Friday, September 21, 2018

Degustabox September 2018

Where does the time go? 

It's September, so it's time for another Degustabox. As you know, they send me these boxes at no cost to me, so I can tell you all about the contents.

The theme of this box was Lunchbox, which I guess is all about back-to-school lunches.

I usually ate the school lunch because that was easier for mom and I wasn't a picky eater, but these days I make my own lunch. How about you? Eat out or eat in?

So, here we go!


Hippeas
Not tie-dyed food, but these are like cheesy puffs, but made from chickpeas instead of corn, like those big brands I'm sure you know. They're not exactly the same, but there's an appealing crunch along with additional flavor. I got one bag with cheddar and one with a hickory barbecue flavor that was totally different. Everyone sing with me! Allll we are saying ... give chickpeas a chance ...

Handfulls Crrrunch Bites
If these were in the snack bowl, you might not know what the heck they are. They're almonds covered with a mesquite-flavored rice cracker. Lots of crunch-worthy snacking. It's an interesting idea, yes?

GoCo Crunchy Coconut Bites
Ah, here's the coconut! It's so popular, but it's one of the few things I don't like, so I had to pass these along to someone else. I should really start liking coconut. It's everywhere!

The Chia Company
This is chia in a little package that you can take with you to add to your smoothie or salad, or keep it at home to add to recipes. Convenient, if you like chia.

SunRype
Fruit strip snacks. Mmmmm, snacks. These are 100 percent fruit unless you get one that has veggies, but there's no chocolate, nuts, sugar, salt, fillers, or car parts. So you get your fruit serving in a handly snack that you can shove in your desk drawer for that day when lunch wasn't as good as you hoped and the vending machine has eaten all your quarters.

The Better Chip
Ah, yes, tortilla chips. These have herbs and vegetables mixed in rather than stuff dusted on top, so your fingers won't be suspiciously orange after you eat them. Like, for example, jalapeno and cilantro. Not like beets and tarragon. Wait, maybe they do have that flavor. But probably not.

Marions's Kitchen meal kits
General Tso and Kung Pao kits include most of what you need to make a meal. Of course you have to add the protein and fresh vegetables, but this makes it pretty easy to whip up a dinner on a busy night when the last thing you want to do is raid the spice drawer and measure a dozen different things.

Mighty Spark food company
Basically, these are chicken sausage snacks with flavoring like cranberries and jalapeno. Great if you prefer your snacks to be more about savory protein than crunchy carbs.

Bauducco chocolate wafers
Three-layered chocolate wafer cookies. Do I really need to say more? These are made in the US and don't have any artificial colors or preservatives.

Tigertail mustard
I've had Tigertail mustard before, but this is mustard in a metal squeeze tube. Besides taking less space in the fridge and being an easy way to dispense, less of the product is exposed to oxygen after you open in, so I'm guessing it will stay fresher, longer.

PB Crave
Peanut butter sweetened with honey, and maybe with some flavorings. I'll be honest here. I'm a peanut butter purist, and tend to like it without extra flavors. Honey is nice, though. Can't argue with that.

Idahoan Foods instant mashed potatoes
I always keep instant mashed potatoes on hand, but I seldom use them to make mashed potatoes. Instead, I add them to bread recipes. Normally I use unflavored versions, but the cheesy flavors would be really nice in bread. They're also good for thickening soups or gravy. Sneaky, eh?

Marquis Citrus Yuzu energy drink
I've been avoiding energy drinks since the last time one of them kept me awake for half the night, so I had to pass this one along to someone else. Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit that's something like lemon, but not quite. Sounds tasty.

Garden of Life clean protein bars
A to-go snack or emergency desk ration for folks who are eating clean and want more protein than carbs. I haven't tried this one yet, but it's set aside for later.

So there we go. Another month, another box. And as I said, I get these at no cost from Degustabox. Munch, munch.