Monday, December 3, 2012

Vegan Cuts Snack Box

Have you been to Vegan Cuts yet? It's a fun site full of special deals on all things vegan. They also have something called the Vegan Cuts Snack Box, which is a monthly subscription to a fun box of goodies. I though it would be a good idea to review the contents of one such box for you here, so I signed up and got my first box the other day. Rick and I had a great time testing all the goodies. Here's what was inside...


Let's start with the Seasnax. I've had seaweed snacks before, and these were good. They're super thin, and a brilliant green, and although they use oil in them, it seems to be a better quality oil than some I've tried. Fold them or roll them for more crunch and less sticking to the roof of your mouth.


The Simply Bar looked so promising, but in all honesty, neither of us liked it, and we gave most of it to Lucy... The bar looked sort of like a chocolaty Rice Crispy Treat, but it was very dry, not at all sweet, and the flavors of chocolate and peanut butter did not come across at all. OK, sure, it's a protein bar, not a cookie, but I know it's possible to make good food taste good too. This one missed the mark as far as I'm concerned.


The Delights Brownie was small and moist and delicious, even though it didn't taste anything like a brownie. It was a yummy little raw fruit treat, and Lucy didn't even get a crumb. Sorry Lucy.


I'll admit it. I like gummy bears. I recently discovered the bin of organic gummies at our local market, and I just have to make myself stay far, far away from that part of the store, which is hard because it's right next to the produce section. The Surf Sweets Sour Berry Bears were every bit as good as the bears-in-the-bin, and because they came in a little single serving pack (which I sort of shared with Rick) there was little danger of overindulging. I like them. I want more.


Next up is the Kelapo Virgin Coconut Oil. I haven't used it yet, but I know I like coconut oil for certain things, so I imagine this one is very nice. There's a lot of controversy around coconut oil, so I use it sometimes, but I don't drown our food in it like I did in my vegan beginnings. This cute little packet would be perfect to take along to the hot springs, to use as an after soak skin lotion. Ever tried that? It's wonderful.

From Simply Straws, we have a 6" glass drinking straw. Great for the environment if you're big on using straws in your drinks, and because it's made of borosilicate glass (like Pyrex), it's very sturdy and resistant to heat and cold and breaking. I put it in the cabinet with the barware, next to the shot glasses and fancy olive picks. Mine is clear, so not all that photogenic, but they come in colors too. I like that.

In my opinion, laundry soap doesn't really belong in a snack box. But guess what? This Berry Plus sample is one of the coolest things in the bunch. This magical laundry elixir is made from soapberries, and all it takes to clean a big load of laundry is a teensy little "microdose," like only a teaspoon or so. I did a load today, and it came out clean and fresh smelling, but not at all perfumey. This would be really great for RV travelers, or anyone else who has super minimal storage space. And besides, with Berry Plus, you don't have a huge bottle or box of soap to wrangle and dispose of. The price is reasonable too. If you want the tiny single shot ampules, you get 20 loads worth for $16. Or go for the biggest bulk bottle at 80 loads for $20. Kind of makes me want to throw in another load of laundry.


And that's it for the snack box. It was fun from our end. Did you enjoy it or find it useful? I might do it again, or I might just start hunting down my own nifty vegan products to review. Any suggestions? You know I love to shop!