Bellybars Are Yummy--But Don't Take My Word for It

If you caught my MomTV show then you know how much I love Bellybar. And if you've read my blog for awhile you REALLY know how much I love them. I started eating them before I was trying to get pregnant because of all of the great nutrition in them. If you're trying to conceive it's a good idea to start stocking up on these vitamins before getting pregnant. For one, it takes a few months for your body to get stocked up on the nutrients like folic acid that it needs, and two, having them can HELP you conceive!

My favorite flavor is the Berry Nutty Cravings. It has a great blend of yogurt, nuts and berries. You may remember when I entered the Holly Jolly Belly Contest. I won! And I won a trimester worth of Bellybars, that's two cases of each flavor. I ate up all of the Berry Nutty ones first, now I'm alternating between the rest of them.

One thing I love about them is that they're also quick and easy to grab and go. With my job being so crazy, sometimes it's hard to get a break to eat. I'll put a few of these in my purse and snack on them throughout the day. Don't believe me? Look... I'm eating one as I write this post!

If you're pregnant, thinking of getting pregnant, or breastfeeding you definitely need to check these out!

Hate prenatal vitamins? Yea, sometimes they can by icky. Well eating a Bellybar is a lot like taking a prenatal vitamin because it has lots of folic acid, DHA, protein and iron! All things your baby really needs! Speaking of vitamins, Bellybar is coming out with a NEW prenatal vitamin next month, chewable and allegedly yummy!! I can't wait to try it! I'll for sure let you know about it when I find out more, and we'll have a giveaway here! They're ALSO coming out with a new s'more flavor!! *dies*

We gave away 3 Bellybar prize packs during the show! Bummed you missed it? You can find Bellybar's at Target, Wallgreens, Babies R Us, Whole Foods, Pea in a Pod, Motherhood Maternity, HEB and more! You can also buy them online! For more information or more on how you can try some follow @bellybar on twitter or become their facebook fan.

Want to try them all?! Well you can enter to win a prize pack right here!

THREE winners will each receive a prize pack full of:
-1 bars of each flavor (Baby Needs Chocolate, Berry Nutty Cravings, Mellow Oat and Burstin’ Chocolate)
-1 shakes of Due for Chocolate Bellybar Shakes
-1 pouch of the Citrus on Board bellybar chews

Here's what you do to enter: Visit Bellybar and tell me what product you want to try!

That's all! If you'd like extra entries, comment again if:

- You follow my blog

-Vote for me to win the Tickled Pink bedding on TheRealMomTV
-Comment on one of my posts on The Real Mom TV or Parenting Magazine's blog during the duration of this giveaway(3 entries each!)
-Follow @Bellybar on Twitter
-Follow me on twitter and tweet "Win a yummy @bellybar prize pack on @futuremama's blog #giveaway 3 winners! http://bit.ly/au1hFp" (2Xs per day- tweets must be 6hrs apart)
-Give me a pregnancy tip!
-Comment on non-giveaway related post of mine during the duration of this giveaway (1 entry per comment)
-Become my Facebook Fan

-Become Bellybar's facebook fan
-Add my button to your blog!
-Add my Full Terms of Giveaway button to your blog.
-Post about this giveaway on your blog.
-Email Subscribe to my blog (don't forget to confirm your email!) OR Subscribe to my blog through one of these feeds (let me know which one in comments).
-Vote for me on Top Baby Blogs (per day/computer) (just click the link)
-Vote for Baby Makin(g) Machine as top 50 Mommyblog on Babble (once per day)
-Tell me how you heard about this giveaway (you read my blog regularly, saw it on Twitter, etc.)

This giveaway ends April 4th at 11:59pm.

I'll use random.org to choose a winner. Good luck!

A big thanks to Bellybar for providing the prize to the winners. I was not compensated in any way for this post. Opinions are my own.

The Bellybar Yumminess

Lately my breakfast routine lately goes a little like this:

Heat up a pot of hot water-Pour some OJ-Make some toast-Take my vitamins-Mix the herbal fertility tea with hot water- Grab a Bellybar.

I use to not eat breakfast which was pretty bad... But now I've got this routine, and sometimes I'll add fruit and cereal to the mix.

I've mentioned Bellybars before and I hinted to the fact that I'd be doing an official review and giveaway soon... Well here we are! And girl do I have a treat for you!

When I first heard about Bellybar the line that got me was "BEFORE, during, and after pregnancy" I've been all about getting ready for a baby, so finding something I could start eating now, (and not feel silly cause it says that on the box) and keep eating once I'm pregnant is great.

Bellybar hooked me up with some snacks for my Blogher trip (and just about everyone who met me got some to snack on too) and they also sent me a fun sample pack with a selection of pretty much all of their products. The packaging was so cute and I wanted to eat it all up myself, but since I was going to visit my BFF (who is now about 22 weeks pregnant) I decided to save it for her, and try it with her.

Knowing me I couldn't let this go without recording, so I recorded us trying all of the products, but then the video was about 12 minuets long, so for your sanity I edited out the chewing and left in our summary review. There's good info there about the products!!


Key points:
Bellybar gives new moms and moms-to-be extra nutrients they need -- before, during and after pregnancy. (I really like the BEFORE part). It's packed with key prenatal nutrients, and "Satisfies your need for something nutritious and your craving for something delicious." They deliver the essential iron, folic acid (800mcg per bar), calcium and Omega-3 DHA that you and your (future) baby need.

My FAVORITE was the Berry Nutty Cravings... That was actually both of our favorites. I also LOVE the citrus chews... They're like a healthy Starburst or something, the chocolate chews are great too! It's like a yummy healthy tootsie roll. The Baby Needs Chocolate flavor Bellybar was a close second... But there is really something for everyone if you like berry, oats, chocolate or even chocolate orange flavor (Shannon's husband likes those- They're ok for guys too). They also have a new caramel flavor coming out too!

I went to the store to look for some more of the Berry Nutty cravings and had to ask a lady to help me find it... She asked if I was pregnant and it was kind of an awkward situation. I wanted to point to the word "BEFORE" on the box, but I opted against it. Hopefully soon I'll be able to give a great big YES!!

I also had the chance to write a blog post for Bellybar about my journey toward motherhood and how I'm paying more attention to nutrition (I'm also going to be chatting with a nutritionist for fertility next week from Pulling Down the Moon too) before trying to have a baby. You can read my guest post here.

If you're not pregnant like me, you can win this pack and start stocking up on the prenatal nutrients you need before even trying to get a baby in your belly, or if you're pregnant, eat them now for extra nutrition! And if you just had a baby... you still need vitamins! ...Yum yum! Or if you're just a woman like me, and you like to eat... Win these and try them out! It's really a snack that I love to grab and I don't feel bad for eating it after.

Want to try what Shannon and I got?

THREE WINNERS will get a Bellybar sample pack with:
-2 bars of each flavor (Baby Needs Chocolate, Berry Nutty Cravings, Mellow Oat and Burstin’ Chocolate)
-1 pouch of each chews flavor (Chocolate Cuddles and Citrus on Board)
-2 shakes of Due for Chocolate Bellybar Shakes

Want to win? Here's how you enter:
1. Visit Bellybar's website and tell me what you think your FAVORITE Bellybar product is and leave it in a comment! That's all! Leave another with your favorite fact or part of our video for another entry. (Followers leave two comments).

Want to up your chances to win? Here's more ways. Comment again if:
-Become a Bellybar Facebook Fan
-Comment on my guest post for Bellybar
-You subscribe to my blog
-Become a Facebook Fan for my blog
-You favor my blog on Technorati
-Vote for me on Top Baby Blogs (per day/computer) (just click the link)
-You Tweet/ Facebook about this contest (every day you tweet is an extra entry!) Please say: "Check out this awesome giveaway on @futuremama's blog for some yummy @bellybar products! http://tinyurl.com/luz68o (Please RT)!"
-You follow my blog (worth 2 entries so leave 2 comments)- And out of curiosity, tell me if you're new!
-Leave a comment on one of my posts for Conceive Magazine (2 entries)
-You have my blog button (3 entries, so leave 3 comments)
-You post about this contest (3 entries)
-Vote for my blog in the 2009 Bloggers Choice Awards (worth 5 entries! So leave 5 comments- NEW: EACH email account you vote under is 5 entries :) )

I'll use RANDOM.ORG to choose 3 winners. Contest Ends Friday September 3rd at 11:59pm! Good luck!

The Birth Stories and Bellybars: Blogher Road Trip

We are back on the road again. Yesterday was a blast, we ordered food and chatted about our lives. It was nice getting to know these ladies even more. We were quoting movies and laughing our heads off about wedding stories, the funniest thing is we were so loud. Hotel management came up to our room to tell us people were complaining we were too loud. I’m not sure why they couldn’t just call but whatever.

As we were falling asleep we got on the topic of worst fears. Mine, without a doubt being spiders, and MyBrownBaby feels the same. Wifey and Chatterbox have weird fears if you ask me. Chatterbox is afraid of mascots and people who don’t talk at haunted houses and fairs and Wifey is afraid of pigeons of all things! She even told me she almost left her kid in his stroller to be taken away by them when they got too close.
They’ve all been married longer than I have, and as they shared stories of their lives it made me realize just because you’re together longer doesn’t mean you’ll always get closer, it’s something I’ll be working at forever.

This morning we got to McDonalds right before 10:30 and we really wanted breakfast. Wifey ordered first and the people there switched the signs to the lunch menu before the rest of us ordered. I don’t really understand that--30 second after 10:30 it’s time for lunch. That’s way too early for lunch. They almost didn’t let us get breakfast but luckily they hooked us up with some biscuits.

After that and a few Zzzs on my part, I started asking them about their labor stories. All of them told me they were not playin’ and went with the epidural. Wifey had a couple of false alarms before the real thing, and the night she was going into labor she didn’t want to go to the hospital before she ate her Copelands for dinner. Chatterbox didn’t want to go until she was done watching Lost. She also said she went to an Italian restaurant that guaranteed the eggplant meal would put you into labor within 24 hours.—And it worked!! I’ll have to research this topic when I’m pregnant and see if there’s any place like this near me. You heard of anything like that?

Hearing their stories about being mothers makes me excited to be one. I in no way think it will be easy, but I am glad I’m going into it with my eyes wide open.
Oh, and you know how I’ve been taking prenatals? Well, I have for a couple of months because I heard it gives your body a chance to stock up on the nutrients you need before you get pregnant. Unfortunately I forgot to pack my vitamins for this trip, which isn’t a big deal since it’s just a week—But then I realized the Bellybars I’ve been eating are still giving me a lot of the vitamins in prenatal vitamins. I told you they were one of my sponsors, and if you’re following on Twitter you know I’ve been munching on the bars and chews this whole trip and I’ve been sharing them with the ladies I’m riding with.
I know some people at first may be thinking “isn’t that a pregnancy bar?” but it’s not! It’s a nutrition bar with vitamins important before, during and after pregnancy, and in my opinion they taste better than a lot of other snack bars, and it’s not like chocking down a huge vitamin everyday. So, if you’re pregnant, or like me and thinking of getting pregnant you should check these out! My favorite flavors are the citrus chews and the yogurt crunch bars (it’s in the blue box). I’ll be giving away some prize packs when I get back, and giving more details about these yummy snacks. Oh, and if you’re at Blogher come find me, I’m giving away some chocolate belly bars (among other things... Check this pile out I put together).As far as the blog conference, I am SO excited to meet all these women., we’re almost to Chicago so I’ll start to meet people today. I am a little worried I won’t know anyone else at the conference, or know the best way to make the most out of it, but I’m just excited to be here and learning as I go.

The mommy fact learned today: Switch boobs when you breastfeed, or pump out the other one after you feed from one to avoid uneven boob sizes. Believe it or not, I didn’t know that, though it makes sense.