easy meal options like this during zombie week after a business event!

I also had a chance to try Hemp Hearts for the first time this past week via Manitoba Harvest. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but these are like a nutty seed – it reminds me a bit of pine nuts. I’ve been stirring these into my Power Pak Pudding and it’s pretty good that way – I’d like to try them on a salad next.

We also got a few sticks of Simply Snackin’ jerky, and oh boy, were these a hit! Jai is a big jerky fan (Jerky boy?!) so he quickly set about eating one of the chicken breast varieties – don’t ask me which, he ate it before I could check 😉 – and very much enjoyed it. I tried the Dried Beef Sirloin and was really impressed at how soft it was – my main problem with jerky is that I feel like I have to break my jaw in half to eat it. This was moist and effortless to eat as well as being delicious. I’m impressed!

And there you go – the tastes of FitBloggin’, reviewed! I love trying new food so it’s fun to go to an event like this where there are new-to-me eats everywhere.

One of the tasty snack breaks at FitBloggin’ 2013 was hosted by The Laughing Cow. The host with the most was Mr. Cow himself, who posed for photos with all the hungry attendees!

After hugging Mr. Cow, I got myself a plate of cheese, homemade crackers and fresh veggies. So good! I was in a rush to get to my next session so I didn’t have much time to eat, and I ended up throwing a few foil packets of cheese into my purse to eat later. Latop…makeup…cheese…yep, my purse has everything. 😉

The Laughing Cow also had a table in the Expo Hall where they were handing out coupons and hosting a fun “Trivia” game. I flipped a card and got the best question ever: What is your favorite flavor? For answering, I had my choice of prize and picked this sweet Laughing Cow water bottle. And in case you’re wondering: The answer is Light Garlic & Herb, in case it ever comes up in Trivial Pursuit. 😉

One of the Expo Hall tables I visited at FitBloggin’ last week was Powered by Soy Protein by Guiltless Plate. They had a variety of samples to taste, most of which were new to me. I was introduced to Fit & Lean Power Pak Pudding, a 100 calorie snack with 15 grams of protein. Right away I thought this could be a good morning snack for us, since we still adhere to the “PowerFuels” and “SmartCarbs” concept that worked so well for us on Nutrisystem. We’ve been trying both flavors this week – as a confirmed chocoholic that flavor is by far my favorite, but the vanilla is still pretty good too.

There were also a selection of products from Special K, including their protein shakes that we have literally been drinking all week to their new Special K Nourish line of cereals and bars. We’ve been sampling quite a few of the Nourish meal bars, including the Dark Chocolate Nut Delight:

Yum!

Now, I also received a selection of NoGii and Now bars to sample, but someone *coughcough* Jai *coughcough* ate them all before I tried any. I showed him this picture and said, “Hey, how did these taste?” He looked concerned and said, “I didn’t eat those”. After some back and forth, I realized that he thought I was implying that he had eaten every bar on the table in this picture. 😉 One we cleared THAT up, he said: “Oh yeah, they were good. I liked them so much that I ate all the ones you brought home.” MEN! In all fairness, he also added that they were “Granola-ish with a hint of sweetness”. I will take that as a compliment since they disappeared pretty darn fast!

If you’ve seen Mike & Ike candies in a store recently, you’ve probably noticed special packaging to recognize their split. Well, the duo have since reunited – isn’t that sweet? To celebrate, they’ve introduced a brand new candy, Strawberry Reunion. I recently received box of these candies in the mail (Yum!), and this is a light blend of strawberry that still manages to be a bit tangy. I also received a few other boxes of Mike & Ike classics, such as the Italian Ice, which is a cool and refreshing blend of tangy, zesty flavors like Lemon. But if I thought that one was a little bit tart, it had nothing on the Zours. These have a different texture from the regular Mike & Ikes, and yep, they are indeed sour! These two guys are the mascots for the candy:

That’s not too far off from the expression I had after the initial taste! After the sour flavor wears off, it ends on quite a sweet note. Of all the flavors, I have to say that I still think the Original is the best since it’s not as tart as the others.

The Return of Mike & Ike Movie Mania Contest

To celebrate the reunion of this duo, Mike & Ike are hosting a “Movie Mania” contest where they are giving away movie tickets, Netflix subscriptions, and candy, with a grand prize of a home entertainment system. For more details & to enter, visit MikeAndIke.com – you have until August 15th to enter!