MARDI GRAS Subscription Box: Rise Protein Bar Review

Today I got my Love with Food Subscription Box!! I’ve never received one before, but I got this one for FREE (see below to get your free box too!!) so I was super excited to try it out. First off, it was SO fun to get a little package in the mail with new goodies inside. Out of everything I got I decided to try the Rise Protein Bar (Almond Honey) after my yoga class and it was SOO good!!!

It tasted exactly like almond butter and honey in a patty form. As I looked at the ingredients, that’s exactly what it was! The 3 simple ingredients were almonds, honey, and whey protein. YUM!!

I would completely recommend this product to others and I’m so excited to try their other flavors! I’ll keep you updated as I try the other samples in the box!

Later I made some cranberry orange greek yogurt scones…I didn’t take any pictures yet but keep your eyes open for a new post to come!

Click here or on the picture below to get your free subscription box!!

Do you get a subscription box? Which one?!

Product Review: Trader Joe’s Shrimp or Vegetable Thai Gyoza & True Thai Tom Yam Soup

So yesterday we took a trip to Trader Joe’s. Obviously this ended with us buying a plethora of new TJ products to try. Then I figured, why not share our opinions? Anyways, after our trip to the store we decided to try out 3 of the products we purchased: the Shrimp Gyoza, Vegetable Gyoza, and Tom Yam Soup. 

1) Trader Joe’s Thai Shrimp Gyoza 

We cooked half of a bag of these along with half a bag of vegetable gyoza, and topped it with dumpling sauce. They were a lot larger than I had expected and a lot more delicious! The shrimp gave these gyoza a bit more texture, and you can actually see the bits of shrimp. Would we buy this again? Yes! 

2) Trader Joe’s Thai Vegetable Gyoza (Vegetarian/Vegan) 

These looked (and tasted) a lot like the shrimp gyoza. They were large, filling, and delicious! Everyone agreed the vegetable gyoza were just as good as the shrimp gyoza. The only difference is that you don’t get the little chunks of shrimp, but overall the taste is pretty similar. I like that we put half and half into the mixture, and we will definitely be purchasing more of TJ’s gyoza in the future for a quick and easy meal!

3) Trader Joe’s Tom Yam Soup (Vegetarian/Vegan)  & 

This one is a hit or miss. For me, I found it too acidic. It tasted like someone had added some lemon/lime juice to the top before I took a bite. With that being said, others loved this. Apparently, Tom Yam is supposed to be a little acidic and served atop rice (something we did not do). Maybe I would have liked it more had I served it on rice. I should also note that this is a single serve soup. We all only had a couple of spoonfuls, but now we know who would eat it and who wouldn’t haha! I personally would not buy this again, but I’m sure others in the family will. 

Hope these were helpful! I will be posting more product reviews as we try out the rest of the groceries. But in the meantime:

Does anyone have a TJ product they recommend?

Perfect Pumpkin Pie : Veganized

1 fat, 1 fruit, 1 grain, 1/2 protein

Ok, I know it’s spring and traditionally pumpkin pie is served in the fall. But, fall was 6 months ago and I can’t possibly wait another 6 before eating this again! So I made up this excuse for the family as to why I have to make pumpkin pie instead of apple, peach, berry, etc: 

Pumpkin pie will help us watch the spring flowers bloom, while cleansing our bodies from the winter weather.

I use this excuse because pumpkin is high in vitamin A, cancer fighting beta-carotene, and fiber! Not to mention it has been said to help keep the skin wrinkle free, so bring on the sun!

If your family likes pumpkin year round (like me, but unlike my family) just make it because it tastes good.

REALLY good.

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Crust

½ cup unbleached flour

7 Tbs. whole-wheat pastry flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. sugar or granulated sugar cane syrup

½ tsp. baking powder

2 Tbs. canola oil

3 Tbs. soy milk plus ½ tsp. lemon juice

2 to 3 Tbs. water

Filling

1 15 oz canned pumpkin

1 cup soy milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 Tbs. dark molasses

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground allspice

>> The Crust: Combine flours, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Separately mix the oil, soy milk and lemon juice. Add the wet and dry ingredients. If it is too dry, add some water. Refrigerate the dough for an hour if you can, otherwise roll it out and line a 9 inch pie pan. Crimp the edges and preheat the oven to 425F while you prepare the filling.

The Filling: Mix all the filling ingredients together until smooth. Pour over the unbaked crust and smooth the top. Bake for 10 mins and then reduce the oven to 350F. Bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, until the filling has set. Let the pie cool, and then refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hrs.

Exchange counts are for 1/8th of the pie. If you’re wondering where the fruit comes from, it’s the sugar in the pie. Ignore this if you need actual fruit in your diet, and not just the sugar.