LYRA MAG.

GO GLOBAL Americans embrace of 'hot' spices and global cuisines-merges nicely in a nifty gift-worthy collection of Artisan Pepper Sauces by Clark + Hopkins. ..featuring unique peppers and native flavorings from around the world. A SOFI award winner to pour on...! We had a laugh when we saw this at the Fancy Food Show-being from UWS- NYC-where the tap drinking water is blessedly terrific so why 'enhance' it. WELL-if you are missing that unique taste from far flung locales...these Tap Drops...in dropper bottles-will cure that ...aka 'water well traveled.'  Tempting mix of savory+sweet spices-our fav instant hot chocolate mix SOFI AWARD WINNER We never really thought of instant hot chocolate powders as having gourmet food status potential till now... COCOA SANTÉ by Harbor Sweets has a winning assortment of natural+ organic cocoa ingredients combined for lush  flavor blends for  this classic cold weather beverage that is also heavenly over ic

  FLAKES -the kind you want. True Salt's sea salts are naturally blessed with minerals/iron-and are unprocessed, with no anti-caking agents or bleaches. Now a versatile flavor hit-True Sea salts are turning up as decoration and flavoring in all sorts of foods and drinks besides margarita rims. We love these  True Salt Flakes  =the perfect touch atop sweet chewy cookies.  Available online . Holiday special :-) Candy cane flakes add peppermint sweet crunch to indulgent truffle chocolates CHOCMOD's Truffettes de France. Truffles Please Earthy -aromatic-truffles are a unique special mushroom that has coveted flavor rich status amongst gourmands. Natural Nectar's Black Truffle and Olive Oil OOLALA potato chips elevate that crunchy snack to gourmet status. Online for $3.85 bag.  Creamy cashews-rasted in  RSPO certified palm oil with real deal bits of Italian black truffles. From Odlicno -a company based in Slovenia  Sabatino Tartufi Truffle Crisps

Packaging Fun+Practical Literally, a light bulb moment. Himalicious Gourmet salts Bravo to minimalist packaging. Earthy chocolate-ty aromatic USDA Organic Jailhouse Brick single origin ground coffee is air tight-easy to store with, one opened-with one of those bag clips.   Worker Owned!!!! We had quite the chat with the America Tuna reps at the Fancy Food Show 2019...as this one stop entity for wholesome-real deal canned primo wild albacore tuna-is packaged without added fillers, additives, oils or salt-so no draining needed from the BPA free cans... (the authentic pre 1960 way fyi). Remarkably, America Tuna is owned by the fishing folks  themselves. Hand packed/processed in Oregon + Washington States-and 3rd party tested to ensure low mercury levels, pole caught America Tuna-is flaky fresh delicious-yes the better quality in taste/texture is that obvious . Sustainable ( Marine Stewardship Council certified ,  and traceable too ( can coded ). BONUS POINTS: the w

THE HYBRIDS= fusion of two fav eats  Croissant Muffins (cruffin?)...buttery flaky + texture of a muffin by C'est Gourmet How smart is this -already a summer camp staple- Stuffed Puffs® (aka marshmallows) filled with chocolate-makes s'mores time a two ingredient treat...ensuring the proper marshmallow roast-chocolate melt timing=perfection. Simple idea maybe-but the manufacturing is key. Available now at WALMARTS $3.98 Doughnut cookies-from Winston-Salem, NC's   Dewey's Bakery  known for their delicious Moravian cookies-showed off some new items in The Doughnut Shop line. Inspired by the bakery's 1930 doughnut recipe-the soft cookie-tiny cake -merge...in -of course -iconic doughnut flavors-Old Fashioned Glazed, Chocolate Glazed, Apple Fritter...and Cinnamon Bun- are available online (originally a QVC exclusive). The Cauliflower fusion love fest continues-from riced , pizza crust to pasta .  A bestselling item at Trader Joes...Cauliflower Gnocc

Part One   KETO        -         has been the hottest 'diet' trend lately ...but we feel the low glycemic -high fat/protein/veggies/nuts-seeds foods = sticking around-and entering the permanent lifestyle realm. Like the Mediterranean diet-there are a slew of  health benefits to a low sugar daily intake...and it's easier then ever to get on board. Pictured above...those smart folks at The Spice Lab offer their  ultra premium spices packaged for Keto advocates. Why a need (we asked!!!)? Apparently many spices are packaged with corn starch (or something) to reduce moisture...and it's not on the label. Some have sugar in them to (blends)...or have carbs -naturally. With The Spice lab selection-the taste enhancing choices are low carb- gluten free. And seriously-only a tiny amount of The Spice Lab's offerings are needed for savory bursts of dish enhancing flavor- def. less than other spice brands-because the quality/purity is so high. IMO-tie a ribbon around Keto&#

The tastiest snack sized choices- protein additions to ready-to-eat treats are athlete essentials for efficient muscle repair (esp. needed are high-branched chain amino acids BAAs-leucine, isoleucine, + valine). Dead animal free choices too... Our favs:                                                            Morning Workouts...   DITCH the early AM meal pre-workout...afterwards get an efficient, nutritionally dense, low calorie-and loaded with protein something.  ONE SOLUTION-the caffeine hit from the whey protein loaded Herbalife High Protein Iced Coffee -imo the genius drink mix aid of this hot summer. Blending easily in a shaker cup (2 scoops-12oz water) -poured over icy cubes-get the java jazz going plus 15 grams of protein from whey (dairy), low sugar grams ( the sweetener is sucralose -like Splenda). Tasty too...and did we say quick??? Transparency in ingredients is critical for those who fuel! With all the hard exercise-why blow it on sketchy source materials on wha

Superfruits are not every fruit...! (And not talking about a musical duo either). Notably from tropical rainforest rich countries like Brazil-superfruits= superfood category- are nutritionally dense... jam packed with omega's-proteins, trace minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants-etc-that go beyond what's found in 'ordinary' produce. Even organic ones. Increasingly available here-solo or as an ingredient in healthy-for-you snacks NATIERRA is the first company we reported on years ago-with a complete product line-up  of USDA Organic superfoods -including superfruits. The Superfood Snack with rich dark chocolate -and omega loaded chia seeds-is USDA Organic. BONUS for every bag bought-a meal is donated as part of their A Feed A Soul Project - to alleviate hunger in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country-Haiti. Widely available. An image tells it all...the fruity Amazon berry Açai is loaded with anti-oxidants, Omega 3s, 19 amino acids, some fiber, vita