Vegan Taste Tests Week 4

This time, mainly the new things I tried were from my VeganCuts box. Below are my reviews.

YumButter Espresso

 

Review:There is a weird bitterness to this that I really didn’t enjoy. This is coming from a person who drinks at least 3 cups of black non flavored coffee per day. I didn’t like this, and it was a shame because it’s actually a pretty large package. Any suggestions for this are appreciated.

Rating: 1/10

 

Bakery of Maine Apple Pie Oatmeal

Review: I absolutely loved this oatmeal! It tastes like real apples & cinnamon. So Yummy. I wish they had sent more packets.

Rating: 9/10

 

Hippeas White Cheddar Puffs

Review: These were so yummy. I don’t know that they tasted like white cheddar…but they were good. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get them, but I wouldn’t be opposed if they were available.

Rating: 7/10

 

Laiki Red Rice Crackers

Review: I love the crunch of these. They have a great taste that’s not too much. Just a nice light snack similar to sun chips. I would buy these again.

Rating: 8/10

 

Kool Ranch Kale Chips

Review: These were so addictive. I struggled not to eat the whole bag at once. It’s hard to find something this flavor (especially something like kale chips that are semi-healthy) that is vegan. They nailed the taste, and in fact I love them even more than other non vegan options.

Rating: 10/10

 

Beanitos Hint of Lime Chips

Review: I love that I can find these at my local publix. These are nicely flavored & I could definitely see buying these again. They’re like a more satisfying tortilla chip. Slightly thicker than regular corn chips.

Rating: 10/10

 

Rice Chips Sriracha

Review: Probably my favorite from this box. I love the flavor, it’s very unique. 9 times out of 10 though, if it’s spicy or sriracha flavored I will like it. The rice chips have a nice crunch as well.

Rating: 10/10

 

Roasted Edamame

Review: Nice crunch, but obviously not much flavor. A nice thing to eat when you want a snack, but also want to be healthy I guess. I probably wouldn’t buy these again personally but they were not bad.

Rating: 5/10

 

YumEarth Organic Gummi Twists

Review: So good! I have never been a gummi person, even before going vegan. These were so good though! Not too chewy, but not gooey…dare I say it…they were the perfect gummy.

Rating: 9/10

 

Cranberry Almond Cookie

Review: An ok cookie, but a little on the crumbly side. Some people like that, but it’s not really my thing. I like that fresh baked chewy cookie vibe.

Rating: 5/10

 

Life’s Nuts Roasted tomato flavored almonds

Review: I am a fan of almonds. They’re filling, in small quantities they’re healthy, and if they’re flavored almonds…even better! I really liked these. I would buy more for sure, but I don’t know that I’d seek them out. Almonds are kind of everywhere and this particular flavor is not my first choice.

Rating: 7.5/10

 

Kiwami Greens

Review: I wish I liked this…especially since they gave us 3 packs. I really didn’t like it. Hate is a strong word but…

Rating: 1/10

 

Salad Power

Not going to lie…I’m so scared to try this I haven’t opened it yet.

Vegan Taste Tests Week 3

Sorry I missed a week, but I’m back now with new taste tests!

The first new thing I tried was a different flavor of Louisville vegan jerky. I loved the other one so much I ordered 2 more bags to try! As always, I ordered these from Thrive Market. My trial period for Thrive is now over and to be honest I don’t think I’m going to continue at this time. It is $60 per month for membership, and while that’s not bad if you’re going to get everything through them, I just can’t justify spending the extra money right now.

The Review: I’m sure you can tell from the photo, but this style is not “saucy” like the BBQ version I had before. Not that that’s a bad thing. This is actually more the texture that I would expect from a jerky. Even better, it’s not as tough and doesn’t hurt my teeth to bite like traditional jerky sometimes did. The taste is definitely there though. There’s a nice smokey flavor with a bit of a kick.

Rating: 8/10

 

The next thing I got totally on accident. I think the brand is “Hi, I’m Skinny?” Weird name for a brand, but these Quinoa sticks are highly addictive. I normally get veggie chips from Walmart & the last time I got grocery pick-up order they substituted this. I was skeptical at first because I thought they wouldn’t have much flavor, but these are amazing!

The Review: First off, I love the fact that I can find these at just about any grocery store. Points for that. They are super low in calories but high in flavor, so they are perfect for when I’m feeling “snacky” and want something with a crunch and some salt. They’re hard to describe, but I would definitely buy again.

Rating: 9/10

 

Can we talk about how amazing it is that Ben & Jerry’s is making vegan ice cream…and that it doesn’t taste bland or crappy?! Picked this up at Publix, but I think most grocery stores (besides walmart) carry this.

The Review: You can taste the almond milk a little if you know what you’re looking for, but mostly this is a perfect substitute if you’re craving ice cream. I love the crunchy almond brittle bits…and of course caramel is a big weakness for me. In short…if these sound like good flavors of ice cream to you…you will love it.

Rating: 10/10

Next…a bonus! this is something you can pick up when you’re on the go. Super healthy, pretty & easy. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have time to prepare food (even a salad). I don’t do this often but when I have a ton of  work sometimes I just want something I can grab & go. Picked up this superfood salad at Publix, including dressing. So good!

7/10 because they used kale & I just prefer spinach, but it was still yummy!

Vegan Taste Tests Week 2

Last week was the very first week I decided to record my vegan tasting adventures. I decided to do this because a lot of times, I will see something and forget if I’ve tried it or if I liked it or hated it. I also thought, maybe it would be helpful to see honest  short reviews of things from the perspective of someone who is just getting into veganism and trying things for the first time. It seems there are at least a few people out there that find value in that too! So here we go into week 2!

This week  tried 2 things from Thrive Market. Thrive is an online shop where you can get vegan, vegetarian or organic items.

The first thing I tried were these Banana Cream Dark Chocolate cups. I think you can tell by now, I have a soft spot for sweet things.

The Review: I’m not sure if you can see how crumbly the “cream” is, but it was not at all creamy. In fact, it was very gritty. The cup itself didn’t have a bad flavor, per say, but the grittiness was so off putting I only at half of one. These are not exactly cheap, so I was actually a little irritated. I have to admit, I only ordered these (and tried Thrive) because of a youtuber by the name of QCKND. Thrive has been pretty great so far, but these I cannot recommend.

Rating: 3/10

The next thing I tried from Thrive was this Korean BBQ rice from Sprouted.

The Review: I was actually pretty impressed with this. It had a nice smokey spice to it that wasn’t overpowering. I would definitely try to put some kind of tofu in it next time, but it was also great as-is. Obviously most rice mixtures are probably vegan (I haven’t done the research, I know companies are sneaky), but this kind I have only ever seen on Thrive. I wouldn’t go out of my way for this, but it was a pretty solid choice. If you run across it, I’d say it’s definitely worth a try.

Rating: 8/10

 

Ok, so this next one is more of a meal idea/experiment. I probably could’ve plated this better but I didn’t really thing about it until I had eaten half…oops!

This is Vegan/Gluten free penne that came in my VeganCuts this month (March 2017). I will post a full review of the pasta with my review of the box next week. I like to past the reviews of those products all at the same time. I cooked the pasta, some Beyond Beef crumbles (short review: Beyond Beef beats the hell out of Boca crumbles), and added some marinara. I topped it off with some Daiya Mozzarella.

A tip I learned about Daiya products just from trial and error: Daiya cheeses are great. I love the taste of them and they really make me not miss regular cheese at all. They do tend to have a different texture though, especially the cheddar. If you melt the cheese just a little it is soooo much better!

Vegan Taste Tests Week 1!

I recently have been transitioning to full-on veganism, so I’ve subscribed to 2 things. The first being Vegan Cuts’ snack box. You may have heard of it, but it is a monthly subscription of vegan friendly snacks & meal starters. I have been loving this! The next is Thrive, which is an online grocery store with a nice vegan section (and organic, or gluten free sections as well!). These 2 things have been so great for me to be able to try new things and make the transition easier. I wanted to record & relay the tastings of each product, so here’s week 1 (plus a little bit of retro dating from last month’s vegan cuts box)!

This first thing I tried was from Thrive Market. Snip chips are parsnip & coconut clusters. These particular ones are flavored with dill, which is why I got them because dill is probably my favorite flavor of potato chips. These are supposed to be a low cal snack that boosts metabolism.

The review: They taste how they look they would taste. Very bland, and slightly like hay or cardboard. Very bland. I was not a fan of these at all. They’re not completely inedible, so I will finish them…slowly. I do like that they are supposed to boost metabolism but it’s just not worth it for me.

Rating: 2/10

The next thing is also from Thrive Market, and secretly the reason I signed up in the first place. This is a BBQ vegan jerky from the brand Louisville.

The review: I have obviously not always been vegan, or even vegetarian, so I have tried regular jerky before. Meat jerky has a very dried out texture, because it’s essentially something that can last for a while and be a “survival” type food. This vegan option is not at all dried out. In fact, it almost has a sauce on it that makes it more like a nugget or something more along those lines. I could see this being added to recipes as a meat replacement. Not what I expected, but even better!

Rating: 9/10

Lastly, is this Rice Ramen from Thrive Market from the brand Lotus Foods. It’s a basic ramen, prepared like the top ramen packets from the supermarket, except it’s lower in calories & much lower in fat.

The review: I love these noodles much more than the ones from top ramen. I can’t explain the difference but there definitely is one. The Miso flavor is very mild & I ended up adding some red pepper flakes to spice it up a bit. I account the more bland with lower sodium, but it was not an unpleasant blandness. It actually had a pretty good flavor.

Rating: 7/10

See below the photo for each individual review. All items in this group are from Vegan Cuts Feb 2017.

Chipotle Taco Popcorn

Review: This tastes like some =one poured taco seasoning on a bad of popcorn and shook it up. I loved the flavor, but I almost wish it was a little more spicy. These were more smokey flavored chipotle. I probably wouldn’t buy these myself, but I’d try other flavors from the brand.

Rating: 6/10

Vegan Rob’s Tumeric Chips/Crispy Pumpkin

Review: I have no idea how to describe these because it’s like nothing I’ve ever tried. The taste is a little…cheesy? almost, and a little sweet. Whatever they taste like, it’s awesome. There’s also a very satisfying crunch to these.

Rating: 10/10

Bixby’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

Review: I love dark chocolate, and salty sweet is always going to be a win for me. The peanut butter was crunch almost like a dark chocolate butterfinger with sea salt. I really loved these.

Rating: 10/10

Peas Please: Garden Herb

Review: I can’t even lie…these were not memorable to me one way or another. Sorry…

Rating: 5/10

Keep Healthy Dark Chocolate Fruitkies

Review: Ok, so this was very interesting. They were slightly sweet but the cherry part was VERY tart. I loved it. The dark chocolate balanced it out nicely. I looked into getting more, but this flavor doesn’t seem to be on their site yet.

Rating: 8/10

Gorilly Goods: Original Fruit & Nut Trail Mix

Review: This is more like granola clusters than trail mix. When I think of trail mix, I think of a lot of loose whole ingredients all mixed together. This has everything stuck clustered together and is quite sticky. I liked it, but it’s very high in calories & fats. Also, I just don’t generally like sticky foods.

Rating: 7/10

Pretzel No Nos

Review: Upon seeing the spoilers for the box I was probably most excited for these. These are chocolate & candy coated pretzel bites. I wish I had taken a photo of the actual product, but under the candy coating the texture is quite weird, like tapioca. Strangely that was a little off-putting. The taste wasn’t too bad, more similar to malted milk balls than pretzels though. I probably wouldn’t buy these myself, but if they cam in another box I would eat them.

Rating: 5/10

Unreal Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Review: These are like heaven! I’ve never been big on peanut butter cups, but the almond butter in these is amazing! And of course dark chocolate…YUM! I just found out target sells these…Going to buy them very soon.

Rating: 10/10

Emmy’s Dark Cacao Cookie

Review: Ew…I’m not a fan of the texture of these, but I could have gotten past that. The taste is horrible. Very bitter (and I drink coffee black if that gives you perspective). Just not for me. I took one bite and threw the rest out. Good think it was just a small cookie. I really hate to waste anything.

Rating: 1/10

Updates on Acting, Minimalism & Life in General

So it’s been a while since I’ve written. I actually wanted to keep an active journal, review things & just post here in general. Well..once per month is still an improvement over last year I suppose, so there’s that.

Acting

As of today I have been going to acting classes for 2.5 months total. It’s not a terribly long time, I know, but I have learned so much in just a short time.Having this one thing every week that I do for myself, that gives me an outlet has been amazing. Today we filmed monologues we have been working on for the last 3 classes. This was the last time we will work on these pieces. I think my second take was better than this one (at least I felt more “in the moment” for the last one), but I’ll have to watch it back to judge. I did get some compliments on it and the instructor really liked it, so that was a great feeling. I also submitted my first self taped audition last week, and I have my first in person audition coming up Wednesday. I’m nervous of course, but looking forward to seeing what the process is like.

Above left is a shot from 2 classes ago practicing my monologue. Right is a temporary headshot taken by Damian.

Minimalism

I’ve gone through my closet yet again, pulling some more things out that I have just not reached for. Or even worse, I’ve tried on in the past and decided I didn’t like the way the item looked on me, but for some reason still kept (why?!). So those types of items are gone! Or listed for sale for the time being. I have also gone through clothing I had boxed up while I was pregnant that I couldn’t fit in. I’m happy to say that I am now smaller than I was even in the months before I found out I was pregnant (yay!). So I was able to move about half of these items to my closet & about half have been listed for sale on my depop (@megshadow) or poshmark (also @megshadow).

In addition to going through all of my stuff, I went through all of Scarlett’s clothing. As she’s outgrown things I’ve been putting them in a corner of her room in a bag. When she was 4 months old there were wildfires in Tennessee that were pretty devastating to the population there. I had a coworker of mine that has family tin that area take all of Scarlett’s newborn clothing & the 3 month clothing she’d already outgrown to the outreaches  there when she visited. That being said, I only had to contend with her 3-6 month clothing at this point. I needed to get it gone before it piled up more!! I listed everything yesterday, some as bundles, some separately. Most of the clothing is already gone! I always list things pretty discounted from the original prices even if they’re like new, and I cut even that in half because one of my frequent buyers bought almost everything in one go. I cannot even tell you how good it feels to have that much less “stuff” in my house.

Family

I cannot even tell you how much fun we have been having with our little monster. Last week she mastered crawling. She’s been trying for a while but now there’s no stopping her. Yesterday she figured out how to clap. Cutest thing ever. I won’t be boring with a lot of baby talk, but I think it’s important to keep track of some of her “firsts.”

 

2017: A better version of 2015

A lot of amazing things happened in 2016. My husband and I bought a house. We have a beautiful little monster named Scarlett, and it’s been so wonderful to watch her grow. A couple of months ago I started an acting class again. Acting is something I gave up when I moved out of my parent’s house at 17 and had a “real job.” It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and I feel proud of my scene creations. I also practically quit youtube, with little to no warning. I kept trying to make videos and I just was not enjoying it anymore. I find youtube (especially the community of geeks, nerds & beauty gurus that I once loved) to be empty for me now. The majority of the videos are “haul” videos. If you’re not familiar it’s just people showing off their “stuff.” I, myself have done my fair share of these, and I think that’s what made me move towards minimalism. It all started to seem so empty and meaningless. Anyway, this is not an article of what I find wrong with the Youtube culture.

This list is about moving forward with my life. I guess you could call them resolutions, but they are more just things I’ve been starting or decided to start doing and the New Year just has good timing.

Continue my minimalism journey.

As I mentioned above, the last year or so I have been discontented with buying a lot of “things.” So every 3 months (or whenever I feel the need) I have gone through my closet, makeup and anything else I can think to go through, to sell or donate all that no longer fits in my life. I’ve never been a big consumer. To an extent I can really get along without buying much at all. My husband actually has more of a problem with this. He can’t get through a day. He doesn’t have to change, but I am. I am not bad about buying continuously. However, I am horrible about holding onto things. I have things I haven’t worn in 2 years. I have clothes for if I gain weight, clothes for “when” I get into better shape, and surprisingly few for now.

So this goal is to continue my clean out. Anything that hasn’t sold in 3 months, I need to get rid of. 3 months is the new deadline.

Drink less coffee.

Currently I am sitting here with my full cup of coffee: a staple for my mornings. In fact I rely on it. The very first thing I do in the morning, regardless of what the rest of the day holds, is walk to my coffee maker and pick out a coffee. I normally keep around 3 varieties. I tell myself that it’s so that I can pick put coffee for my mood but if we are being completely honest…I just don’t want to run out. The last 3 months I have been drinking energy drinks and coffee like they’re water. No wonder my skin is looking crazy again right? I have cut the energy drinks out…at least most days. Even so, I have come to rely on somewhere around 3 cups of coffee to get me through a day. A normal day.  I have no idea how or why that became the norm. So I am cutting back. This is probably the only one I am going to start on new years day. Like I said, I have my cup of black coffee here and I have plans to redeem a Starbucks giftcard later today on my way to a New Years party. But tomorrow, one cup a day my friends! Definitely the hardest goal on here.

Go vegan.

Already vegetarian, I have noticed something about my diet. Anytime I consume dairy in any form, I break out. I drank egg nog (no eggs, home made, but sweetened condensed milk was most of the recipe) on Xmas and my skin is the worst it’s looked in months. Besides that, I’ve actually been wanting to make the jump from vegetarian to vegan for the last year. I was vegan before I got pregnant, but for whatever reason it has been so hard to eat healthy lately. Healthy starts today.

Read more. Watch less.

Disappointment. I set a modest goal last year of 24 books, thinking for sure I will surpass that. Sure enough I was on track at 9 books before June. And then, when Scarett was born, I stopped reading as much. Not because I have no time, because she’s a pretty laid back kid. No, I’ve been staring at that big black rectangle in the middle of our living room. I like TV, there have been a lot of good shows & movies lately. If I’m going to be honest though, most of what I have been watching is just something to watch interested in.

Work out.

With this one I want to make it clear: I will not join a gym. I will not work out every single day…at least at first. I will work out at least 3 times a week doing sit ups, lunges and squats. Not enough? I have done this routine from time to time and it never fails to get me toned. I don’t like muscles on myself.

Create more.

Write more, photograph more, act more. Just create. Push myself, challenge myself.

Continue my acting journey.

Yes, I suppose this falls under create, however there are a few things that are specific to acting that I’d like to accomplish. Small goals, but it’s a start. Headshots (I need updated ones), apply for castings, keep adding to my resume. I’m just starting my career, so the building blocks are my goals for this one.

 

Goodbye Loft: A heartbreaking goodbye to the most unique place I’ve lived

It’s been a while since I’ve made a blog post. There’s actually a reason for that, surprisingly. My husband Damian and I recently bought a house! The house is great, there’s so many things that we both really love about it, including the fact that it has just been built so no one has ever lived there before and also we have 9acres to explore.

I am aware of all of the amazing things about the new house. I know that this is a step forward for us and that it will give me, personally, much better options for my home studio (for my photography). At the same time, my heart is breaking because it means saying goodbye to the place we’ve lived for the past 5 years; our home.

The lofts we lived in are built from a converted cotton mill that was built in the 1800s. I’ve always been attracted to this structure, mainly because I love the idea of living in a building that started life as something else. Many of the original fixtures are still involved in the floorplan of the apartments and hallways. When I got a divorce and was, for the first time, about to live on my own, this is the place that I came to make my home. I had always wanted to live here and because of the financial situation with my ex (he drained all my money and would never keep a job), it was never a possibility. My ex and I moved around at least once a year, sometimes more, ever since I moved out of my parent’s house at 17. I wanted a “home,” and I chose this place.

When Damian and I started dating I had just moved into a small studio on the far side of the complex. It was the perfect size for me, and had it’s own quaint qualities. He would visit me almost every single day, driving an hour and a half from work to my loft. Sometimes he would spend the night, sometimes he didn’t, but slowly he started moving his stuff in and spending the night more. Eventually he did move in with me into the studio. This lasted a few months until we decided to get a bigger space and moved across the parking lot, to the apartment with the porch that the photo above was taken from. And here we’ve lived together for 4.5 years.

We have so many memories from the lofts and it’s so hard to let that go. We will always have those memories though, and we are sure to make new ones in our brand new house. It still kind of hurts my heart to think of another couple moving in and making that their own home, but I suppose that’s the cycle with an apartment; it can never last forever. As I’m writing this, we have moved into our new house already and it is starting to feel a little bit like home now. I expect that once we are able to decorate more and hang our photos that it will feel even more so. It will never be an old brick cotton mill from the 1800s, but I’m starting to think that it may be even better: it’s ours.

The above photo is our initials and wedding date carved into the ceiling of the old loft. I’d like to think we’re a part of the place’s history now.

My vlog/loft tour on my youtube

 

Anxiety and Exhaustion – 23 weeks and counting

I have been fighting with myself on whether to record this experience in some way or not. After all, the major thing for me with the pregnancy has been anxiety and exhaustion (most likely brought on by anxiety). I have decided, instead of making a video, which most people would not care to watch, I would record my thoughts and feelings in writing.

Starting a blog is an idea I’ve toyed with for a while now. The idea of having a place I can vent to to share creative inspiration without a lighting set up is highly appealing to me. Even when I feel like shit or it’s late at night I can post without bothering Damian (my husband).

So that brings us to the current topic for today. As of the time I am writing this I am about a day short of the 23 week mark in my pregnancy. For those that may not know, we have chosen the name Scarlett (and of course, if you’re very behind, it’s a girl!). 23 weeks is also the number of weeks, consequently, that I have been missing from most of all social media. Before becoming pregnant I felt I was starting to hit my stride. I was setting up photoshoots, taking bookings, making at least 2 youtube videos a week and updating my pages consistently. Around mid September I started feeling very drained. It got to be so bad that I could not even move. It continued into October, though I was able to quite enjoy our one-year anniversary trip to Savannah, and I could most days ignore the symptoms.

When it hit though, it hit hard. I fought to continue my education and did end up graduating with my degree in photography, although I will be honest I was worried for a second. So, long story short, up until now I have been sleeping more hours than I’ve been awake. And so explains my lack of motivation, because my waking hours are spent either at work or preparing for a move that is dragging out and seemingly never arriving.

Let’s switch this over for a second and talk about anxiety. Contrary to what you may think, I have little to no anxiety about the pregnancy its self. Everything so far has gone perfectly, and though I am not looking forward to the whole giving birth thing, I am not all that worried. My anxiety has always been social anxiety. It’s something I’ve always struggled with since I was a child. I’ve hated meeting new people, have been terrified of judgement and what people might think of me. This has probably stemmed from the idea that I’m not good enough. In fact, as far back as elementary school I remember trying to explain to friends or guys I liked why I was not as attractive as other people, having had my jaw broken at 3 (a whole other story). Looking back, contrary to what I may think, I didn’t look that different. The anxiety of thinking people were alway judging me or saying mean things about me got worse in middle school and high school leaving me with  a terrible attendance record. I had breakdowns and physically could not walk through the doors. It has progressed to the point where now, I may have an anxiety attack if I walk into a crowded supermarket. I have even pulled up to the Goodwill, parked, and then gone home because I couldn’t bring myself to deal with crowds.

This has been multiplied by 5 since I’ve been pregnant and seems to happen more often. Luckily, the depression I’ve struggled with in the past has barely been on the periphery. I’m writing this not to complain, or even to make myself feel better. I am writing this because maybe, if someone is going through something similar that they will know they are not alone. Also, if in some way this restores a little motivation to my creatively drained life, all the better.

I will continue blogging as much as I can, and hopefully on a schedule. At the moment I don’t want to commit to what that may be. Hope if you’re reading this you have a wonderful day and please feel free to ask any questions, as I’m sure in this short post I have missed something somewhere or have not been as thorough as I ought to be.

With love,

-Meg Shadow