Nature's Path Review and Giveaway

Flax Plus Multigrain Pancake Mix

As a kinda-new mommy, wife and workaholic I need all the help I can get In the Kitchen. As much as I love making wholesome meals from scratch every now and than I just don't have the time or energy to do it. I am constantly on the search for products which are nutritious, delicious, economical, environmentally friendly and enjoyed by the entire family. I was delighted to have received a package of Flax Plus Multigrain Pancake Mix from Nature's Path. I am a big fan of Nature's Path and have tried many of their products. Their cereals, oatmeal, waffles and mana bread have been staples in my kitchen and my client's kitchens for years.


What's in it:
Organic whole wheat flour, organic wheat flour, organic vital wheat gluten, organic evaporated cane juice, organic whey powder, organic buttermilk powder, organic corn meal, organic oats, organic wheat bran, leavening agent (monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, non-GMO corn starch), organic flax, sea salt, tocopherols (natural vitamin E) added to enhance freshness.  

What's not in it:  

No Trans Fat! There are no (zero grams) trans fats present in this product. Trans Fats are found naturally in small amounts in certain foods (e.g., dairy products, beef and lamb). Also, small amounts of trans fats are formed during the refining of liquid vegetable oils (e.g., canola and soybean oil), during the manufacture of most margarines and shortening (and many other processed food products) vegetable oils are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated creating trans fatty acids. Many studies have indicated that trans fatty acids can be the major cause of heart disease and cancer. Research reveals that trans fatty acids increase LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower HDL (good cholesterol). Trans fatty acids also interfere with the metabolism of essential fatty acids.  

Why I love it:  

It's Vegetarian  I'm not entirely vegetarian or vegan. If there was an in-between label I would be that. I like to think of myself as a "Flexitarian." I eat animal flesh maximum twice a week, eggs rarely (can't remember the last time), dairy not so much (cow's milk only if I've run out of soy, rice or almond milk) and butter (sometimes on toast and in this case I used some in the frying pan). Flax Plus Multigrain Pancake Mix is produced without using any ingredients sourced from meat, fish, fowl or eggs, in accordance with the founder’s philosophy and lifestyle. For those of you who are full-on vegetarian, flex like me or looking for a healthy alternative to "the white flour based" pancake mixes, this is a great product for you. Sorry vegans this product contains buttermilk.  

It contains Whole Grain goodness Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed.  

It's Organic! More Organic foods in your diet means: less toxicity in your body, our soil, air and water; more beneficial nutrients; better taste; support for local farmers and kinder to our earth. Need I say more?!?!


Flax is super nutritious for you! Flax is a great source of Omega 3 (in my opinion - the best source!)Omega 3 fatty acids prevent heart disease and the complications of heart attack. People who take omega 3 fatty acids have a lower mortality rate after heart attack than those who do not. Omega 3 EFA’s improve cardiac risk factors, and help prevent CHD. They normalize lipid levels, lower blood pressure and improve glucose metabolism. They also may be helpful in a number of other conditions: Rheumatoid arthritis, depression, autism, and many other conditions may be improved by consuming omega 3 EFA’s. They are necessary for growth and development, especially in the development of nervous tissue, and may improve cognitive function and emotional health.  

Priced nice! $6.79 for a 26 oz bag which translates to approximately 24 medium sized pancakes (4 each per adult is plenty). Bigger family? Purchase their 6 pack (6 x 26oz bag) for $38.94 and save $1.80! 


Nature's Path loves the environment This is what is written on their website. Arran is the companies founder who is very much aware of the ecology-nutrition link : We make organic food because we believe deeply in sustainability: Arran grew up hearing his father say these words often “Always leave the soil better than you found it." It’s become one of our guiding principles, and it affects every element of our business today.

It's convenient and easy to make Busy mother's like me don't have the time (or energy) to spend an hour in the kitchen to make one meal. How about a hot nutritious breakfast in less than 10 minutes?



1) Place 1 cup dry mix in a bowl.
2) Add 2/3 cup cold water and 1tbsp vegetable oil then stir to blend.(I added 1/2 cup fresh blueberries as well).



3) Cook on preheated griddle at low heat. (I used a a frying pan and added a little bit of butter)
4) Flip the pancakes when the edges start to brown and bubbling in the center occurs.



5) Time to eat your masterpiece! Yum-o!

and last but certainly not least, taste.  

It's tastes almost as good as my mother's pancakes Flax Plus Multigrain Pancake Mix definitely beats my mother's all-purpose white flour/refined white sugar pancakes as far as nutritional factors go. On the taste side, my mother's pancakes will win first prize every time. We all know nothing beats mama's homemade recipes. Biased, yes. However, Nature's Path did a pretty fantastic job making a product that is nutritious and also delicious.


Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise & Flax Plus Maple Pecan Crunch

 Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise

What's in it:
Organic whole grain corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, organic brown rice flour, organic yellow corn flour, organic inulin, organic quinoa puffs, organic flax seeds, natural vanilla flavor, organic buckwheat flour, organic quinoa, sea salt, organic amaranth, organic molasses, tocopherols (natural vitamin E). Produced in a facility that uses peanuts, tree nuts and soy.

What's NOT in it:

Gluten Free 
There is no wheat, rye, barley or oat gluten present in the product. Products are randomly tested to ensure that there is no contamination of gluten from other sources.

No Trans Fat 
There are no (zero grams) trans fats present in this item!



Flax Plus Maple Pecan Crunch

What's in it:
Organic whole wheat meal, organic rolled oats, organic evaporated cane juice, organic wheat bran, organic pecans, organic flax, organic soy oil, organic brown rice flour, organic oat bran, organic barley malt extract, sea salt, organic maple syrup, organic coconut, natural maple flavor, organic oat syrup solids (organic oat syrup solids, tocopherols), tocopherols (natural vitamin E), organic molasses, organic cinnamon.  


What's NOT in it:

No Trans Fat
There are no (zero grams) trans fats present in this item!

Why I like  Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise and Flax Plus Maple Pecan Crunch:

When I  first opened the box of  Flax Plus Maple Pecan Crunch I was pleasantly welcomed by a fresh aroma of maple syrup. Not the fake "maple" syrup. The real stuff that actually comes out of a tree. I could really taste the maple in this cereal but it was not overpowering which is nice. Sugary cereal is gross especially the ones that paint your milk yellow or brown. None of that here! In addition to painted milk, my other pet peeve when it comes to cereal is sogginess. After taking a few pictures and walking upstairs to write this review I was happy to find my cereal still had the crunch it did when I was in the kitchen. Another plus for the Flax Plus Maple Pecan Crunch is the pecans which seamlessly blends in with the maple and nutty flavour of the flax. A prefect trio!

I was a little unsure of the Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise when I first saw it. I guess that's why I tried the Flax Plus Maple Crunch first. I'm not a big fan of vanilla in my breakfast cereal. Maybe it's because I relate it to the "commercial" brands which claim they are "healthy" and are not! Having a "health check" label on your box (which you've paid thousands for) doesn't make you healthy in my books, but that's a whole other can of worms. Nature's Path Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise is NOT full of sugar, it does not have a "health check" label on it but it is Certified Organic and that means a heck of a lot more! The cereal doesn't paint my milk yellow or brown, it doesn't make my teeth gritty and my tongue coated with an awful after taste.  Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise does keep it's crunch, tastes natural, has just the right amount of sweetness and contains all the whole grain goodness Mother Nature intended us to eat.

As a Holistic Nutritionist I would definitely approve the Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise and Flax Plus Maple Pecan Crunch to my clients and wouldn't skip-a-beat feeding these cereals to my son (as soon as he has more teeth). In the meantime he enjoys Nature's Path Kamut Puffs.

Granola Bars

When I received my package of goodies from Nature's Path I warned my hubby not to open any of the boxes until I had a chance to take pictures and test them out myself. I was especially worried that he would get into the granola bars because I know how much he loves his granola bars which he just ran out of ("his" as in the brand he buys which I don't approve of). I warned him once more before I went to bed that night not to open the granola bars because I had not tasted them. I assured him that as soon as I tasted each of them he could help himself. You see, the hubby cannot just have one granola bar. It's always two which leads to three and the next thing you know it the box is empty. That night at what felt like one or two in the morning I was awakened by the sound of crinkling of packaging. Granola bar packaging! I didn't bother getting out of bed. "Let him have his granola bar, Melissa." I said to myself.

The next morning I quietly tip-toed downstairs to find the Chococonut Granola Bar box almost empty! With the help of my brother (who rents our basement) they had eaten 4.5 Chococonut Granola Bars, leaving half for me to try. How thoughtful (insert sarcasm).

They unintentionally volunteered to review the granola bars so here are our ranking of the three:
Chococonut Granola Bars
Berry Strawberry Granola Bars
Sunny Hemp Granola Bars

Melissa
1st - Sunny Hemp
2nd - Chococonut
3rd - Berry Strawberry

Chris (my hubby)
1st - Chococonut
2nd - Berry Strawberry
3rd - Sunny Hemp

Marcel (my brother)
1st - Berry Strawberry
2nd - Chococonut
3rd - Sunny Hemp

ENTER for your chance to WIN a Nature's Path Gift Basket!

Which includes a Flax Plus Multigrain Pancake Mix, Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise cereal, Flax Plus Maple Pecan Crunch Cereal, Berry Strawberry Granola Bars, Chococonut Granola Bars and Sunny Hemp Granola Bars.

To Enter
Become a My Wholesome Home blog follower and visit Nature's Path website and leave a comment below about your favorite product, something you learned about their product and/or company or tell me what your favourite Nature's Path product is. 

Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

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You must do the first entry in order to enter.
You will have until Friday June 25th at 11:59pm EST to enter.
The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email. I'll also post the winners on my blog here. If I don't hear back from the winner within 72 hours, I'll pick another.

Cheers to a wholesome kitchen!
Melissa