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I love spinach and eat it all the time in salads and as part of dinner. It’s extremely healthy for you, loads of vitamin C, A and others, along with fiber and several minerals such as iron. For me, it makes sense to simply purchase spinach in larger quantities then the dinky expensive bags that Dole or other big companies put out. That’s why I was excited to see Earthbound Farms Organic Baby Spinach at Costco the other day. It’s literally over a pound or so of spinach for about three and a half dollars. That’s a great deal especially when considering that it lasts for at least a week (maybe longer even but mine is used up by then so I don’t know).

Often times in the food industry “organic” doesn’t always mean what we think it means. Luckily in the Earthbound Farms’ case organic is the name of their game. It’s their specialty. Unfortunately, this may limit they’re availability in locations, perhaps Earthbound Farms is only a west coast company I’m not sure. All I can suggest is that if you have a family that eats a good amount of spinach and can find Earthbound Farms Organic Baby Spinach in your area, then you certainly need to give it a try. It’s way cheaper then trying to buy the little bags from Albertsons or Safeway.

Are you a person that finds it hard to eat healthily with a busy schedule. Whether its kids and family or just work, properly balancing life and nutrition can be a difficult task for many people. Everybody has to get something in their system to survive so it’s important to do your best eat something throughout the day. For those who really struggle, I suggest looking into Ensure, namely their High Protein Wild Berry Shake. It’s a easy way to energize your body and get a large number of nutrients at the same time. They come in little pint size containers so they’re easy to take on the go or pull out of the fridge to consume. Basically, Ensure shakes are prefect for people who tend not to get enough food throughout the day.

Ensure isn’t a full replacement for natural whole foods. It should be treated as a calorie and nutrient supplement rather than a full meal. It’s definitely better than drinking sugar filled soda pop. The Ensure High Protein Shakes sport a 230 calories from 12 grams protein, 19 grams sugar, and 6 grams fat. They may be a little high in sugar, but for the most part these are relatively balanced calories. It’s also fortified with a number of vitamins and nutrients such as Vitamin A, Calcium, Zinc and many others.

Wild Berry flavor is my favorite of the bunch, if your a fan of berries definitely give this a try. Ensure is a tad bit on the expensive side averaging $8 per six pack at most stores that I’ve visited. But then again, if you need that nutritional boost in your diet the high protein shake are well worth the price.

Surely you’ve heard of Activia. Dannon and Jamie Lee Curtis have been heavily promoting these with a number of commercials lately. The claim is that the probiotics, the live microorganisms that live in everyone’s guts, present in Activia Yogurt will help regulate your digestive system within 14 days. I never really took the challenge so I cannot vouch for their claims. Also, it should be noted that probiotics are present in all yogurts and not just in Activia. However, despite what may be misleading advertising, Dannon Activia Light Yogurt is some of the best yogurt I’ve ever tried and it’s fairly healthy for you as well.

To start the light version of the yogurt has only 8 grams of sugar with a total calorie count of 70. This is great for anyone watching their waist line. In addition, you have to love the healthy ramifications that come with eating yogurt. Activia has a good amount of calcium, potassium and other vitamins and minerals that many people don’t seem to get enough of. There’s also no high fructose corn syrup or any other chemically altered sugars in Dannon’s yogurts.

Now the most important part, Activia is not only healthy but it tastes amazing! My personal favorite is the strawberry flavor. The taste of berry is very present in the creaminess of the yogurt. Real strawberries are also present, which is always great to see with so many companies these days relying solely on artificial flavors. Activia Light Yogurt should be available at most stores, I get mine at Winco, but be careful when purchasing at wholesalers like Sam’s Club. I accidentally bought a big box of Activia original from Costco the other day. While that’s not a bad purchase, normal Activia has 18 grams of sugar and I prefer the light version’s 8 grams.

I find most hot dogs in the grocery stores to be very lacking. Very bland, fatty, and nastiness is the norm for this kind of food, and it doesn’t help that most hot dogs are made with random leftover animal parts. For most, outside of children, hot dogs tend to disappoint. Luckily, I’ve found best hot dogs I’ve ever tasted, Johnsonville Beef Brats.

Got them in Wal-Mart, they come 6 a pack for about $3.50, but I’m not sure on their availability elsewhere. The single biggest thing I like about them is the fact their made with beef and not random animal parts. It’s likely why Johnsonville sell their hot dogs for a little extra, obviously using actual meat is must more costly to produce. Proportion wise, these brats are bigger than most commercial hot dogs (i.e. more filling) and they’re great for both grill masters and those who prefer to broil their dogs.

People watching their weight may not be to thrilled with these brats. Each individual brat is 210 calories, 160 from 18 grams of fat. Luckily there is an additional 8 grams of protein to help balance things out a little and absolutely no sugar. All-in-all, I think Johnsonville Beef Brats are the best hot dogs widely available in stores right now. Definitely recommended.

Manufactured and processed meat doesn’t always get the best rap. Usually there’s a hole bunch of extra stuff that makes them unhealthy, and more costly. Tyson Honey BBQ Chicken Strips are no different, namely because of it’s breading. Wheat flour and sugar are the main culprit, adding over 18 grams of carbs per strip. In addition, there’s also an extra 8 grams of fat added to the mix likely from the oil they coated the chicken in and not the chicken breast meat itself.

With that said, these things taste so damn good. I’m not a proponent of everything on the inner aisle of a grocery store will kill you. Like most things moderation is the key, and these honey bbq chicken strips are no different. While a oven roasted or grilled fresh chicken breast is obviously better for you, indulging on a little goodness isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It should probably be stated that Tyson Honey BBQ Chicken Strips are made of actual breast meat and not chicken parts like some chicken nugget products out there. A good 10 grams of protein per serving are present from that meat so it’s definitely not all bad. And you get the nutritional benefit of eating actual meat which is a plus. Taking only 15 to 20 minutes to heat up in the oven, these are a tasty little morsels to have every once in a while despite not being the healthiest option in the freezer aisle.