Sunday Funday – February 19th, 2012

Another weekend almost gone… which means another Sunday Funday! Last night I filled a dutch oven with $60 worth of ingredients and high hopes to win my friends’ chili cook-off today. Wish me luck! Perhaps you’ll hear good news next Sunday.

In the meantime, have you heard of NuGo nutrition bars? It can be really hard to find just the right nutrition bar. First of all, it’s got to have ingredients you can tolerate. Secondly, it should have the right nutritional balance to fuel your body’s needs. Lastly, it should taste good. Nope, scratch that. It should taste GREAT. Fortunately, NuGo offers a wide variety of products so there’s bound to be one for you!

NuGo Family bars are all natural (because your loved ones deserve the very best!) and high in protein (hey, studies show that kids function better on higher protein breakfasts too.) They contain nourishing ingredients like yogurt, whole oats, and brown rice.

NuGo Organic bars are vegan and kosher, and enrobed in rich, organic (duh!) antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, while NuGo FREE bars give anyone with sensitivities to gluten, dairy, or soy the freedom to snack well.

And that’s just a few of many that are sure to please. Recently, I got the chance to try the three new flavors of NuGo Slim.

Unlike many other low-sugar, high-protein nutrition bars on the market, NuGo Slim bars are free of artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, and have almost as much fiber as they do protein. And on top of all that, they are gluten-free too. Check out the stats for yourself!

NuGo Slim bars are offered in Brownie Crunch, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Raspberry Truffle. Each one is robed in real dark chocolate. See?

Normally I’m not a fan of fingers and half-eaten food in photos (to be quite blunt, those things make me cringe) but when it comes to protein bars, the inside matters and I felt wrong not sharing it with you. Whenever I bight into a new protein bar (especially one hidden by a layer of chocolate!) I wonder what I’m getting into. Will it be like a chewy granola bar, smooth like fudge, or crisp like a wafer? NuGo bars have a filling somewhere between crisp and smooth, and rich and chocolatey – just what I was hoping for. Unexpectedly, the chocolate raspberry has been my favorite (I usually prefer chocolate-nut or pure chocolate flavors) which was a nice surprise!

Are you still looking for the perfect protein bar? Do you think you’ll be trying any of the NuGo varieties?

I don’t have a NuGo giveaway for you this week, but if you’re in the mood for winning, don’t forget about my Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites giveaway, still going on. Trust me, this is a goodie!

In other news, semi-related to protein bars (this might be a stretch, but just go with it) fellow Fitfluential Ambassador Tara Burner recently featured me in your Fitspo Friday series. I had a lot of fun answering the questions, and I’m pretty sure you’ll learn at least one new thing about me that I haven’t discussed here. So go ahead, check it out! And let me know if you indeed did learn something new 🙂

Did you like my Oatmeal Cookie Dip from the other day? How much? Enough to vote for it? I entered it into RecipeLion’s BlogHop Dessert Contest, and I hope you’ll vote for it by heading on over and clicking “Like” on #30! There’s a prize involved for the winner, and I just might share it with you 🙂

And lastly but perhaps most importantly….

By now I hope you’ve heard me talk about Nourished, the upcoming food blogger conference where I’ll be presenting on food photography for beginners. Sure, Nourished is billed as a “special diet” blogger conference, but what exactly does that mean and how do you know if you should go?

Nourished is *not* only for gluten-free bloggers. Nourished *is* for specialty bloggers of all types: clean eating, allergen-friendly, dairy-free, grain-free, low carb, vegan, vegetarian, raw foods, whole foods, paleo, Autism diet, etc.

What makes me a specialty blogger? I am not on a strictly gluten-free diet. I don’t eat only vegan food or low-carb food. I don’t have any food allergies, and neither does anyone in my family. But truthfully? I care about those who do, AND I enjoy all kinds of food. I like learning about and nourishing myself with a variety of healthy, wholesome foods and I think it’s pretty cool that plenty of people on those kinds of diets – and those who aren’t – come to my blog for all kinds of good food. That’s why I’m supporting Nourished.

But we’re not only talking about food. Nourished is a conference for bloggers. Join us if you want to:

• enhance your blog, brand or internet presence
• engage your audience through captivating food writing
• improve your food photography and recipe quality
• get inspired and take your blog to the next level
• network with other food bloggers for ideas, support and friendship
• build the best blog possible!

What sets Nourished apart from other food blogging conferences? For those with allergies and sensitivities, attending any event be it a conference, wedding, work luncheon, etc can be a challenge. Imagine a place where you won’t have to worry! All of the food at Nourished will be gluten-free and carefully labeled for other allergens. And of course, beyond general blogging education, there will be specific sessions geared towards developing your brand within your specialty niche and the opportunity to network with others in your community. Check out the agenda for more details.

What else do you want to know? ASK.

Ready to sign up? BUY YOUR TICKET.