The Rescue to my Expensive Grocery Addiction

The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Vitacost. 

Over the past year, I’ve developed a taste for some of the most expensive food items you can buy at the grocery store. This isn’t exactly a habit I can afford on a regular basis but now and then if I see one of the products on sale, I will buy it. When I feature one on my blog, I feel bad making you drool over a $60 tub of vegan protein powder or $3 snack bar. Then I discovered Vitacost during the summer. Their every day prices were the sale prices I saw at Whole Foods, allowing even my readers who live nowhere near a Whole Foods access to some of my favorite funky hippy-esque products.

One product I discovered in 2013 was powdered peanut butter. It typically costs $8-10 at the grocery store. Two tablespoons have just 45 calories and it legit tastes like peanut butter. It’s great to put in smoothies, oatmeal, baked goods or with an apple. I would mix it with almond milk and chia seeds for a peanut butter pudding dessert after dinner. VitaCost has their own brand of powdered Peanut Butter called PB Slim and it will cost you just $3.59! If you spend over $25 on Vitacost brand products shipping is also free.

I love the taste. It’s pretty identical to Betty Lou’s Just Great Stuff which costs $8 at the grocery store. They use non GMO peanuts (Yayy!!!) and it is gluten-free. Vitacost makes it easy to eat clean for less even if you live in the middle of nowhere.

In my studies at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I discovered the health benefits of raw vegan foods. While eating raw veggies is something you can do without changing your shopping list, buying raw snacks like kale chips or energy bars is not entirely accessible for most people unless they are near a Whole Foods or organic specialty market.

These Raw Crunch Bars in Organic Dark Chocolate are unique, delicious and worth the dollar splurge if you enjoy treating yourself to raw snacks.

They are made with all organic and mostly raw ingredients with the exception of the dark chocolate being heated. The nutrition is ideal for a little pick me up with 150 calories, 5g of protein, 10 g of carbohydrates, 3g of fiber, 10g of fat and 5g of sugar. Raw honey is listed as the 3rd to last ingredient so you know there is not much in the bar.

You can buy these Raw Crunch Bars at Vitacost in packs of 12 for $28.50. Use promo code 15Food for 15% off. It’s easy to eat clean for less.

Vitacost also sells cruelty-free, eco-friendly, non toxic beauty and personal care products for less. In my effort to use less toxic beauty products, I’ve been trying different deodorants. After testing out 2 that just did not do the job, I finally found one through Kris Carr that surprisingly works really well! Vitacost sells it so I thought it would be a great product to feature in this post for those of you that do not live near an earthy crunchy store that would carry it. Thai Crystal Deodorant Mist should not be doubted.

I was very skeptical that this would work but after testing at Barry’s Bootcamp and Recycle Studio (two very sweaty workouts), I was stink free! It retails at $6.99 but you can get it at Vitacost for $4.59. That’s pretty much exactly what you would pay for chemical shit at CVS. With 57 reviews and an average rating of 4.7/5, it looks like everyone agrees this organic deodorant is a keeper.

The last product Vitacost sent me to review is one of my favorites but in a new flavor. I am obsessed with Vega Nutritional Shake is French Vanilla so I thought I’d give the Chai flavor a try. Little did I know Vega would voluntarily recall their Nutritional Shakes because trace amounts of an antibiotic were found in them. Vitacost as a result took it off their website. I wanted to feature Vega products in general at Vitacost because their every day price is what the sale price is at Whole Foods.

This is what the FDA shared in a press release,

Chloramphenicol is a prescription drug commonly used to treat typhoid fever and eye infections around the world. It should only be used under medical supervision. It has been associated with rare cases of aplastic anemia and allergic reactions in some people. A leading expert on CAP says that there have been no known cases of anemia caused by residual amounts found in food. Pregnant or lactating women should avoid this medication.

None of the Vega product formulations include CAP as an ingredient; however, an enzyme that was provided by a third party supplier, which constitutes less than 1% of the product ingredients, was found to contain trace amounts of CAP.

“We’re doing this out of an overabundance of caution and to ensure that when you go to the shelf, you never have to wonder about the purity of a Vega product,” said Charles Chang, Vega President and Founder.

Vitacost still has the Vega Energizing Smoothie mix for sale at 20% off which I also love and was not effected by the recall. Vega is seriously the best tasting protein powder in my opinion. It is expensive though which is why I love that Vitacost is the best deal in town to get it.

Lastly, I have an awesome deal for you guys to get $10 off for yourself on any purchase over $30. Just click here for details including info on how you can refer your family and friends to get $10 back each time they place an order themselves!