I first found out about iHerb when I stumbled upon an Instagram page back in 2014.

This girl used to post her clean eating products that were purchased through iHerb and would show her recipes by using those ingredients. These recipes were clean, healthy and still looked unbelievably delicious.

It really helped me when I was competing or if I wanted a clean cheat meal.

For the life of me, I cannot remember who it was (although I’ve spent a lot of time searching for her). I hope to find her again! 

So, I made my first order back in 2014 would order from iHerb every once in a while.

Recently, I listed to a TSC Podcast and they were interviewing Vani Hari of Food Babe.  Vani Hari has a blog that talks about her investigations on what goes into our foods and how to live a life without processed and chemically filled foods. 

You should really listen to it when you have time. That podcast alone made me really think about what I eat and what I feed my family.

This is why I decided to start up again with iHerb. I wanted fresh ideas on healthy snacks and desserts. I also didn’t want to “diet” and deprive myself, but rather make better choices about what I’m eating.

My goal was to replace foods, not remove them.

So, my first step was to get back to iHerb and figure out what I wanted to order. As a mom, efficiency is KEY. This is why I am slightly obsessed with shopping at iHerb.

iHerb is a California based online health store that carries over 30,000 health foods and natural products. 

The main reasons I use iHerb are below:

1. Their online pricing is typically between 30%-50% CHEAPER than other stores that carry health food and natural products. 
2. The shelf life averages 45 days. This guarantees FRESHNESS.
3. They offer a 10% LOYALTY credit if you order items every 60 days. You can order multiple times within the 60 days and receive 10% every time. It is applied to your next order.
4. If you order two or more of the same product, you will receive up to 10% off as a “quantity DISCOUNT.”
5. FREE SHIPPING if you spend $20 or more (US only).
6. iHerb guarantees that the products are AUTHENTIC brands.

To summarize it up, they are cheaper, they guarantee freshness, give a loyalty credit, you will receive discounts, there is free shipping and finally, they are authentic.

What’s not to like?

That’s pretty awesome, right? You can view my most recent iHerb order here. So, let’s talk about each item and why I ordered it, shall we?

Hold tight… this is a long post!

Ancient Harvest, POW! Pasta, Red Lentil Linguine –

(EDIT: They ran out on iHerb so you can get it on Amazon).

I have been on a search to find a pasta that was better for you. One that I wouldn’t feel guilty about eating.

Then, I came across POW! Pasta.

This red lentil linguine has plant-based protein, 14g of protein and 35g of carbs. Regular pasta has half the protein and up to double the carbs. This particular one only has two ingredients (both gluten-free), red lentil flour and organic quinoa flour. I plan to cook this with some sauteed broccoli, garlic, and onion, and add a bit of squeezed lemon with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top.

Delicious.

I typically do a pasta without any sauce and would rather flavor my pasta with garlic and lemon, but I found this calorie-free tomato sauce that I may have to try!

 

Hippeas, Organic Chickpea Puffs, Vegan White Cheddar

No, I’m not going vegan. However, since Rosie is a big snacker, I am on the search for snacks that are delicious but healthy.

These chickpea puffs look just like Cheetos but are organic, non–GMO, and have no artificial preservatives.

They also come in sriracha and barbecue.

Here are the ingredients: 

 

Bragg Liquid Aminos 

This is a vegetable protein seasoning that tastes just like soy sauce.

There are 16 different amino acids in a bottle of Bragg.

Bragg Liquid Aminos contains 160 mg of sodium per 1/2 tsp while soy sauce can contain up to double!

Hello, swollen fingers. 

“A large proportion of our cells, muscles and tissue is made up of amino acids, meaning they carry out many important bodily functions, such as giving cells their structure. They also play a key role in the transport and the storage of nutrients. Amino acids have an influence on the function of organs, glands, tendons and arteries. They are furthermore essential for healing wounds and repairing tissue, especially in the muscles, bones, skin and hair as well as for the removal of all kinds of waste deposits produced in connection with the metabolism.” – www.aminoacid-studies.com

If you want to dilute Bragg Liquid Aminos even more, you can mix in some water. Another way to put it on your food is to purchase liquid aminos in the spray bottle form.

I put these liquid aminos on my vegetables, rice, stir-fry, and sometimes my lean meats. I love it because it tastes just like soy sauce without the guilt!

 

Cinnamon Toast, Organic Rice Cakes 

People tell me all the time that I’m so strange for actually enjoying rice cakes.  Honestly, I have a weird obsession with them and I think it has to do with how crunchy they are.

My first “go-to” were the plain ones. I would enjoy them with some hummus, sliced cucumber, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Now, they have these basil-tomato rice cakes which are nice because it gives them extra flavor.

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Then, I branched out and tried the caramel ones which (in my opinion) didn’t really need anything else on it but sometimes I would add low-fat cream cheese and cinnamon. 

Another one I really enjoyed was the chocolate chip ones with some nut butter. When I was trying to lose weight but craved something sweet, this was my favorite snack to make.

One day, I was browsing the iHerb store and came across these Cinnamon Toast ones so I bought them. 

 

These have become my absolute favorite. I like to add some almond butter on top and half of a banana. Such a delicious and filling snack!

 

Peeled Snacks, Peas Please

You guys, Rosie is OBSESSED with peas and has been ever since she started eating solid foods. I think Luna is becoming the same way. 

I on the other hand, loathe peas.

So, when I came across this snack, I knew I had to buy it for Rosie and figured I’d give it a whirl.

Surprisingly, I like them a lot!

Not only do they have the sea-salt flavor, but they also have habanero lime, southwest spice, garden herb, and white cheddar.

As you can see on the label they are organic, gluten-free and non-GMO verified. 

They even have 1/2 a cup of veggies per serving. This is exactly the kind of snack I want Rosie to eat. Oh, and she totally loved them too.

 

Go Raw, Organic Sprouted Cookies

When I was starting my journey on becoming healthier, I would often google “healthy recipes” and I would find myself stumbling across blogs about raw food and a favorite was Emily von Euw from This Rawsome Vegan Life.

She first started out creating these gorgeous raw desserts and I was immediately fascinated by how good they looked. 

So much so in fact, that for my birthday one year I asked my dad to make me her Raw Carrot Cake with Cashew Cream Frosting. 

You guys, just look at how beautiful it looks. It also tasted AMAZING.

I think I crushed that cake in 4 days.

So, I wanted to get some dessert that was not your typical “unhealthy” sugar-filled dessert and I came across these sprouted cookies. 

 

Only three ingredients (which I underlined)… coconut, sesame seeds, and dates.

They are gently dried, super crunchy and 100% Rosie approved. 

Go Raw, Sprouted Cookies also comes in spiced chai and choco crunch. I will most definitely be trying the spiced chai next.

 

Finn Crisps, Sourdough Rye Thins

I think I have a crunchy theme going on for this first iHerb haul…

Let’s talk about crackers. Specifically, cheese and crackers.

I am OBSESSED with cheese and crackers. I especially love to make a big cheese and cracker board when I go to wineries.

However, if you can’t tell by this post, I am trying to get away from those crappy, no-good for you crackers and focus on putting more nutritious foods into my body. 

Presenting, these Finn Crisp Sourdough Rye Thins. 

According to the website, they are made from pure Finnish lake waters, sourdough and 100% whole-grain rye. 

Pretty cool huh? 

I plan to eat these with hummus and maybe slices of tomato or cucumber. Maybe even add a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash, Garlic & Herb Seasoning on them.

 

YumEarth, Organic Fruit Snacks

You guys… I am SO excited about this find!

As we know, kids LOVE fruit snacks and Rosie is no exception. Every Friday at school they have “fruit snack, Friday” and the kids get fruit snacks when they leave school for the weekend. 

I also started giving Rosie a little treat (whether it be a sticker or fruit snack or chocolate) when she would help me get Luna into the car after school. Since we have to walk from the school to the parking lot and I am carrying a car seat… sometimes I need a little cooperation from Rosie, if you know what I mean.

I really wanted to stay away from the chemically filled treats so when I found this I was so excited. Of course, Rosie loved them. It was a good find.

Let’s compare the ingredients below – 

YumEarth: Organic rice syrup, organic cane sugar, *fruit pectin, citric, ascorbic acid, natural flavors, (organic carrot juice from concentrate, organic pumpkin juice from concentrate, organic apple juice from concentrate, organic black currant juice from concentrate) for color.

Welch’s Fruit Snacks: Fruit puree (Grape, Peach, Orange, Strawberry, and Raspberry), Corn Syrup, Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, *Gelatin, Concord Grape Juice from Concentrate, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Vitamin A Palmitate, Sodium Citrate, Coconut Oil, Carnauba Wax, Annatto (Color), Turmeric (Color), Red 40, and Blue 1).

*Let’s discuss fruit pectin vs gelatin. 

Pectin is, “a starch called a heteropolysaccharide, that occurs naturally in the cell walls of fruits and vegetables. It is, in fact, the very thing that gives them structure. When cooked to a high temperature (220 F) in combination with acid and sugar, it forms a gel.” (Source)

Gelatin is “a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. It is usually obtained from cows or pigs.” (Source)

I think I vomited in my mouth a little bit after doing all this research.

So, that concludes my iHerb Haul #1! To be honest, I already have most of my second iHerb Haul in my cart. 

Spoiler alert… it’s filled with organic popcorn, dark chocolate, skin care items and more!

Stay tuned for the next haul!

Oh! Before you go…

I have one more tip for you to save money on your iHerb order…

Install Ebates!

When you use Ebates you will get an additional 2.5% off of your total order.

Think about it this way… you’ll get free shipping on anything over $20, have a 10% loyalty credit if you order at least every 60 days,  receive a 10% discount on your first order when using code CSW131, and you’ll get 2.5% cash back if you have an Ebates account. 

So, if you are looking to find inexpensive, healthy, organic, non-GMO foods, beauty products and more… definitely check out iHerb! 

 Click here to sign up for Ebates!

Oh, and as a final reminder… 

Please feel free to comment below on any items you purchased that I should know about! I am always on the lookout for new, healthy foods that taste delicious!

Bonus points if my kids like them too!