Review: Zukay Live Foods Kvass and Nikki’s Coconut Butter

Since we began Paleo Parents, we’ve been increasingly and routinely asked to review books and products by people in and adjacent to the paleo community. At this point, we get so many we are unable to actually do the reviews of the products in a timely manner! That’s why we recruited the Paleo Parents Review Team to fill in the gaps. Look forward to reviews on Tuesdays!

This week, our favorite foodie and photographer Aimee tackles two new food products we think you’ll love. We particularly love how she included her adorable children in the testing process. Read all about Zukay Kvas s and Nikki’s Coconut Butter and pay particular attention to the giveaways!

Zukay Live Foods Kvass

Probiotics have become huge news in the natural food world, and for good reason – they’re necessary for good health, and the modern American’s guts are under siege. But they’re not all made equally. While many companies offer all kinds of lab-made lactobacilli and probiotic blends, Veggie•Biotics like Zukay’s kvass and salad dressings offer you the original probiotic – the one that kept mankind healthy and vibrant for millennia. The only other thing you get from Veggie-Biotics is something you want and need – a tremendous amount of pure, untouched raw vegetable nutrition. Our Veggie•Biotic products have no added sugars, no fillers, no natural or artificial flavors, gelatins, or any other ingredient that you just don’t need.
-From Zukay.com

This drink is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are just loaded with nutrients. One 4-ounce glass, morning and night, is an excellent blood tonic, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments.
-Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions

My kids are like night and day when it comes to food. Delilah won’t eat anything except hot dogs and cheese. Archer needs food every half hour. He couldn’t wait for me to cook some liver the other morning, so he tried to choke it down raw (He did not succeed). This means they are the perfect critics to taste new foods. If Delilah likes it, we know it must be a very tasty dish. If Archer likes it, we know it’s edible.

I love trying to ferment new things (kombucha, sauerkraut, ketchup, hot sauce.) However, unlike my other accomplishments, my beet kvass just became a gallon of mold soup; so, I was glad that I found Zukay kvass to try. I personally hate the taste of beets, so finding ways to ingest them for the health benefits and not want to hurl is a mission of mine. The Zukay beet kvass, however, I am a big fan of! But I hadn’t tried it on the kids. I couldn’t trust my own judgment in reviewing these drinks since I really do like most everything. I start salivating for sauerkraut just from writing the word, “ferment.”

Super Green: (I think it’s pretty good!)

Delilah says the green kvass smells funny, but she thinks it tastes good. She finishes her sample while holding her nose.

Archer says it tastes good and smells good. Delilah is wrong. He gulps the whole sample.

Beet Ginger: (My favorite!)

Delilah just wrinkles her nose and pushes it away.

Archer says it is not yummy. It is in fact, yucky.

Super Root: (I like this one as well, but I am easy to please when it comes to the excitement of probiotics. I’m disappointed it’s root veggies and not root beer.)

Delilah says, “Ick. This should be called super yuck.”

And Archer tells me he it made him sick. He is sick now.

Veggie Medley: (I admit, I’m eh about this one because, Cucumbers.)

“Ick. I don’t like it. This tastes like apple fritters mixed with ice cream salad and chicken,” says Delilah. (Apparently, this combo is bad?) Archer says he likes it, but panics and says no when I ask if he wants anymore.

The tasting ends with Archer asking for more green juice. My hypothesis is that if your child likes kombucha, he will probably like kvass. If you’re trying to choose the best one for kids, go with super green.

Nikki’s Coconut Butter

We set out to create a healthy treat that tasted just as good as it made us feel. We wanted to create a dessert that we could incorporate into a healthy lifestyle.This is why we created Nikki’s Coconut Butter and we couldn’t be happier with the result! We hope you enjoy it just as much as we do!
-From NikkisCoconutButter.com

When I first started eating paleo, I was leery of the coconut thing since I didn’t think I liked the taste. A few months into my new diet, we went to the beach and I wanted to bring snack food on the long 17 hour car ride. I chose coconut butter since I could get it at Whole Foods—thus an addict was born. I would go to the pantry and take a tablespoon whenever I felt snacky. This lasted about two jars before I was coconutted out.

However, I think Nikki’s just reawakened my urges with their flavored coconut butters. They aren’t as guilt free as plain, since they do contain honey, but a spoonful of Macadamia Nut Cookie or Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie makes me happy and less stress means less inflammation, right? I wasn’t surprised that I adored these two flavors, but I was curious if my kids liked them. I also wanted to try a recipe from the Nikki’s site, since these jars must be good for something besides falling headfirst into a quick bite here or there.

My kids were skeptical after their last taste testing, but when I handed them each a spoon and said it was dessert, they dove right in. Delilah took a bite of the Macadamia Nut Cookie and deemed it just okay (no surprise there). Archer said it was so-so, but went back for more (no surprise there either). I produced the Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie and their faces lit up at the sight of chocolate. Delilah took a few bites and said it was delicious. Archer just kept eating. And eating.

I chose the Mahi Mahi recipe to try since I am more a protein than dessert girl (desserts always means less laziness.) I even made my own Old Bay for it! Sometimes I surprise myself. The coconut butter was the perfect crust and the fish was cooked perfectly. Delilah even said it wasn’t bad (the equivalent of calling me a culinary genius). Archer gobbled up his half, but said he didn’t like the spice. I gobbled up my half and did like the spice. I can’t wait to try the other flavors…Midnight Mocha is calling my name.

In my fish reverie, I didn’t even notice Archer grab his spoon and the jar of Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie…

The Giveaways!

The fine people behind these products would like to give one of you some of their products to try for yourself! Zukay Live Foods would like to give you a six pack of their Kvass with the flavors of your choice and Nikki’s Coconut Butter is giving away two jars of your choice!

STEP 1: Simply follow the directions in the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

STEP 2: If you’d like to be sent a coupon for a free drink from Zukay Live Foods, comment below and tell us why (must complete Step 1 first) you’d like to try it! There will be ten winners

BONUS: if you message Zukay on Facebook after you like their page with your address, they will send you a coupon book for discounts on Zukay Kvass!

DOUBLE BONUS: if you buy Nikki’s Coconut Butter, enter the discount code “PALEOPARENTS” at checkout to receive a 5% discount!

This contest ends on March 26th at midnight. Good Luck!

Aimee breaks up fights between two kids all day, but in between she ferments, exercises, and finds new weird meats to eat and instagram. Maybe you can find her at www.aimeebuxtonphotography.com one day blogging what she eats and what recipes she fails at making look like the photos in her cookbooks.