Somehow I’ve been successful at avoiding Luna Bars lately, but a girl still needs a midday snack every once in a while…right?

That’s where Larabars come in.  I’ve only ever tried one or two varieties, but I seem to remember not hating them. Also, they’d probably be right at home in my snack bar shaped pocket inside my schoolbag.

How do you feel about Larabars? If you’re a fan, then do you have a favorite flavor?

The blueberry muffin one is kind of calling my name.

You guys have the dreamiest weekend, you hear? I’m going to a baby shower for one of my very best friends, and I just know it will be a good time.

In an attempt to cut processed soy out of my diet, I’ve made one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make: I’m giving up Luna Bars. I’ve always praised Luna Bars as a healthy snack, mostly because they’re vegan and contain organic ingredients. I liked them so much that I remained willfully ignorant of  their less than ideal ingredients for quite a while. Unfortunately, the soy protein isolate found in Luna Bars is heavily processed and far from healthy, and I can no longer eat it with a clear conscience.

In case you’re interested, here’s an eye-opening post about soy that caused me to reevaluate my choices. This recent No More Dirty Looks post also seems relevant.

*I really hope this doesn’t seem soap boxy  in any way. I only wanted to share my revelation in the hopes that it would be helpful to anyone else who might be unaware of the dangers of processed soy. I seem to find a new article every day that validates my decision to steer clear of it.

Image Source

I’m sure I’ve shared my obsession with Luna Bars with you guys before, but their latest flavor totally takes the cake. If you haven’t tried one, then think of Samoas. It tastes like that, only ten times better. I know that sounds like an impossibility, but I’m as serious as can be. I could eat a mountain of them. A mountain!

And since they’re full of calcium, folic acid, protein, fiber, and vitamins A, C, and E, I can eat one on Tuesdays and Thursdays in between classes and not feel like a complete turd. Wins all around!

Enjoy your weekend, ya hear?

I brought my own snacks to the Harry Potter premiere last night, and I think it was a smart move.

By swapping

a large Coke

for

this Super Fruit Tea

I’ve managed to cut out the high fructose corn syrup completely and reduce my calorie intake by at least 150. As an added bonus, this super fruit tea provides 100% DV of both B12 and Vitamin C.

By trading

a medium buttered movie popcorn

for

these sea salt & black sesame wildrice crisps

I’ve successfully cut the fat in half  and added 12g of whole grain per serving!

By substituting

a box of Raisinets

with

this Iced Oatmeal Raisin Luna Bar

I’ve picked a snack with half the sugar and significant amounts of Vitamins A, B,C, E, and K. Did I mention there are also plenty of minerals and protein in this 70% organic bar?

The best part? These snacks cost a total of $6. Assuming the coke costs $4, the popcorn costs $5, and the raisinets cost $3 (and those are all very low estimates), I’ve totally halved the money I would’ve spent!

You guys have a great weekend. I’ll be at the beach next week with Kirby’s family, so I have another week of beach themed posts lined up!

Image Sources: Coke, Popcorn, Raisinets.

I really enjoy buying health and beauty products, even when they're not for me.

Danielle and I love the way Mrs. Meyers Clean Day cleaning products smell, so I bought her some Geranium-scented room spray.  I hope she uses it in the kitchen just once so I can get to experience it. Is that selfish? Fragrance is the only questionable ingredient listed, but I figured that she’d be okay with it since she wouldn’t be spraying it on her body. I also tend to assume that fragrance in products that are supposed to be natural would be less harmful than fragrance in Tommy Girl or some other ridiculous perfume.  Still, I could be totally wrong. I’ll admit that.

I also got Danielle some John Masters Organics Dry Hair Nourishment & Defrizzer. The ingredients look so dreamy (jojoba oil, olive oil, evening primrose oil, flax seed oil, lavender oil, cedarwood) bark oil, rosemary leaf oil). And they’re all organic!

I have never used any MyChelle products, but Guava Orange Vanilla chapstick sounds super tasty. Also, the ingredients are both safe and vegetarian.

Everyone needs treats on their birthday, right?

I decided that Danielle needed some Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Cake Mix so that she would have an excuse to use her new KitchenAid stand mixer (that bitch!) I’m not allergic to gluten and neither is she, but I like that this cake mix is dairy and trans fat free.

That Pumpkin Flax Granola was mega cheap, and I couldn’t pass it up. I may have test-tasted it. It may have passed the test. I figured that Danielle could put it in her desk at work for snacking or something. I mean, I guess she has a desk?

Since Danielle tends to like lemon-flavored anything, I bought her a Lemon Zest Luna Bar and a lemon-flavored LaraBar. From everything I’ve read, Luna Bars are vegan, which is nice. They’re also packed with fiber, protein, iron, folic acid, and other stuff that is often missing from women’s diets. I can usually count the ingredients in  and given LaraBar on one hand, and this particular LaraBar has exactly five ingredients. I can get on board with that.

As an afterthought, I made her a little birthday headband out of a huge spare button and an orange headband that I had lying around.

That headband did not want to act right while I was taking the picture.

My boyfriend is good at what he does.

Kirby made Danielle an adorable birthday card.

Here's Danielle's basket full of birthday goodies.

Hopefully I can talk Danielle into reviewing the hair oil, lip butter, and room spray!

Luna Bars are vegan, too. That's pretty cool.

Luna Bars have been around for a while. I get that. However, I just discovered them about two weeks ago….and I am smitten. Each flavor is better than the last, and they’re a much healthier choice than my former sweet treats of choice ( cookies, snickers, cream cheese piled on top of a cinnamon raisin bagel).  And if I needed another reason to like them, which I don’t, they’re full of things that women need to stay healthy that they may not get elsewhere  (like Calcium and Folic Acid). My favorites are berry almond and blueberry bliss.