Win a Blender Bottle Sport Mixer...

Have you tried a BlenderBottle yet? If you haven't, you are missing out. I first saw them at my gym and immediately thought it was just another thing they were trying to sell me that I did not need or would not use.

Also, while I thought it was a cool concept, I didn't drink a lot of protein powders. I used to always buy the pre-mixed 4-packs of protein shakes. I still do sometimes just for the grab-n-go factor but there are too pricey to buy for every day drinking. I started trying different protein powders and although I liked the flavors of a lot of them I could not get past the clumps and gritty texture. I cannot think of anyone who would like to drink a gritty, clumpy drink. I tried using a cocktail shaker, using my blender, stirring them with a fork. Without fail, there was always clumps. THEN... I got a BlenderBottle. It pretty much changed the way I thought about all mixers, not to mention protein powders. I now became fully aware that it was in fact possible to make a protein shake free of clumps and grit that could taste like the expensive pre-mixed shakes I had been buying. LOVE!! I realized there was a reason my gym carried them and that all the trainers there swear by them. I visited their site and instantly knew how they came to be the best-selling portable mixer on the market. I'll never go back!

Marika Fitness - Fit Expert Pants

The fine folks at Marika Fitness were gracious enough to contact me and extend the offer to have me try their new pants out and review them. They have come out with a new Fit Expert line that caters to every size woman. 

The great thing about these pants is that they come in varying lengths - short 29" inseam, regular 32" inseam, long 34" inseam. They also have a pair that comes with a tummy control top. I was more than happy to try these out and review them. For the longest time I have only purchased crop/capri length workout pants. Being 5' 10" I could never find pants that I felt were long enough and did not make me feel like I was wearing highwaters. In the off chance I found pants that seemed long enough, they always shrunk when I washed them and then I never wore them again...

The QUEST for the perfect low-carb protein bar...

In the name of full disclosure, let me start by giving the disclaimer that these bars were sent to me by Quest Nutrition to try out and review.  I do not work for them, nor am I sponsored by them in any way.  The thoughts and statements contained in this post are accurate, thoughtful and honest.  My opinions in my reviews are in no way swayed by being given free product.  With all that being said, HERE WE GO!

Something you should know before I tell you about these bars is that I have never liked any protein bar that I have ever tried.  They all had the same strange cardboard taste and awkward mouth feel. I had tried so many different brands thinking that there had to be one I would eventually like.  I kept trying them, kept not liking them, kept buying them.  Don't get me wrong, I would totally eat them in a survival situation but only because my need for preservation of life would be stronger than my distaste of cardboard.  I did not think that Quest bars would be any different than all of these other countless bars I had tried.  BOY WAS I SORELY MISTAKEN!!!  Each one I ate, I liked more and more.  My favorite so far is Peanut Butter and Jelly and Chocolate Brownie.  No joke, I felt like I was eating an actual brownie.  The snozzberries, taste like snozzberries!!

Are all protein bars created equal??  They are definitely not!!

I did a side by side comparison of the nutritional profile of similar flavored bars on the market.  This little experiment proved to be even more information than I thought it would be.  The very first thing that I noticed is that I was actually able to recognize and pronounce every ingredient in the Quest bar. I cannot say the same about the rest of the bars.  Here are just a few of the things that set Quest apart from the rest of the pack.

No Added Sugar

No Artificial Sweeteners

No Soy Protein

No Glycerine

No Junk Ingredients

Gluten Free      

So, what's in them you ask??  Well let me just show you...

Quest Bar - Chocolate Peanut Butter

Ingredients - Protein Blend (Whey Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate), Isomalto-Oligosaccharides (100% Natural Prebiotic Fiber derived from plant sources), Peanut Butter, Water, Erythritol, Cocoa, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Lo Han Gua, Stevia

ZonePerfect - Chocolate Peanut Butter

Soy Protein Nuggets (Isolated Soy Protein, Tapioca Starch, Salt), Peanut Butter Fudge (Corn Syrup, Peanut Butter, Invert Sugar, Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Milk Protein, Soy Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Carob Seed Gum, Salt, Natural Caramel Color, Beta-Carotene, Vanilla Extract, Peanut Oil with Other Natural Flavors), Chocolate Flavored Coating (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Powder, Whey Powder, Nonfat Milk Powder, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Corn Syrup, Acacia Gum, Fructose Syrup, Peanut Butter, Peanut Flour, Peanuts.
Less than 2% of the Following: Glycerine, Soy Protein Isolate, Natural Flavor, Salt.
Vitamins & Minerals: Calcium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, d-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Oxide, Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Ferrous Fumarate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Sodium Molybdate, and Cyanocobalamin.
Contains milk, peanut and soy ingredients. Manufactured in a facility that processes eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat.

Atkins Advantage - Chocolate Peanut Butter
Ingredients: Protein Blend (Soy Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate, Sodium Caseinate), Glycerin, Polydextrose, Peanuts, Hydrolyzed Gelatin, Palm Kernel Oil and Palm Oil, Water, Peanut Butter (Ground, Roasted Peanuts), Cellulose, Cocoa Powder (processed with Alkali), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Vitamin Mineral Mix (Tricalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin A Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sodium Ascorbate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12), DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Niacinamide, Biotin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Zinc Oxide, Folic Acid, Chromium Chelate, Phytonadione (Vitamin K1), Sodium Selenite), Olive Oil, Clarified Butter, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, Salt, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Sucralose, Mono and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Acesulfame Potassium.

South Beach Diet - Chocolate Peanut Butter
Soy Protein Isolate (Soy Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Salt) , Maltitol Syrup, Peanut(s) Butter(Peanut(s) Ground Roasted) , Inulin (Fiber) , Palm Kernel Oil Fractionated, Glycerine, Maltitol,Oligofructose (Fiber) , Contains less than 22% of Flavor(s) Natural & Artificial, Milk Protein Isolate,Milk Non-Fat, Milk Protein Concentrate, Chocolate, Cocoa, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Peanut(s) Oil, Soy Lecithin, Butter (Cream, Salt) , Cream Heavy, Salt, Monoglyceride, Carrageenan,Caramel Color, Sucralose, Vitamins And Minerals :, Beta Carotene, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) ,Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Calcium Phosphate, Ferric Orthophosphate (Iron) , Folic Acid (Vitamin aB), Niacinamide (Vitamin aB), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) (Vitamin B2) , Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1) (Vitamin B1) , Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E Acetate, Chromium Chloride, Sodium Molybdate, Copper Gluconate, Manganese Sulfate, Phytonadione (Vitamin K1) ,Potassium Stearate

Starting to notice a pattern here???  

I couldn't even tell you what half of the ingredients in the ZonePerfect, Atkins, and South Beach bars are.  I'm not comfortable with that.  I can take comfort in eating a Quest bar, knowing that it is low-carb and that I know exactly what I am putting into my body.  The added bonus is that they are absolutely delicious.  I would not put my name or reputation behind any product that I did not truly believe in.  I love these bars and I truly believe them to be a superior product.  I have been eating them almost daily after my workouts.  My gym started carrying them...  UH OH!!

So what does this mean for you????  A GIVEAWAY!!!!!

The fine folks at Quest Nutrition sent me some bars to pass on to you!!  Here is what you need to do to win....

Leave a comment on this blog post telling me which flavor you would like to try - CLICK HERE to view the flavors.

"Like" Quest Nutrition on Facebook - Tell them Peace, Love, and Low Carb sent you - CLICK HERE to go to their Facebook page.

"Like" Peace, Love, and Low Carb on Facebook - CLICK HERE to go to my facebook page.

From there, Comment on and share the giveaway post from my facebook page.  It will be pinned to the top.  A winner will randomly be chosen from the comments.  Please be sure to "like" Quest on facebook and share the post to qualify... THANKS and GOOD LUCK!!!