This is another review round-up, since I have so many opinions that need sharing. I've been meaning to start twittering Micro Reviews when I try something I really like, but the name has been holding me back. I want to call them MicReviews (the schwa in the second syllable nicely bridges 'micro' and 'review', I thought), but I'm a bit ambivalent. If you say you like it, though, I'll go with it.

Anyway, onwards, towards the various foodstuffs I've tried lately and my very, very important opinions. Click through to the full post to read my reviews.

So, a few weeks ago I received a package from Vitalicious for review -- and incredible assortment of their many VitaTop flavors and a box of the VitaBrownies. Vitalicious specializes in making baked treats (muffins, muffin-tops, brownies, etc) that all weigh in at 100 calories per serving and are pretty darn good for you, to boot.

I'd had a chance in the past to try the Deep Chocolate flavor of VitaTops, but the selection at a lot of my local stores is hit and miss, and I never seemed to be able to find the varieties I'm hoping for. Cue the arrival of the assortment from Vitalicious -- I was in heaven! I realized that I had the VitaBrownie in the picture above -- one of the first items I sampled from the box -- on February 23rd (because I date my images, not because my memory is that good!), and I almost couldn't believe it had only been just over a week! I feel like my secret stash of VitaTops has been with me forever, but maybe that's just because I keep going back to it. Vitalicious products are made to be stored in the freezer, which is awesome, because you can stock up (via their website!) and not worry about opening the package and having them go stale before you get a chance to finish them.

I don't eat muffins or muffin-tops or that sort of thing very often. Sometimes I get into a routine -- after baking a loaf of zucchini bread, say -- but baked goods don't actually play a huge role in my daily diet. But whether it's the VitaTops' size or just the fact that I like going through the (rapidly dwindling) collection in my freezer to pick a flavor, I've been 'sneaking' them into a lot of my meals recently. You know what goes really well with a pile of green veg (= most of my dinners, recently)? A bran VitaTop. Or I'll eat a smaller lunch and heat up one of the chocolate-y flavors afterward for a treat. Nom.

I haven't tried everything yet, of course, but I think the Banana Nut flavor might be my favorite -- it does NOT have that horrible, artificial flavor that many store-bought 'banana' foods do. I've also tried several of the bran varieties: CranBran, Raisin Bran, Blue(berry)Bran, and Apple Berry -- oh, maybe that's all the bran varieties! I told you I've been getting through them! They're very substantial-feeling as a side to a meal. I keep meaning to try spreading cream cheese or almond butter on one of these, because I am 98% sure that would be amazing. My only complaint in all this sampling I've been doing is that there was only one identifiable cranberry in the particular CranBran muffin-top I ate. Completely excusable, of course, because when you're mixing up muffin batter, there's bound to be a slightly unequal distribution of ingredients. But, you know, I mention it in an effort to be fair and balanced.

The chocolate flavors I've tried: Double Chocolate Dream, Fudgy Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mint, and Deep Chocolate. The particular Fudgy Peanut Butter muffin-top that I ate had an impressive cluster of peanut butter chips! I really liked all the flavors, though, especially the Chocolate Mint; the texture is dense and cake-y and satisfying. In fact, despite the fact that I pictured the VitaBrownie in this post, I think the chocolate VitaTops are actually more decadent-feeling (well, as decadent as 100 calories can be).

Whew, I didn't realize I had so much to say in this review! You can read all the details about the products and company here, but I think it's worth saying that I like the Vitalicious products because they taste good and are fun to eat, not because of a list of healthy attributes. That said, I would not be eating a muffin with my meal if it were 500 calories and had a day's worth of fat, etc.

I'm going to be very sad when my current supply runs out, mainly because the huge variety of flavors was so exciting -- luckily, the same sampler is available here! But if I had to choose three flavors to restock, I would go with Banana Nut, BlueBran, and Chocolate Mint. Maybe Double Chocolate Dream (because then I could put almond butter on it!). Have you tried VitaTops before? Do you like them?

I don't want to give you review overload, but I realized that I've tried quite a few new-to-me products lately, and maybe you'd be interested to hear what I think. I'm always interested to hear what I think, after all.

There are a few mock meat products, as well as other items I've enjoyed lately. Click to the full post to read all my mini-reviews.

Quorn Turk'y Burgers -- (Pictured) I'd seen these around the blog world, but it wasn't until just the other day that I finally spotted them at a Whole Foods. I snapped them up! When I opened the box, I was disappointed by the size; they're thick, but not very big around, which made it tricky to eat as a burger. But the flavor was absolutely fabulous. It's not quite the same as the Quorn Turk'y Roast (it was even better, I thought), and the texture is much more 'juicy' than the roast, as well. I will give Quorn the benefit of the doubt and assume that making a bigger, flatter patty would result in a dryer burger. I will definitely continue to buy these, especially if they make their way to my mainstream supermarkets.

So, I mentioned that I received two exciting packages on my birthday -- one was from Zevia, of course, and the other was from Newman's Own Organics. I was utterly blown away by the selection of products they sent me; there's so much that I couldn't possibly wait until I'd sampled it all to post a review, but I did want to give myself a bit of time to at least try several of the goodies.

I read a bit about the company when I was waiting for the package to arrive, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a more upstanding organization. I hadn't realized that Newman's Own Organics is actually an independent company from Newman's Own (who make the salad dressings, salsas, pizzas, etc). Newman's Own Organics was started by Nell, Paul's daughter, using her father's capital, and it quickly became successful, paying back the 'seed' money and then becoming independent in 2001. And the brand chooses its products based on personal preferences: chocolate and snack foods -- can't go wrong, eh? Of course, you don't need to know any of that to enjoy a Newman-O, but it's the sort of thing I find interesting.

Over all, I have been completely impressed with the Newman's Own Organics products. Because they make cookies and snacks that are similar to mainstream brands, it's easy to say, 'Oh, this is like a ____' when you try a Newman-O or a Fig Newman, etc. But in every case, Newman's clearly comes out on top. The quality is just so much finer -- it's like eating real food instead of food-like substances (uh, because you are). I've put all my individual product reviews in the extended portion of this post, so click through to see what I thought!

Read to the end for an announcement!

Besides all the other fun stuff that happened on my birthday, I also received two very exciting packages, and one of those was a case of sodas from Zevia. They sent me free mixed case, which included all six of their flavours, so I could try them out and let you guys know what I think. I was really looking forward about this, because I was so curious to see how Zevia would compare to traditional diet sodas.

In case you haven't seen Zevia before, here's a bit of info from their site: ZEVIA™ contains none of the chemically processed artificial sugar substitutes found in diet sodas because it is sweetened with natural stevia. Diet sodas also contain artificial flavors and colors. ZEVIA™ does not. With great effort, expense, and painstaking care, Zevia LLC found the healthiest, all natural ingredients available. Many "natural" sodas contain sugar which means calories. Diet sodas are usually sweetened with processed artificial sweeteners which means chemicals. ZEVIA™ with stevia is the only truly all natural diet soda.

I like drinking soda from time to time, but I have to admit that I'm not completely on board with all the chemicals in Diet Coke and its cohorts -- and the idea of drinking regular soda, with so much sugar and corn syrup, is an even worse thought. I already use powdered stevia, which is a(n) herb, here and there, and I thought using it to sweeten soda was a genius idea from the moment I heard about Zevia.

So, what do I think now that I've had a chance to actually try it?

Amazing. Seriously. As excited as I was, I was still expecting the flavours to be a bit 'dull' -- not as sweet or tasty as the traditional, chemically-perfected sodas. But they're great: full of flavour, with no chemical aftertaste.

I tried the rootbeer first and was pleasantly surprised. I think rootbeer can be a hard one to nail down; it seems to really differ from brand to brand. But Zevia's is really tasty, and I love the ingredient list -- actual extracts and oils instead of numbers. I tried the cola next, and I wouldn't have been able to tell it apart from Coke or Pepsi (not that I'm claiming to be any sort of expert). It's definitely sweeter and less bitter than Diet Coke; my dad (who drinks much more diet colas than I do) declared it to be more like Diet Pepsi, but better.

The fruity flavours are definitely less sickly sweet than their traditional counterparts, but I think they're SO much more refreshing and actually taste like what they claim to be (because they ARE what they claim to be!). The 'Twist' (lemon-lime) flavour is very lime-y and fresh -- perfect.

My big question before I tried Zevia (besides whether or not they'd be good) was about the lingering aftertaste. I don't know if this happens to everybody, but when I drink anything that's sweetened with Splenda or the like, I taste that sweetness at the back of my tongue for HOURS. My body just doesn't break it down (duh), so I feel like I'm tasting 'sweet' long after the soda's gone. Not happy about that. But I'm pleased to report that the stevia in Zevia does NOT do the same. When I'm done drinking it, I'm done tasting it. As it should be!

So -- Zevia sodas: Amazing, wonderful, the only soda I want to drink from now on (cheesy but true). Zevia the company: Amazing and wonderful for sending me the free soda to review. And now: An amazing and wonderful giveaway!

Zevia has agreed to let me host a giveaway for your guys! The 'grand prize' is a mixed case of Zevia (which is what I received -- very exciting!) and they will also send a mixed six pack (one can of each flavour) to two runners up.

All YOU have to do is link from your blog to this post and then leave me a comment to say you've done so (please fill in your URL when you leave the comment, so I can visit your site!). If you don't have a blog, go have a look at the Zevia Site and then leave a comment telling me which flavour sounds the best.

I will use a random number generator to pick the winners on Tuesday, January 5th (one week from today). The giveaway is only available to people with a US (non-PO Box) shipping address. Good luck!

So, this is a quasi-review. I made a sort of sweet-and-sour dish the other day (not the one pictured, sadly -- that was taken a while ago), and I was out of Quorn Tenders, so I had to make do with a Gardenburger Chik'n Grill. Don't get me wrong -- I like those, but it was just the wrong thing to use for the dish. So that got me thinking about the various fake chicken products I use on a regular basis and the best uses for each.

There are three I tend to stick to: Morningstar Farms' Chik'n Strips, Gardenburger Chik'n Grills, and Quorn Tenders. These are my regulars partly due to price and partly availability. There are others, of course -- I've never tried the LightLife variety (but I would love to, as everything else they make is great), and I'm only considering non-breaded fake chicken here. So this is how I would recommend each be used:

-- Morningstar Farms' Chik'n Strips: These are the chewiest of the three (there's not much difference in texture between these and their 'steak' strips, actually), and they're fairly heavily seasoned. The garlic and onion powders and the dehydrated bell pepper make them best used for dishes that would usually include those flavours anyway. They're the perfect fajita filling. I also really like them on top of salads, and they aren't too bad in wraps or mixed with BBQ sauce to make a sandwich (although that gets messy). Like all three products, I usually thaw them in the microwave and then sautee, but you do have to keep an eye on these, or they'll dry out very quickly.

-- Gardenburger Chik'n Grill: (I can't find these on the Gardenburger website, although they're still in stores near me. I hope they're not being discontinued!) These are actually patties, whereas the other two are pieces. They're the mushiest of the three, and they have a prominent 'smoky' flavour -- it was that flavour that really made for a bad match with the sweet-and-sour dish. But they're great covered in BBQ sauce in a bun (and less messy than the Morningstar strips), and I also enjoy them cut into cubes and added to salads and wraps. When they're eaten as a patty, they really do benefit from cooking in a pan (vs just in the microwave), as that helps take away some of the mushiness.

-- Quorn Tenders: These, I would say, are by far the most versatile. They don't have a distinct flavour or seasoning, but they do absorb flavours amazingly well. I LOVE them in any sort of Asian dish, and they're wonderful in curries. I think they also have the best texture (Quorn has always been good at getting creepily close to the real thing with its fake meats), and there's that sort of 'umami' that isn't quite achieved in the others (perhaps because it's mushroom-based?). I do find them a little bland on their own; if I want to use them in a wrap, I first toss them with a bit of salt and garlic powder, which just seems to punch up the flavour without making them 'salty' or 'garlicky'. While I was looking at the Quorn website for the link, I came across their new Turk'y Burgers, and I REALLY hope I get a chance to try these soon. Their Turk'y Roast is the highlight of my Thanksgiving each year; it would be great to have that in a more manageable, everyday form.

I know not everybody (vegetarian or not) is 'into' fake meats, but I really enjoy using them in my cooking. There are SO many options out there these days (which was not so during my first years of being vegetarian -- maybe that's why I get so excited about them), so hopefully you'll find my thoughts handy for your own meal-planning!

So, here's the deal with me and bars: up until this spring, I'd got into the habit of having yogurt with fruit and granola for my afternoon snack. I loved it, but it meant that I usually had to be at home in the afternoon to eat it, and since I was trying to get more flexible with my routine, I started incorporating bars every so often. I started with Luna bars; I could always keep one or two in my bag for when I was out and about. Eventually, I realized that Clif bars keep me satisfied better than any of the others, so they're what I eat most often these days.

I've tried and enjoyed lots of the other brands -- the Kashi Roll! bars were my favourite for a while -- but if you've done the same, you'll know that the Lunas and similar have a vitamin-y taste. It often seems to be the fault of the 'chocolate' coating or icing they put on those bars, and it's the biggest reason I don't eat them more often.

The regular Clif bars, though, taste more like really hearty granola bars. My top three favourite flavours are Chocolate Almond Fudge, Crunchy Peanut Butter, and Maple Nut. I think the maple and the almond fudge might just edge out the PB flavour, but they're pretty well tied -- I have to choose depending on my mood. Chocolate Brownie is also right up there, being very similar to the almond fudge, but it's not quite as amazing. In the second tier, I'd place Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch (not all that different), White Chocolate Macadamia (amazing, but super sweet!) and Blueberry Crisp.

The only other flavours that I've tried and not been crazy about are Banana Nut Bread and Carrot Cake. They aren't actually bad at all, but Carrot Cake in particular seemed a little clovey to me, and I'm fairly sensitive to cloviness in foods. There are still quite a few varieties to try, and I'm particularly excited for the seasonal flavours to appear in stores again, as I didn't try them last year.

So the taste is a big factor for me, but I also like the protein content and the presence of carbs. The whole-foods bars (like Lara and Pur bars) are great for their short ingredients lists, but I need those grains to keep me satisfied for more than thirty minutes, you know? A Clif and a small piece of fruit (and a cup of tea) is just what I need in the middle of the afternoon.

You already know my biggest (only?) complaint when it comes to Clifs -- they're so chewy! I microwave them for fifteen seconds, which makes them warm and soft and melty and wonderful, but I hardly dare to eat one on the go.

What's your take on Clif bars? (Or protein/energy bars in general? No judgment of those of us who enjoy them, though, please. Different strokes for different folks, and all.) Any flavour recommendations?

So, I thought I might start doing the occasional review, since I'm so chock full of opinions. (Really good opinions, too!)

Since I was recently introduced to these Trio bars, that's where I'll start. My mom bought the variety pack a few weeks back and brought me a few to sample, and they get a big thumbs-up.

I started eating 'bars' earlier this year, because the Clifs of the world are such tasty sources of protein -- but the problem with them is that they're infinitely better warmed in the microwave (I've only once had one at room temperature, and I was shocked by how chewy it was!). I love them to bits, but sometimes I've got things to do and people to see and want something that's perfect straight out of the package.

The Trio bars (so called because of the combination of fruits, nuts, and seeds) are great because they seem to be pretty unprocessed; I love all the bits and nuts, and the glaze that keeps it all together is sweet without being sugary. And -- thanks to the seeds and nuts, I suppose -- they're decent in terms of protein, which is generally why I choose bars over other options.

If you ask my mom, the Trio bars are too crunchy, but I think they fall into the reasonable range. Once you start chewing, they're not jaw shattering (I had a crunchy Nature Valley granola bar the other day and thought I was going to damage myself) -- and they don't stick to your teeth. She warned about the cranberry flavour being the hardest to eat, which I'll have to see about. So far I've had the tropical (top marks!) and the blueberry (also pretty good, as far as blueberry-flavoured-things-that-aren't-blueberries go).

So I think I'll keep these guys in the stash as a nice alternative to the typical 'energy' bar. Speaking of which, I think my next review might be about Clif bars in general, as that would involve two of my favourite things -- opinions and ranking.