Gluten-free energy bars from Vermont
Born from founder Leslie Kielson’s energy snack recipe experiments, Vermont’s Battenkill Brittle makes bars and crumble full of healthful seeds. A departure from the dense concoctions found in oatmeal bars, Battenkill’s version is light, crunchy and lightly sweetened. The gluten-free energy bars serve as the perfect treat or snack,…
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Delivering healthful omega-3s to vegans and habitual snackers
As one of the few vegan and vegetarian sources for omega-3 fatty acid—the essential fatty acid with a slew of healthful benefits to its name—it’s no wonder flax seed bears a “superfood” designation. But for all its known advantages, flax seed isn’t exactly a common ingredient in everyday foods—at least not yet. From a meal replacement bar to a dairy alternative, here are three new ready-to-eat flax products that are pushing the trend.
Intended to satisfy the nutritional requirements of a single meal, these vegan whole food bars pack organic flax seeds in with a mix of other superfoods, including organic acai, mangosteen, camu camu and purple corn. The bars aren’t baked, so they retain a moist and chewy texture that pairs well with the sweetness of the dried fruits, while the absence of preservatives means eating cleanly as you fuel up.
Sold at select grocers nationwide and online for $2.99 per bar
As the latest addition to KIND’s Healthy Grains line, this whole grain granola is a healthy and delectable snack that bears the distinct flavor of blueberries, without being overly sweet. As a marquee ingredient, the granola’s flax seeds provide 750 mg of omega-3 fatty acids while other whole grains like amaranth, quinoa, oats, millet and buckwheat make for clusters that are big enough to be enjoyed as bite-size pieces — to be enjoyed by the handful or the bowlful. Bags sell for about $5 at KIND’s online shop, or click here for store locations
Adding to your grocer’s expanding aisle of non-dairy products, Good Karma’s flax milk is a low-calorie, non-GMO, soy-free alternative to the other dairy alternatives. Its amount of omega-3s alone —1200 mg per serving — is reason enough to start pouring it onto cereal, or into coffee and blended smoothies. Flavors include Original, Unsweetened, and Vanilla, all ranging from 25-60 calories per one-cup serving — much fewer than most milk-like products, yet the flax milk is surprisingly creamy. The slightly sweetened vanilla, our favorite, pairs nicely with coffee, without the need for additional sweetener. Good Karma is available on Amazon in packs of 12 ($28 per pack), and at select natural grocers natural grocers for $3.50-$4.50 per half gallon.
The sweet shop warms up with Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Churning out a flavorful variety of portable ice cream, yogurt and sorbet snacks from their NYC shop, popbar has us hooked on a warmer sweet.
The newest addition to the brand’s all-natural, kosher-certified lineup (including vegan sorbet varieties) is Hot Chocolate on a Stick, a treat as simple and sweet as the name implies. To whip up an instant mug, dip a chunk of dark, milk or vanilla-white chocolate into hot milk, stir for a minute and sip. Popbar’s chocolate-bar consistency seems to blend more easily than typical powder cocoas and, most importantly, does so quickly. Add more milk to temper the sweetness, or split one between two cups for just a hint of flavor.
Hot Chocolate on a Stick is available at popbar’s West Village shop and, for those outside New York, on Amazon for $3 a piece or in gift sets of six for $18 and 12 for $36.
Small-batch chemical-free hair and skincare from the Hudson Valley
Cold Spring Apothecary founder Stacey Dugliss-Wesselman cultivated a special knack for ingenuity during her childhood in the Catskills, where the closest store was 45 minutes away. Later, as a hair stylist in Brooklyn, with a background in both cosmetology and nursing, she began sharing with her clients the blends of oils and remedies she’d concocted and soon garnered a devoted following.
“After much encouragement to sell my products, I decided I was going to do it…so I locked myself in the Cold Spring lab—the kitchen in a second apartment we were renting—to design the line,” says Dugliss-Wesselman. Cold Spring Apothecary was born in 2010, bringing together her deep commitment to safe, chemical-free and nourishing hair and skin products in a small-batch line. In April 2011, CSA opened its first retail location in the Hudson Valley town for which it’s named, below the lab and manufacturing center where all the products are made in a strictly sanitized environment. “We work in small batches of 6-24 bottles at a time,” says Dugliss-Wesselman. “Everything is carefully mixed by hand so we don’t use crazy mixing machines or filling machines, we feel that we have greater quality control by doing so.”
We were particularly fond of the haircare products we got to try—the Citrus, Ginger and Vanilla Dry Shampoo and the Citrus and Ginger Sea Salt Spray, one of Cold Spring’s signature items and Dugliss-Wesselman’s personal favorite. As far as dry shampoos go, this one did the trick with an intoxicating scent, giving our day-after locks the proper boost to last a little longer before the next full-fledged wash. Those with lighter hair will have an easier time with the pale powder, which requires more careful rubbing in on brunette and dark hair. The sea salt spray infuses a nice texture with the added bonus of an ultra moisturizing formula—an unusual benefit for this particular genre of styling product. Cold Spring started with shampoo, which continues to be a top seller in all natural scents that include basil and hibiscus, lavender and honey and geranium.
Cold Spring Apothecary—which, true to its name, incorporates a medicinal component to each of its products—also includes skincare, body care, fragrances and home fragrances and candles, all free from parabens, harmful sulfates and synthetic scents. The entire line is available from the flagship shop and select stockists, as well as Cold Spring Apothecary online, which also includes extensive information on all CSA products and ingredients.
A new snack perfect for the couch or the bar gives you half the pop and all of the crunch and flavor
One of the great joys of eating a bowl of popcorn is picking out the half-popped kernels that settle to the bottom. Imagine the gluttonous excitement of finding Halfpops—a bag full of only half popped kernels. What it takes away from the satisfaction of the popcorn bowl search it makes up for with its all natural, nothing artificial, gluten free and tasty crunchy goodness.
CEO and co-founder Mike Fitzgerald (a former professional race car driver) came across a patent for the process and acquired it in 2009. It took more than a year to find the right methodology and tweak the otherwise standard industrial popping equipment to create Halfpops. The process involves both “manipulating the moisture content” of the kernels and then preventing them from fully popping. Interestingly, the process doesn’t produce any fully popped kernels, so nothing is wasted. Mike says that the process is “actually pretty difficult to do.” Now if they could only remove the shells…
Halfpops are currently available in two flavors—Natural Butter and Pure Ocean Sea Salt and Natural Aged White Cheddar, though voting has already begun on their site for the next flavor. Halfpops are made in Seattle and available in local markets. The rest of us can order online directly from Halfpops. A case of 16 2oz bags sells for $24.
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