We are very excited to introduce Non-Dairy NuGO Slim, the revolutionary low sugar bar. Finally, people needing dairy-free, vegan, or Kosher Pareve can enjoy two flavors of our popular low sugar, gluten-free protein bars! We have had so many customer requests for a dairy-free, low sugar bar that we are happy that we can now bring you this new snack option. Non-Dairy NuGO Slim is available in Crunchy Peanut Butter and Espresso.

NuGO Slim is the only low sugar, high protein bar without artificial sweeteners or maltitol! The scrumptious all-natural bars are sweetened with REAL Dark Chocolate and chicory root, instead of the sugar alcohol maltitol, which can cause gastric distress and a bad aftertaste. We are the only company to make REAL Dark chocolate coated protein bars for many lifestyles.

Look at the many great features of Non-Dairy NuGO Slim.

• REAL Dark Chocolate

• No Maltitol or Artificial Sweeteners

• Low Sugar (3g)

• High Protein (16-17g)

• High Fiber (7g)

• 180 Calories

• Certified Gluten-Free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO)

• Certified Kosher Pareve by the Orthodox Union

• Vegan and Non-Dairy

• Low Glycemic

• Diabetic-Friendly

• All-Natural

• No High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Oils, or Trans Fats

You can now order Non-Dairy NuGO Slim on our website. Look for a sample pack coming soon. Are you excited to try Non-Dairy NuGO Slim? Leave a comment and let us know what you think about our new bars.

Are you looking for ways to involve your kids more in the kitchen? Having some basic cooking know-how is a wonderful life skill to teach your kids. From toddlers to teens, there are creative ways to make helping in the kitchen entertaining and interesting. As August is Family Fun Month, we wanted to share how you and your kids can truly have fun with your food while keeping it healthy and delicious. Aviva Goldfarb, Founder and CEO of The Six O’Clock Scramble, shares a recipe below that has both kid and adult appeal. See her post on PBS Kitchen Explorers for how to make this adorable sailboat and more fun snacks for kids. Food can be tasty and amusing!

Moo Shu Vegetable Wraps
Prep + Cook Time = 25 minutes
6 Servings

Far East goes South of the Border with these sweet hoisin marinated vegetables, wrapped in tortillas. The kids can tuck the vegetables deep in their wraps so they’ll hardly know they’re eating something so healthy. If you prefer a meatier meal, you can add cooked chicken to the wraps with the rice and vegetables.

-1 – 1 1/2 cup white or quick-cooking brown rice

-2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil

-1/2 yellow or white onion, sliced into thin strips

-1 zucchini, cut lengthwise into quarters and thinly sliced

-1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

-8 – 12 oz. sliced mushrooms

-2 scallions, thinly sliced

-4 Tbsp. hoisin sauce (a Chinese marinade and dipping sauce)

-6 whole wheat or white tortillas, or use corn tortillas for a gluten-free option

-1 1/2 cups cooked sliced chicken breasts (optional)

-1 – 3 tsp. Asian chili sauce, Tabasco, or other hot pepper sauce, for serving (optional)

Cook the rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onions and zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, while you chop and add the other vegetables. Stir in 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce. Continue to sauté the vegetables for a few more minutes, stirring often, until they are tender but not mushy, 8 – 10 minutes total, from when you first added the onions and zucchini. (Meanwhile, prepare the smoothies, if you are serving them.) Remove the vegetables from the heat.

Put the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover them with a damp paper towel, and heat them on high power for 1 – 2 minutes until they are very warm and soft.

At the table, lay a tortilla on each plate and brush a little hoisin sauce (about 1 tsp.) in the middle of it with the back of a spoon. Add a scoop each of the rice, vegetables, chicken (optional) and a few drops of hot pepper or chili sauce (optional). Wrap the tortillas burrito-style.

Scramble Flavor Booster: Spice it up by adding the Asian chili sauce or hot pepper sauce to the wraps.

Tip: Hoisin sauce is an Asian marinade with a pungent, sweet-spicy flavor. If you or your kids have never used hoisin sauce before, start with just a little. If you enjoy the taste, you can always add more.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values)
Calories 280, Total Fat: 8g, 12.00%; Saturated Fat: 1g, 5.00%; Cholesterol: 0mg, 0.00%; Sodium: 480mg, 20.00%; Total Carbohydrate: 47g, 16.00%; Dietary Fiber: 5g, 20.00%; Sugar: 5g; Protein: 7g

About the Author:

Aviva Goldfarb is a family dinner expert who helps busy parents let go of all the stress at 6:00 and bring joy and good nutrition back to the dinner table. She is a mother of two and the author and founder of The Six O’Clock Scramble, an online dinner planning system and cookbook (St. Martin’s Press, 2006), and is author of “SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Meals for Busy Families” (St. Martin’s Press, 2010), which was named one of the best cookbooks of 2010 by on the Washington Post. She is also a weekly contributor to the Kitchen Explorers blog on PBSparents.org, and often appears on television, radio, and in magazines such as O, The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Working Mother, Kiwi, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Prevention, and many others. Visit her boards on Pinterest for tons of healthy food ideas and fun and healthy kid snacks. Follow @thescramble on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

The biggest question any vegetarian or vegan will get when meeting new people, or letting your family know about your dietary choices, is “How do you get your protein?” Contrary to popular belief, vegetarian and even vegan diets usually contain more than adequate amounts of protein. By making sure you are including protein rich foods daily, one can ensure that protein needs are being met.

Vegetarian and vegan diets do not consist of only spinach and seeds. There is a whole bounty of foods to choose from! Nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans form the basis of vegan diets, and vegetarians also eat dairy and eggs. These foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals, to protect you from cancer and heart disease. Instead of looking at this as an EXclusion diet, think of it rather as an INclusion diet.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that healthy Americans get around .8g of protein for every kilogram of body weight. For a woman who weighs 150 lbs that is 60g of protein. A common misconception is that meat is the only source of protein. Quite the contrary-in fact only fruits and oils have no protein. Beans, nuts, and grains are great sources of protein in a vegetarian diet. As you can see in the examples below, with a little careful planning it isn’t difficult to meet these needs.

• 2 eggs – 12g protein

• 10 almonds – 2.5g protein

• 14 walnut halves – 4g protein

• 8 oz milk – 8g protein

• 6 oz Fage greek yogurt – 16g protein

• ½ cup cooked beans – approximately 8g protein

• ½ cup cubed tofu – 12g protein

• 1 cup cooked lentils – 18g protein

• 1 cup cooked pasta – approximately 6g protein (some varieties of pasta contain even more protein)

• 1 cup quinoa – 9g protein

• ½ cup shelled edamame – 8g protein

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter – 8g protein

• 1 NuGo Dark Peanut Butter Cup Bar – 10g protein

Next time someone asks “How do you get your protein,” you will now have nutritional knowledge in your arsenal to fire back a rapid reply! Use it in great health.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Jarrard is a registered dietitian based in Boston, MA. With a B.S in Nutritional Sciences from Boston University she hopes to heal her clients’ relationships with food and their bodies. You can find her running, sweating in hot yoga, cooking in the kitchen, or exploring new restaurants. Follow Elizabeth on Twitter @ElizabethEats or read her two blogs: Guiltless and Don’t (White) Sugar Coat It.

Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller recently launched the Best of Kosher Awards on their popular website. NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel with Sea Salt is a nominee for Best New Kosher Product. To vote for NuGo, simply click this link and then click vote.

You can only vote once per IP address in each category, so please encourage your friends to vote too. Voting ends on January 11, 2012, and the winners will be featured in the Joy of Kosher magazine. You do not need to register for an account to vote and anyone can vote. If you want to join their great online Jewish food community or make nominations in other categories, then you will need to create an account.

Here are some fantastic NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel testimonials from our Facebook fans and bloggers.

“Seriously, Nugo bars are my new favorite food/thing in the world. The first one I tried was the chocolate pretzel with sea salt when I was upstate over the weekend and I literally had to hold back tears this thing was so good. It seems that something that good could never be healthy, but they are definitely Jen (that’s me) approved. Every bite had a touch of sea salt and if you are crazy about salty/sweet combo’s, these will swoon you.”
Jen at NuGo Obsession

“The Chocolate pretzel bar is the best chocolate bar I’ve ever tasted Perfect texture, Perfect salty sweet combo.”
James

“I have to restrain myself from eating too many chocolate pretzel bars — they are that good. I’m so appreciative of a vegan protein bar that tastes so freaking good!!!”
Carney

“That is the best bar ever created.”
Jan

“Dark Chocolate Pretzel with Sea Salt rocked my socks off after a define body class. The sea salt was something you never see in a protein bar, and it definitely enhanced the flavor. 10g of protein is nothing to shake your head at either.”
Elizabeth at Don’t White Sugar-Coat It

“For around 200 calories, the dark chocolate mint, salted pretzel and chocolate chip are an amazing, healthy, perfect snack. If you are a fan of the salty, sweet combo, the salted pretzel flavor will be your absolute favorite!”
Ericka at The Sweet Life

NuGo Dark protein bars, which do not contain hydrogenated oils, were featured as the Kosher Eye Product of the Week. They are OU Pareve, vegan, low fat, and made with REAL dark chocolate that lusciously melts in your mouth exploding with chocolate flavor. Are you craving NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel protein bars now after reading these testimonials? Then, order on our website, or use our store locator to find a store near you.

Throughout October, more than 600 bloggers are participating in Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo). Each blogger is posting approximately 20 blog posts about vegan food. The blog posts are divided into the following categories with RSS feeds: comfort food, gluten-free, healthy/whole foods, raw foods, soy-free, and sweets and baked good. View the complete list of participating blogs, which includes bloggers from around the world.

Recently, Caren Baginski of New Hope 360 named NuGo Dark as one of her “13 vegan favorites from Natural Products Expo East 2011.” If you haven’t tried our vegan bars, it is now easier than ever. We have four sample packs of vegan NuGo bars:

• NuGO Organic
• NuGo Dark (Pareve)
• NuGO FREE (Pareve, gluten-free, and soy-free)
• NuGo 10 Raw Natural Energy (Pareve, gluten-free, and soy-free)

Each can be ordered for only $6 and free shipping. What a great way to celebrate Vegan Month of Food and enjoy delicious REAL Dark Chocolate in a healthy bar!