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Oatly [Review]
Here’s a nondairy company that I’m totally loving!
I first heard of Oatly in January 2016, when I received an email about the “up-and-coming” brand. I browsed their site, impressed by their offerings (a nondairy creme fraiche?!) and their ethics. Oh, and not to mention the design of their site itself. As a lover of aesthetics and good writing, I adore the playfulness of their site. Again, go back to the creme fraiche link and see what I’m talking about.
In the past few months, I’ve started seeing their products (just milk so far) popping up in grocery stores around NYC. Then, just a couple weeks ago, my favorite coffee shop ditched their soy milk and started using Oatly instead. ? NO SOY?! (more…)
Nairn’s Gluten-Free Snacks [Review]
Hello again!
Today I’m sharing with you a gluten-free snack brand called Nairn’s. This Scottish oat-loving company describes its products as a “versatile range of oatcakes, oat biscuits, oaty bakes and gluten free products which do not contain any artificial colourings, flavours or preservatives.” Of COURSE a snack brand dedicated to oats comes from Scotland. Where else? 🙂
In addition to being gluten-free, many of the products are also vegan, so I was able to try them myself!
My favorite thing about these treats is how they are NOT excessively sweet (compared to most American snacks). When I took a bite of the graham crackers, for example, I didn’t get a hit of cloying sweetness or flavors that many American crackers or cookies have.
Cheater Funfetti Baked Oatmeal [Product Review: You Fresh Naturals]
Funfetti baked oatmeal with four ingredients + salt?? Yeah, you read that correctly. Four ingredients. Do you know how rare it is to have a baked oatmeal meet the sole criterion for the “5 ingredients or less” tag? Very. Very rare.
This rarity is made possible through the use of a nut butter. I made this recipe with You Fresh Naturals “Birthday Cake” Cashew-Coconut Butter. Because the nut butter is already sweetened and flavored to the max, it lends itself quite easily to a “5 ingredients or less” recipe. It pretty much does all the work.
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POSTED IN: 5 ingredients or less, baked oatmeal, coconut, dessert lovers, nut butter, nuts, review
POSTED IN: 5 ingredients or less, baked oatmeal, coconut, dessert lovers, nut butter, nuts, review
Product Review: Grainful Savory Oatmeal
For those of you who love savory oatmeal, I have an amazing product for you to try. And for those of you who don’t think you like savory oatmeal, I have an amazing product to change your mind. And for those of you who are afraid to try savory oatmeal, I have an amazing product to help you face your fears.
Grainful approached me to review their products–savory oatmeal packets and frozen meal kits–and I was immediately intrigued. It’s the first time I’ve seen packaged savory oats, and there was a ton of vegan options. Plus, the flavor options were enticing–Italian and Indian and Southern and more! (more…)
Product Review: PB2 with Fruit!
Hey oatmeal lovers! I’m very excited to introduce you to this sparkling new product by Bell Plantation: PB2 with Fruit! Playing off the concept of PB&J, this product comes in flavors of grape, strawberry, and banana. The result is a sweet and fun peanut butter with the ease and creaminess of the original PB2 product.
My favorite flavor was PB2 with Grape, which is not surprising since I prefer my PB&J with grape jelly. I thought this version had the most pleasing taste, and it tasted almost like I was eating actual PB&J, not just grape mixed into peanut butter, if that makes sense. (more…)
Strawberry Oat Crumble Bars + Oh She Glows Every Day Cookbook Review
Last month, I completed a self-imposed challenge in which I tried 20 recipes from the original Oh She Glows cookbook. Coincidentally, I’m back today for the virtual cookbook tour of Oh She Glows Every Day, Angela’s second cookbook.
Like the original, this follow-up book seeks to wow plant-based and omni eaters alike with wholesome and hearty meals. Angela’s ability to create soul-enriching and nourishing meals never ceases to amaze me, always bursting with invigorating fresh flavors. If you’re stuck in a frozen veggie burger stage, Oh She Glows Every Day has several enticing recipes that may convince you to swap your ketchup and frozen fries with some green onion and roasted chickpeas. I can’t wait to try The Best Shredded Kale Salad, Mocha Empower Glo Bars, Roasted Breakfast Hash, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Coconut “Bacon,” and the Sweet Potato Casserole. And that’s just the beginning!
Weekend Musings: OSG Cookbook Part II
I am completing a challenge using the Oh She Glows cookbook (the first one). For this challenge, I am preparing 20 recipes from the book in one month’s time. To read Part I of this challenge and see the first ten recipes, click here.
Recipe 11: Immunity-Boosting Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms
I had a ton of baby bellas leftover from the Easy Mushroom Gravy, and they were screaming to be used ASAP. Considering I already had many of the remaining ingredients for this sauce in my fridge, cupboard, and spice rack, this seemed like the perfect recipe.
I used to make my own marinara sauce on the regular, so this reminded me of my hardcore #FoodRevolution days, before I calmed the heck down. I was anxious about having actual chunks of tomato in this sauce (as opposed to pureeing them), but the sauce is well-flavored and the tomato soaked it all up nicely.
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Review: MyCerealMix
I’ve seen many of my readers posting MyCerealMix shots on Instagram, so I was over-the-moon excited when the company gave me the opportunity to try it for myself.
MyCerealMix is a company that allows you to create your own cereal creations using a variety of healthy and fun mix-ins, like freeze-dried fruit, cacao nibs, chia seeds, nuts, and more. You can personalize the base (you can stick to oats or you can go for different grains–even rice crisps!), choose whatever mix-ins you want for no extra cost (it’s a flat-rate bag of deliciousness for $9.99, even if you add five servings of cacao nibs!), and have full control over whether any sweeteners (xylitol and bee pollen) or powders (protein and wheat grass) are added.
For my bag, I went with:
- Oats, because I’m classic
- Chia seeds, because they make my tummy feel good
- Goji berries, because I’ve honestly never had one before (!!)
- Freeze-dried strawberries, mangos, and raspberries, because NUMMY
- Cacao nibs, because chocolate makes everything better
- Coconut, because coconut makes everything better
Product Review: Matcha Marketplace Oatmeal
I’m really excited to share this new product I had the opportunity to try this week. Considering my slow acceptance of matcha, I was eager to try out these premade oatmeal packets by Matcha Marketplace. My variety pack featured Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry Coconut, and Cranberry Walnut–all with matcha!
How cute is this packaging? I love the clear packets and the intricate layering of all the ingredients. Charming! Speaking of ingredients, when you order the packets online, you can choose either “brown sugar added” or “no sugar added,” giving you an extra layer of control over your purchase. That being said, the product I sampled included brown sugar and I found it to be a very subtle sweetness, so I say go for the sugar! And yes, the oats they use are certified gluten-free.
Blueberry Coconut Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Dried Blueberries, Coconut, Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: This one is my favorite. I think coconut and matcha are meant to be together, so this flavor combo was destined to be my favorite of the three. I thought that the blueberry and coconut flavors enhanced the matcha best out of the three flavors. I topped mine with Earth Balance coconut-peanut spread and loved the combo. I think the richness of coconut makes this not need much sweetness at all.
Cranberry Walnut Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Cranberries, Walnuts, Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: I wasn’t expecting much from this since I have never considered a dried cranberry capable of giving off much flavor, but I was wrong. It tasted like cranberries! And not like they had added fake cranberry flavor–it tasted like it was infused gently by the dried cranberries. That being said, this one wasn’t quite as fruity and flavorful as the blueberry and coconut one, and matcha flavor didn’t come through as much, either. This cranberry and walnut version is great with some maple syrup drizzled on top, or maybe some luscious walnut butter!
Apple Cinnamon Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Dried Apples, Cinnamon Chips (contains dairy), Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: Full disclosure–I couldn’t review this authentically because the cinnamon chips contain nonfat milk powder. However, the packets are dry and easy to pick apart, so I literally just took out all the cinnamon chips and replaced them with a dash of regular cinnamon. I was surprised at the idea of combining cinnamon with matcha, but it actually worked! The cinnamon admittedly masked the matcha, but they didn’t conflict. The dried apples also flavored the oatmeal more than the dried cranberries. For those of you who say you don’t like dried apples, they lose that creepy “squeaky” texture when you cook them and feel like regular apples. This one didn’t need any more sweetener. I topped it with almond butter.
Tips from The Oatmeal Artist:
- We all know that packaged oatmeal is always smaller in volume that homemade oatmeal. You can plump it up with grated zucchini without altering the fabulous flavor of the product (this is what I did)! You could also add applesauce or grated apple to the Apple Cinnamon Matcha Oatmeal.
- It’s easy to add fresh fruit to these products. For example, if you have fresh blueberries, why not throw them on top of your Blueberry Coconut Matcha Oatmeal?
- This would make a great way to introduce yourself to matcha and matcha oatmeal, as opposed to dropping $20 on entire tub of matcha powder before you even know if you like it! Plus, the matcha in these recipes is very subtle, so it’s much less intimidating than ordering a matcha latte. 🙂
- You could probably make this as an overnight oatmeal, but you would want to pick out the nuts and add them right before serving. Letting walnuts soak in liquid overnight gives them a sad and gritty texture, not the satisfying crunch we expect.
- This oatmeal would be delicious flooded with steamed milk! See my London Fog Oatmeal for an example.
Lemon Berry Rosemary Oatmeal + Product Review: BetterOats
It has been a while since I put out a lemon recipe. Then I saw this recipe for Lemon Rosemary Shortbread cookies, and considering my recent love for rosemary, I knew this needed to happen.
Lemon pairs well with almost any herb. I’ve already paired it with thyme, but rosemary is my jam right now. This recipe uses the hidden banana trick, and it was adapted closely from my Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal, so if you’re (inexplicably) not into rosemary, you can always just make it sans herb. (more…)
