Delicious Living's 2017 Best Bite Awards

Nutrition experts consistently assert that the best way to improve your health is to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. But we get it: Hectic mornings make it hard to pack a salad for lunch. Office deadlines can make getting dinner on the table seem impossible. And sometimes a bowl of (vegan) ice cream just really hits the spot.

That’s why we’re thrilled to present the sterling winners of Delicious Living’s fifth-annual Best Bite Awards, which, from maple syrup-sweetened paleo granola to protein-dense pasta made from chickpeas, celebrate natural food and beverage brands that make healthy living easier by sourcing ingredients with integrity, formulating products with reasonable amounts of sugar and sodium, and minimizing the impact on the environment. (And they taste great, too!) 

Best Baby or Toddler Food

Sprout Organic Curlz Broccoli Baked Toddler Snacks

Little whippersnappers will love noshing on these fun-to-eat crispy curls, and you’ll love that they’re made with wholesome, no-sugar ingredients, including organic chickpea flour, organic lentil flour and organic broccoli powder.

We also love:

• Once upon a Farm Applesauce Adventures Spiced Apple

Best Baking Mix

Foodstirs Organic Sweet Tooth Sugar Cookie Mix

Eat these USDA Organic sugar cookies plain, or use as a vanilla-scented canvas for holiday decorating—they’re delicious either way. We love Foodstirs for its commitment to consciously sourcing ingredients, such as biodynamic cane sugar.

We also love:

• Pamela’s Grain and Gluten-Free Nut Flour Blend

Best Candy

Cocomel Bites Vanilla

You’ll delight in these chewy orbs filled with nondairy, coconut milk–based caramel. This snackable organic candy sets you back just 180 calories and 16 grams of sugar for 14 pieces—a large serving, given their richness.

We also love:

• Wholesome Organic DelishFish

Best Cereal

Evoke Organic Muesli Athlete Fuel

Your excuse to skip breakfast just vanished. Throw a single-serving packet of Evoke’s blend of oats, nuts, fruit and seeds into your bag, and you have a filling morning meal with minimal sugar and 7 grams of protein. Pair this USDA Organic Muesli with cold almond milk or yogurt for a top-notch day-starter.

We also love:

• Back to the Roots Stoneground Flakes Biodynamic Cinnamon Clusters

Best Chip

Kettle Brand Potato Chips Cooked in 100% Avocado Oil Himalayan Salt

A classic thick-cut, not-too-oily chip to accompany all of your lunches. Fried in good-fat avocado oil, this perfect product contains just two other ingredients: potatoes and Himalayan salt. From a company devoted to protecting wildlife habitats in Salem, Oregon.

We also love:

• Dang Sticky-Rice Chips Original Recipe

Best Chocolate

Theo Organic Black Rice Quinoa Crunch 85% Dark Chocolate

Puffed black rice and puffed quinoa add crunch and interest to this slightly bitter, Fair for Life–certified dark chocolate bar. Theo stands out for its commitment to transparency in sourcing. For example, Theo lists how much it pays for cocoa beans on its website and provides detailed supplier profiles.

We also love:

• Honey Mama’s Dutch Cacao-Nectar Bar 85% Dark Chocolate

Best Cold-Pressed Beverage

Rau Organic Chocolate Semi-Sweet Cacao Superfood Drink

Reach for Rau when you’re fixin’ for a rich, consciously sourced, organic beverage that tastes like chocolate milk. This high-pressure-processed beverage is made with filtered water, single-origin cacao powder and cacao butter, coconut palm sugar, Himalayan pink salt, vanilla extract, spices and monk fruit extract. Just 6 grams of sugar for the entire 12-ounce bottle.

We also love:

• Vim Vitae Limeades Ginger

Best Condiment

Big Tree Farms Organic Coco Aminos

This use-on-anything condiment imparts salty, umami flavor to soups, stews, dips, popcorn, salad dressings and more. Free from gluten and soy, this sauce is made with water, Balinese sea salt and organic coconut blossom nectar sourced directly from Indonesia, where Big Tree Farms is headquartered.

We also love:

• Primal Kitchen Green Goddess Dressing & Marinade

Best Cookie

Cisse Cocoa Co. Super Thins Double Chocolate Brownie Thins

Classic ingredients such as organic cane sugar, chocolate chips, organic butter, organic cocoa powder and more meld the indulgence of a brownie with the texture of a crispy cookie. Cisse sources fully traceable organic and fair-trade cocoa from FUNDOPO, a cocoa cooperative in the Dominican Republic.

We also love:

• Laughing Giraffe Organics Lemon Snakarooons

Best Cracker

RW Garcia 3 Seed Sweet Potato Crackers

These addictive, non-GMO, corn-based, gluten-free crackers are crispy, additive-free discs that provide a perfect stage for hummus, guacamole or cheese. Nutrient-dense sweet potato lends beautiful color and flavor; flaxseeds, black sesame seeds and chia seeds add healthy fats, such as omega-3s.

We also love:

• Onesto Hand-Crafted Crackers Rosemary

Best Dessert

Petit Pot Organic Riz Au Lait

How adorable is this refrigerated rice pudding duo, portioned out in single servings and packaged in reusable glass jars? It’s made with organic ingredients you likely have in your kitchen right now: milk, cream, rice, sugar, vanilla extract, sea salt and real flecks of vanilla seed—nothing more!

We also love:

• Hail Merry Dark Chocolate Espresso Cups

Best Fizzy Beverage

Live Drinking Vinegars Tart Cherry Apple Cider Vinegar with Coconut Vinegar

Tart flavors are rising in popularity, and Live is a leader in the category. This effervescent beverage is made with purified carbonated water, organic tart cherry juice, organic stevia and two types of organic vinegar: apple cider and coconut. We appreciate that this product contains only 2 grams of sugar, too.

We also love:

• The Ginger People Bottoms Up Unfiltered Ginger Beer

Best Flapjack

Birch Benders Pancake & Waffle Mix Peanut Butter Protein

These delicious peanuty pancakes are a cinch to make on crazed mornings and camping trips alike. Just add water, stir and throw the batter on a blazing hot griddle. In addition to wholesome wheat flour, this mix features roasted peanut flour and whey, bringing each serving to 16 grams of protein.

We also love:

• Foodstirs Modern Baking Organic Sunday Stacks Pancake Mix

Best Frozen Novelty

Luna & Larry’s Organic Coconut Bliss Dark Chocolate Bliss Sandwich

This clean-label frozen novelty is the (nondairy) cream of the crop! Sandwiched between two chewy, gluten-free cookies filled with hemp seeds, millet and flax, you’ll find decadent, coconut milk–based ice cream spiked with fair-trade cocoa, agave syrup and vanilla extract—that’s it. It’s a sophisticated take on a classic summertime treat.

We also love:

• Three Twins Lemon Ice Cream Wafer Sandwich

Best Frozen Vegetarian

Rising Moon Organic Butternut Squash Ravioli

Soft pillows of USDA Organic pasta enrobing golden, heavily spiced purée is the ideal comfort food after long days. In this frozen vegan product, just wheat flour, water and turmeric oil comprise the pasta; butternut squash, garlic, onion powder, nutmeg and black pepper make up the filling. Cooks fast. Tastes delicious. Consciously sourced ingredients. Yum!

We also love:

• RollinGreens Italian Herb Millet Tots with Garlic & Basil

Best Functional Beverage

Farmhouse Culture Ginger Beet Gut Shots

Shots! Shots! Shots … of a probiotic-rich, salty elixir, that is. Farmhouse Culture took the brine left over from making the brand’s yummy fermented vegetables and kraut, and bottled it. Take a shot of this deep crimson liquid—made with USDA Organic green cabbage, red beets, ginger and sea salt—each day to support gut health.

We also love:

• Nona Lim Chicken Turmeric Bone Broth

Best Gluten-Free Pasta

Banza Spaghetti Made from Chickpeas

Though this looks and tastes like conventional wheat-based spaghetti, Banza’s excellent gluten-free version is made with chickpeas, tapioca, pea protein and xanthan gum. What’s missing from this product? Forty percent fewer net carbs than you would find in traditional noodles. You will, however, get in 14 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber per 2-ounce serving.

We also love:

• Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagne

Best Granola

GrandyOats Original Coconola Coconut Granola

Those who eschew grains can rejoice! Finally, we found a USDA Organic grain-free, paleo granola that delivers on crunch and satiety. A base of organic unsweetened coconut, cashews and pumpkin seeds gives “coconola” its heft, while sesame seeds, honey, maple syrup and vanilla craft exceptional taste. 

We also love:

• Purely Elizabeth Chocolate Sea Salt Probiotic Granola

Best Grocery Store Staple

Vital Farms Alfresco Eggs

According to Certified Humane, “free-range” eggs come from hens that have access to 2 square feet per bird. “Pasture-raised” eggs, however, such as Vital Farm’s Alfresco Eggs, come from hens with a whopping 108 square feet of outdoor space per bird to roam on every day. Such extra space allows hens to forage for bugs, seeds and wild grasses, making for healthy, happy hens and delicious eggs.

We also love:

• Good Culture Organic Cottage Cheese Classic

Best Herbal Tea

Numi Organic Herbal Teasan Vision

Numi’s new herbal teas are designed to inspire discerning tea drinkers to slow down and create space for mindfulness and relaxation. The Vision variety employs functional (and tasty!) ingredients such as consciously sourced, organic guayusa leaf—a caffeinated plant native to Ecuador—lemon verbena and flavorful add-ins such as hibiscus, rosemary, ginger and nutmeg. Bonus: Each box features a different meditation tip to encourage a moment of calm.

We also love:

• Asante Mama Organic Moringa Miracle Herbal Tea

Best Kids Product

Don't Go Nuts Gorilla Power Granola Bar with Chocolate Chips

Parents of kids with nut allergies will tell you it’s difficult to find a tasty snack bar sans nuts. That’s why we’re smitten with this delicious, kid-centered bar made with mostly organic ingredients, including brown rice syrup, oats, chocolate, brown rice and more. Plus, this company is serious about preventing nut contamination from the field to your mouth.

We also love:

• Rudi’s Organic Soft Wheat Kids Bread

Best Meal Helper

LoveTheWild Red Trout with Salsa Verde

Consciously sourced, traceable red trout smothered in an herbaceous sauce made with olive oil, white wine vinegar, parsley, garlic, onion, kale and basil. LoveTheWild makes healthy, omega 3–rich fish easier to cook and tastier to eat with this frozen meal kit, in which includes parchment paper to bake the fish and sauce, a style called en papillote.

We also love:

• Hilary's Savory Mushroom Millet Medley

Best Meat Replacement

Hilary’s Apple Maple Veggie Breakfast Sausage

No one is going to mistake these veggie-based, vegan “sausages” for the real thing. Bite into a patty, and you’ll see USDA Organic whole-grain cooked millet, lentils, dates and hemp seeds—which we think is fantastic! Smoked paprika and maple syrup add a robust, nuanced flavor so you won’t miss the meat. Also free from corn, gluten, nuts and soy—an anomaly in the meat-replacement category.

We also love:

• The Jackfruit Company Tex-Mex Jackfruit

Best Nutrition Bar

Perfect Bar Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter with Sea Salt

This whole-food, refrigerated nutrition bar tastes like cookie dough. Ultrafilling without weighing you down, it delivers 320 calories from peanut butter, honey, dry milk, Fair Trade USA dark chocolate, brown rice protein and a crazy-impressive whole-food powder blend that includes kale, flax, rosehip, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa and more.

We also love:

• Soul Sprout Nut Bar Sweet ’N Salty

Best Paleo-Friendly Snack

Simple Squares Organic Snack Bar Sage

As the brand name suggests, this simple snack contains just seven USDA Organic ingredients that prioritize cashews, almonds and coconut. Sweetened just with organic honey, this variety features herbaceous, piney sage—an unexpected add-in for a snack bar.

We also love:

• Zupa Organic Carrot Coconut Lime chilled soup

Best Pep-You-Up Beverage

Up Mountain Switchel Original

When Colonial New England farmers needed a pick-me-up in the field, switchel was their customary treat. Traditionally made by adding apple cider vinegar and maple syrup to water, this version features spicy, organic fresh ginger root. At 54 calories per serving, this heritage beverage quenches thirst and revitalizes on hot days.

We also love:

• Matcha Love Ice-Steeped Cold Brew Unsweetened Matcha + Green Tea

Best Smoothie

Navitas Organics Vanilla & Greens Essential Blend

Everything you want in a low-sugar morning smoothie, this blend features 12 grams of plant-based protein from pea, pumpkin seed, sunflower, golden flax and hemp. Nutrient-dense superfoods such as goji berry, camu camu, pomegranate, kale, spinach and spirulina get even more of a boost from added probiotics and vitamin C–rich acerola berry. 

We also love:

• Nomva Everberry Probiotic Super Smoothie

Best S’mores Essential

Smashmallow Cinnamon Churro

We know, we know. Marshmallows aren’t health food. But for special campfire occasions, when not roasting a ’mallow seems like a travesty, Smashmallow is a great option. Simple ingredients like organic cane sugar, gelatin, cinnamon, vanilla and more transform ho-hum s’mores into memorable desserts.

We also love:

• Dandies Peppermint Flavored Vegan Marshmallows

Best Soup

Fawen Drinkable Soup Broccoli & Cauliflower

This vegan, sippable, chilled soup satisfies cravings for a veggie-filled, savory mini-meal. Somehow, Fawen transforms common kitchen ingredients such as broccoli, cauliflower, shallots, onions, lemon juice, turmeric and coconut milk into a satiating, low-sugar nosh that delivers ample vitamin K, vitamin C and folate.

We also love:

• Souplicity Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Gouda Soup

Best-Sourced Meat

Perky Jerky Black Label Grass-Fed Beef Jerky Original

After tasting dozens of meat-based products, testers were impressed with Perky Jerky’s tender texture and superior taste, made by marinating grass-fed, antibiotic-free beef in a gluten-free sauce overnight. Perky Jerky recently partnered with the Global Animal Partnership (an organization dedicating to improving animal welfare standards) to back its commitment to better sourcing.

We also love:

• Wild Planet Wild Mackerel in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Best Sports Product

Bobo’s Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Chip Oat Bar

On day-long endurance runs, bicycle rides, hikes and ski trips, athletes want real, portable food with calories, sugar, protein and fat. Bobo’s new peanut butter-stuffed bars fit the bill. Each bite of this 320-calorie oat-based bar contains creamy, sweet peanut butter, offering long-lasting energy. It doesn’t hurt that the bar is perfectly sized to fit in the back of a bike jersey, either.

We also love:

• Creation Nation Protein Bar Mix

Best Spread

Rigoni di Asiago Nocciolata Dairy Free Organic Hazelnut & Cocoa Spread

The natural dessert accoutrement of your dreams, this USDA Organic chocolate hazelnut spread from Italy is a vegan, artificial flavor–free spread, perfect for eating atop toast, crepes, fruit and cupcakes, as well as plain, with a spoon, straight from the jar (we won’t tell!).

We also love:

• Justin’s Maple Almond Butter

Best Sweet Sauce

The Maple Guild Organic Maple Cream

Golden, gossamer threads whipped to perfection, ideal for enlivening pretzel sticks, apple slices, cheese platters and more. Made from organic sap tapped in northern Vermont and converted into maple syrup using hot steam, this delicate, decadent sauce is your new go-to ice cream, pancake and toast topper.

We also love:

• Divina Orange Fig Spread

Best Vegan Cheese

Miyoko’s Creamery Aged English Smoked Farmhouse

This flavorful, USDA Organic “cheese” reminds us of an aged, smoked Gouda. Miyoko’s version, however, is made with cashews, chickpea miso, nutritional yeast, sea salt and cultures, resulting in a nuanced, smack-you-in-the-face tasty cheese substitute perfect for pairing with a glass of merlot.

We also love:

• Daiya American Style Slices

Best Vegan Ice Cream

So Delicious Dairy Free Cashewmilk Salted Caramel Cluster

One taste of this nondairy ice cream and you’ll never again think that going vegan is a sacrifice. Picture chocolate chunks and crunchy, roasted cashews held together with a molasses-based caramel sauce—all suspended in a perfect cashew-based cream. A touch of sea salt makes these flavors sing.

We also love:

• NadaMoo The Rockiest Road Frozen Dairy-Free Dessert

Best Vegetarian Burger

Beyond Meat The Beyond Burger Plant-Based Burger Patties

The closest thing to real meat we’ve ever seen, this refrigerated patty even looks like raw meat in the package. At barbecues, be sure to keep an eye on it while it sizzles and smokes on the grill—even your meat-eating uncle may be none the wiser that this burger is made with 20 grams of plant-based pea protein, beet juice, coconut oil, potato starch and more. 

We also love:

• Sweet Earth Mediterranean Veggie Burger

Best Whole-Food Snack

Made in Nature Nut Butter-Filled Figgy Pops Mocha Almond

Each fruit-based, cocoa-tinged “figgy pop” has a secret surprise inside: a creamy blend of cashew and almond butter. Perfect for packing into a lunch box or keeping inside your desk for 3 p.m. munchies, each orb is made with a redeeming blend of dates, apricots, cherries, pumpkin seeds, coconut and sunflower seeds. Flavored with organic Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract and cinnamon.

We also love:

• Brami Garlic & Herb Lupini Snack

Best Yogurt

Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt Honey Ginger Cinnamon

A tart, tangy whole-milk yogurt, this beautifully packaged, organic, Bulgarian-style yogurt has a fresh, clean taste and is free from any thickeners or gums. Stir in the honey-ginger-cinnamon purée to infuse the yogurt with a sweet-spicy kick.

We also love:

• Siggi’s Triple Cream Icelandic-Style Strained Yogurt Lemon