Tag Archives: Vegan
April Vegan Cuts Box and a 22 Days Bar Review
Last month’s Vegan Cuts box arrived towards the end of April, which is just one of the reasons this post is kinda late! I actually didn’t get around to opening it until last week– for some reason, I let the box sit on my table untouched for a good week or two. I finally busted into it, and I have to say, it was a really great box full of vegan goodies.
Nothing wrong with a little Christmas in April. . .
The first item I pulled out was this bag of Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato chips. I already know I love these, as I have purchased these a few times before.
I am excited to try this all-natural bag of Skinny Pop, which is really nothing more than just plain old popcorn.
The most interesting food in the box is this Teese cheddar cheese (vegan of course). It’s full sized, and basically, you just slice and eat!
This 22 Days vegan protein bar peaked my interest immediately (in fact, I ate it right away!).
How cute is this little jar of vegan bruschetta topping?
Just as cute is this little bag of Oloves olives! Olives on the go is a great snack idea.
I’m definitely excited to try this Tee-cino herbal coffee bag. I’ve always been interested in trying natural coffee alternatives.
A 22 days protein powder pack also was included.
And a little lip balm for a non-edible treat. . .
You all know I love my vegan parm, so this cutie little sample of Parmela vegan parm definitely appealed to me.
The box also included a coupon for Beyond Meat products, which I have seen at my local Whole Foods.
The full round-up:
The 22 Days protein bar was my first victim. I obviously loved how it was vegan and gluten-free, but what I really liked about it was the fact the 20 grams of protein in the bar came from brown rice.
The ingredients were pretty good, although it was fairly high in sugar.
As far as texture, it was like a soft larabar. I tried the peanut butter chocolate chip flavor, and overall it was pretty good! I thought it was a little too soft and would have liked a firmer texture, but otherwise, the bar tasted great. Also, it was a nice size and served as a perfect lunch replacement on a day when my stomach was acting up and “real food” wasn’t appealing to me.
I would definitely buy the bar again, although I probably wouldn’t eat them too often since I usually like to eat bars for snacks (not meals) and a nearly 300 calorie bar is a little too much for me to have as a snack. Still, a 20 gram of protein vegan bar is much appreciated, especially because it’s not full of junky ingredients.
What’s your favorite protein bar?
What I Ate Wednesday: On Repeat
If you’ve been reading my What I Ate Wednesday posts over the past year or two since when I originally joined in on the fun, than you know I tend to eat meals on repeat. Yesterday’s eats are no different– everything I ate yesterday is a tried and true favorite and all things you’ve seen before. However, there ain’t nothing wrong with eating the same foods over and over, as long as you enjoy them and they’re pretty good for you, right? Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting the party each and every week!
Two Moms In The Raw granola is similar to most raw granolas I have tried. Made of ingredients like coconut and buckwheat, this particular granola was interesting because it was shaped in little squares! It tasted amazing– it was crunchy and chewy at the same time with a lovely coconutty vanilla flavor.
I paired the granola with the usual breakfast staples of sliced banana and a tablespoon of tahini. I later added some coconut milk kefir and cinnamon.
My school building has been freezing lately, despite the fact its been in the sixties outside. Pretty much every vent in our school is blowing out cold air!. That being said, I was happy I had a longer-than-usual lunch period, which prompted me to pack a hot lunch since I would have time to microwave it! I had quinoa salad (purchased from Whole Foods) over greens, grated carrots, broccoli slaw, grape tomatoes and daikon. After I heated it in the microwave, the veggies steamed up nice and tender. I also had an unpictured orange for dessert.
Snack was consumed post-physical therapy. I had time to grab my favorite vanilla rooibos tea, which I sipped while I munched on some Trader Joe’s raw trail mix.
I literally have been eating the same dinner for days because I love it so much! This picture is recycled since I forgot to snap a pic last night, but the below plate looks exactly like what I had last night. I had some quinoa cooked with peppers, onions and seasonings with a block of baked tofu, as well as some roasted asparagus, cauliflower and sautéed greens. Totally addictive, this meal is!
I did have dessert– imagine a strawberry Siggi’s Icelandic yogurt and a hunk of dark chocolate. It’s not a complete day unless there’s some dark chocolate (unless of course there is a Crumbs cupcake instead!).
I don’t just eat meals on repeat– I once made an entire CD of just one song, played on repeat, so I wouldn’t have to manually hit repeat everytime I listened to it!
Do you eat meals on repeat, or do you eat differently all of the time?
Millet Pilaf and My New Secret Ingredient
Last week, I made an impromptu quinoa pilaf that came out amazing– of course, I failed to snap any pics because I didn’t think it would come out as wonderful as it did. So, this week, I decided to recreate the dish, but this time with millet instead. There is one secret ingredient I used to make it taste extra amazing, so follow me down the recipe road if you want to find out what it is!
Here’s what I did:
First, I sautéed in a bit of olive oil one small onion, half of a shallot and four cloves of garlic, all of which were chopped finely. I also added in one diced red pepper. I let them saute for about four minutes.
As the veggies cooked down, I measured out a cup of millet.
It was then time to whip out my secret ingredient. . . these vegan Rapunzel brand bouillon cubes!
Check out the ingredients. . . what you have is a bunch of herbs, sea salt and a little coconut oil.
It’s basically the ideal way to flavor up any pilaf!
Into my pot went the millet, 3 cups of water, and the bouillon cube. I let it come to a boil, and once it did, I brought it down to low heat and let it simmer away, covered for about twenty minutes.
The next time I opened the lid, I was greeted by a fluffy, flavorful millet pilaf!
Guys– it came out so flavorful! I am not one to eat grains without some sort of saucy curry or chili on top, but this pilaf can stand alone! In fact, I ended up eating it as is with a slab of baked tofu– no need for any additional flavor!
Not only was it amazingly tasty, this recipe made plenty! I was able to eat all week, pairing it up with different veggies and proteins, including chickpeas and tempeh.
Those bouillon cubes are heaven-sent. I can imagine throwing them in so many dishes for instant flavor!
So if you all are looking for a simple and tasty pilaf recipe, give this a try. I can attest to the fact it works just as well if you sub the millet for quinoa, and I bet it would also be incredible with rice too.
Do you have a “secret ingredient” that makes various dishes you cook flavorful?
What I Ate Wednesday: May Half-Days
Happy, happy, happiest May! May is by far one of my favorite months– there are so many awesome things that happen in May! First, today and tomorrow are half-days at school, where underclassmen get dismissed at 10:40 and seniors come in to school in the afternoon to present their graduation portfolios to teacher review committees. It’s a big few days at my school because seniors have been prepping for their presentations all year and it’s one of their last hurdles to overcome before graduation. In fact, after this week, senior have only three weeks left before final exams, and since I have a lot of seniors this year, that means I’ll be done teaching a few of my classes after three and a half weeks!
May is the season of proms too in my school, which is always exciting. In fact, I met my husband immediately after I chaperoned one of my school proms years ago, which means we celebrate our “having met” anniversary in May too. This month just screams that summer is approaching and school is truly winding down, and that makes me so happy!
Anyway, before i present my latest eats, please, let’s thank Jenn for being such a wonderful WIAW host!
This side profile highlights all the magnificent clusters! I heart chunky granola!
I adorned my granola with the usual– coconut milk kefir, cinnamon, banana, and tahini. So good it was!
For lunch, I enjoyed a serving of Trader Joe’s minestrone soup, salad-ified by adding greens, cucumber, daikon, and broccoli slaw to the soup before heating. Souper-salad is one of the best ways to pack in extra veggies.
For a protein punch, I had some plain Greek yogurt and sliced strawberries for dessert. Strawberries are so good right now– nice and sweet!
Later in the afternoon, I opened a new bag of these Two Moms in the Raw granola planks, this time in the goji berry flavor.
THese bars are incredible on texture due to how seedy they are, which is why I am such a huge fan! The goji berry flavor doesn’t taste too different from their blueberry flavor at all.
Dinner consisted of all my new staples: here we have some herbed millet, curry tofu that I bought from Whole Foods, roasted cauliflower and asparagus, and some sauteed spinach. All veggies were seasoned with Trader Joe’s garlic salt, which is by far one of my favorite spice blends ever!
More yogurt, more protein for dessert! Siggi’s is by far one of the tastiest thick Icelandic style yogurts out there.
And, finally, once again, dark chocolate to really put an end to the night. Sorry for the recycled pic. . . and mind you, I only ate half of the bar!
Looking back, it was a very satisfying day of food, full of variety. I really enjoying dairy products in moderation lately and am so thankful that they seem to be agreeing with my digestion!
What’s your main source of protein in your diet? For me, right now, it seems like Greek or Icelandic style yogurt!
Four Seasons Restaurant
Sometimes, my husband feels deprived when it comes to dining out at Asian restaurants. I do love Asian food, but, for some reason, I am rarely in the mood to eat out at an Asian restaurant. My cravings tend to go towards things like pizza and french fries, which is a far cry from what I order at most Asian restaurants. This past Saturday, though, my husband got lucky. I wasn’t craving anything in particular, so when he begged for Asian food, I happily agreed.
At my suggestion, we decided to go to one of my childhood favorites– a place called Four Seasons in nearby Cranston, Rhode Island.
My history with Four Seasons goes back a long way. When I was in middle and high school, my dad would pick me up from school and take me out on father/daughter lunch dates at least once a week. More often than not, we would end up at Four Seasons, where I always ordered the same thing– nime chow, homestyle bean curd, and white rice. About six years ago, I took my husband to Four Seasons so I could share with him this place that has such a special place in my heart. He loved the food, but unfortunately we didn’t go back until now. Shortly after we visited, Four Seasons experienced a fire, shutting down the restaurant for quite a while.
Silly me, I thought Four Seasons never reopened! However, last week, when I was discussing good Asian restaurants with my co-worker, I brought up Four Seasons and lamented how it closed down. He then informed me that it definitely was open– in fact, he said he went there last week!
And lo and behold, when I called ahead last Saturday to make sure they were open, they were!
Four Seasons is more of a Pan-Asian restaurant, offering lots of cuisines from Southeast Asia as well as standard Chinese favorites.
When we sat down, we were happy to see green tea brought to the table without even having to ask!
My husband and I started with orders of vegetarian nime chow, or spring rolls. Stuffed with rice noodles, mint, and some veggies and doused with peanut sauce– these nime chow are definitely some of the best in the state. The rice paper wrapping was nice and chewy without being sticky or greasy.
For dinner, I ordered brown rice and vegetables in a lemongrass sauce, to which I added steamed tofu and peanuts. The serving size was huge– I could barely eat one-third of my meal! The dish was amazing– the veggies were fresh, the sauce was bursting with flavor, and the addition of tofu and peanuts were a nice protein punch that gave the dish some lasting power!
A special word on their lemongrass sauce– I could really just eat a bucket of this sauce all by itself! What a perfect way to sop up the rice!
Thank goodness I found out that Four Seasons is back in action post-fire. The food is so tasty, and it is worth mentioning that the service is out of this world. The staff was so smiley and attentive and super willing to accommodate special requests.
I decided to enjoy dessert at home because I had bought myself a treat earlier in the day at Whole Foods. Vegan carrot cake for the win!
Is there a restaurant you associate with your childhood?
