A Review of New Things I've Tried #49: Miscellaneous Edition

If I wanted to wait to share these with you, I probably could have organized them into actual themes. But I trust I am the only one who cares about such things anyway.

1. Wegmans Organic Tart Cherry Juice

I've been managing a lot of inflammation lately. It's a long story. But in the meantime, I've been on a quest to reduce it any way I can, and tart cherry juice is one of those ways. This is not my preferred way to get tart cherry for anti-inflammatory reasons--I take tablets for that--but it is a way that my juice, when I want juice, can support my efforts! There's not a whole lot to say about this. It's tart and it tastes like cherries. But I liked it and I might get it again--it makes a delightful smoothie with pineapple chunks, which adds to the anti-inflammatory effect, supposedly. (Ask your doctor; I can't give you medical advice. I just journal through my own experiences here.)

2. Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Flakes

I almost never buy cereal, but this was on clearance and had a manufacturer's coupon. So far as cereal goes, this was pretty good! I ate it with soy milk as "part of a complete breakfast," usually with toast, veggie sausage, and hot herbal tea. If you, too, find this on clearance with a manufacturer's coupon, I would encourage you to pick it up! I just feel cereal has gotten so expensive that I almost pretend it doesn't exist, most of the time.

3. Tosi PB&J Crunchy Snack Bar

I wanted to like this. It sounded so nice! But I am sorry to tell you it did not taste like peanut butter, nor jelly. It was less "crunchy" than "hard to chew." All in all, it was unpleasant. I won't be getting this again.

4. Lesser Evil Intergalactic Onion Moonions

The world has given us vegan Funyuns! Rejoice! These Moonions are maybe a bit more airy than Funyuns, but that's the gist. If you liked Funyuns but gave them up for your vegan commitments, I think you'll really enjoy these.

5. Wegmans Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli

This was surprisingly good--the sunflower seeds add texture and staying power to these raviolis. I don't think I've had a fresh pasta that was vegan before (if I have, I do not remember). It was so nice to have a convenient option like this on a day I didn't have the "oomph" to do any heavy cooking.

6. Soom Maple Coconut Snack Bites

These tasted a lot like dates, which is okay, but kind of overpowered everything else. I found them a nice accompaniment to a bit of dark chocolate after dinner.

7. Wegmans Pita Crackers

These were fine. I wasn't blown away or anything, but they went pretty well with hummus.

8. Purely Elizabeth Dark Chocolate Blueberry Protein Granola

Although this isn't the sugar bomb that granola usually is, it has some sweetness from dark chocolate chunks and blueberries, and the protein comes from natural things, like oats, seeds, nuts, and quinoa. I can't say that I enjoyed it as much as I like more traditional granola, but I did like it, and I appreciated the extra protein. The blueberries are also remarkably soft for a dried fruit, which was great. Like the other Purely Elizabeth product I reviewed here, I only bought this because it was on clearance and I had a manufacturer's coupon, and that's likely the time you should pick it up, too. We're not made of money here.

9. Hippeas Groovy White Cheddar Chickpea Puffs

I think the fact that these don't openly advertise that they're vegan reflects the declining cache of veganism in broader society, but rest assured: They don't contain dairy, and there is a vegan symbol on the back, along with an ingredient list entirely from plants. These are amazing. I can't believe it took me so long to try them--and maybe I did try them sometime long ago and forgot, but I will definitely be having these again!

10. Emmy's Organics Soft & Chewy Vanilla Bean Coconut Cookies

These are a bit like macaroons. They're nothing remarkable, aside from being the only such product I've yet found in a store that was vegan. They were good with some dark chocolate and a cup of spice tea!