Vegan Chocolate: Raisins, M&M's and Gummi Bears

Every year, I get ready for Vegan MoFo by buying a ton of stuff ahead of time. That way, I have some time to review everything, take pictures and of course, eat! I try to buy things I haven't eaten before, because it keeps things fresh and interesting. These three chocolate treats have been on my radar for awhile, but MoFo gave me a little incentive to buy them all. 

Vegan Chocovered Raisins from Fabulous Freefrom Factory. Talk about the holy grail! I can't tell you the last time I've had chocolate raisins, but they are as delicious as you remember. Soft, melt in your mouth chocolate, coating plump raisins. Why didn't I buy two packages? 

Holy Cow Vegan Dark Chocolate Beans. Miss M&M's? Well here you go! They're not as soft as M&M, but that's a minor complaint. I ate these like there was no tomorrow. Now I await the day when I can buy Vegan Reese's Pieces so I can do my E.T. impression.

Organic Chocolate Covered Gummi Bears from Chocolate Decadence. I had no idea that chocolate covered gummi bears was a "thing." I figured it was just Vegans being crazy. But no, chocolate covered gummi bears are the rage, and thankfully we are not left out. These were great! My only complaint was that the gummi bears were stuck together and I has to break them out of the chocolate. But hey, we live in a world with Vegan gummi bears covered in chocolate, and it's great!

Nature's Path Organic Corn Flakes

It seems the older I get, the more conservative I get...with my cereal. Don't get me wrong, If someone finally came up with a crazy Vegan marshmallow cereal (a la Lucky Charms) I'd be the first in line. But for the most part, I've been avoiding super sweet cereals. Enter Nature's Path Organic Fruit Juice Sweetened Corn Flakes. A great basic cereal that is lightly sweetened and has uncomplicated ingredients. Corn meal and/or yellow corn flour, grape and/or pear juice concentrate, sea salt. That's it. All while being Organic and Gluten Free.  

The cereal by itself does have a slight sweetness, but nothing that's going to blow you away and make you say "this was sweetened by a pear!" I tried the cereal by itself with unsweetened almond milk and it was tatsy. If you like a bit more sweetness, try some banana or strawberries to liven things up. Either way, it's a great way to start your morning!

So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk

No bones about it, So Delicious is one of my favorite brands. From ice cream, to yogurts and almond milk, So Delicious lives up to their brand name. They recently asked if I was interested in trying their new Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk. Uhh, yeah!!! It's totally the perfect time of year to be drinking this stuff. I wasn't in the Halloween mood till I had a swig of the Pumpkin Spice. Now I'm decorating the house and everything!

In fact, ghosts will be fighting off other ghosts just to get a sip of the new Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk! My first impression was that I was drinking pumpkin pie, no lie. A spicy pumpkin pie that was pureed with coconut milk and put in a carton. Decadent liquid dessert! Unless you absolutely hate pumpkin, you're going to want to buy it by the case. 

So Delicious also sent their other holiday Coconut Milks: Nog and Mint Chocolate! I reviewed them last year and I LOVE them. So if for some reason you don't like pumpkin, Nog or Mint Chocolate will be right up your alley. Thanks again to So Delicious for making the lives of Vegans so very delicious!

Vega Cocoa Kissed Savi Seeds

You know that Vega makes some of the most kick-ass supplements out there, but how about snacks? I was a little surprised to see these Cocoa Kissed Savi Seeds, because to me, they look like dessert! And they are, but after learning what Savi Seeds are and the health benefits, I can see why Vega makes them. Savi Seeds are rich in protein, omega 3's, tryptophan and fiber. So you get have your cake and eat it to, so to speak. I know, I know, you wonder if they taste good...

Hell yeah, they taste good! The chocolate is rich and the Savi Seeds are tasty, kind of like an almond. If you need a post work-out replenishment, these are some monsters. Now are they chocolate candy? Not exactly, but you will be more than satisfied nutritionally and it will most definitely cure your sweet tooth. If you are not a chocolate fiend, they also have Natural and Caramelized flavors. Hats off to Vega again for another innovative product that creates it's own niche. Can't wait to see what they come up with next!

Fair Trade Month!

October is Fair Trade Month and I'm happy to be reviewing a ton of socially responsible products. Katie from Fair Trade USA went out her way to send me some of the best Fair Trade products that are also Vegan. For those of you who aren't familiar with concept of Fair Trade, it's basically a movement to alleviate poverty in developing nations, while ensuring consumers quality products that improve lives and protect the environment. So when you see a product with the Fair Trade Logo, you can be assured that the product is a good one!  

Kopali Organic Chocolate Covered Banana. These are nom city! I ate the whole package right away. Well, after I took the picture anyway. They are little banana bits, which are easier to eat when compare to large banana slices. They taste wonderful and I hope to see them in the store soon!

Alter Ego Dark Quinoa Dark Chocolate. Who knew? Quinoa and chocolate are AMAZING! The quinoa gives the chocolate the perfect crispness. Sort of like a Crunch bar, but totally Fair Trade chocolate. Buy it ASAP.

Madhava Organic Raw Agave Nectar. Agave is a great sweetener that is usually on the counter at my house. I personally don't use it, but my coffee/tea drinking girlfriend swears by it.   

Sweet Riot Chocolate Kickin' Coconut Bar. Another amazing Organic chocolate bar, but this time it's got coconut! Oodles of sweet delicious coconut covered in dark chocolate. Another ASAP buy! 

Rishi Organic Pu-Ern Ginger Tea. A spicy, potent, gingery tea. Great for Sunday morning breakfast!

Honest Tea Black Forest Tea. A delightfully berry tinged non-caffeinated iced tea. Great when you don't want anything overpowering sweet.

And if that wasn't enough, Coconut Bliss was kind enough to include a free coupon for giveaway! (**Updated 10/16** Fair Trade USA will also send you an above product of your choice plus a Fair Trade Tote Bag!) All you have to do is comment down below which of these products you are most excited to try. I will randomly pick a winner, Wednesday at 4pm CST. Also, look for a Vegan MoFo Fair Trade giveaway soon! Thank you to Fair Trade USA for promoting these wonderful products. Remember to look for the Fair Trade label!

Upton's Naturals Vegan Chipotle Wrap

Earlier this year, my local Whole Foods in Omaha got a whole lot cooler by carrying Upton's Naturals Wraps and Sandwiches. It's great to have to-go Vegan food for lunches, make-shift picnics or even a snack before you shop (don't go grocery shopping when you are hungry, take my word for it!) My favorite wrap varies, right now it's the Chipotle. Other wrap flavors are Chicken Bacon Ranch and Sesame. The sandwich choices are BBQ Slaw and Focaccia Sandwich.

As you can see, Upton's is generous with their seitan! A Chipotle Wrap is pretty filling, with 22 grams of protein per wrap. That's what I call a power lunch. Flavor wise, the Chipotle sauce has a little kick but it's nothing you can't handle. Now for the bad news... it looks like the wraps are only available in Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. So what this means is that you need to come visit the Midwest and see how we get down!

GoodBelly Probiotic Juice Drinks

GoodBelly is one of those products that's been on my radar for awhile, but I just never felt it was something I would need or enjoy. That all changed sometime last year, when I was at an outdoor market in Boulder, Colorado. One of the vendors was GoodBelly, and they were handing out free samples. Normally I'm not one to rush for a sample, but I really wanted to try it because I didn't see myself buying GoodBelly any time soon. I drank my little sample and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure what I expected but it tasted like smooth fruit juice, pretty delicious! Ever since then, I wanted to try more of their products so I could blog about them.  

GoodBelly + Strawberry Flavor Probiotic Juice Drink. I didn't realize it when I bought this, but GoodBelly+ (plus) is fortified with vitamins (hence the plus). Which I guess make sense considering it's a tiny shot. I enjoyed the strawberry flavor, fruity and smooth. It goes down real easy, so you might not notice you are drinking a probiotic/vitamin drink. A great breakfast supplement. Love the smiley face packaging too! 

GoodBelly Cranberry Watermelon Flavor Probiotic Juice Drink. This is the straight up GoodBelly, no extra vitamins. Same thing, great juice flavor. I enjoyed the sweet and tart mixture on this one. This is a great all day beverage. I'm no expert on probiotics, but from what I know, they're supposed to help your digestive systems along. Check out the science on probiotics and even if you have no interest in the benefits, I think GoodBelly is a great Vegan beverage that everyone can enjoy!