Nature Box Subscription-October 2014 Review

After I received my sample Nature Box, I could NOT wait a whole month to try some other ones, so, I went ahead and ordered the full sized one a week after!

 

You get to mix and match up to 5 snacks on your account and for this month I decided on four sweet ones: watermelon fruit chews, strawberry crispy chews, tart apple mango crispy chews, and carrot strawberry fruit chews, and one savory one: guacamole bites.

 

Here's a look at the savory one first.

These were corn snacks (think Fritos) with a guacamole salted spice mix on it. I liked these initially, but I couldn't eat too many at once. They became wayyyy to salty. A few pieces for a quick salty fix is nice, but any more and you will be chugging down a glass of water. It did have a nice guacamole taste to it, but the saltiness turns me off from it. Definitely wouldn't try this again for myself. If you don't mind salty snacks and like corn chip products, I would say give it a try.

 

Next up I have these four sweet fruit snacks.

On the left is the Strawberry Crispy Chew. I love this one and it is really different than any other fruit snack I've ever tried, mainly because it has puffed rice crisps in them! The strawberry fruit snack is a really nice texture that isn't too chewy or too soft and the strawberry flavor isn't artificial.

Next one I have are the Carrot Strawberry Fruit Chews. I like that this one comes in individual snack packages so you can take a pouch with you on the go instead of the entire thing. I like the texture on these and I could really taste the sweetness of the carrot juice with the strawberry--it was a surprisingly nice combo! They were definitely more of a harder chewy texture. I would definitely pick both of them again in the future.

 

 

  The last two were also fruit snack type items. The one on the left were Watermelon Fruit Chews. I wish these had a bit more of a watermelon flavor to them since it was very subtle, but I did enjoy these. They were more of a soft chew and would be good for younger kids. I don't know if I would necessarily pick these up again for myself.

The next is another crispy fruit chew, but this time they were the Tart Apple Mango Crispy Chew. Though I wasn't too adventurous in these options, this one tasted even better than the strawberry ones, in my opinion. There is definitely a tartness to it and the mango flavor is nice and bold (I personally love it) and you don't really taste the apple parts which I don't mind. I mean the strawberry one also had apple in it too as an ingredient and you couldn't taste apple in it at all. Again, the rice puffs throughout were a nice texture mix added and I would pick this one over and over.

 

That's my October review of my Nature Box!

If you guys want to try out Nature Box, use the code share10off for $10 off your first box!

 

Readers, have you tried Nature Box or a similar service before? What are your favorite type of healthy snacks? Let me know!

 

 

 

  

Summer Smoothie Recipe: Watermelon* + Blueberry

 

 

 

 

 

I know Summer is almost over, but there's still a good month left! This Summer, I have had an abundance of blueberries in my yard and when you can't eat them all, you have to freeze them! Frozen blueberries are one of the most delicious treats and are perfect to add to fruit smoothies. If you don't have frozen blueberries, you can find them in your grocery store and even in bulk at places like Costco (and they have it organic)!

 



This recipe is perfect for the end of summer. It is cooling with the fresh watermelon, but to balance out that 'coolness,' there is some 'warmth' added to it from some fresh ginger (if you understand TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine, you may understand the whole usage of 'cool' and 'warm' foods..it is a bit hard to explain, especially in English). Blueberries are also high in antioxidants (and they taste delicious) so this smoothie is just a win-win treat. I also like to add lemon just for an extra Vitamin C boost.

 

Here's what you'll need:

3 cups of fresh cut watermelon

1 to 2 cups of frozen blueberries (really a preference thing)

1 quarter slice of a lemon (if it is organic, include the rind)

1/2 inch to 1 inch size of peeled ginger root

 

 

Don't fill your blender up too full, or else the juices from the watermelon may overflow.

Blend watermelon first and then add the frozen blueberries. After they are almost fully blended, add the lemon and ginger. You don't need anything else!

 

And there you go! A healthy and refreshing summer treat =)

 

Readers, what are you favorite summer fruits? Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? Let me know, I'd love to try them out.

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Edamame: Snack Review

The other day, I went into Trader Joe's and was looking to try the Dark Choco covered pomegranate seeds but they were out of stock! So I kept my eye open for something else and spotted these

 Dark Chocolate Edamame.

Edamame is basically soybeans before they are taken out of the pod and dried (I believe). I picked up this 10 oz size for around $3.29 (somewhere around there).

They're about the size of a chocolate covered raisin or peanut.

Now for the actual product itself, it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. When I usuall eat edamame at home or at at Japanese restaurant, it's boiled/steamed and soft and nice in texture. I didn't realize these were dried and roasted (I guess they'd have to be to be covered in dark choco-but not necessary..). The soybean inside was very dry but I guess it pairs well with the smoother dark chocolate? I found this really plain and the soybeans themselves really dry and grainy. I ended up not caring too much for it, but my mom loved them, so I think it really is a preference thing.

Overall, I wouldn't repurchase this item. It just wasn't unique/special enough and wasn't up to my expectations.

Have you tried any Trader Joe's snacks/treats? What's your favorite?

Bissinger's Quinoa Agave Crunch 75% cocoa bar: Review

Today's goodie post is on a healthier treat, Bissinger's All Natural Quinoa Agave Crunch Chocolate.

When you have a craving for something sweet or something with chocolate, Dark chocolate is the way to go (especially over milk or white chocolate). The higher percentage of cocoa, the better. Dark chocolate has many benefits to the body including lowering blood pressure, improving cognitive function, controlling blood sugar, being full of antioxidants, etc.

This bar would be a good alternative for those who also like toffee bits in their chocolate bars. This contains agave covered puffed quinoa which gives you that sweetened crunch you are looking for. Quinoa is a true grain high in protein, gluten-free and a good source of calcium. Agave is a sweetener derived from the blue agave plant, however, it is still not as healthy of an alternative as people may believe, but it is still better than regular table sugars and there are only 8gms of sugar in this bar.




You can see the puffed quinoa inside the chocolate

I did indeed receive this at as a sample, but you can buy this on the Bissinger's website for around $5.00. I would also check out more health food related stores like Whole Foods or PCC for this item, and they would probably retail for around $5 too 7 dollars depending on the area (or cheaper).

The Other Side of Broadway

This will sort of be a random post and mini review of my day yesterday. I had an appointment in the afternoon in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle on the side of Broadway with less of the bars and more of the casual food and local businesses.

It is always interesting there with fun characteristics and personality of the location. On my walk back, the first thing that caught my attention was this stone sculpture like baby plastered on the side of a recycle bin!

It was too good not to take a picture of. And not to make it more typical for being in Seattle, but I'm pretty sure that is a Starbucks card right next to it. Haha. Not sure if the person wanted to be creepy, have fun, or was just bored, but it definitely made a  statement and got my attention.

After my appointment, I walked with my friend to go get some lunch.

On our walk to the Melrose Market for some grub, I saw this beautiful flowering tree out in the front of apartments. It also turned out to be a sunny and warm day so the flowers just stood even more out to me. The place right on the top middle with the flowers outside made me think of how cute and lovely it would be to live there and walk out to some gorgeous flowers.

Right across from those flowers is Melrose Market which contains a few stores such as Homegrown a sandwhich shop, a few shops, cheese and meat counters, and other quaint things. I love how the stores inside use mainly locally produced items and it just makes the place feel really homey.

Since I am on a pretty strict nutirtion plan, I decided on a vegetarian half sandwhich at Homegrown.

My choice was the Portobello + Goat Cheese w/ caramelized red onions, mixed greens, and a hazelnut arugula pesto on whole wheat bread.

The size was just perfect since I am now eating smaller portions. They make their own bread I believe and for the most part use what is local which is awesome. It is more on the healthier side, but they don't lack in flavor. The portobello mushrooms added a meaty texture to the sandwhich which, for me, made up for the missed meats in most sandwhiches. The greens added a nice fresh crunch, the caramelized onions were the perfect sweetness and added an extra element and layer of flavor to the sandwhich. The hazelnut pesto held the sandwhich well together and balanced it all out with its earthy flavor. I think hazelnut is an awesome alternative to making pesto as opposed to pine nuts, since I do believe they are cheaper and less fatty (for a nut that is). This was $7 + tax for half a sandwhich, which can seem a little high for some people, but you have to remembr the quality of the ingredients used that makes up for it.

Then on my walk back to my car, I noticed this awesome Pokemon wall of cards on the window of a coffee shop! I love how it has the rainbow effect and that the cars are alternated with the element energy cards. Sorry, but I really geeked out! It was a "nerdy" moment for me, whatever that really means. It made me really happy and made me thought of my childhood.

Overall, it was a short lovely afternoon where I got to spend time with my dear friend, try a new place out that i've always wanted to try, and see some really neat things.

For those who may be visiting Seattle, I highly recommend checking out the Capitol Hill area if you want to try good food and be in a good, fun environment.

Since the warm and sunny weather is becoming less and less, I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to go out for a walk and try some place new! =P

Healthy Eating: Avacado and Goat Cheese Sandwhich

 

Despite my many junkfood/candy posts, I do eat pretty healthy.

 

Just wanted to share this healthy sandwhich that not only tastes good, but is good for you and fills you up!

 

 

Taking two slices of Dave's Killer Bread (which is much healthier than plain white bread and even wheat bread since it has seeds, whole grains, spelt and sprouted wheat) , spread one side of it with some hummus and spread the other side with some pecan butter. Add two slices of lettuce to it (romain lettuce hearts tastes the best, in my opinion, because they have a slight sweetness to them).

Then add half an avocado to it, sliced, or mashed, however you like, and sprinkle some fresh cracked sea salt and pepper on top of it. Then add some sliced up goat cheese (in a monteray jack or cheddar form) and add some alfalfa sprouts (it may be hard to find some alfalfa sprouts in grocery stores now, so I had to use home grown ones..its really simple and takes no time!).

 

After that, cut in half and enjoy with a healthy beverage! (I decided on Zico's coconut water since I didn't have an actual young coconut).