Quokka Brew Oat Milk Latte

As August comes to a close, the heat and humidity are rampant in North Carolina. It is hard to be outside for extended amounts of time during the heat of the day. Morning or late evening is best, but the humidity is still present. Being a coffee drinker, this presents a challenge for me as I adore a good cup of coffee, but also cannot drink hot coffee in the middle of a hot summer day. Luckily, the makers of Quokka Brew contacted me and asked me to try their new oat milk latte for an honest* review. Their lattes combine cold brew and oat milk with a blend of organic amino acids and nootropics eliminates the jitters, anxiety, and crash from caffeine. The creators share that Quokka Brew is also proven to improve focus, cognition, and mental clarity.

I was excited to put this product to the test. I often want a cup of coffee in early to mid-afternoon, but do not want to make a hot cup during summer days. I also tend to get a bit hyper when I have coffee later in the day. One of my coworkers used to beg me not to drink afternoon coffee because I would always get overly ambitious with our work goals. Morning coffee does not do this to me, but afternoon coffee gives me hyper energy. It does not always lead to productivity, it sometimes leads to just being hyper.

I had inquired with the company to make sure the oat milk used was gluten free and was told it was, so all lights were go for this product. I waited until afternoon to try the samples to see what happened. This product did not disappoint. It did for me what morning coffee does. I was able to focus, stay awake, and be alert. I did not feel any hyper energy and I felt focused on my work.

The coffee was sweet, which is different than how I generally drink coffee. However, I enjoyed it for a treat. With only 3 grams of sugar and 90 calories it was a decent afternoon snack. I enjoyed the flavor of the vanilla and oat milk together. I could see myself buying this for hot summer days and afternoons when the weather is cooler too. Quokka Brew currently has an indigogo campaign to buy this new flavor, but they also have a link in their shop as well. Be sure to head to both places and check it out. Happy sipping!

* Do you have a product that you would like me to review? I am happy to accept samples of your vegan product for an honest review. Please visit here to read more

Drink Wholesome PB Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder

I have tried quite a few vegan protein powders. Most of them have not gotten a second look from me because I do not like the aftertaste of stevia. I find that I only like stevia in leaf form and not in powder form. I would rather items contain sugar. When I recently was contact by Drink Wholesome to provide an honest* review their vegan protein powder, I was a bit reluctant. Once I saw that stevia was not an ingredient I agreed to give the powder a try.

One of the things that caught my eye was that it was only 6 ingredients: chickpeas, peanuts, coconut, cocoa, sea salt, and monk fruit. Protein powders are generally filled with many ingredients that are often not things we would generally put into our bodies. I eat all of these ingredients with the exception of monk fruit. It is a fruit though, so I can support that! I was also drawn to the flavor. Chocolate and peanut butter? Yes, please!

My samples arrived and I tested them unsweetened soymilk. I did not follow the directions and tried to mix the powder with a spoon instead of using a shaker bottle or blender. Note to other users: follow the directions! This powder needs the force of a shaker bottle or blender to dissolve the clumps. Once I corrected the issue, I was able to enjoy the after workout drink.

I really enjoyed the taste! It was nice not to have the overpowering aftertaste of stevia. The drink was slightly sweet and tasted like chocolaty goodness! The powder does not have a lot of other vitamins and nutrients beyond protein and fiber, but that is okay with me. Soy milk has much of the added vitamins and minerals that I am looking for in a drink.

Overall, I really like this product and would buy it as an after workout protein shake. The current price is about $25 (it is currently on sale) for 14 servings which makes it a tad more expensive than the other vegan supplements that I am able to find in stores. I compared it to a couple of other brands in pricing and it is about 30-40 cents more per serving with the sale price. Once the product returns to its original price of $28. However, I think that the whole and recognizable ingredients make this powder excel above the rest. The cost is worth it to me!

* Do you have a product that you would like us to review? We are happy to accept samples of your vegan product for an honest review. Please visit here to read more

Happy Cow Vegan CBD Supplements

In September of 2018, Veggie Product Reviews was contacted by Happy Cow to review vegan protein powder. The powder was thoroughly enjoyed, so I was delighted when I saw an email in the inbox asking me to try vegan CBD supplements for an honest review. * I happily obliged and they sent me a bottle containing 30 chewable tablets that are 25mg per dose of CBD isolate.

The bottle arrived quickly and I began taking the supplements daily. I first started in the morning and then switched to evening before bed. As mentioned in other posts, I have been having trouble sleeping and I have found CBD products to be beneficial to aiding the onset of sleep. The product is labeled vegan, gluten free, and 0% THC. It also reports that CBD has been known to help reduce pain, relieve symptoms of stress or anxiety, and promote better sleep. In order to give the this product a fair chance, I decided to take it for a month, the full supply.

The first thing I noticed is that the tablets have a pleasing flavor. They are labeled as “strawberry margarita”. There was a slight aftertaste of something a little bitter, which I expect is the CBD. It is very slight and not that noticeable. The tablets dissolve easily and left a sweet aftertaste. I noticed that with continued daily use, I was able to fall asleep quicker than normal. I found myself falling into sleep shortly after my head touched my pillow. As someone who has had trouble finding the motivation to go to bed and then the will to fall asleep, I find this to be a huge gain for me.

I am generally pain free, but sometimes find that I get lower back pain due to having a job that is mostly sitting. I exercise to try and make up for the time sitting, but still sometimes find that my back becomes aggravated. During the time taking these supplements, I did not notice any pain in my back. Nothing in my life had changed. I still maintained the same type and duration of exercise and still sat at my desk for an 8 hour workday.

Ease of falling asleep and back pain relief is enough motivation for me to want to continue taking these CBD supplements. They are currently being tested and not on the market yet, but when they are I plan to buy a few bottles to have on hand. Since they are not yet for sale, I cannot speak to the price of the products or shipping costs. I recommend that you keep an eye on Happy Cow’s online shop to find out when the product will be available for purchase.

* Do you have a product that you would like us to review? We are happy to accept samples of your vegan product for an honest review. Please visit here to read more

CBD Is Better Supplements

I was recently contacted by the creators of CBD Is Better asking for a review* of their products. The company makes several lines of 100% vegan softgels that contain CBD oil and other ingredients to help with focus, sleep and mind-body balance. The three products that I sampled were: CBD Is Better For Everyday, CBD Is Better for Focus and CBD Is Better for Sleep. I took the span of about a month to try all three separately from each other so that I could truly see the benefits.

In taking the supplements, several benefits. When I took the CBD Is Better for Sleep, I found that sleep was more readily available to me. With the weight of the world right now, I have been having trouble succumbing to sleep and finding peaceful rest. Often feeling tired in the morning. Going to bed at time that provides enough rest to wake up early in the morning has been a constant struggle. On the evenings that I took the gels designed for sleep, I found that I became tired and fell asleep faster adding to the over all hours of sleep that I got in a night.

In addition to sleep problems, my focus at work has been distracted at times during the day due to outside factors. In taking CBD Is Better for Focus, I found myself more able to concentrate on the work that I needed to get done instead of succumbing to distractions. I am not generally someone who has focus problems, but when they did arise it was helpful to have extra help in focusing. I felt a bit more alert for a longer period of the day. The afternoon drag felt lighter than usual.

The softgels were easy to swallow and the formulas fast acting. One of the samples provided, had a red color instead of the typical yellow tone that softgels generally have. The pills had a pleasant smell and I had no problem swallowing them with a sip of water. The only downside that I see to the softgels was when the pills leaked, as a couple did, they had a strong bitter flavor. Luckily, it was easily washed down with water.

Overall, my feedback for these three products is positive. I found them to add some help to my current daily struggles with life. If you are looking to add CBD to your health routine, I would recommend adding these supplements.

* Do you have a product that you would like us to review? We are happy to accept samples of your vegan product for an honest review. Please visit here to read more

Oma’s Own FUNoodles and Soup Cubes

I was recently contacted by Oma’s Own asking me to try some of their products for an honest review to be posted on our site. I gladly accepted when I learned that their products were both vegan and gluten free. The package arrived with bags of freeze dried fruit chips, vegan soup cubes and FUNoodles. The soup cubes came in three flavors: Grandma’s No Chicken, Grandma’s No Beef and Grandma’s Vegetable. The FUNoodles came in two flavors: Spicy Noodles and Grandma’s No Chicken Noodles.

It took me a little while to try everything that came in the box, but I found both of the products in this review ended up being tasty and useful. Having the soup cubes ended up saving dinner one night as I ran out of my homemade vegetable broth and was able to use the cubes in one of my favorite soup recipes. I tried the FUNoodles during my first week of work at my new job and found that it was a nice solution when I didn’t have any leftovers in fridge and had not had a chance to run to the store. The FUNoodles were filling and delicious.

Product: Oma’s Own FUNoodles and Soup Cubes

Overall Grade: A

Pros FUNoodles: 

• They are convenient and easy to use.
• Lunch was ready in five minutes.
• It is a good option on days that you need a quick lunch, but don’t have time to pack food.
• Both soups had a nice flavor.
• The spicy flavor was just spicy enough for my liking, but not too much to overpower the true flavor of the soup.
• The Grandma’s No Chicken soup had a nice mild flavor reminiscent of meat broths.
• They are gluten free.

Pros Soup Cubes:

• The bullion cubes all have a rich flavor.
• The cubes dissolved quickly in hot water, unlike other bullion cubes.
• It is nice to have a no Chicken and no broth flavor that is different than the vegetable flavor. The variety of cubes offer more options for cooking.
• A half of a cube makes a full cup of broth, so the cubes will make a good bit of broth.
• They are a convenient solution when you don’t have broth on hand.
• They are gluten free.

Cons FUNoodles: 

• The cups came with a plastic throw away fork which may add to the convenience, but it adds to the waste of this product. These forks don’t seem necessary as it is easy to bring a reusable fork along.
• I like the convenience of this product, but I generally don’t buy products like this as they generate more waste than I am comfortable with- even without the fork.
• I would have liked to see more vegetables and/or a protein in the cups like tofu or beans.

Cons Soup Cubes

• I followed the instructions for the ratio to make broth, 1/2 cup per cup of water and the broth was a bit too salty for my taste.

Oma’s Own Freeze Dried Fruit Chips

I was recently contacted by Oma’s Own asking me to try some of their products for an honest review to be posted on our site. I gladly accepted when I learned that their products were both vegan and gluten free. The package arrived with bags of freeze dried fruit chips, vegan soup cubes and FUNoodles. I quickly ripped open a package of the mango chips to give them a taste. They were crispy, sweet, a little tart and a bit salty. I am a huge fan of mango, but I do not like when mango is overly sweet (usually signifying that it is past its prime of ripeness). These chips carried the perfect amount of sweetness for me. The bit of salty was an interesting surprise on a dried fruit. It seems as though the salt brought out the mango flavor and lessened the sweetness. Liking this flavor, I ate the two serving bag (2.0 oz) in one sitting! I wanted to try the remaining bags right away, but decided to wait until another day.

The other two flavors in the package were mango & strawberry and banana & strawberry. Both bags also had the same level of salt and hint of sweetness. I enjoyed the bags as much as I had the first bag. I tried to control myself again with the contents of the two serving bags, but I failed. I ate both on different days and all at once. The plan was to save some for my kiddo to try. I plan to buy more for him to try.

Product: Oma’s Own Fruit Chips. Mango, Mango & Strawberry and Banana & Strawberry.

Overall Grade: A

Pros: 

• The chips have a great flavor. They are sweet, salty, tart, and crisp.
• They pack a nice crunch. It is like eating a fruity potato chip.
• They have only a few ingredients. All things that are familiar. Fruit, non-gmo oil, and sea salt.
• I enjoy the combinations of the bag flavors. I cannot decide which one was my favorite, but I am usually partial to mango.
• The packaging is bright and fun. Every time I saw them in my pantry, I wanted to grab for them.
• The products are easily available Amazon.com.
• Even though my son did not get a chance to try the chips, I know this is something that he would like. I would feel good about giving it to him as a snack.
• They are free of gluten and seem to be free of many other allergens because of the simple ingredients.

Cons: 

• The bag is only 2 ounces. It felt like a lot of waste considering I ate the whole bag in one serving.
• The bag is indicated as 2 servings, but it feels more like one.
• This is not a low calorie snack. It has 120 calories and 4g of fat and contains rice bran oil.

Miyoko’s Vegan Roadhouse Cheese Spread- Cheers to Cheddah

Sharp cheddar has always been my favorite flavor of cheese, vegan or not. There is something about the tang of the cheddar that keeps me coming back dipping for more. Miyokos line of Roadhouse spreads have been a welcomed addition. The Cheers to Cheddah is smooth, creamy, spreadable, and delicious. Portion control has been a serious concern with this flavor. Pretzels have been my favorite vessel for this flavor. No surprise that in the absence of pretzels, straight off the spoon has also worked.

Product: Miyoko’s  Vegan Roadhouse Cheese Spread, Cheers to Cheddah

Pros: 

• It has a rich, cheesy, and cheddar flavor.
• Miyoko’s products are all vegan and that means that they are also cholesterol free.
• They are also non-GMO, gluten free, and soy free.
• The product is versatile, it can be used as a spread, dip, or mixed into a sauce. The possibilities stretch as far as your imagination.
• Miyoko’s products are becoming more widely available in more “health” food stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, Earth Fare, and the like.
• The product is cultured and it gives it a cheesy taste that non-cultured products seem to lack.
• It has a relatively short ingredient list with items that are pronounceable and that I am familiar and comfortable with consuming.

Cons: 

• It’s likely that you will not be surprised by this con- price. The product is sold in 8 oz portions and I have only seen it for over $6 or $7. This product is cultured and therefore takes more time and resources to make, but it is still too expensive to be a staple in my home.
• It is 10g a fat for a 1 oz serving. That is a lot of fat for a small amount of food.
• It does not contain any calcium. I do not take issue with this, but those looking to switch to a vegan lifestyle might be looking for cheese substitutes to contain calcium.

 

 

 

 

Miomojo, The Ethicool Choice

I was recently introduced to Miomojo through Instagram and have been eyeing their products. They make stylish bags from recycled bottles and other ethical and eco-friendly materials.  I was able to see several bags in-person and the Urban backpack caught my eye. It has the option for hand carry and to be a backpack. It contains pockets for a laptop, drinks, and whatever else is needed to complete your day, while not being too bulky. The  style and color makes this bag gender neutral, appealing to a wide audience. It seems sturdy and feels to be a high quality bag. I see this bag lasting me for years. It is a huge upgrade from the college backpack I was carrying before.

Product: Miomojo, The Urban Backpack

Overall Grade: A

Pros: 

• Miomojo is an all vegan company.
• For every purchase, 10% goes directly to helping animals.
• Some of product their lines include R-PET, polyester that is made out of recycled plastic water bottles. This reduces their dependence on petroleum as a raw material source and reuses materials that would otherwise sit in a landfill. They are also working to replace some of their other materials to be recycled, such as the polyester they use.
• The bags are stylish and appealing. They have several lines of bags for all genders.
• They have a variety of bags for different needs: laptops, tablets, weekend bags, and more.
• Their prices are reasonable. The Urban Backpack is about $68. I expect to pay around this price for a good quality bag. Some vegan companies charge a lot more for bags to make them unattainable for many of us. This bag is worth saving up for, if you can.

 Cons: 

• This company is outside of the United States. That might negate some of the eco-friendliness of this bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Whey Fear Not Candy Bag

It is almost Halloween and that means C-A-N-D-Y! Even vegans need candy. Each year I search for vegan candy that will allow my son to participate in the fun of Halloween. This often includes a purchase from No Whey Chocolate. They sell candy online and in select retailers across the country.  Their products are vegan and free of most common allergens. This year, I was excited to see the new Fear Not Candy bags. I ordered one for us, along with a few other treats. This bag did not disappoint.

Product: Fear Not- Spook Free Treats by No Whey Chocolate

Overall Grade: A

Pros:

• Vegan milk chocolate! There are not too many companies that make, or make well, milk chocolate that is vegan.
• They have imitations of Reeses, Snickers, and Hershey’s without the cruelty. It has been a decade since I have had any of these brand names, but I think this chocolate tastes better! And I don’t feel any guilt.
• They taste delicious! I felt like I was a kid again tasting these with my son.
• They are vegan, gluten free, tree nut free, soy free, and peanut free.  They are also Kosher.
• They are small and individually wrapped like other popular candies.
• This company does a good job creating candy for each season. Halloween, Easter, Christmas, etc. They are a regular stop for me before any major holiday.

Cons:

• I can only find these online making them less environmentally friendly.
• They are $8.95 for a pack of 10, which is not bad, but when you calculate the shipping, it is much more. I also had to buy a cold pack as I was concerned that the chocolate would melt.
• They are not ideal to hand out for Halloween as they only come in packs of 10. I wish there was an option for a larger pack.

 

 

 

 

 

Love Bar

Recently, we were contacted by the owner of Love Bar to ask us to provide an honest review of their bars.* I was excited about this review as I have enjoyed their bars for years. I eagerly said yes! They sent me one of each of the flavors to try. I am a creature of habit and have usually purchased the same two flavors, so this was a real treat to get to try the third flavor. They quickly arrived and I got to work sampling. The kiddo tried them as well and was also a huge fan. I will remember this for when we are out and need a quick and healthy snack.

Product: Love Bar- Ginger Spice, Cashew Brownie, and Goji Cocao

Overall Grade: A

Pros:

• The bars are absolutely delicious! I cannot even pick a favorite between the three. They managed to use the tastiest combination of ingredients in each bar. I am a sucker for brownies, ginger, and goji berries!
• Each bar only has a handful of ingredients that work well together and are common ingredients. You won’t find anything processed or fake in these bars. They are real food. They do not contain any processed fillers or additives.
• Their nutritional content is important to me. It offers protein, fiber, healthy fat, and iron.
• They are certified vegan and gluten free!
• They are organic!
• They are made in North Carolina. I live in NC, so I can feel confident in supporting a local, vegan business.
• I can easily find these bars locally. Do not worry if you are not located in North Carolina, you can check out their store locator and online shop.
• They have free shipping, if you buy online. That is a great deal!

Cons:

• They are about $3.49 a bar, online. That is a bit on the pricey side, but they are worth it because of the pure, unprocessed ingredients.

*Please note that we are happy to try vegan products for an honest review. If you are interested, please contact us.