Little Secrets Candy Review

Overview:

As a follow of the vegan diet, I was eager to find replacements for traditionally non-vegan foods so that I can promote them as a better alternative and satisfy any cravings. I happened upon this company, Little Secrets, which make awesome dark chocolate M&M copycat candies! I reached out to the company and they were so kind to send me some free samples to try. I received the raspberry, sea salted peanut, and classic dark varieties from the company.

     

About:

Little Secrets is a fairly new company that emphasizes the fact that delicious and natural can come together in a package. This company strives to use premium natural ingredients that are in the process of getting their non-GMO certification. As a bonus, all of these dark chocolate treats are also vegan! The company is still expanding to more stores over time.

Nutrition:

As with all candy, these cannot be considered a health food, but can be regarded as a lesser evil if you are craving something to satisfy a sweet tooth. One serving (24 pcs) is just shy of 200 calories, which is pretty standard for candy. Many ingredients are also fair trade certified, which is responsible for the more hefty price. All products in the line also contain no artificial ingredients or high fructose corn syrup which is a big win! Overall, I would definitely recommend these treats as a chocolate substitute whenever you want to eat something sweet.

     

TL; DR:

• This brand has vegan options for M&M lovers.
• The variety of colors is not as wide as traditional M&Ms.
• Comes in a variety of flavors including coconut and spiced pumpkin pie!
• Not widely available at all retail locations (yet!), mostly just health food stores. Also available on Amazon.
• Contains no artificial ingredients or high fructose corn syrup.

Saffron Road Review

Overview:

I have recently come across this brand at my local Sprouts Farmers Market and discovered the entire brand was 40 percent off regular retail. Considering that the frozen meals are usually a hefty $5.49 per meal, I thought this was a steal! Combined with a printable coupon, this deal could not be passed up. I purchased the Vegetable Pad Thai and the Lentil Chips.

     

About:

Saffron Road is a relatively new company that launched in 2010 when the founders realized there weren't many healthy halal options on the market. The brand is family-owned and all products are free of antibiotics and sustainable farmed. All flavors in their lines are inspired by flavors found along the Silk Road so you will come across many Indian, Korean, Thai, etc inspired dishes.

Nutrition:

Compared to other frozen meals, the Pad Thai has pretty good stats. It has less sodium than many other comparable meals. Many of the meals have a healthy portion of protein as well. The chips have less fat than regular potato chips, and the flavor I purchased is reminiscent of fun-yuns to me which is great! There are no strange chemicals in the ingredient lists which is an awesome plus. Sure, you can make a meal and produce a healthier option, but on days when you are on a crunch for time or just feeling lazy, this is a great "lesser evil." I definitely recommend this brand!

     

TL; DR:

• Has a few vegan options, more vegetarian options, and all halal options.
• Easy way for consumers to try a variety of ethnic foods.
• Can be considered a healthier option for a convenience meal, such as lower fat and a good amount of protein.
• The regular retail price of the frozen entrees is quite steep, so catch these items on sale.
• Has less sodium than most frozen meals.

Bakery Menu

Kind Bar Review

Overview:

I think I first heard of KIND bars from a YouTube video of someone showing their monthly Birchbox, where the "lifestyle" bonus was one of the many varieties of bars that the KIND snacks company creates. This was a few years back when KIND bars were still relatively unheard-of, and during this time I wasn't much of a nut fan. That has changed. A lot.

One day, I decided to try a KIND bar finally after seeing a display in one of the on-campus markets here at UCSD. I can't recall exactly what flavor I tried first, but I can say that I quickly fell in love with the taste of these bars.

About:

What really attracted me to these bars was the fact that they included ingredients that I could pronounce. In other words, these bars may be considered "all-natural"(however, this is an unregulated term.) I like how these bars derive their fiber and protein from nuts rather than something like "Soy Protein Isolate" as I've seen other health bars include to puff up their products. These bars are also non-GMO. Nonetheless, the ingredients list was also short and simple so I knew exactly what I would be putting into my body. 

However, these bars are not vegan because they use honey as a sweetener. Some of their other snacks are vegan though. These bars are not paleo either because part of their nut blend includes peanuts, which is a legume and not allowed on the paleo diet. Again, just check the simple ingredient list if you have a special diet.

I am a fan of the company's KIND movement. The movement advocates for people to perform more "kind" acts in their daily lives through the company's social entrepreneurship. Plus, their brand philosophy states that snacks should both be healthy AND delicious--something I can definitely vouch for!

Nutrition:

Do not let the calories scare you! These are not your measly "100 calories bars." I'd say most bars I've had range from 180-210 calories. That being said, I don't think these bars constitute a meal on their own, but definitely work great as a midday snack or part of your breakfast. I usually have one with a banana in the morning.

You will find also with most of these bars that many of the calories are from fat. In my favorite bar for example, there are 190 calories and 100 of these calories are fat calories. Again, do not be alarmed. Fat is NOT your foe! We need fat in our bodies, and consuming healthy fats from foods such as avocados or nuts actually help us lose/maintain weight. Read more about the importance of fat here.

Many bars have good amounts of dietary fiber and protein, averaging around 7 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. Different subcategories of these bars also have different focuses, so definitely choose the bar(s) that best suits your needs and desires! 

TL; DR:

• These bars are gluten-free and vegetarian.
• I would definitely recommend these bars to anyone who enjoys nuts and is looking for a clean snack throughout the day. I suggest trying out many flavors to get a sense of the line and be able to find a favorite. 
• The company itself promotes a good message, definitely one to support. 
• The bars may be considered calorie-heavy to some, but consider the fact that these calories are natural and the bars provide a good amount of fiber and protein.

NatureBox Review

Overview:

I've been hearing a lot about Naturebox recently from various YouTubers I follow and have been eager to try out this subscription service. I was a bit hesitant since I'm not a big fan of these automatic charge-your-card-every-month kind of things, but I am pretty good about canceling after I get a free or discounted trial.

I decided to finally bite the bullet when my brother mentioned that he had gone to his friend's house and tried some Naturebox snacks there. So on a casual Monday night, my brother an I spent a good half-hour selecting which of Naturebox's many selections we wanted to try. 

We used a $10 off coupon by using the promo code PANDORA at checkout. There are other promo codes as well that give you the same discount. You can easily find more codes here. Ten dollars for 5 (+a surprise bonus snack!) seemed like a pretty good deal to me. This is half off the usual price of $20 per box.