Review: Boulder Canyon Rice & Bean Chips (Natural Salt)

In my July Vegan Cuts Snack Box, I got a bag of natural salt chips from Boulder Canyon. While watching something at my computer, I decided to open these up and munch on them.

Boulder Canyon chips

I liked them a lot better than Food Should Taste Good's multi-grain chips (you can read that review here), but compared to Beanfields' nacho flavored chips (review here), I didn't like them as much as those.

Picture of the actual chip

So, I probably won't buy these (although my local grocer does sell these whereas they don't sell Beanfields), but if they're ever in a future box, I'll at least know I like them :)

~Lindsay

Review: Zevia Soda (Black Cherry)

In my August Vegan Cuts Snack Box, there was a can of soda by Zevia. I put it into my fridge to keep cold for when I would drink it. Well, about 2 weeks later, I did.

Front of Zevia can

Nutrition facts and ingredients list

I figured since it was Black Cherry that it'd be a dark red color, but nope, it came out crystal clear! It looked just like carbonated water. But upon taking just one sip, I definitely tasted the black cherry flavor. And within just a few sips more, I knew I liked it.

Zevia poured into a glass (yes, that's a silly straw!)

After finishing it, I didn't feel at all bloated and icky like I usually do with regular sodas (such as Coke and Pepsi). It was like I had just had regular water.

Although I don't usually drink soda much, I ended up buying a 6-pack of these with the coupon included in the box as well. Then, just a few weeks ago, I bought another 6-pack as I had found a coupon online. I think as long as I can find a coupon, I'll probably keep buying these in the future as it's a nice change from plain water.

Highly recommend!

~Lindsay

Review: Nature's Bakery Fig Bars (Peach Apricot)

I'll admit, I was a little nervous trying these fig bars from my July Vegan Cuts Snack Box since it was peach and apricot inside (never had apricots before and I've only ever drank peach juice, never eaten the actual fruit before). But my worries were pointless!

Fig bar

I, surprisingly, really liked this bar. I ate one fig bar on one of my breaks at work and the second bar on a later break. This was definitely the fastest bar I've eaten in all of my boxes. And if it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to spread out the bar, so I could eat something on my second break, both pieces would have been gobbled up in one sitting!

Inside

Since I liked it so much, I wanted to buy more. So, I went to Nature's Bakery's website and then to their store locator. I found out only two stores in my town sold it: Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart. Going to Hy-Vee first, I couldn't find any boxes of them, just single packs at $1/bar. At Wal-Mart, they sold boxes, but not the peach apricot flavor. Looking online at Amazon though, I found a 12-pack of boxes (6 bars in each box), so a total of 72 bars. It cost me $36.88, about 51 cents per bar.

My Amazon package of 12 boxes

I bought them back at the beginning of September and as of right now, I still have about 4 boxes left. So, they'll have lasted me quite awhile (probably around 5 months).

So, to summarize, I highly recommend these little bars! They're absolutely delicious and are a great, healthy choice for a snack :)

~Lindsay

Review: Parma! Cheese (and Eco-Gecko Wooden Spoon)

I was looking forward to this the most in July's Conscious Box as I didn't like the taste of Go Veggie's Parmesan cheese (you can read that review here).

Cheese and spoon, perfect fit!

Although this one didn't taste or look like dairy Parmesan cheese, I actually sort of liked it. The fact that it only has 5 ingredients (organic walnuts, nutritional yeast, organic sunflower seeds, organic hemp seeds, and Himalayan salt) was a very nice bonus (smaller ingredient list, the better in most cases).

Since the sample came in a small plastic bag (instead of some kind of shaker, like with Go Veggie's sample), I figured I should use a spoon, otherwise it'll all come out at once. So, I decided to use the Eco-Gecko wooden spoon included in the same month's box. The small spoon worked well for the small bag. Now that I've used up the entire sample, I'm not sure what I'll use the spoon for as it's quite tiny. For now, it will stay in my cupboard until I can find a use for it.

Parma on my pasta :)

As for the "Parmesan cheese", the sample was used up after just a few plates of pasta. Since I liked the health benefits (omega 3's, B12, protein) and the taste wasn't bad at all (I'm sure after awhile, I'll actually prefer it over the dairy version), I decided to buy a full bottle of it (my first time actually buying a product after sampling it from one of the monthly boxes!). I looked on all the sites that sold it and found that the cheapest (including shipping) was on Amazon (not to mention I have an Amazon Visa card, so triple the points).

7oz bottle

Nutritional facts

Once I finished my last bottle of dairy Parmesan cheese, I started to use Parma! cheese (in conjunction with finishing up Go Veggie's Parmesan cheese, which I still have some left!). I'm about to open my third bottle Parma cheese. This is definitely a winner in my books for an alternative to Parmesan cheese, even though it doesn't taste cheesy at all. I highly recommend it!

~Lindsay

Review: Macro Greens Bar (Chocolate & Cinnamon)

I was looking forward to trying this bar from my July Vegan Cuts Snack Box as this was the first bar I've received in either boxes (Conscious Box or Vegan Cuts) that was chocolate (and I love chocolate). So, as with all my previous bars, I brought this one to work with me to munch on during my break.

Macro Greens bar

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. The bar was littered with nuts and, sadly, I hate nuts in chocolate. Although the chocolate part itself tasted different from other junk chocolate bars, I think I might have actually liked this bar if the nuts were taken out. Or even blended or something. I like my chocolate bars to be "smooth", not crunchy.

Ingredient list

Nutrition facts

Even though I finished the bar over a couple of weeks, I'm definitely not going to buy this flavor of bar in the future.

What it looks like inside

~Lindsay

Review: Food Should Taste Good Chips (Multigrain)

Finally got around to trying these chips from my July Vegan Cuts Snack Box. I was excited about trying this product the most I think because I had seen these Food Should Taste Good chips on sale where I work for months now, but never got around to actually trying them. But I finally have now, thanks to Vegan Cuts.

Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips

My initial reaction upon opening the bag was that the chips were pretty big. I always thought they were smaller. Boy, was I wrong!

Back of the bag

As for the taste, I (sadly) wasn't that big of a fan. It wasn't horrible, but I don't think I'll ever buy the multigrain flavor in the future.

Picture of large chip

I did have a coupon for the bigger size bag, so I bought the barbeque sweet potato chips. I'm (guiltily) in love with the Lays Stax BBQ chips, so I was comparing them to these. Sadly, I didn't like this flavor of Food Should Taste Good chips either. Maybe third time's the charm with another flavor?

~Lindsay

Review: Organic Flavrz (Revive)

So, I finally got around to trying one of these flavored drink mixes from my very first, June Conscious Box. I was at home working one day when I got thirsty, but wanted something a little more exciting than just plain water. So, I filled up my Blender bottle with water, then dumped in the entire contents of the Revive, Superfruit Sports Drink mix, and then shook the bottle to mix it together.

Front of the drink mix

Back of the drink mix

Close-up of the back

Maybe it's some kind of placebo effect, but knowing that it's vegan, organic, and non-toxic (compared to like Vitamin Water), it tasted so yummy! I'm excited now to try out the other flavors I got.

All mixed together

Added some ice to make it colder

I can definitely see myself buying these in the future :) Two thumbs up, I definitely recommend it!

~Lindsay

Review: Graw Bar (Banana Coconut)

*sigh*

This bar is probably the "worst" item I've tried so far in my June Vegan Cuts Snack Box. I brought it to work for one of my breaks, but couldn't get past the first bite. And about a month or so later, it's still sitting in my purse uneaten.

Graw Bar

Now, just to be clear, I'm a really picky eater, so I'm sure for the average non-picky person, this bar is fine. But I don't like coconut, so I'm thinking that's what it is that I don't like, although I'm not positive.

Back

I told myself before signing up for these monthly subscription boxes that I would eat/drink/use everything that I got, but I might have to make an exception in this case...

~Lindsay

Review: Lippy Girl Lip Gloss

The lip gloss was the very first item I tried in July's premiere Beauty Box. It came out nice, not too much, not too little. It wasn't a horrible scent/flavor, but it wasn't anything exciting either. Just regular/plain. I prefer a more fruity scent, like cherry.

Lip gloss

I don't really use lip gloss (I'm more of a lip balm kinda gal), so I probably won't buy any of this in the future. But if I ever do start using lip gloss, this one by Lippy Girl will definitely be at the top of my list of choices!

~Lindsay

Review: LVX Nail Polish

The LVX nail polish was probably the item I was most excited to try from the first Vegan Cuts Beauty Box. Although I typically wear red or black nail polish, I still really liked the color (Deco) of this one. But, I'm not at all picky when it comes to nail polish colors, so...

LVX Nail Polish, in Deco

Besides being vegan nail polish, it's also got no toxic chemicals compared to your standard drugstore nail polish, which I always like of course :) And, I don't know if it was just me, but the nail polish seemed to last a lot longer than my other ones, which tend to flake off after a day or two. So, another point to LVX!

Pretty nail polish!

I will more than likely buy LVX nail polish in the future. But, I'd prefer to use up all my current nail polish before buying anymore, so I won't be buying this any time soon (I have like 20 bottles of nail polish in a drawer!).

But, if you're in the market for vegan and/or non-toxic nail polish, I'll have to recommend LVX!

~Lindsay

Review: Califia Farms Coupon

In my first Vegan Cuts Snack Box, there was a coupon for a free (!!) bottle of Califia Farms (either for their almond milk or iced coffee). On the coupon, it stated that Califia is "available at Whole Foods". Well, I live in South Dakota and there is not one single Whole Foods in my entire state. The nearest one is in Minneapolis, about a six hour drive there (and thus, another six hours back). So, not worth it for just ~$4. I was a little said I wouldn't be able to use the coupon, but I kept it... just in case. And I'm so glad I did.

One day, about a week after I had received my box, while in my regional grocery store Hy-Vee, I noticed that they had a new brand of almond milk available. Any guesses as to what brand? That's right, Califia Farms! I couldn't believe it. It's like the store knew about me getting that coupon, haha!

Anyways, I didn't have the coupon on me, so I couldn't buy it on that shopping trip. On my next trip to Hy-Vee though, I had the coupon on hand and bought it. Well, I tried to buy it anyways... Once I presented the coupon, the cashier tried scanning it across, but it didn't work. So, she looked at the coupon and began to read it more closely. She pointed out the statement at the very top where it said "available at Whole Foods" and that because they weren't Whole Foods, they couldn't accept the coupon. Whaaaaat?! I was a little surprised that she thought this. It was just a statement saying where you can find the product, not that it was valid only at Whole Foods. She called over the manager and he said the same thing as she did. She handed the coupon back to me and I told her I didn't want the almond milk. I was both and angry, I work in retail and know the difference in wording between "available" and "valid only".

I decided to email Califia Farms and explained what had happened. I asked if I was right in thinking that the coupon should have been accepted. Within minutes (wow!), I received a response back saying that yes, I was right. They mentioned that if it happens again to tell the manager to call them.

So, on my next trip, I printed out the email, ready to hand it over. But there was no need. Although the coupon didn't work on the scanner, this cashier, without a word, pressed a couple of buttons and did it manually. Someone who actually knew how to do their job! So, finally, I got my free Califia Farms almond milk!

Free Califia Farms almond milk

It tastes the same as previous brands I've bought (Blue Diamond and Silk) and since Califia Farms costs about $1 more, I probably won't be buying them in the future. Which I find just a little funny with everything I went through just to get the free Califia Farms product!

~Lindsay

Review: Beanfields Bean & Rice Chips (Nacho)

As I was watching an episode of a television show, I got the munchies. I decided to have the bag of Beanfields chips (nacho flavored) that had come with my June Vegan Cuts Snack Box.

Bag of chips (sorry for the horrible lighting)

Being that they were nacho flavored, I was expecting them to taste similar to Doritos. And they did a little bit. But, in a way, much better as they don't have all the crap that other chips do.

Back of chips, showing nutrition facts
and ingredients

As with most of the food items in these monthly boxes, I was a little apprehensive, especially when I saw the first few ingredients were beans. I'm not a bean person (not yet anyways). Yet, these chips weren't actually that bad. I think it's quite possible that I may buy these in the future, instead of my usual Lays chips.

Picture of an actual chip

~Lindsay

Review: Skout Bar (Apple & Cinnamon)

This was the second Skout bar I had received in my first Conscious Box. You can find the review of the first one here.

Skout Bar, apple and cinnamon

So, the second flavor I received was apple and cinnamon. Comparing the two bars, I definitely preferred this one over the cherry and vanilla. Something about those chewy dried cherries (or whatever it was that was chewy) just threw me off. Although this second bar was also chewy, it was definitely not like the previous one.

Skout bar, unwrapped

Even though I did like this flavor more, I don't think I'll be buying these in the future as I still didn't "love" it. Perhaps I'll get another flavor in a future box that I will love. Only time will tell...

~Lindsay

Review: Skout Bar (Cherry & Vanilla)

Another bar from my Conscious Box that I brought to work. This one was definitely chewier than the Larabar I tried.

Skout bar, cherry and vanilla

Similar to the previous bar though, I didn't like the taste. I only ate half during my break at work, but, as before, I managed to finish it over the next few days. Hopefully the second Skout bar I received (apple and cinnamon) will fare better...

Skout bar, unwrapped

~Lindsay

Review: Larabar (Peanut Butter)

I decided to bring my Larabar from my Conscious Box with me to work so I can eat it while on my break. I was a little nervous as I'm not a huge peanut butter fan. I actually can't remember the last time I had any!

Larabar Alt peanut butter bar

I only managed to eat half of the bar as the peanut butter was a little too overwhelming for me. I'm sure it tastes great to others though who actually enjoy peanut butter.

Larabar unwrapped

Although I finished the rest of the bar later over the next few days, if I were to buy one of the Larabars in the future, it wouldn't be this flavor! I did enjoy the texture though and all the nutrition packed into such a tiny bar :)

~Lindsay

Review: Go Veggie! Parmesan Cheese

As I stated in my post about the two subscription boxes and in my video, I signed up for the Vegan Cuts Snack Box when I saw on their Facebook page that this item was to be included in their June box. Over the weekend in which I first received this box, I made pasta, so I had the chance to try this out right away.

Before sprinkling it on, I took a whiff of it. Boy, was it strong! Once I did sprinkle it all over my pasta and took a bite, it was pretty overwhelming. Although the texture and appearance are the same as the dairy version, it definitely does NOT taste the same! But I knew ahead of time that it likely would taste very different.

Go Veggie! Parmesan Cheese (front)

Go Veggie! Parmesan Cheese (back)

Since then, over the last few weeks, whenever I've made pasta, I'd sprinkle a little bit of this all over, then include a layer of dairy cheese on top. In this manner, the taste isn't as strong as the initial time. I'm hoping that this way, I can slowly get used to the taste and perhaps, over time, I can change the ratios, so there's more of the Go Veggie cheese than the dairy one.

So, I'm going to keep using it. Hopefully I'll get used to it, and perhaps even start to like it! While I was at my regional grocery store, Hy-Vee, I noticed that they actually got this item in stock, so if/when I do buy this in the future, I now have the ability to buy it right away instead of buying it online and waiting for it to ship.

~Lindsay

Review: Michy's Cookie

First item I tried from my Vegan Cuts Snack Box was the Michy's cookie. If you couldn't tell from my video, I was excited about the cookie! ;)

What I thought were chocolate chips at first glance ended up actually being dried cranberries. Never had dried cranberries before, so that was a first. I actually didn't mind it at all and ate the entire cookie :)

I was a little concerned the cookie might be a little stale (as it was at least a week since it was baked), but it tasted very fresh and I couldn't even tell it was "old".

Michy's Cran Rustica (from Michy's website)

Looking at Michy's website, they have a variety of cookies, as well as brownies. Pretty reasonably priced too: a bag of 12 cookies for $5.50 (not including shipping). And the ingredient list is short and sweet. Here's what was inside my cookie, the Cran Rustica:

-organic white whole wheat flour
-rolled oats
-organic maple syrup
-organic safflower oil
-organic vegan brown sugar
-dried cranberries (sugar, sunflower oil)
-organic flaxseed meal
-pure vanilla extract
-cinnamon
-baking soda
-baking powder
-sea salt

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the cookie/company. If I do end up buying cookies from them, I'll likely opt in to their "classic" cookie which contains chocolate chips instead, which I prefer.

~Lindsay