Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Don'tchyawanna ARTISANA?

Artisana - The Art of Healthy Food



Artisana was gracious enough to send me a huge package of samples to review for you all! These are some AMAZING, CLEAN EATING nut butters people! No artificial flavors or sugars, only the finest nuts and seeds, all organic! Can it get any better than that?! I DIDN'T THINK SO.

Nut butters are so beneficial to your health! They reduce the risk of heart disease by helping blood vessel elasticity and lessen plaque accumulation. They also lower that pesky bad cholesterol, LDL, and the C-reactive protein (CRP). Coconuts also reduce LDL cholesterol, help balance female hormones, and assist in weight loss (can I hear a BOOYA?!) So what are you waiting for? GET ON THESE SUPER FOODS! DON'T FEAR THE FATS!

Here's what the company claims about their products!



ArtisanaTM - The Art of Healthy Food

Creating unique, delicious, healthy, gourmet food is a work of passion for us, blending together nuts and seeds like the vibrant colors of an artist's palette. Handmade with care, our organic foods are crafted using a temperature controlled process that preserves the life-essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and enzymes.

What makes our Nut Butters so special?

Taste - Simply put, they are amazingly delicious.
Unique variety- In addition to our superior Almond Butter and Tahini, we offer unique varieties: Walnut Butter, Pecan Butter, Cashew Butter, and Macadamia/Cashew Butter. Our coconut products include the ever popular Coconut Butter and it's related Cacao Bliss, as well as our Extra Virgin Pure Coconut Oil.
Fresh - We hand select only the finest new harvest nuts, seeds and coconut for our butters. Our almonds and walnuts are the best California has to offer.
Quality - All of our nut and seed butters are hand crafted in small batches in Oakland, CA with careful attention to detail using strict food safety protocols.
Organic - We only use 100% certified organic nuts, seeds, and coconut meat which means no toxic pesticides, chemicals, or genetically modified organisms. (Certified by QAI)

Pure - We don't add any extra ingredients. No oil, sugar, preservatives or artificial flavors - Nothing. Which means that all you get is the clean, fresh taste of nuts and seeds the way nature intended.
Raw - Our raw products are made into puree with a temperature controlled process.

This means that all of the enzymes, proteins and vitamins are intact, in their natural state and fully utilized by the body. Powerful - Forget caffeine! Packed with energy-laden nutrients, our nut butters are a great source of sustained energy. Healthy - Nuts and seeds in the form that we make them - totally raw and organic and processed into butter (purée) - are among the most basic and healthy foods one can eat on the planet, offering to the consumer:
  • Non-animal proteins and enzymes
  • Vitamins and Minerals
  • Essential fatty-acids (including Omega-3, of which Walnut butter has the most)
  • Fiber in all products more readily digestible than whole nuts...making them truly whole foods.
  • Certified Kosher (KSA)
Made in a facility that processes tree nuts, but does not process any peanuts, gluten, dairy or soy

So here's my review on each of the wonderful flavors I received!

Coconut Butter - SO DELICIOUS! This is made from the actual flesh of the coconut, so it has a very great flavor! And it just melts right in your mouth! And this is just from trying it alone! I can't wait to combine it with other delicious foods!

Coconut Oil - Mm I always love cooking with Coconut oil because of all the awesome benefits it has for you from its fats! And the light aroma and taste of coconut in my meals is delicious too :) Artisana's coconut oil tastes just like that! It has a light taste of coconut but it so so delicious! I decided to cook it with some eggs and it gave it a tropical hint :)

Cacao Bliss - Who doesn't love some Cacao goodness? This tastes JUST LIKE AN ALMOND JOY CANDY to me! Because it's a mixture of Cacao and Coconut! Such a great combination, and it was delicious. This is the lowest calories out of the samples I received, with 177 calories per one grab and go packet!

The above three do have coconut in them, so that means it will most likely be hard if in a cooler temperature room. Do NOT try and microwave the packets or they'll explode! learned that the hard way! Just run it under some warm water or rub it between your hands to get it all creamy and spready!

Cashew Butter - I've heard this Cashew Butter is ADDICTING. And man were people right. It is so thick, smooth, and creamy, and the cashew flavor is so sweet and mouth watering. It's also the second lowest caloric wise of their nut butters, with 183 calories! And a great source for Iron!

Almond Butter - You all KNOW my addiction to almond butter! And Artisana DID NOT DISAPPOINT! It has that same great taste as all other natural almond butters! Grainy texture and almondy, and oh so beneficial for you! This nut butter is also a great source of Protein!!

These next three flavors are all made with cashews as well! Macadamia Butter - Macadamia! I love them, in anything and everything! By themselves, in white chocolate macadamia cookies... (SH!) and now I have a new love of it - in BUTTER FORM! You can taste the bits of macadamia and the flavor of the cashew mixed together and it has a nice sweet flavor!

Pecan Butter - Pecans are so yummy! They're my parents' favorite kinds of nuts to munch on! Now I gotta show them this! It has SUCH a great pecan taste, and again you can taste the little chunks of it in the butter, and the cashew give it a nice sweet and creamy feel as well! 

Walnut Butter - Walnut Butter, a nut butter I have never tried! And let me tell you - OH MY. It's a good source of Omega-3 and tastes amazing! The walnuts gave it that grainy texture but the cashew kept it nice and creamy. 


Overall Review:
I loved the coconut flavors: Coconut Oil, Coconut Butter, and Cacao Bliss because of their high fiber and amazing tropical flavor! And it's awesome that the Cacao tastes like one of my favorite candies :P
The best part of their nut butters was that I could taste the little chunks of the actual nuts in the packages! So great, so natural and artificial free, and organic! And the flavors were all so nutty and intense, grainy crunchy and creamy, overall PARTY IN MY MOUTH!

TOP FAVORITE FLAVORS:
Cacao Bliss
Cashew Butter
Pecan Butter


Where can you get these AMAZING products?! Check your local natural/organic health food store or market! If not, you can order some online here!
You can buy them in jars or in their convenient on-the-go packaging! They have 1.19 oz squeeze packs which are SO great for if you're in a hurry, on the run, going to class or work! Very convenient for those that don't have much time to pack up their meals! And so mess free! All you have to do is squeeze out the fatty goodness!

Like them on Facebook too to get current updates on the company!

3 comments :

  1. HELL YESSSSSSS to that cashew butta! I'm beyond addicted to that stuff- I wish the jars weren't so dang expensive though... Ah well, as a nut butter addict, the splurge is SO worth it haha ;)

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    1. AHHH NOT GOOD FOR OUR ADDICTIONS AT ALL AHH! :P but yes sooo heavenly and delicious!!

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  2. Seriously yum!!! I love nut butters. Will have to check out this brand. I am pretty familiar with Justin's but not this one. Thanks for breaking it down!

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