UNDER5: CANDY UNJUNKED

IN TWEET: BOSTON-BASED UNREAL BRANDS TAKES THE CANDY WE ALL LOVE AND “UNJUNKS” IT. THE RESULT IS A TASTY LINE-UP OF INDULGANT TREATS FROM A VERY COOL COMPANY.

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS POST ORIGINALLY RAN ON APRIL 20,2013 AND HAS BEEN UPDATED. IF WE FEATURE IT IN AN UNDER5 POST, THAT MEANS IT’S A PRODUCT WE KNOW, USE AND LOVE. YOU CAN BUY THIS STUFF FOR LESS THAN FIVE BUCKS BUT, NO PRODUCT, SERVICE OR COMPANY CAN BUY THEIR WAY INTO AN UNDER5 ON RONTHINK.

SPRING CLEANING WEEK aside, I will admit to having a bit of a sweet tooth. I’m not a pastry guy and I don’t like complex, fussy desserts but, oh boy, do my eyes sparkle in a candy store.

It all started when I was a kid in the tiny town of Norton, MA. I used to parlay my paper route money and make a weekly trip to Hadley’s, a front porch converted into a candy counter. It was run by a kind old lady, Mrs. Hadley, and I’m sure it wasn’t a licensed retail establishment but I didn’t care. I’d buy my baseball cards, Bazooka gum, Marathon bars and M&Ms. Life was sweet…literally.

I still love my candy but, let’s be honest, most of the ingredients are deadly or sound like they came from a science fiction movie. When I heard about UNREAL BRANDS and their supposedly less heinous re-formulations of classic favorites like Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I assumed the worst. Who could blame me? Have you ever eaten a “lite” or “low-sugar” candy bar that didn’t taste like paste? Don’t even get me started on the evil that is carob. Seriously, it tastes like old wax.

Imagine my surprise when I finally sampled “candy unjunked” from UNREAL BRANDS and fell in love with the entire line. Not only are they better for you, they taste so much better than their big brand counterparts. No more grainy chocolate, mossy tasting peanuts or the odd film that remains on the roof of your mouth after eating a fist full of M&Ms. Candy unjunked is candy Nirvana.

In fact, I love that you can actually taste each of the ingredients in their own right. The peanuts are fresh and full of flavor. Chocolate is rich, complex and creamy like it was meant to be and, if covered with a candy coating, there’s just enough for a pleasant crunch that compliments the overall experience without overpowering it. Take a look at how they do it (with some help from Gisele, Matt Damon, Tom Brady and John Legend) and why UNREAL BRANDS is a company worth supporting:

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No one is claiming these products are health foods but, what I love about the UNREAL BRANDS philosophy is a passion for taking the ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary simply by making it better for you. Why shouldn’t a candy bar me made from real stuff? Sure, it takes more effort and creativity but the end result is a product you can believe in.

You can buy the UNREAL BRANDS line at CVS, Target and many grocery stores. If you can’t find the products locally, click on any of the images below to order from Amazon. You can also follow the company on Facebook or Twitter and check out their main site.

Click on any image above to order that product from Amazon. The UNREAL BRANDS line includes “unjunked” re-imaginings of plain M&Ms, peanut M&Ms, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and Milky Way bars. Each of those is a registered trademark of their respective corporate parent and none are affiliated with UNREAL BRANDS in any way. You’re welcome, legal folks. Now, go out and Get Unreal!

UNDER5: ICED TEA & LEMONADE

IN TWEET: UNDER5 BRINGS YOU GREAT STUFF THAT COSTS LESS THAN FIVE BUCKS. UP FIRST: TWO EXCELLENT TAZO TEAS AND A YUMMY ORGANIC LEMONADE FROM NEWMAN’S OWN.

EDITOR’S NOTE: IF WE FEATURE IT IN AN UNDER5 POST, THAT MEANS IT’S A PRODUCT WE KNOW, USE AND LOVE. YOU CAN BUY THIS STUFF FOR LESS THAN FIVE BUCKS BUT, NO PRODUCT, SERVICE OR COMPANY CAN BUY THEIR WAY INTO AN UNDER5 ON RONTHINK. PERIOD!

If you love iced tea but want to avoid those powdered mixes that are filled with artificial ingredients, sugars and high fructose corn syrup, here are two great options for you from TAZO. Nutrition information panels are located at the bottom of this post for both teas.

TAZO teas are available at Starbucks and Target. You can also CLICK HERE to search and order from the RONTHINK Amazon store.

If you want to go the caffeine-free route, try TAZO PASSION. It’s a sweet, aromatic and lively blend of hibiscus flowers, natural colors and flavors, citric acid, licorice root, orange peel, cinnamon, rose hips and lemon grass. On the flavor spectrum, it’s more floral and fruity with the cinnamon and licorice root providing delicate back notes that round out the taste experience.

For a lively twist to your next cup of green tea, TAZO ZEN is a great way to go. An 8 oz. serving has 30 mg. of caffeine (compared to 180 mg in a 8 oz. Starbucks short drip).

The tea is a nice balance of citrus and mint and, as far as green teas go, is pretty mild flavor-wise. The ingredient are green tea, lemon verbena leaves, spearmint leaves, lemon grass and natural flavors.

While TAZO PASSION and TAZO ZEN can be served hot, they make great iced teas.

I fill a 2 quart glass pitcher with water that has just come to a boil. Float 2 TAZO tea bags in each pitcher and refrigerate. Once chilled, remove the tea bags and enjoy. Add a little honey, coconut palm sugar or raw organic agave nectar if you want a sweeter taste.

Lemonade is a warm weather favorite but, make no mistake, it’s not a health food. In fact, many store bought lemonades don’t contain any lemon juice! Still, there is a great option if you’re looking to indulge. NEWMAN’S OWN ORGANIC VIRGIN LEMONADE. Look for the product in the refrigerated juice section of your grocery store. Plus, Newman’s Own donates 100% of profits to charity.

It contains 15% real lemon juice and no high fructose corn syrup. Ingredients are pure filtered water, organic sugar, organic lemon juice from concentrate, organic lemon pulp, organic lemon juice and organic lemon oil. One 8 oz. serving has 110 calories, no fat, 40 mg. of sodium (2% recommended daily value), 27 grams carbohydrate (9% recommended daily value), 27 grams of sugars and 4% of your recommended daily value of Vitamin C.

Want to cut those sugars, carbs and calories in half? Fill a tall glass just over half-way with either of the TAZO iced teas. Do not sweeten. Add 4 oz. of NEWMAN’S OWN ORGANIC VIRGIN LEMONADE to each glass. Voila! A perfect balance of herbal and sweet! It mixes especially well with TAZO PASSION for an almost berry-like lemonade.