For many of us, the most difficult aspect of eating healthy is snack time. Sometimes we just want something sweet or salty! While a bag of greasy potato chips or a box of sticky candy is often easy to grab for a quick snack, having healthier snacks on hand can prevent us from consuming foods that are bad for us out of convenience.
Sometimes it seems hard to keep healthy snacks on hand, but it doesn’t have to be. The snackologists at Healthy Surprise make it fun and easy to eat healthy snacks by delivering customers a box every month filled with full-size snacks that are delicious, gluten free, soy free, corn free, wheat free, vegan, and natural.
Healthy Surprise offers many different options including the Classic Box, the Big Box, and the Paleo Box. All boxes can be purchased for yourself in monthly, every other month, or quarterly subscriptions, or they can be sent as gifts. There’s also a Chocolate Box that can be sent as a gift (photos below). I really like the idea of the gift boxes. Instead of sending a loved one a box of chocolates made from chemical ingredients and refined sugars, I could send them a box of healthy treats that they could eat throughout the month. The company ships worldwide, so you can order a box wherever you live or even send a gift to a friend on the other side of the world. You can get $10 off your first month by using the code HSBAF10. You will also receive a free $25 gift card in the first box of every new subscription and gift. Boxes also include brochures with recipes and health facts.
I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to try the February 2015 Healthy Surprise Classic Box*. As you can see from the photo above, I received a lot of healthy snacks this month. Read on to learn more about what I received and to have the chance to enter a GIVEAWAY to win your own Healthy Surprise Classic Box.
The first few items are for those snack cravings that demand something crunchy and salty. As a bonus, they all contain one gram or less of sugar per serving.
1. Beanitos Hot Chili Lime Puffs - These bean puffs are free of corn, trans fats, preservatives, gluten, MSG, and cholesterol. They are kosher, vegan, low glycemic, and high in fibre. One bag is only 80 calories. This is the perfect snack to replace unhealthy cheese puffs. They’re very crunchy and have a lot of flavour.
2. Sensible Portions Sea Salt Garden Veggie Chips - These chips contain 30% less fat than regular potato chips and are free of artificial colours and flavours, preservatives, trans fat, and cholesterol. They are non-GMO, kosher, and vegan. One bag of these crunchy chips is only 130 calories. Unlike potato chips, these veggie chips are very light and non-greasy. I had them as an afternoon snack along with a banana.
3 and 4. Laiki Black Rice Crackers and Red Rice Crackers - These crackers contain only three ingredients: rice, sustainably farmed palm oil, and sea salt. As a result, they are naturally gluten-free, vegan, and allergen friendly. One bag contains only 100 calories. I ate mine with a bowl of soup and sliced vegetables for lunch. Despite containing only a few ingredients, they are very flavourful.
5. Beanfields Salt N’ Pepper Bean & Rice Chips - These chips, made from black and navy beans and long grain rice, contain 29% less fat and twice the fibre and protein as most tortilla chips. The are free of GMOs, gluten, corn, peanuts, seeds and dairy. For 1 oz of chips there’s only 140 calories. These chips are flavourful and delicious with homemade salsa.
These next few items are perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth while avoiding refined sugar.
6. Freeze Dried Strawberry Banana Crunchies - The only ingredients in this snack are strawberries and bananas. These’s no preservatives, gluten, GMOs, or added sugar. There’s one fruit serving per pack and only 35 calories. As someone who loves fruit, I really enjoyed this snack. It’s much easier to carry in your purse than a banana and a handful of strawberries.
7. Sea’s Gift Sweet Seaweed Snack - These seaweed snacks are rich in vitamins and minerals, vegan, gluten free, and low in calories (35 per package). Although they are meant to taste sweet, they contain less than 1 gram of sugar. They are very crunchy and light, yet satisfying.
8. Plum Organic Mash Ups Apple Sauce + Fruits & Veggies (Blueberry Blitz) - This organic applesauce is a good source of fibre and vitamin A and an excellent source of Vitamin C. It contains no added sugar and has 50 calories per pouch. It’s easy to eat on the go and is in BPA-free packaging. This product is a great substitute for sugary, flavoured yogurt or pudding.
The next items include easy and healthy snacks that you can keep in your car, purse, or school bag to fight hunger on the go.
9. PocketFuel Banana Blueberry Almond Butter Blend - This almond butter snack is vegan and free of gluten, dairy, and soy. This energy boosting product contains 169 calories. It’s perfect as a mid afternoon snack. I ate mine with an apple.
10. Veggie-Gos Carrot Ginger Chewy Fruit & Veggie Snacks - The only ingredients in this snack are organic fruit and vegetable purees. Each pack contains half a serving of fruit and half a serving of veggies. It’s also gluten free and does not contain any added sugar. This is a great replacement for chewy candies or sugary fruit snacks.
11. Laughing Giraffe Organics Chocolate Snakaroons - There’s nothing that I love more than cookies, especially when they’re gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, high in fibre, and nutrient-rich. These are a great alternative to store-bought cookies containing preservatives and refined sugar. They have a very rich, chewy texture that really satisfies a dessert craving.
12. Apple Raspberry Just Fruit Bar - This bar is free of preservatives, gluten, added sugar, dairy, nuts, and soy. It’s also vegan. This is a great afternoon snack when you’re looking for an energy boost without consuming processed sugar.
13. Nakd Cocoa Mint Raw Fruit & Nut Bar - This gluten, wheat, and dairy free bar is made with dates, cashews, raisins, cocoa, natural mint, and chocolate flavouring. It’s a much healthier alternative to a traditional chocolate bar or even a sugary granola bar. It’s vegan, cold-pressed, and free of added sugars or syrups. It’s easy to chew and has a rich, natural chocolate flavour with hints of refreshing mint.
The last category features one of my favourite, non-sweet snacks—olives!
14 and 15. Oloves Lemon & Rosemary and Chili & Oregano Natural Green Pitted Olives - These olives are low in calories, low in saturated fat, gluten, wheat, dairy, and nut free, and vegan. One package is only 50 calories. I love the idea of flavoured olives. They are healthy and a great alternative to other flavoured snacks like potato chips. The flavour is present but not overwhelming and the olives are very fresh and juicy. Before I knew it, the whole package was gone.
And here are some pictures of that amazing chocolate gift box. I’m definitely putting this on my wish list.
Overall, I’m so impressed with Healthy Surprise Box. The amount of snacks and the variety of options make this box worth trying. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to find healthy snacks that actually taste good, so I think it would be very exciting to receive them by mail every month or even a few times a year. I will also keep Healthy Surprise Box in mind for gifts, especially for my friends and family members who are always hard to buy for because they never want or need anything. Who wouldn’t want or need healthy snacks? It’s also a nice care package to send to a student who is away for school and struggling to eat healthy between classes, studying, homework, and adjusting to a new city and social environment.
Healthy Surprise Box was kind enough to allow me to give a Classic Box away to one of my lucky readers. The giveaway is open until March 7, 2015 at 11:59 PM. The box will be sent directly to the winner by Healthy Surprise. It’s open to those in Canada and the USA. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. If you are an international reader, you can enter my worldwide giveaways by clicking HERE or visiting the Giveaways page on my blog.
*Affiliate links present
As someone who prefers the colder seasons, I consider scarves one of my favourite accessories; they complete an outfit while stylishly adding warmth. For this reason I am very excited to have the chance to review the beautiful scarf in the photo above from Moon Cats, a company that sells high quality yet affordable fashion scarves.
Located in New York’s Fashion District, Moon Cats features a large range of trendy scarf styles including elegant square scarves, warm oblong scarves, wraps and oversize scarves, trendy light weight scarves for all seasons, lovely infinity scarves, and even some styles for men. Most scarves cost around $39.95 but you can get 20% off until December 22 with the code BEAUTYWRITER20OFF. The company offers free shipping to the USA and ships its products worldwide as well.
The scarf that I had the opportunity to try is the Oblong Lightweight Scarf in Almond Milk. Before I talk about the scarf itself, let’s take a look at the beautiful packaging. The scarf arrived in a sturdy box and was wrapped in red paper and sealed with a Moon Cats label. The box also contained a very thoughtful handwritten thank-you note from the company. As a cat lover, just seeing the label made me smile. I also really appreciate the care and consideration that the company put into packaging the scarf and personalizing the note.
The scarf itself is a rich, creamy beige shade that complements many different outfits. It’s made of high quality fabric containing 30% silk and 70% pashmina. The fabric feels silky and luxurious and looks very soft in person. It feels nice against my skin and sits nicely over my coat or clothing regardless of how I wrap it. I have received many compliments on the scarf so far, and some people have asked if they could touch it because of its softness. It comes in other pretty shades as well including Peach Melba, Strawberry Field, Candied Plum, Blueberry Pie, Pepper & Salt, and Liquorice Root. All of these shades are perfect for the holidays.
As you can see from the close up pictures below, the scarf is very well constructed and the fabric is of high quality.
Aside from this scarf, there are a few others that I have on my wishlist including the Infinity Circle Scarf in Cloudy Sky (a beautiful shade of sky grey), the Oblong Winter Scarf in French Couture (an elegant plaid), the Oblong Lightweight Scarf in Peach Melba (a pretty pop of peach), and the Oblong Winter Scarf in Glowing Future (a beautiful yet classy wash of shimmer to brighten up cloudy winter days). For men, I’m loving the Camel Black Scarf and the Vintage Scottish Scarf.
Overall, I highly recommend Moon Cats. The company shows a lot of care and enthusiasm for its products which is very important in my opinion. Also, the scarves are trendy, made of high quality fabric, and affordable. Not to mention, they are a great holiday gift idea!
To learn more about Moon Cats, visit www.mooncats.com. You can also follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
*Although I was sent this product to try out and write a review on, all opinions are honest and are my own. The coupon code is a nice gift that the company has offered my readers, and I do not receive any compensation if it is used.*
The ever innovative Sigma Beauty has come out with yet another new product. This revolutionary Brow Design Kit contains all of the arching, shaping and grooming tools you need to achieve your perfect brow look.
The kit features 15 pieces including: scissors, tweezers, 3 brow stencils (small, medium and large), a dual ended highlight pencil (matte and shimmer), a dual ended brow pencil (medium and dark), a pencil sharpener, 5 brow powder shades, dual ended brow gel (clear and tinted) and a dual ended brow brush (E75 and E80).
The Brow Design Kit is now available for $69 but you can save 10% through July 31, 2012 by following this link http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Beauty_Expert_Brow_Design_Kit_p/ep005.htm?Click=62512 and using the code AP2012.
To check out this kit on the Sigma site, click on the link above or the images below.
Happy grooming!
Sigma Beauty is offering 10% off your purchase from January 1 to January 31 with the code: 0112XJML
Click the image below to be taken to the Sigma site to start shopping!!!!:
ULTA is currently offering 3 promotions:
1. Get free shipping today (April 23) at ULTA on all orders of $25 or more using the coupon code 50830.
2. Today only, get a deluxe free sample with your purchase of $25 or more. You can pick the sample that you want. Options include: Aveeno Nourish Moisturize Shampoo, DKNY Pure Mini, Bvlgarl Bvl II mini, Korres Quercetin & Oak Day Cream, Smashbox Deluxe O-Gloss sample, and H20 Plus Hand and Nail Cream sample. Click here to see how the promotion works: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/landing/landingProducts.jsp?pageName=choose1of6wk1211&CID=ET_wk1211_Sat_WP_TDotcom_TN_x_x_x&ET_LID=FREE+GIFT&RID=1531209137
3. Get $10 off any purchase of $60 or more with the coupon code 15967. Offer ends 5/8/11.
*only one coupon code may be used per order*
