healthy food

Creation Nation - Protein and Energy Bar Mixes


Today’s Friday Favorite is a bit of a follow-up to my last post: Protein & Snack Bars

Today i’m sharing the freshest, most customizable, adaptable protein // snack bar of them all…


creation nation…

…made the world’s first protein bar mixes ever back in 2014. I first tried them about 1-2 years ago, and I’ve been obsessed ever since!

I also want to note that this post is NOT sponsored— it is my honest opinion!

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A few of the reasons I love Creation Nation:


1.The mixes are delicious. End of story.

2. You control the level of sweetness.

  • The “recipe” on the mix has an option for “sweet”, “original”, or “sweet-less”. So, you decide how much sugar you want to put in. Here’s what the recipes look like:

 
 

3. They’re super customizable.

  • Not only can you control the sweetness level and what combination recipe you use (see above), but you can add extra goodies in if you really want to! Each mix has a “fun” recipe on the bag in addition to the original. Here’s an example:

 
 

4. The mixes are suitable for multiple diets.

  • There are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and soy-free options. Their flavor mixes (with the cutest names) include:

    • Vegan Energy Bite - Oat Yes! Chocolate Chip

    • Vegan Protein Bar - Peas Love & Cocoa

    • Vegan Protein Bar - PB & Jelly Get in My Belly

    • Keto Protein Bar - Whey Hip Chocolate Chip

    • Keto Paleo Energy Bite - Cocoa for Coconuts

5. They’re more eco-friendly with a reusable pouch and no individual wrappers.

6. they’re made with real ingredients, full of healthy fats, protein, and fiber!

  • Here’s a few of the packages to click through.

 
 

Here’s a comparison from Creation Nation’s website.

(I think they’re comparing to a bar that made my favorites list in the last post) 🤭

 
 

If you’re thinking that you don’t want to spend time making your own bars or bites, hold your horses for a hot second.

To make one pack (8 bars or 24 bites), it legitimately takes five minutes. That’s 37.5 seconds per bar. Plus, you make them all at once, and you’re set for a couple days! It’s a lot faster than making a smoothie or post-workout shake, that’s for sure.


If you ask me to pick a favorite mix… I can’t!

Try any of them and you won’t be disappointed.

Here’s a few shots of I’ve taken of these yummy mixes:


To find Creation Nation in a store near you, click here for their store locator.

If you’re like me and don’t live in a state that sells any mixes, you can shop online.



Nuzest Protein & More!


Aside from collagen (which you can read all about HERE), Nuzest is currently the only company that I buy powdered supplements from. They make a number of different products that I really love, but I’m only going to tell you about their protein powder today so that this doesn’t turn into a novel.


The list of reasons why I love Nuzest’s Clean Lean Protein could get pretty long, but here are a few key points:

  • It’s vegan

    • I do eat dairy, but I try to avoid excess amounts, including whey- or casein-based protein powders. Nuzest is made with premium European Golden peas, and stands up to the protein quality of any dairy-based product!

  • SUPER clean and simple ingredients

    • The natural flavored protein is pure pea protein isolate, and the flavored options use only natural sources of flavor.

  • NO added sugar

    • Not that I avoid added sugar (I definitely do NOT), but when the taste is great without it, I prefer an option without.

  • Texture

    • If you mix just the protein with a little bit of liquid, it literally turns into a smooth, creamy pudding! It’s also great for baking.

  • alkaline

    • It’s one of the few alkaline proteins available, supporting the pH balance in your body and helping to cleanse your systems.

  • It’s SO DELICIOUS!

    • Flavor options include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, coffee, and more!

 
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Smoothies are definitely one of my favorite things to make with Nuzest’s products, however, I also love to make bread, muffins, protein ‘pudding’, cookies, brownies, hot cocoa, protein balls, and more!

I didn’t cover all of the amazing products that Nuzest makes in this post, so be sure to check out their website for more!



Banza


So before I say ANYTHING… let me set one thing straight:

Real pasta is GOOD.

SO good.

And it’s not bad for you.

But I love Banza pasta too, and I eat all the things I love! :)


Now that we’re clear…

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If you’ve never heard of it, Banza is pasta made from chickpeas. This means that is has less carbohydrates and more protein and fiber than traditional pasta. It’s not necessarily “low carb”, because chickpeas are still a carbohydrate source, but the carbohydrates that it does contain and complex and high in fiber.

Personally, I don’t find the taste of Banza to be all that different than traditional pasta; I’m pretty obsessed with chickpeas in any form (did somebody say hummus?!), but I don’t think that’s a flavor present in the pasta. The only difference I find is while cooking; white foam tends to accumulate above the boiling water. This is what happens when you cook chickpeas themselves, so it’s not weird or anything to worry about.


Along with the chickpeas that make up over 90% of the pasta, the ingredients in Banza include tapioca, pea protein, and xanthan gum. According to Banza, these ingredients help to add volume to the pasta and bind the chickpea flour together as somewhat of a vegan egg replacement, since the pasta is vegan. 


They make all the different shapes and styles of pasta you could ever think of too:

 
  • Rigatoni

  • Penne

  • Spaghetti

  • Linguini

  • Shells

  • Elbows

  • Wheels

  • Ziti

  • Cavatappi

  • Wheels

  • Rotini

  • Angel hair

 

And they’ve recently released a line of mac & cheese too!

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These aren’t vegan, but they are delicious:

  • Elbows & classic cheddar

  • Elbows & white cheddar

  • Shells & classic cheddar

  • Shells & white cheddar

  • Cacio e pepe (my favorite!)


Here are the nutrition facts and ingredient labels from a box of pasta and a box of mac & cheese:

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I’ve made so many different types of pasta, bowls, mac & cheese, and flavor combinations with Banza. If you’re looking for recipes to try, check out the Banza website for tons of ideas! I have one recipe on my blog as well, with more coming for sure!

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cashew cream pasta with roasted artichokes

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banza

recipe

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If you’re looking to buy Banza near you, here’s their store locator: 


You can also buy it right from their website if you prefer! They also have an FAQ page with answers to any questions you might have.


If you’ve ever tried Banza pasta, let me know what you thought below! If you haven’t, let me know what you want to make with it first :)

Happy Friday!