Thursday, August 30, 2012

Boylan Bottling Company soda review

Here's a review of something I really enjoyed: Boylan Bottling Co. Soda.
I'm not much of a soda drinker. They are so strong and I always seem to end up with the hiccups. Until now!
Boylan is a really amazing company. They don't use any ingredients that you can't pronounce. Just the same great things they've been using since they started back in 1891. Their website actually has a very interesting account of their history which is what originally caught my eye. Their first product was called Birch Beer. Later they began making and serving other flavors. They originated and stayed in New Jersey, though their sodas are now sold in 20 twenty states and on 3 continents.
So why am I now liking Boylan soda more than any other I've tasted? Well, it's just like they say on their website:
"And while the packaging varied greatly over the years, from fountains to barrels to kegs and bottles, and the flavor lineup expanded dramatically, what never changed was Boylan’s commitment to making sodas the right way, from home grown recipes and the best quality ingredients for maximum flavor... Our Sodamasters use home grown recipes to make Boylan’s sparkling beverages from only the highest quality ingredients. Real ingredients…the kind you can even pronounce. We still use pure cane sugar which not only tastes better but also enhances the flavors of our sodas rather than masking them with the cloying syrupy sweetness of high fructose corn syrup. And our thick glass bottles perfectly preserve flavor, freshness and carbonation, making for a markedly superior tasting product."
The flavor and taste is smooth but strong. I don't feel overwhelmed by the thick syrup taste that often comes from other sodas. And I don't get the hiccups from drinkingt it! My personal favorites so far are the Creme Soda and Black Cherry. Boylan Bottling Co. was kind enough to let me try some of their flavors so that I could write a review and share it with you all! Creme soda is my all time favorite and no one has even come close to the excellent taste that Boylan did.

Now their soda might cost a little more, but everything gets put back into making sure you are experiencing the best. They have Creme, Root Beer, Black Cherry, Ginger Ale, Orange, Grape, Creamy Red Birch Beer, Original Birch Beer, Cane Sugar Cola, as well as diet flavors, seltzers and mixers.
I would definitely suggest them as a soda worth trying! Oh and one final note - glass is recyclable. So drink your soda down and don't forget to toss it in the recycle bins!
You can check them out at their website: http://www.boylanbottling.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/boylanbottling
Twitter: http://twitter.com/boylan_bottling
Pin them on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/boylanbottling/
Or even sign up for their newsletter: http://www.boylanbottling.com/newsletter/

Monday, August 6, 2012

Journey Bar review

Lately I’ve been on the hunt for healthier living - for me and my family. Especially for travel snacks that are not going to clog our arteries, make a huge mess (especially in this Texas heat) or sweeten my kids up to the bounce-off-the-walls point. Nutrition bars happen to be something I prefer, but most of them out there are sweet. Drizzled with chocolate, chocolate chips mixed in… If I wanted chocolate, I’d just carry cookies and a case of diaper wipes with me. So, to the internet I went – in search of other options. And I found the Journey Bar. These are savory bars ready to go wherever you go! Their ingredients are organic whole grains and authentic spices from around the world. Such a different experience than what most people are using these days. Journey Bar offers these great flavors: Coconut Curry, Pizza Marinara, Rosemary (crunchy), Hickory Barbecue, and Parmesan Romano (crunchy).

Journey Bar sent me a sample bar of each flavor to try so I could review it for you all. I even brought a couple of them to the manager’s office here at our apartment complex to try with me. She first tried the Coconut Curry (I’m not a big fan of coconut). She said the sweetness of the coconut offset the tangy curry flavor in a good but hard to describe way. Then we had some of the Parmesan Romano bar. It was definitely crunchy and tasted a bit like pizza. She says that bar for sure would be perfect to have on hand for days when you are tempted to have pizza but know you shouldn’t! We even shared these two flavors with the office worker and some residents to get a more rounded opinion. By far the vote leaned to favoring the Parmesan Romano. A tangy “pizza” flavor that was satisfying. These are definitely a great and tasty alternative to the widely used, sweet nutrition bars that you sometimes wonder - are they really that healthy for you…

Then came the ultimate test – my kids! I decided to let them try the Pizza Marinara bar with me. And to my pleasant surprise, my 3 ½ year old was smiling and begging for more after the first bite!!! He’s a really picky eater who hardly ever wants anything healthy besides fresh bananas or strawberries. My 2 year old son was too busy watching a movie at first to give me his opinion, but after a while he came running in asking for more “pizza”. 8-) So now I know they are also something that my family can enjoy together! I count this as another win for healthy living in my home.

I also enjoyed reading about how they got the idea and started up this business. Two friends doing lots of traveling around the world - looking for something better than the widespread sweetened nutrition bars to grab on the go. They use herbs and spices from places they have travelled to, to season these bars with. And believe me – you can definitely taste the wholesome flavors. The grain in these is mostly amaranth. It’s seedy, but chewy and dissolves in your mouth. It’s not like most bars that have oatmeal (that’s so chewy you look like a cow trying to get it down).
They have these bars in stores all around the United States. Just check their website to see if they have a store that carries them near you. If not, order online! Another great thing about them – FAST SHIPPING! I spoke with them Friday and received the samples Monday morning. Not many companies out there can boast such fast service.
100% natural ingredients, flavors that give your taste buds a pleasant change in pace, and satisfy you while out and about without the mess. I look forward to carrying these around with me. Want to know more about them? Check out the links I’ve included below.
You can check out their website here: http://www.journeybar.com/
Follow them on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/journeybar.france
Follow them via Twitter here: http://twitter.com/journeybar

Thursday, August 2, 2012

snackTAXI review and giveaway

Looking to save money or even go green? How about both? And let's add a little fashion to it while we do! You've probably heard of and even use the reusable shopping bags every time you go to the store, right? I know I do. Between having my kids trying to put plastic shopping bags over their heads or my city considering charging for each plastic bag a customer uses, I began using reusable shopping bags. Well, have you ever considered having a reusable snack bag as well? Think about it. We buy plastic bags that end up in landfills after just one use of carrying our snacks and sandwiches. Not only is this adding waste to the environment, but wasting your hard earned money in a dropping economy. So what if there was a bag you could use over and over for just that purpose? I'm happy to announce - there is! I was given the opportunity to try a snackTAXI sandwich-sack out and review it for you.
*The one on the left is the sandwich sack and the one on the right is the snack sack*
snackTAXI makes these cute snack-sacks, produce-sacks, bread-sacks, and sandwich-sacks that you can use over and over. No more wasted money or waste for landfills by buying plastic baggies. Fill 'em up, take them on the go, and then wash them when you are done! There are so many cute designs on soft material to choose from too. I like how the front is sealable with Velcro. It makes it so much easier to get them open when your kids want a snack quick. My kids love the colors and design on it. So now we can save money, keep the planet greener, and look cute doing it.
*Easy open and close with Velcro*
snackTAXI also offers bamboo sporks that are cute, just the right size for carrying along on trips or for little hands. Or how about trying the make-your-own-taxi kit – which includes a set of 4 snack-sacks and 4 markers? Let your kiddos decorate their bags any way they choose and make it all the more fun to carry them! They also have reusable napkins and everyday aprons.
This is an American-based company started in 2003 in Massachusetts, by a mom who had three kids going to school and realized one day just how many plastic bags were coming and going through her home then on to the landfills. It truly is a wonderful idea and one that I think we should all be considering just a little more. These products are lead, phthalates and BPA-free as well as machine-washable and made here in the USA by local sewers. As snackTAXI says: Be a snacktivist – add the original reusable bags for snacks and sandwiches to your life on the go! Check out http://www.snacktaxi.com/ for more information and let’s keep our world greener.
Lastly, I’m offering you, my readers, a chance to win a snack-sack! Enter through the Rafflecopter options below and good luck! *The one pictured below is the one I will be sending the winner.*
***I was given these products free for the purpose of reviewing and sharing only. I was not paid to write anything I said, these are strictly my opinions.***


a Rafflecopter giveaway