After my week away to Scotland last week with an almost full on Internet ban, this was a great box to come home to to ease me back into blogging after catching up with all my e-mails!
This is my third Vegan Kind box – for those that haven’t seen this, it’s a box that contains around 5-8 products that are all cruelty free and Vegan – they also donate 10p of each box to the chosen Charity for the month. It’s a great way to discover new things that fit in with a cruelty free lifestyle. This months charity is The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary for Guinea Pigs in East Hunsbury, Northampton – go take a peek, the pictures are guaranteed to put a smile on your face!
Onto the contents:
The first thing to excite me about this box is that I finally received my recipe binder. This months recipe is a Salted Chocolate Tart – this looks very yummy and I may have a bash at this when my waist line has recovered from my week away! That aside, my previous recipe cards now live in this folder and it remains on my recipe stand in the kitchen amongst my others. If you do sign up to this box, you’ll receive the binder in your third box but you receive your recipe cards each month regardless.
Rebel Kitchen Choco Mylk 200ml (RRP £1)
I’m definitely excited about giving this a try. I’m a fan of milkshakes, although these days they are a rarity – I currently only drink Soya milk, although have tried Almond milk in the past. The bitterness of the Soya milk isn’t overly idea for full on milkshakes, so the addition of coconut milk and spring water sounds very appealing. It’s completely dairy free with no additives or preservatives and also comes in other flavours. With 102 calories per drink, and 2.8g of fat it’s definitely a good snack alternative to a bar of chocolate or a shop bought shake. The price is also fairly reasonable at £14.73 (not including postage and packaging) for a pack of 12 from their website which works out at roughly £1.20 per carton. You can take a look at their other flavours and purchase a taster pack from their website here.
Coconom Coconut Sugar 250g (RRP £3.25)
Wow – what a beast of a bag this is! I adore baking and always try to experiment with lower fat and sugar alternatives as well as trying to keep my recipes Vegan. Each teaspoon contains 15 calories, no fat, 9mg sodium and 4g of Carbohyrdrate (Sugars) compared to Granulated Sugar which is roughly 15 calories and 14.2g of Carbohydrate. Another interesting thing about the sugar is that allegedly due to the minimal processing of the product, it retains its nutritious components which include a verity of macro and micro nutrients. Having said that, I’m probably not going to start having sugar in my tea any time soon but I am very eager to start baking with this!
For more of their products and also some great recipes, check out the Coconom website here.
Freya Luna Lip and Body balm 10g (RRP £3.50)
This little treasure was almost overlooked, hiding in the deepest darkest depths of the box. Seeing the word Lavender instantly excited me though. I’m massive fan of most things Lavender-esque, not only does it smell beautiful but as a natural ingredient it’s also great for skin, whether this be for dry skin or sunburn. The thing I like most about this pot is that it can be used seemingly anywhere including lips and face, which is an added bonus. I have a feeling this is going to fit right into my handbag when I need some on the go moisture. On opening the tin, it smells absolutely beautiful and feels a little oily to the touch, but not in an overly greasy way. It glides onto the skin and seems easily absorbed. I reckon a touch of this either on your lips or your chest before bed will also help relax you ready for sleeping! Very impressed with this small but mighty tin of 100% natural balm.
To look at some of their other products, check out the Freya Luna website here.
Landgarten Organic Dark Chocolate Soya Snack 55g (RRP £1.99)
Since transforming my eating habits, Dark Chocolate has long been one of my staples when I just -have- to have something sweet. I find that one square of Dark Chocolate, gives me as much satisfaction as a whole chocolate bar, plus the added bonus of most Dark Chocolate being Vegan. This tasty looking snack is gluten free and rich in Magnesium, Calcium and Iron – although last time I tried Roasted Soyabeans I wasn’t overly keen, I’m willing to embrace this snack and give the beans another chance!
Landgarten have a fabulous range of Organic, Gluten Free and Vegan snacks that are well worth taking a peek at over at their website here and with 10% off for Vegan Kind customers, I may stock up on a few other nibbles!
Creative Nature Sublime Seed Bar 38g (RRP £1)
Whenever I try most healthy snack bars, they are usually crammed full of dates and raisins – and although I don’t mind the taste of dates, the texture really makes me screw up my face. This seed bar however contains roasted peanut, seed and hemp and is packed full of protein. Although not something I’m going to reach for as a lazy Sunday snack, definitely something I’m looking forward to trying after a hard session in the gym when I need a quick snack to pick me up. It does contain dates and sultanas but I’m crossing my fingers that I can’t actually taste or feel the texture of these so I can enjoy some healthy protein.
They have a few other interesting selections on their website here but nothing that jumps out at me.
Clearspring Miso soup on the go 8g sachet (RRP £1.29 )
I keep hearing about Miso soup and I actually had a packet in my cupboard from another box that I still hadn’t used. This was actually a replacement product as I should have received “Clearspring Sushi Nori” which unfortunately for me, looked quite interesting – a mix of Dried Sea Vegetables, probably right down my street. Alas, I received the Miso Soup and on the very same day my box arrived had decided to experiment and try the packet from my cupboard mixed with some noodles and vegetables. I made the wise decision of pouring the paste version into a jug first and adding water so I could taste it first – since I didn’t want to ruin perfectly good vegetables by throwing everything into a pan. Thankfully my wise decision paid off, since it tasted absolutely disgusting. Now I’m sure there are many people out there who really love Miso soup of all varieties, but it really isn’t for me. This little packet will be going to Gem’s partner Roode since I’ve heard he’s a bit of a fan!
If you fancy trying this out for yourself, simply visit the Clearspring website.
I’m actually really happy with this month’s box, its’ definitely opened me up to a few new brands which I’ll be going back to in the future. This is the main reason I decided to sign up to The Vegan Kind, in the hope I would have my eyes opened to some of the well hidden Vegan gems out there and I have to say, it’s doing exceptionally well so far. I’m already looking forward to my next box and definitely intrigued as to what recipes they will throw in. For some of our Vegetarian recipe posts take a look here.
If you want to try The Vegan Kind box, you can do so for just £10 per month and £2.95 p&p, simple visit their website.
Totally hellbent for soup that isn’t Miso and charities that help Guinea Pigs
– Pants
