I wanted to do a small post every now and then about my favorite food craze lately and the best brands to buy them from. Today’s go-to products are the Whole Foods brand non-pasteurized and fresh squeezed juices and Alive and Radiant’s Veggie Krunch chips.
It is probably a known fact to the world lately that juices are the new thing for everyone to be hooked on. That’s pretty valid considering the health benefits and how sweet 90% of them taste. The only downfall: their price. Reason #1 being why I always prefer smoothies over juices. Smoothies are thicker so they aren’t as easy to gulp down in .5 seconds, you can blend in protein powders, cocoa powder and whatever else you have on hand and they can be cheaper at some stores vs. juices. Yet every now and then I like to indulge in a nice juice with a ton of fresh and organic ingredients. Like at Beet Jar Juice Bar for example, I indulged in a $9 green juice that probably took me less than 5 minutes to drink down. But it was well worth it.
The other day I was interested in buying some snacks at Whole Foods but wasn’t sure what would be nice to enjoy outside while reading a book. I wanted some crunch while also something fruity. Right when I walked into my Whole Foods, I saw their line of fresh juices. I figured that anything below $9 (what Beet Jar retails theres for) would be a steal so I figured I’d go along and buy one. The watermelon strawberry caught my eye and I knew it would be mine, despite being $7.99. Watermelon, strawberry and lime? Summer in a bottle. A few weeks ago I tried frozen watermelon and strawberries together and could not get enough so I figured this juice would be quite close to that excellence.
As I walked up and down the aisle of nuts and expensive superfood snacks, I saw the kale chips. My all time favorite snack yet rarely do I purchase it due to how expensive they are and how cheap they are if you just make them in your own home. Unfortunately, sometimes I just want to grab a box and not have to deal with the 30 minute wait and prepping of oiling up some kale. Luckily, Alive and Radiant’s Veggie Krunch was on sale from $5.99 to $4.17. Saving just a bit, I decided to go with it. I knew it would be cheaper than any kale chip at any other health store or restaurant.
I bought the Arugula Cabbage and unlike regular kale chips, these were pretty much cabbage and arugula chips (very odd to think about) with lemon juice, pumpkin seeds, nutritional yeast (what brings out that cheesy flavor while staying vegan and raw), extra virgin olive oil and a few spices. These were definitely a great purchase and despite saying 2 servings on the back, I truly believe these babies can be eaten in one sitting. They fill the bag up half way and it is about 3-4 handfuls of dehydrated veggies. The seasonings make it almost unstoppable for your hand to dive in for more.
A few days later I was back at Whole Foods (I spend a lot of time there, clearly) and another flavor was on sale (and probably the best to date): Teriyaki Greens. These are 100% more amazing than the Arugula since they are collard greens covered in coconut, coconut sugar, sesame seeds and gluten-free tamari. Like ok, taste buds were sent on a roller coaster.
Although my total that day for snacking on some arugula chips and watermelon juice was around $12-13 it was a rare occurrence and the nice sunshine outside was just waiting for me to indulge in a fruit and crunchy treat. I would highly recommend always scanning your kale chip options at your local Whole Foods or health foods market to see if they go on sale because they are PHENOMENAL. As for the juices, treat yourself once in a while! But always remember, these things can easily be made at home and taste just as good.
–Addie
