These past few days my work schedule has been very accommodating and since I just came back from a four day adventure off in Michigan, I needed to re-up on some snacks and groceries. Near where I live I have two Whole Foods fortunately yet the one closest to where I live now is not my favorite of the two. I decided to take the somewhat longer trek and go to the one I used to go to last year before I moved. Of course per usual I get lost in the store for a solid hour deciding on what snacks I want to buy and which ones I should splurge on because we all know how pricey they can get.

However, I did end up finding some goodies… new and old.

My first product is Amy’s Gluten-Free and Non-Dairy Beans & Rice Burrito. If you’re interested in frozen meals or something quick without all of the added crap and ridiculous amount of salt, Amy’s is the go-to brand. I literally never buy frozen meals unless they are Amy’s and I’ve only tried this burrito and her Brown Rice and Vegetable Bowl which is light in sodium. I’ve heard good things about her pizzas, soups and veggie burgers too. I first tried this burrito a month or so ago and had to get another this week. I love it because it isn’t over indulgent and huge like most burritos and takes about 2 minutes to heat up. I had mine with a side of veggies and guacamole. Mmm yep, delicious.

Next up is the Raspberry Chia Synergy drink.  This drink is apart of the Enlightened Kombucha line from Synergy, a drink claiming to be filled with “probiotics and powerful antioxidants”. I’ve heard that these Kombucha drinks are a total scam and just filled with sugar – and yes, some are – but if you look for the right ones, they have less than 6g of sugar in a bottle.. like okay that’s nothing.

I’ve never tried a drink with chia seeds before but lately I’ve been on a chia pudding kick so I thought this would kind of be the same… yeah I was sort of wrong. Drinking chia gel is slightly different than eating chia pudding with a spoon. It took me a few sips to get used to and I did not enjoy it straight from the bottle BUT I will say I poured it over crushed ice and was obsessed. So who knows. May be different for everyone. It has a slimy texture and I couldn’t taste the raspberry TOO much but I definitely would try another flavor. Other flavors of Synergy I would recommend are the Guava Goddess and Cosmic Cranberry (ones without chia).

Saving the best for last… the Good Bean crunchy chickpea snacks! I’ve seen these around before (especially their fruit & no-nut bars) but never thought to buy them since I can roast my own chickpeas for $0.80 in my own kitchen. Yet when you’re in a hurry or need something quick, having a bag of these in your purse or car is the best. I ate half of the bag after I took this picture and the next day when I got out of work I had them to munch on, holding me over until I ate lunch later on.

They come in a few different flavors including Thai Coconut Lemongrass, Mesquite BBQ, Chocolate and Sweet Cinnamon. The only flavors that don’t have added sugar (evaporated cane juice) are the Sea Salt and Black Pepper so those are the ones I’d stick with but they all look delicious. They’re great additions to salads, trail mixes and soups if you’re not the type of person who just snacks on chickpeas… but I’m a chickpea fanatic (hens the name of my blog) so I loved ’em.

(The burrito is around $2-3, Synergy drinks are $3.50 and the Good Bean snacks are currently 2 for $4 at WF!) 

-Addie