Mail Time: Graze Box #3

What's in my box this time?

This time I got My Thai, Seedsational, Chocolate Orange Flapjack & Trail Mix.

MY THAI: These are soy bites with sweet chili sauce.  There's only 84 calories in the little package, which is always a plus.  I am, however, a little disappointed to see that the protein content is so low for a snack containing soy.  They were, however, very tasty and savory, and there was plenty of sauce in the container, so I finished it with some mini pretzels I had.

Breakdown:
Calories: 84 k
Fat: 1.18g
Carbohydrates: 17.6g
Protein: 0.605g (>1g)

SEEDSATIONAL:  This is a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seeds that have been tossed in a soy sauce blend.  I am excited about this blend, because both pumpkin & sunflower seeds are incredibly nutritient dense and rich in things like b vitamins, vitamin e, calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, iron, zinc, and omega fatty acids.

Breakdown:
Calories: 202k
Fat:  16.1g
Carbohydrates: 7.07g
Protein: 6.97g

CHOCOLATE ORANGE FLAPJACK: This is an oat flapjack with orange and chocolate.  These are amazing flavor profiles to mix, and can lend themselves to both savory and sweet.  This, however, was definitely a sweet treat.  It was so tasty I found myself very sad when it was all gone.  This is something I would definitely buy at the store to keep in the pantry to satisfy cookie cravings.

Breakdown:
Calories: 244k
Fat:  12.9g
Carbohydrates:  29.2g
Protein: 2.7g

TRAIL MIX: This was a fun combination of peanuts, hazelnuts, cranberries and jumbo raisins.  It was a tasty little snack and the flavors complimented each other perfectly.  This would definitely be a great boost during a hike or a busy day, but not a stationary snack.  I was happy that it had 4g of protein, though.

Breakdown:
Calories: 177k
Fat: 11.2g
Carbohydrates: 15.3g
Protein: 4.02g

Want to try Graze?  Here's a friend code here, here, and if those are gone, they created a unique code for my readers; BETHSNACK.

Hail Merry on sale?!?

I LOVE Hail Merry products.  I have never had one I didn't instantly add to my favorite treats list.  The fact that they're raw, vegan, and made with all good fats means I don't feel guilty treating myself.  I first tried them in a Conscious Box and it was love at first bite, no joke.  I've had them many times since, and even had a tart on my birthday in place of a birthday cake.  Not kidding; I LOVE HAIL MERRY.

And the best news?  They're local to me since I moved to Dallas AND they're on sale right now at my local Whole Foods!  $1 off each?  Heck yes I'll take two!!

Top Ten Vegan Sweet Treats

The title is misleading.  It should actually read 22+ vegan sweet treats, but that would be an arguement on semantics and that title doesn't seem nearly as appealing.  Instead, let's call it ten, with alternatives, and two unsolicited bonus suggestions.

This list came about because my friend Jordan and I were recently discussing the qualms of eating too many cookies, especially at inappropriate times like 8am.  She is newly vegan and my casual use of the phrase "Joe Joe's" was lost on her.  Being the smart (and pretty!) cookie that she is, she googled it and saw that there is an even more vegan friendly sandwich cookie than accidentally vegan Oreos.

I then proceeded to promise Jordan that I would do a blog about my top ten vegan friendly, commercially available sugar fixes.  Thinking about the research required for this was grueling, and knowing I'd have to buy one of each for photographing seemed daunting.. how on earth would I ever survive?  =D  [Please note:  photographing these treats never happened.]

This list contains a lot of items from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.  If you are fortunate enough to live near one, you will be relieved to see this.  If you aren't, I will try to offer alternatives where I know of them.  Sadly, even accidentally vegan sweets are becoming harder & harder to come by.  I avoided "candy" in this list because, honestly, I don't eat a lot of it.  I'd rather have a cupcake or a cookie than taffy.  If that's odd, I'm not sorry.

Easy Cupcakes with Protein Icing

Ingredients:
1 box of vegan cake mix (I used a chocolate fudge cake mix)
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
30-35g (one serving) of protein powder*

Mix your cake mix & pumpkin together and bake according to box directions.  Cool completely before you try to ice them.

For the icing, mix one serving of protein powder with 3-6+ tablespoons of water.  You will have to adjust this according to what type of protein powder you have.  Flavored protein powder is best - they tend to already have a zero calorie sweetener in them, and don't usually taste too.. grain-y.

Makes 24 cupcakes.
91 calories each.  16 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein (80:10:10).