Blue Diamond Artisan Nut Thins Review and Pairings (Sponsored)

Recently I was given the opportunity to try a couple new varieties of Blue Diamond Nut Thins. This time from their new artisan nut thins line-one with flax seeds and a multi-seed one too. Even though I was sent two boxes of nut thins to test and review for free threw Blue Diamond Tastemakers-the following review is my own honest thoughts about the products.

As I mentioned previously these are a great cracker for people who can't tolerate wheat and/or gluten in their diet. They have a nice crispy texture to them and I enjoyed the addition of seeds. I like both the flax seed and multi seed crackers. They both have a nice overall flavor to them. And they pair well with a variety of cheeses, meats, dips, ect.

One dip that pairs well with the Artisan Nut Thins is this pan fried onion dip I found on The Brown-eyed Baker's blog. I did modify it a little because I didn't have all the ingredients on hand and don't like cayenne pepper. I think I will try it sometime as written and use garlic instead of cayenne. I also really liked these crackers with chocolate fondue and cookie butter.

Blue Diamond Nut Thins Review and Pairings (Sponsored)

Recently I got the opportunity to try Blue Diamonds Nut Thins since I am a Blue Diamond Taste Maker I was sent two boxes of Nut Thins for free for testing and review purposes. The following review is my own honest thoughts. I decided it would also be great to share a couple pairings.

 

I like the crispy texture of these crackers and the slightly nutty taste. They are made with nuts and rice and they are gluten free. So, they are great for anyone with a gluten allergy. I also like that they don't contain anything artificial. 16 crackers contain 130 calories. I would definitely recommend them. While they are tasty straight out of the box, they also tasty nice paired with a variety of other foods. I thought I would share two pairings with you- one sweet and one savory.

Nut Thins with Strawberries, Cream Cheese, and Honey

Nut Thins with Blue Cheese, Baby Arugula, and Balsamic Glaze

Cooking with Blue Diamond -New Honey Roasted Flavors (Sponsored)

*We received 2 free cans of Blue Diamond Almonds because I am a Blue Diamond Taste Maker. The following thoughts and opinions are my own honest ones.*

 Recently we had the opportunity to sample some more Blue Diamond almonds from their honey roasted line-honey roasted vanilla almonds and honey roasted chipotle almonds.  I was most excited to try the honey roasted vanilla ones because I don't generally care for spicy flavored nuts. That being said all 4 of us enjoyed both the honey roasted vanilla flavor and the  roasted chipotle flavor. They aren't nearly as spicy as I thought they would be. I think adding honey to these flavors really gives them a great overall flavor. They are definitely quite tasty on there own for snacking.

Next we decided to get creative with them and try them in some recipes. For the honey roasted chipotle flavor we decided to use them as part of a coating for chicken tenders. So we took panko breadcrumbs, flour, salt and almonds and then coated chicken tenders with it. It was pretty good but it would have worked out better if we used an egg wash. I also think it needed a bit more salt. One other thing we would have done different ones used half seasoned bread crumbs and half plain breadcrumbs.

For the honey roasted vanilla flavor we decided to make a peach crisp and add the nuts in with the crisp part. I think the nuts added a nice crunch to the topping. The peach turned out pretty tasty. Here's the recipe that we used.

Mom's Peach Crisp from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
4 cups slice fresh peaches
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of cold butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats

Edited:
2 tablespoons of bourbon
1/4 cup of almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange peaches evenly in an 8x8-inch baking dish.
3. Mix flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl using a pastry cutter until evenly crumbled. Fold oats into flour mixture; sprinkle and press topping into peaches.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.  

 Hope everyone had a great summer. There will be more great sponsored content and regular content soon. :)
 

Summer Fun with Blue Diamond

Recently I had the opportunity to join the Blue Diamond Taste Makers. While I received a can of almonds and a bag of almonds for free for testing and review purposes the following opinions are my own honest ones. Almonds are a great on the go snack and Blue Diamond offers a wide variety of flavor options.

I had a chance to try the toasted coconut almonds and the blueberry ones. We decided to try the toasted coconut almonds in an ambrosia salad. We have made ambrosia many times but never with an nuts in it. And I decided to add the blueberry almonds to some homemade granola and ate it on top of some strawberry yogurt. I really like the crunchy texture that the coconut almonds added to the ambrosia. I liked the coconut almonds more than the blueberry ones. The blueberry almonds did taste nice in my yogurt. I would definitely purchase the toasted coconut almonds but probably not the blueberry ones. Here our version of ambrosia salad with blue diamond toasted coconut almonds-You should definitely give it a try.

Ambrosia Fruit Salad with Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
2 T sugar
1 C sour cream
1 20oz can of pineapple tidbits - drained
1 10oz can of mandarin oranges - drained
1 10oz jar of maraschino cherries - drained and chopped
3/4 C shredded coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 C chopped Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

Whip the heavy cream and sugar until it forms stiff peaks - whisk in the sour cream.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together.  Put in the refrigerator and chill for a couple hours before serving.

Ambrosia with Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

Strawberry Yogurt with Granola and Blue Diamond Blueberry Almonds

Crowdtap Litter Genie Sampling Program

Hello again blog readers! It has been a while since my last post. I am going to try my best to start posting on a regular basis again.  Recently I was accepted into a sample and share on Crowdtap for the Litter Genie Cat Litter Disposable System. I was definitely interested in trying this product as we have 7 cats. Yes you read that correctly.  Even though I am sent this product to test for free these are my own honest thoughts on the product.

When it arrived of course the cats had to check out the box it came in and then the Litter Genie itself. I tried getting a photo but of course they moved when I went to get the camera. I was skeptical of the product at first and wondered if it would really help to reduce litter odors. It was pretty easy to assemble and the instructions were very clear. It took a couple tried to attach the scoop and its basket to the side of the container.

Ok I am going to try and explain how it works-I think it would be best to go the website and watch the video. It is very helpful and informative. After you scoop the clumps out of the litter you drop them into the pail and then pull the grey tray thing outward and then it seals the clumps into the bottom compartment. When you have a full bag you use the built in cutter and then tie off the bag.

This product was easy to use. I was really surprised at how much better our hallway smells. The instructions were well written and I liked the pictures that went along with each step. The only downside I see is the price of the bag refills. Overall I am happy I could take part in this sample and share.

BzzAgent Kashi Hummus Crisps Campaign

Recently, I received an invite on BzzAgent to try Kashi Hummus Crisps for free. We eat a lot of hummus so I was excited to try out this product. When my bzzkit arrived I couldn't wait to try them. I was sent a bag of the sea salt and olive oil flavor as well as coupons to share with friends and family. They also have caramelized onion and sundried tomato, basil, and feta flavors. I was able to sample both of these flavors too-I got a bag of the sundried tomato, basil, and feta in my October Goodies Company box and we picked up a bag of the caramelized onion at the Christmas Tree shops.

These chips are great because they contain no partially hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. They also contain 6g of whole grains, 4g fiber, and 4g of protein. These crisps have a nice crisp and texture to them. The amount of flavoring on them is just right and not to over powering. I found the texture to be a bit different than other crisps but pleasant. I also found them to be highly addictive and all 3 flavors were enjoyable. They don't really taste like hummus but they have similar ingredients except for the tahini. Overall I really enjoyed these and can see myself picking up another bag soon.

Lifeway Frozen Strawberry Kefir-Influenster Campaign

*I was given the opportunity to try out the following product to test for free from Influenster and the company mentioned below. The following opinions are my own honest ones and I was not compensated for them in any way.

This summer I was given the opportunity to try Kefir for the first time. A website called Influenster sent me a free coupon to try any Lifeway Kefir product. I was excited to try this product. So, I took my coupon to Wegmans and decided to try the Frozen Strawberry Kefir. If you are not familiar with kefir it is fermented milk product that has more probiotics than yogurt.

Here's an explanation from Lifeway's website-"A fermented milk product, Lifeway Kefir is similar to drinkable yogurt but far more probiotic. While yogurt contains only two to three strains of “live and active” cultures, Lifeway is packed with a unique blend of 12 probiotic cultures."

They also sell some Greek versions of their products. I enjoyed being given the opportunity to be able to try a new product that I hadn't heard of before. The Frozen Strawberry Kefir I tried was a bit tart and slightly tangy. It was also a very refreshing and creamy Summer time treat. A half a cup serving is only 90 calories and it is 99% lactose free. Which is great since I have a slight dairy sensitivity. The probiotics rev-up your immunity and aid your digestion.