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.

Degustabox August 2018

Oh lookie! Another box of free stuff from Degustabox, just so I can tell you all about it. It's kind of amazing to me that after all this time, the boxes are still filled with things I haven't tried before. Of course there are some things I'm familiar with, and there are quite a few times when I've been familiar with the company. But there are still plenty of new things.

This one had products that were new to me, although I did know a few of the companies.

So, here we go for August:

The Good Crisp Company
These are potato crisps in a can, much like that other company that makes potato crisps in a can. These are non-GMO and have all natural ingredients. They tasted like potato crisps, and I have to say that the can is a convenient package. The ones I got were a sour cream and onion flavor

Wise Snacks Stadium Nacho Bravas Tortilla Chips
Mmm. Tortilla chips. I usually never buy little bags of chips, but I'm really liking having these come to me from Degustabox. They're the right size for a snack, and I get to try a different products rather than committing to a lot of one kind of thing. I have to say I'm becoming quite fond of Wise products. Nacho tortilla chips? Yes, please!

Post Frosted Shredded Wheat Chocolate Strawberry
I'm not a big breakfast cereal eater, and I had plenty on hand. So I'll be honest here. I passed these along to someone else to enjoy. The idea is interesting, though.

Sahale Snack Maple Pecan Glaze Mix
Mmmm. Maple pecans. These also had dried cherries and apples, so it wasn't ALL nuts, and I was giddy happy to see a snack mix that didn't have raisins or coconut. This is also a great take-with-you snack for those times when you need a little something to nosh on, but it's not mealtime.

Colombina Amazon Pepper Sweet Chili
Ohhh, yes. Mix this with cream cheese for a nice chip dip. Easy peasy. Also a good start for a sauce for shrimp. The one I got was mild, which makes me think there's also a hot version.

PR Bar
This is a chocolate and peanut bar. Yum. It's supposed to be the perfect blend of carbs and protein, but I have no actual proof of that perfect. But again, it would be a nice take-with-you snack or something to tuck into the desk at work for a little boost without a carb crash afterwards.

Ready Nutrition Protein Water
I have no idea how one gets protein into water, but there it is. The one I got was grapefruit flavored. Aside from coffee or tea, I don't drink a lot of flavored beverages, but I like to have some on hand when I'm in the mood. This one is chilling in the fridge for one of those days.

Popcorn, Indiana movie theater popcorn
I love popcorn. When I make it, I make a LOT. These little bags are so handy for snacking and they're just sitting there waiting for me without having to actually make it. This is made with real butter, which is actually my favorite flavoring for popcorn.

Country Archer jerky
Ah, jerky, the perfect little bite of protein. This was sweet pork barbecue flavored. If you like jerky, you'll probably love this stuff.

High Brew Coffee
Cold brew coffee in a can. Could it be any more convenient? I'm actually setting this aside for emergency coffee, when I forget to brew my own, or when I'm out of ground coffee, or ... well, I'm sure there will be other reasons.

Prince of Peace ginger chews
These are chewy ginger-lemon candies, perfect for times when your tummy is a little grumbly, or pretty much any time you're in the mood for a spicy-sweet snack. Not as much bite as candied ginger, and not as sweet as regular candies.

So there we go. Lots of new treats for August. Thanks to Degustabox for sending me their boxes at no cost to me.

Milkadamia

When I got an offer to sample Milkadamia (which is a macadamia nut milk) I hesitated because it's kind of silly to ship a refrigerated product. But, nope, this is a shelf-stable products, so shipping wasn't an issue.

It's also nice for home storage, since you can tuck a container in the pantry and it's there when you need it.

I actually buy almond milk once in a while. I like it for making hot chocolate, in particular. It seems somehow richer than regular milk. Oddly, I find the opposite is true in coffee, where almond milk seems thin.

Weird, right?

So anyway, the nice folks at Milkadamia sent along two different products - an unsweetened and a vanilla unsweetened. To be brutally honest, I didn't notice a huge difference in flavor between the two, but I also didn't do a head-to-head taste test.

I also didn't make any hot chocolate, because it's summer here and hot chocolate on a hot night makes no sense at all.

But I did use it for making cocktails a few times, and I also used it in my coffee, where I liked it better than almond milk. While it's not quite the same as regular milk, it wasn't super-thin like the almond milk I usually buy. So that was a plus. A huge plus. Because I ran out of milk and didn't want to run to the store for just one thing.

Because we all know what that leads to. Extra stuff in the basket.

The flavor of the milkadamia was really mild - not super nutty - so this could would work well in pretty much any drink and any recipe, since you wouldn't be adding a flavor that might potentially clash.

Overall, I liked this stuff. I'll be looking for it at the store, and checking out the other flavor options.

Yup, this was sent to me from the Milkadamia folks, at no cost to me. Slurp, slurp.