Van's Natural Foods & a Giveaway!

**Disclaimer: I have received products to try from Van's Natural Foods & am simply sharing my personal opinion which may vary from yours. I was not compensated for this review.

There are advantages to living in a small town, but one of the biggest drawbacks is finding specific items at the grocery store. I mean, sure, there's a WalMart nearby. But WalMart isn't exactly known for their selection of organic & natural foods. Mental note: Must plan a day trip to the nearest Whole Foods & Trader Joe's (at least a 90 min. drive - one way!).

That being said, I was over the moon ecstatic when I received a box of goodies from Van's Natural Foods. I've had my fair share of Gluten Free Blueberry & 8 Whole Grains Multigrain Waffles (our favorites), but I was somehow oblivious to their snack line. Obviously because my local stores don't seem to carry it, aside from one store that I found some Say Cheese! Gluten Free Crackers. (Fingers crossed at least some of my numerous requests to store managers get results.) Especially since my family devoured these goodies in no time at all. Luckily for you, they were kind enough to save me a few bites. (How sweet of them.)

Gluten Free Multigrain Chips

These chips are made with brown rice, oats, millet, quinoa & amaranth and are loaded with 18 grams of whole grains. But don't let the ingredient list fool you, these chips definitely deliver a 1-2-punch in the flavor department! 

Mighty Good BBQ! has the perfect amount of BBQ taste, but you can just tell they're a "better for you" choice. Which was enough to convert myself, usually an anti-BBQ chip person, into a huge fan! The hubs loved these too, which is why I consider myself lucky I even got the small handful I did. 

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Nacho, Nacho, Man! is definitely the funnest of them all. I just couldn't help busting out a little song & dance when I saw these. (Macho Man by The Village People for those that have no clue what I'm talking about.) Now to be honest, I only tried a small amount of these chips, which were great by the way! The reason is simple, my kids loved these! And I preferred them to want the "better for you" chip over the everyday average chip.

 

Gluten-Free PB&J Sandwich Bars

Packed with 10 grams of whole grains, these PB&J Sandwich Bars are the real deal. Real peanut butter & all natural fruit fillings are sandwiched between two gluten-free bars, then individually sealed for the perfect treat on the go. Plus, they get major bonus points for not being as messy as an actual PB&J on the go!

Blueberry PB&J Gluten-Free Sandwich Bars are a close match for my beloved grape PB&J. But nowhere near as messy (I've said that before, right?). I kept one in my truck for an emergency & was so glad I did. It was just what I needed for an empty stomach, with no chance of being able to stop for something else, just so I could take some ibuprofen before a migraine started to settle in. Actually, it was better than had I had the chance to stop. Delicious whole grains or greasy fries, hmm...

Then there were the Strawberry PB&J Gluten-Free Sandwich Bars. My kids are obsessed with strawberry anything. So between school lunches & afternoon snacks, these were gone in...a day! Good thing they were kind enough to share though. I got 3 bites (1 bite from each kid). And I had to agree that they were "really super duper delicious".

Photo credit: Van's Natural Foods

OK, back to the waffles. I am pleased to say that Van's Natural Foods now offers Love Your Heart Totally Natural Waffles. We try to make "smart heart decisions", as I call them, since we live with an uncertain future from Paige's Kawasaki Disease. And since she loves waffles, these are like a match made in heaven! 

Love Your Heart Totally Natural Waffles are packed with a whopping 34 grams of whole grains & 7 grams of fiber (including 1 gram of soluble fiber). I have yet to spot these at my local stores, but I did finally spot an empty space where they were stocked at one of them. They're still pretty new on the market, so I'm just waiting for the rest of my local stores to catch on & start stocking them. (Small town drawback, remember?) Until then, Gluten Free Blueberry & 8 Whole Grains Multigrain Waffles it is!

One lucky winner will receive coupons from Van's Natural Foods! (2 for their dry snack line & 2 for the frozen line.)

 The FLASH giveaway will conclude on at 12:00 a.m. est on Saturday 3/29/14. Winners will be announced via rafflecopter & in a separate blog post which will be published no later than 3:00 p.m. on Saturday 3/29/14. Winners will also be notified via email & announced on the Smith and Blessings facebook page. Winners will have 24 hours to submit shipping information, which will then be passed on to Van's Natural Foods for distribution of product. If 24 hours has lapsed, a new winner will be picked & then will also have 24 hours to submit their information. *Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. 

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Van's Natural Foods got their start in the 1970's, at the original Van's Restaurant. Today, their California beachside roots, still remain in the artisanal  quality of their whole grain & gluten free fare. Van's Natural Foods keep things simple, by cooking their products in small & minimally processed batches and always with the freshest ingredients.