Review - Brami Beans

Brand:  Brami

Flavor:  Snacking Lupini Beans

Where to get it: here @ BramiBeans.com

                Everything about these beans is ADORABLE. The packaging, the little bean dressed up as a Trojan warrior, the other little bean on the back who’s naked; I die. Small size, delicious taste, great package, nutrition on point, all the yes. 50 calories per little vacuum pack, which includes 6g of protein. Plus, they’re DELICIOUS. A little bit salty, and like edamame, but less nutty. Eating them out of the package is completely permissible. I put these on a salad (after I knicked two of them to eat plain), and that was also delicious.

I went to Palm Springs for Spring Break one year in high school. I went to a restaurant with my grandmother, and their little house salads came with garbanzo beans in them. 16-year old small town me was FASCINATED by this, so I’ve been a big bean-on-salad fan ever since. I actually liked these better than the garbanzos that I typically use, because there’s not such an overpowering “earthy dirt” taste with these. With the garbanzos, I feel like I really have to use a vinegar-based dressing to make it work; with these I think I could really use anything at all and be happy with the addition.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Slightly salty snacky beans

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan, Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Go Veggie! Dairy Free Parmesan

Brand:  Go Veggie

Flavor:  Grated Parmesan-Style Topping

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                I have quite a few vegan friends, and almost unanimously they will tell you that the hardest thing to stop eating is cheese. Fortunately there are a ton of dairy-free cheese alternatives on the market now – some pretty good, some terrible, but none completely indistinguishable from their milky counterparts.

                This parmesan alternative is thisclose. If you put on a pile of noodles with red sauce, I bet most people wouldn’t know the difference between this and the parmesan that comes in that green can. It’s just a teensy bit less salty, but to me that was really the only difference. Plus, I knew going into it that this wasn’t traditional parmesan. I wonder if I would have been able to tell if I hadn’t have known ahead of time? Maybe…but maybe not.

               

Tastes like:  Less salty parmesan cheese

Taste rating:  8/10

Qualities:  vegetarian, vegan, Non-GMO, gluten free

What’s in it:    

Review - B'Bites Peanut Butter Crisp

Brand:  B’ Bites

Flavor:  Peanut Butter Crisp

Where to get it: here @ bbitesnacks.com

                These little blocks are full of admirable ingredients, low calories, and low fat. They just taste so similar to so many other products on the market that I wouldn’t seek them out. The peanut butter flavor is not central to these like the title implies, the brown rice syrup flavor is the front runner here. The texture is good - they aren’t dry or sawdust-y at all. I hate that I don’t have more to say about them, I think if I hadn’t already tried so many other products, I might have a fresher outlook on these. If you don’t know what my “tastes like” on these mean, I think you should try them to form your own opinion. So snacky, so jaded. ‘Tis the life I have chosen to lead.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Everything else in the Brown Rice Syrup Brigade

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:  All natural, Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan

What’s in it:

Review - One Bar

Brand:  One Bar

Flavor:  Cherry

Where to get it: here @ theonebar.com

                You really can’t argue with this bar. It’s little, it’s simple. It’s good for you. Pick a fruit that you like, and you’ll enjoy this bar as a quick snacky. It’s more than a fruit leather, it’s thicker and takes more time to chew. I also really like the simplicity of the packaging to go along with the simplicity of the product. Thanks for not putting dancing cherries or apples on rollercoasters on the front of your wonderful little product, One Bar.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Meaty fruit

Taste rating:  8/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan

What’s in it:

Review - Mamma Chia Chia Squeeze

Brand:  Mama Chia

Flavor:  Blackberry Bliss

Where to get it: here @ MammaChia.com

                These are so dang good, they make me want to suck all of my food. I might never eat applesauce again, and I eat A LOT of applesauce. The chia seeds get nice and “al dente” hanging out in the pouch, and the blackberry flavor is so true to blackberries from the branch that I really don’t know what else to say. If you like blackberries, you will love these. I bought a case online and dumped them into a big, glorious, purple pile in the meat drawer of my fridge…because I do what I want!

                 

               

Tastes like:  Unsweetened blackberry jam

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, USDA Organic, vegetarian, vegan, Gluten-free, Kosher

What’s in it:

Review - Vertical Maple Water

Brand:  Vertical

Flavor:  Maple Water

Where to get it: here @ LuckyVitamin.com

                                Can someone please help me? Can you tell me if I like this or not? I’m so serious. I can’t tell. My brain was basically like…you’re on your own on this one. Hargle bargle. It’s water…but a little sweet. But not sweet like sugar sweet, sweet like if you didn’t know what the word “sweet” meant. You might then describe it as sweet, not knowing what “sweet” meant. That makes no sense. But it’s so accurate. It’s maple water, but it’s not sweet like maple syrup. It’s also not void of taste like water. I gave one to a co-worker and she LOVED it. I think it might be like Cable Guy, starring Jim Carey; I had to watch it 3 times, and then I fell in love with it. I’ll get back to you after I drink a week’s worth of this stuff. So intriguing.   

                 

               

Tastes like:  Sweet, no, water, no, sweet….water

Taste rating:  I can’t tell!!/10

Qualities:  Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free

What’s in it:

Review - Fruigees Nothing Beets Cherry

Brand:  Fruigees

Flavor:  Nothing Beets Cherry

Where to get it:  here @ Amazon.com

                Not everybody loves beets. I love beets. However, I love beets in an “on my salad” kind of way. Anytime I have had a juice that has had beets in it, it has had that unfortunate dirt-type flavor. But beets are a superfood, so the more beets you can get into your diet, the better. If you just can’t handle those damn dirty beets and their dirty dirt taste, try this Nothing Beets Cherry squeezer from Fruigees. This pouch is a delicious miracle of cherry wonder. So cherry, so delicious, I bought more of these online less than 5 minutes after I finished my first one. I like to chill them, and then have one right before working out. That fruit sugar really does the trick when I have a long bike ride & some Friends reruns ahead of me after work.              

                 

Tastes like:  Cherry sauce millionaire!

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, Organic, vegetarian, vegan, all natural

What’s in it:

Review - Go Vida Grapes & Pineapple

Brand:  Go Vida

Flavor:  Grapes & Pineapple

Where to get it: here @ GoVida.com

                Freeze dry everything you can get your hands on, Go Vida. You’re perfect, everything you make is perfect, and I love you. A lot. I’m not sure what they are doing differently than other companies, but please keep doing it. I love the combinations they make, and the fruit is always sweet and never chalky. I was skittish to try this combo, since pineapple can be so sour when mishandled. There is no sour about this, it’s as sweet and pineapple-y as the non-dried stuff. These are the best pure fruit snacks on the market, for my money.

               

Tastes like:  Big raisins and delicious pineapple

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities: Vegetarian, Vegan, Non-GMO, Gluten-free, Kosher

What’s in it:

Review - Wonky Kale & Coconut Snack

Brand:  Wonky

Flavor:  Green Garlic Kale & Coconut Snack

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                How do you distinguish yourself in the recently-released tide pool of kale snacks? You be as creative and delicious as Wonky, that’s how. Holy cow, what a treat. If you’ve tried other kale snacks and liked them, you HAVE to try these. I would even go so far as to recommend them to my coconut-hating friends (I don’t get it, but they exist). Eating these made me want to mix coconut and garlic together AT ALL TIMES. What a great combination that I have just never really thought of. These have just a bit of a kick to them, and just a bit of a sweet side as well. They’re crunchy and all balled up just waiting to be chewed into a delicious paste. They do have a pretty strong garlic after-breath situation going on, so no make out plans after you eat these. But you know what? They’re worth it. And if someone wants to make out with you now, they’ll still want to make out with you later. Now, pardon me while I go make out with Wonky some more.               

                 

               

Tastes like:  Savory kale with just a teensy hint of sweet n’ spicy

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, vegetarian, vegan (I think), Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Dolcetto Petites Lemon Wafer Bites

Brand:  Dolcetto Petites

Flavor:  Lemon Wafer Bites

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                I know, I know…cookies…WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?? Making me smile, that’s what they’re doing here. Any company that takes the time to make a 100-calorie pack deserves a chance. These little darlings are so light and flaky, so lemon-y delicious, so YES PLEASE. They don’t mess around, they’re very sweet, and you won’t be under any kind of illusion that you’re eating a diet cookie. These are the real thing, and I am celebrating that fact. Instead of that donut in the break room, or that piece of birthday cake, eat a pack of these with wild abandon, and don’t feel guilty about it.   

                 

               

Tastes like:  Light and flaky lemon kisses

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  All-natural, no artificial ingredients

What’s in it:

Review - Shelton's Turkey Pepperoni

Brand:  Shelton’s

Flavor:  Turkey Pepperoni

Where to get it: here @ Amazon

                                These Shelton’s Pepperoni Flavored Turkey Smoked Snack Sticks (jeeeeeeeeeez) are long and thin, like those nasty Slim Jims. I don’t really have a “shape” preference for pepperoni, perhaps because I have only found one healthy pepperoni that was good…ever. These are kind of right in the middle. They aren’t bad, but they didn’t knock my meat socks off, either. They’re a bit dry, which is to be expected since they aren’t full of fat, and I also found them a bit over-seasoned. Or maybe it was that they were under-salted? I’m not really sure. Healthy-snack-wise, these are great. Almost pure protein, and very low calorie. I really think this was just a taste-preference for me, not that this isn’t a yummy product. If you have the chance, give them a try – you might really love ‘em.

                 

               

Tastes like:  Drier pepperoni

Taste rating:  6/10

Qualities:  Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review - Boxed Water is Better

Brand:  Boxed Water Is Better

Flavor:  Water!

Where to get it:  here @ Boxed Water (or your local grocery, if they're cool)

                It’s water. It tastes like water. It has nothing in it, as per the norm with water. Why am I writing a review about water? Because I can, and I want to, and I feel like you should know about this water. Firstly, it gets SO COLD because it’s in a carton and not plastic. (The little bit o’plastic in the spout and cap are BPA-free, in case you were wondering.) So there’s that. Secondly, the packaging is way cool, the marketing is way cool, and the message is way cool. I love this stuff, and I’m probably going to spend way too much money buying it. I don’t care; you can try to stop me. I’ll trip you and let the zombies have you. We used to be friends.

               

Tastes like:   The coldest water in all the land

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:   Vegan, vegetarian, Non-GMO, gluten-free, Kosher, Organic, all natural, Halal…it’s water you guys!

What’s in it: Water.

Review - Eatrageous Crunchy Mac n' Cheese

Brand:  Eatrageous

Flavor:  Crunchy Mac N’ Cheese

Where to get it: here @ Eatrageous

                The competition in the 100-calorie snack market is FIERCE, so when I see a new product enter the ring, I don’t get too excited. It’s hard to taste REALLY good, and be plentiful enough that I don’t need to wolf down 3 servings to feel like I got an actual snack. Eatrageous is crushing this game. I’ve had so many crisps, many of them just blend together. These are a real stand out, they taste GREAT, you get a lot of them for your 100 calories, and they are super crunchy. Nacho-cheesey-licious and shaped like penne pasta, if you’re looking for a savory, cheesy, crunchy snack, I can’t think of many better than these.

               

Tastes like:  Crunchy tubes of cheesy delight

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Non-GMO, Kosher, all natural

What’s in it:

Review - Wai Lana Cassava Pops

Brand:  Wai Lana

Flavor:  Cassava Pops

Where to get it: here @ WaiLana.com

                I love Wai Lana’s regular cassava chips (they are SO much better than regular potato chips, you don’t even know.) So I was pretty excited to receive this 100-calorie bag of Cassava Pops. The taste is close to potato, the salt is right, and the calories are low! The bag is a great snack-sized amount, and I found these to be a lot less Styrofoam-y than some of the other “popped” chips on the market. My love for the Wai Lana brand burns on!

               

Tastes like:  Salty potato chips with a great crunch

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Non-GMO, Kosher, Vegetarian, Vegan, all-natural, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Yum Earth Organics Fruit Snacks

Brand:  Yum Earth Organics

Flavor:  Fruit Snacks

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                I was intrigued by these little guys because they weren’t conventionally flavored. Raspberry, mango and pineapple – yes please! Sadly, this bag contained exactly one mango and one pineapple gummy with the rest being raspberry. Not sadly, the raspberry was my 2^nd favorite flavor, behind the pineapple. The fruit flavors are true to form, and the texture was actually more like Dots than your standard gummy bear product. This lead to quite a bit of I CAN’T GET THEM OUT OF MY TEETH, but they were tasty, nonetheless.

               

Tastes like:  Fruit gummies, go figure

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Organic, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, Vegan, all-natural

What’s in it:

Review - Simply 7 Pomegranate Chips

Brand:  Simply 7

Flavor:  Pomegranate Chips

Where to get it: here @ Simply 7

                Ohhhhhh salty! Yes. I like it. Disclaimer, these are not chips made of pomegranates, nor are they pomegranates that have been chipped. They are potato chips that have pomegranate powder added to them. You can taste it, a little bit. If you want a delicious salty snack , buy these. If you want a fruit snack, or a snack made of fruit, these are not the chips you seek. But they sure are pretty! Personally, I’ll be sticking with Simply 7’s quinoa chips when I need a fix – less calories, and a decent amount of protein. But these were fun to try!

               

Tastes like:  Salty potato chips with a little extra

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Kosher, Gluten free, all natural, Made in the USA, Non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan

What’s in it:

Review - Trader Joe's Apple Bars

Brand:  Trader Joe’s

Flavor:  Apple + assorted

Where to get it: In all Trader's Joe's stores

                When I first opened one of these bars I thought there were oats in it - it was so crumbly. It’s all fruit though, which is a little strange on the mouth-feels. If you like dehydrated apples, you will love these bars. The flavor is true to the fruits listed on the front, it’s just texturally a little weird and dry. I popped the second one that I tried in the fridge and it was a bit better cold.

               

Tastes like:  Dried apples & crumbly bits

Taste rating:  6/10

Qualities:  Vegan, Vegetarian

What’s in it: Apple and (Banana, or Mango, or Strawberry, or Coconut).

Review - Element Rice Cakes

Brand:  Element

Flavor:  Sweet Orange Rice Cakes

Where to get it: here @ Element Snacks

                I’m not hardcore enough to just eat a rice cake. As a child, I ate them with peanut butter and BUTTER slathered on them. While they tasted delicious, that kind of defeats the purpose of choosing a rice cake as a snack in the first place. I was VERY intrigued by these Element rice cakes, already slathered in a rich and fruity yogurt coating, and much better for me than a peanut butter, butter bomb. I did more experimenting with these rice cakes than you would think might be possible – I took bites rice cake-side down, I took bites yogurt-side down, I even dipped a bite in my tea. I'm so out of control sometimes. The verdict is – they are super good. If you’re looking for a different snack because you’re burning out on your ol’ faithfuls, definitely get a pack or 5 of these.

                 

               

Tastes like:  A puffy-sweet-rice-fruit punch to the face

Taste rating:  8/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, Gluten-free, all natural, Vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review: Goldbaum's Pop Potato Chips

Brand:  Goldbaum’s

Flavor:  Pop Potato Onion & Garlic

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                Goldbaum’s has so many “chip alternative” products…I’m becoming kind of fascinated with them all. Great packaging, great natural-ness, and I feel like the serving sizes are really good for the small amount of calories. These dudes have 70 calories in a bag, whereas we’d be looking at over 150 for any of the mass-market “o’s” chips for the same amount. I can dig it like a grave. (Don’t.) Plus, the amount of flavor in these little guys is off the charts! I hate it when flavored chips have a “hint” of something. If I didn’t want flavor, I’d buy plain. You get these, you’re all about that onion.

               

Tastes like:  Sour cream & onion Pringles without the oil

Taste rating:  8/10

Qualities:  Kosher, Gluten free

What’s in it:

Review: Little Miracles White Tea Organic Energy Drink

Brand:  Little Miracles

Flavor:  White Tea Organic Energy Drink

Where to get it: here @ Amazon

                I don’t dabble in the field of energy drinks very often, because I don’t really like that “I could possibly have a heart attack right now” feeling. I drank this about 15 minutes before working out, as a sort of pre-workout without the freak-out hope. It tastes really good, which was a pleasant surprise. No weird “energy” aftertaste, and no punchy-sweet aspartame flavor at all. It has ginseng in it, but I think most of the energy comes from the carbohydrates, which is alright. Yes, I just said that carbohydrates are alright as a source of energy. SCANDAL. Jeez, media, calm down. It has just 90 calories in it, so that lets you know that you shouldn’t be freaking out about having some carbs. Plus it’s certified organic, so that’s even better. I can’t believe I’m saying this about an energy drink, but I will definitely be buying more of these for gym days.

                 

               

Tastes like:  A more flavorful fruit-infused water

Taste rating:  9/10

Qualities:  Certified Organic

What’s in it: