Food

Wiley Wallaby Licorice Review

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G’day, Mates!  Misty here, bringing you a fruity licorice review from the land down under!

If you are a licorice lover like I am – this is the review for you.  As you can see by my photo, I was not even able to contain my excitement when Wiley Wallaby sent me their fruit licorice and was unable to get a picture of them before my husband and I opened every single flavor.

Let me be honest, I can’t get enough of this licorice.  I love all the flavors I was sent, but my favorite is the Huckleberry and the Green Apple flavors.

What I also love about Wiley Wallaby is they also offer an Organic Line.  The pieces are smaller and they do come in smaller bags, however the flavor is still amazing and just as good, if not better, than their original licorice flavors.  My favorite out of the flavors I was sent is the Tropical Bites.

They also offer black licorice for those of you who are black licorice lovers, but I will leave those for those who are fans of black licorice.

If you would like to learn more about Wiley Wallaby and perhaps purchase and/or find Wiley Wallaby near you, please check out their website as well as their FaceBook page.

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day With eCreamery Ice Cream

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Whether is be a special occasion such as a friend or coworkers Birthday, your Anniversary or your just an ice cream lover like me, eCreamery is a fantastic resource for ordering delicious pints of deliciously flavored ice creams with a personalized twist! Add your own photos, messages or even completely personalize your treats, by creating your own custom flavors of ice cream, gelato ( which I’m dying to try! )  and sorbet! 

eCreamery ever so graciously sent over 8 pints of ice cream  ( they are also available in 4 pint packs )  in various St. Partick’s Day themed containers with cleverly renamed ice creams to really get me in the St. Partick’s Day Spirit! They were all incredibly charming, creatively named and absolutely delicious!

I was sent : Brownie Batter Ice Cream with brownie batter swirl and brownie bites, Chocolate Cake Ice Cream with with brownie bites and fudge swirls, Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cups and Fudge swirls, Coffee Toffee Ice Cream with chocolate chunks,  Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Oreo cookie pieces, Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream with brownie bites and Mint Ice Cream with cookie crunch and fudge swirls!

I am super duper impressed with eCreamery and definitely recommend checking them our for any of your special occasion needs or even just an ice cream craving emergency! You will surely not be disappointed!

You can check out their website here as well as their Facebook here!

Take Out Puffs Review

- Mysterious Ramblings 2 Comments

Okay, so in a previous review, I introduced you to Outstanding Foods and a product called Pig Out Pigless Pork Rinds.  (Which, by the way, are amazing.)  Now, it’s time for me to introduce you to another brainchild of Outstanding Foods called Take Out.  Take Out is labeled as a “meal in a bag puff snacks”.  And they are just that.  Take Out is a line of entirely plant based puffed snacks that are as nutritious as they are delicious.  (Think Cheese Puffs without the Cheese.)

If you’re like me and have a hard time stopping at one serving (which generally turns to two servings and then ends up being the entire bag) then Take Out is for you.  Each bag boasts so much protein and nutrition, you can eat it as a meal, and not feel guilty.  With only 400 calories, each bag contains 21g of protein and 30% or more of your daily recommended iron, calcium, vitamins B12, D, E.  In addition to being a nutrient dense food, Take Out is free of 8 of the most common allergens:  milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.

Take Out was chef-crafted by Dave Anderson, who also brought you the Beyond Burger – so he knows a thing or two about plant-based foods.  Take Out is gluten free, vegan, soy free, and certified Kosher, so they appeal to a wide variety of diets.  They come in four flavors that will appeal to any palate.  Thus far, I have tried the White Chedda and the Pizza Partay, and both flavors were amazing!!  They also come in Hella Hot and Chill Ranch, so there is literally something for everyone.

It’s so easy to find yourself staring at the bottom of an empty bag before you even realize it.  But with Take Out, that’s perfectly okay!  This guilt-free meal replacement is my go-to from here on out!!

Enoy, y’all!

Ketonia Foods Review

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Changing the way you eat is one of the hardest things in life.  It gets especially hard when you have grown up with certain foods like bread being a staple in your diet.  But studies have shown that too many carbs – especially those found in bread – can be very bad for your blood sugar.  Carbs and sugar both are also linked to weight gain, which tends to be harder to lose the older you get.

With the recent surge in people adopting the Ketogenic lifestyle, finding a decent bread substitute is nearly impossible.  In order to remove the carbs, you are limited as to what ingredients you can use.  As a result, everything is either dry and crumbly or tastes much like the packaging it comes in.  Facing the daunting task of creating something that is not only good, but good for you, Ketonia has stepped up to the plate and managed to do the impossible with their Keto bread mix!

Ketonia was founded by Geri Terry, a French Pastry chef by trade, and her son John.  Geri adopted the Ketogenic way of eating after many conversations with John about the science behind the Keto movement and what had led to his personal success with the eating plan.  Keto was about as far away from the French way of cooking as you could get, so a lot of trial and error went into perfecting their recipes.  Through persistence, Geri and John have come up with a bread mix that is out of this world.

Ketonia’s bread mix boasts ZERO grams of net carbs per serving while also delivering a whopping 13 grams of protein.  And the finished product, which does take some time to achieve, is spectacular.  The bread is moist and springy without being too dense.  And the taste is almost identical to that of a regular bakery-bought bread.  Ketonia’s bread mix allows those who are on the Ketogenic eating plan to be able to enjoy simple things like sandwiches while still avoiding carbs.

A short visit to Ketonia’s website brought me to a plethora of recipes that can be made using their bread mix.  I found not only a recipe for Keto croissants (one of the fixtures of French bakeries), but also Keto cinnamon rolls with icing.  I appreciate that Ketonia freely gives its customers access to amazing recipes like these.  I personally can’t wait to try the croissants!!

In addition to the bread mix, Ketonia also offers a pre-made Coconut Macaroon that is just amazing!  With only 1 gram of net carbs per serving, these little bites of heaven will satisfy even the most ravenous sweet tooth.

I am so thankful to have been introduced to Ketonia and look forward to trying some of their recipes.  I may need to order some more mix…

Enjoy, y’all!

Pig Out Rinds Review

- Mysterious Ramblings 1 Comment

As someone who has struggled with my weight my entire life, my vice has always been salty snacks.  You can keep the chocolate – give me the potato chips, pork rinds, popcorn, french fries and beef jerky any day!  Let’s be real – a road trip isn’t really a road trip until you’ve stopped at the gas station and picked up a bag of BBQ flavored, fried pig skins to keep you company.

But as I’ve gotten older and found myself in charge of three rambunctious children, I’m learning that I can’t quite eat like I used to.  My body can’t handle certain foods – including beef/pork products and dairy – as well as I once did.  They trigger inflammatory reactions that cause me to swell, retain fluid, and develop pain in my legs.  But OH how I love them!  So, how exactly do you balance the want for your comfort foods with the reality that you really shouldn’t eat them anymore?

This is why I’m so glad I came across Outstanding Foods.  They have developed a line of plant-based pigless pork rinds called Pig Out.  One serving of Original Pig Out Pigless Pork Rinds contains only 6 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein.  And if you’re like me and can’t stop at one serving, the entire bag only has 21 grams of fat, while boasting a whopping 25 grams of protein and a reasonable 460 calories.  Pig Out Pigless Pork Rinds come in a variety of flavors, so they have something for every taste.  They offer original, Nacho Cheese, Texas BBQ (my fave!), Salt &

Vinegar, and Hella Hot.  And with the first ingredient being rice, these pigless pork rings are not only gluten free, they are also vegan, soy free, and certified kosher.  Being vegan means that these pigless pork rinds are also dairy free.  And since dairy is one of my big inflammatory triggers, it is the food group I try the hardest to stay away from.

Sometimes, snacking is unavoidable.  Especially when you’re a working parent on the go.  But Pig Out by Outstanding Foods makes you feel a little less guilty about snacking.  I love the convenience of individual bags – this gives me the freedom to throw one in my tote at the beginning of my day as I’m wrestling three kids out the door.  I am less likely to run through a drive-thru and grab an order of fries if I have a plant-based alternative with me.

Trying to eat healthier isn’t always easy – especially if you’re trying to eat a vegan diet.  But foods like Pig Out Pigless Pork Rinds offer you a peace of mind of knowing that even in the thousand little moments of chaos that make up every day, you can still keep your health and body in mind – even if your mind is going every which way at once.  It’s all about finding a balance in this crazy world!

Enjoy, y’all!

Soul Shaxe Review

- Mysterious Ramblings 1 Comment

Soul Shaxe Review

PSA:  Whey Protein and Pea Protein are two completely different beasts.  So if you think you can seamlessly make the jump from one to the other, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.  One is not an exact substitution for the other in taste or texture.  They are both great sources of protein, but they are by no means the same, so keep that in mind, especially if you’re transitioning from whey protein to pea protein like I did.

Now that that’s out of the way, I am super excited about the opportunity I had to try Soul Shaxe.  To give you an idea of why this product was one that was very personal to review, you need to know a little bit about my history.

In late 2020, after many years of being told that I just carried my weight in my lower half, I finally received a primary diagnosis of Lymphedema, with a secondary diagnosis of Lipedema.  In a nutshell, Lymphedema is a swelling of the lower extremities that is the result of a sluggish lymphatic system.  My fat legs, as it turns out, weren’t just fat.  They were full of lymphatic fluid that just wasn’t draining properly.  I was almost 40 years old, and every failed diet finally made sense.  I remember being my smallest at 174 pounds and looking like a skeleton from the waist up.  My bottom half, however, was something worthy of a 90s Sir Mix-a-Lot music video. Read more

Beyond The Equator Review

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Even as a fully grown adult with three small children, I still love a good PB&J sandwich every now and then.  But as I get older, I realize that some of the “comfort foods” that we have come to know and love aren’t necessarily the best for our bodies.  While peanut butter has an abundance of “good fats”, it also has the potential to have a lot of sugar, which is not good for you.

But looking beyond the nutritional benefits and potential pitfalls, peanuts are one of the top 5 allergens in the US.  As such, most schools have asked children to refrain from packing peanut-containing foods in their lunches.

So how do you appease that picky child while still taking the health and well being of others into consideration?

Beyond the Equator has developed an AMAZING line of 5 seed butters that are out of this world!!  I was skeptical at first, but after the first bite, I was hooked!!  These 5 seed butters are made from a combination of sunflower, pumpkin, chia, flax and hemp seeds.

The first one I tried was the crunchy 5-Seed butter.  Beyond the Equator’s 5 Seed Butters are free of the 8 most common allergens, including peanuts and tree nuts.  This variety contains only the 5 seeds listed above and brown cain sugar.  There are no oil fillers that are commonly found in peanut butters.  And the taste is like nothing I’ve ever tasted before!!  Beyond the Equator’s 5 Seed Butter is so flavorful without being overly sugary.  The texture of the crunchy variety was perfect – I actually found whole sunflower seeds in some bites.  I could have literally stood in my kitchen and consumed the entire jar with a spoon.  It has a buttery flavor that really made me feel like I was doing something wrong.

Beyond the Equator’s 5 Seed Butters are high in mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.  One serving of the crunchy variety has 8 grams of protein and less than one gram of added sugar.  Chia and flax seeds both are high in Omega-3 fatty acids and are great sources of fiber.  Hemp seeds are full of both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids making them a great compliment to the other seeds in this blend.

These seed butters are the best compromise for those seeking the convenience of PB&J while also avoiding potentially deadly allergens like peanuts.

After trying this brand of seed butters, I can honestly say I will never go back to traditional peanut butter again!!

Enjoy, y’all!!

Primal Spirit Foods Review

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One of the things I missed most about switching to mostly plant-based lifestyle was the beef steak snacks.  There is nothing quite like taking a road trip and snacking on a bag of black pepper/teriyaki flavored dried meat.  But red meat is high in saturated fat, which can trigger inflammation in the body.  In order to reduce my body’s inflammatory reactions, I had to say, “Sayonara,’” to one of my favorite foods.

In my quest to transition to plant-based eating, I have learned that texture is just as important as flavor.  You can closely replicate certain tastes.  In some instances, you may be able to find something that doesn’t taste JUST like the original, but is an acceptable substitution.  But let’s be real for a minute.  It doesn’t matter how good something tastes if the texture is akin to eating a can of child’s play dough.  Thanks, but no thanks – I’ll sit this one out.

Beef steak snacks are one of those foods that has a unique texture which is hard to replicate.  So when I heard about Primal Strips from Primal Spirit Foods, I was skeptical.  I wondered how a company would be able to create something that is healthy, delicious, and doesn’t have the texture of shoe leather.

Read more

Parma Vegan Cheese Review

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To say I love cheese is an understatement.  I L-O-V-E cheese.  But after being diagnosed with an inflammatory medical condition in late 2020, I have had to come to the sad realization that cheese does not love me.  I have learned in the past few months that dairy products – along with several other food groups – cause me more harm than good.  In the best interest of my health, my only option was to send dairy packing.  It’s not you, it’s me.

As someone who could literally eat half a pound of cheese without batting an eye, this has been the hardest breakup of my life.  And I’ve been through a divorce.  But in order to be the best version of myself for my children, I have to do what’s best for my health.

In the beginning, I thought that giving up dairy meant I had to give up all of the things I loved to eat.  But the further I got into my journey, and the better I felt, and the easier it was for me to distance myself from the things that had been silently poisoning me for so long.  As I began to settle into my new dairy-free lifestyle, I began to explore alternatives for some of the foods I just MISSED.  Then, I was brought on to Mysterious Ramblings as a new blogger, and I was introduced to Parma!  And I can very truly say that this product has been a GAME CHANGER! Read more

No Whey Heart Truffle Box Review

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Nothing says “Be My Valentine” better than a box of gourmet chocolates wrapped up in pretty paper and tied with a big red bow. Unless you’re like me and have food allergies and sensitivities. Then, all it says is, “I wish you all the pain and bloating these bad boys could possibly inflict on you.” Romantic, isn’t it?

Having food allergies and sensitivities doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the little things in life. No Whey! has done the seemingly impossible with their line of dairy free/vegan chocolates. I’ll admit – I was skeptical. But after one bite of their raspberry truffle, I was hooked. No Whey! has managed to shove all the joy of gourmet chocolates into a tiny package that offers all of the flavor with zero regret. Their Signature Truffle Box has something for everyone – from coffee, to caramel, to raspberry, to “milk” chocolate. One piece is enough to satisfy even the most voracious sweet tooth and leave you in a harmonious, blissful state of being.

No Whey! truffles and chocolates are free from the 8 most common allergens including (but not limited to) gluten, soy, dairy, eggs and peanuts/tree nuts. The absence of these allergens gives those of us with food sensitivities the opportunity to safely indulge in one of the greatest foods mankind has ever known. Because is living a life without the ability to eat chocolate really living your best life? Whether you’re vegan by conscience, by choice or by medical necessity, No Whey has you covered this Valentine’s Day and every special occasion beyond. It’s the perfect way to tell that someone in your life, “I Love You,” as opposed to, “I hope you think fondly of me while you eat these and suffer…” Who says romance is dead?

Enjoy, y’all!!