Category Archives: Recipes

Things Discovered: Hungryroot

Posted by Sephira in Food, General, Recipes, Things Discovered and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

I was really hoping that I’d be able to write a rave review about this “great” new thing I found (Hungryroot), but alas… it was not to be. Or, at the very least, it’s sort of hit or miss.

TL;DR: Mixed bag. Some of the food is good, but there are shipping issues that could mean what you get isn’t fresh (or even edible). It’s a little pricy as well.

 

I was excited because, though I’ve looked at other meal shipment offerings, with this one most of the recipes were well within my calorie range, and they were relatively healthy (vegan and gluten-free even… which doesn’t necessarily matter to me, but might to some). I ordered and waited – it took 2 weeks for my first shipment to be delivered. Which that part is fine, it was the delivery itself that was the problem.

So… it’s summer time and it’s been a bit hot this week. Plenty of 90+ degree days. I started to get a bit antsy as the day wore on and by 6p actually was calling FedEx to see if they could give me some sort of assurances as to my box actually getting to me. It will be there soon, we promise. Yeah, but what condition will it be in? Inquiring minds want to know!

About 6:40p, my doorbell rings. YAY FedEx!!!

When I picked the box up off the porch (driver was already hauling ass down the driveway) it was pretty warm to the touch. Bad sign. When I opened it – the box was lined with some sort of insulation material (not like actual styrofoam or anything that might have actually done a better job of retaining the cold, but sort of loose wrap material) and there was a fully melted ice pack on the top.

hungryroot

It was slightly cool to the touch, but only marginally so. There was a piece of cardboard under that, and then the food packs. The very top ones, that were directly under the ice pack, were well… not cold, but not quite warm – possibly edible, but who’d want to risk it? As I dug deeper into the box, the food packs got warmer and warmer, and even though there was another ice pack at the bottom of the pile (also fully melted), that was was actually warm and all the food packs on that level were also warm to the touch. Not sure what the box was sitting on the in the truck, but you’d almost think it had been sitting on a heater.Ā In any case, I certainly didn’t feel comfortable enough to attempt to eat any of it. Which is really sad, because I was totally looking forward to it.

I guess I’m just frustrated about the whole thing though. Their FAQ stated that there was enough ice to keep the boxes fresh for 2 days, but like, it was shipped out Monday night at about 11p and then not delivered to me until Wednesday after 6:30p. And while, technically, that’s not a full 48 hours, in the summer heat, the way it was packed just doesn’t hold up that long. Also, the box said “keep refrigerated” but FedEx trucks don’t have that ability. So if they were counting on FedEx to keep it cool in transit as well, that’s definitely not going to happen.

Anyhoo… totally disappointed. šŸ˜¦

UPDATE:

So, they credited me the cost of the original box and I agreed to try one more shipment. Still not super-impressed with their shipping. This one, again. left Monday (around 10:40a) and was not delivered until Wednesday evening (it says around 4:45p, but it was later than that – not that the delivery guy bothered to even ring the doorbell this time). Either way, still way longer than the 2 days that everything is supposed to stay fresh for.Ā  At least thisĀ time everything was still mostly cold (or at least not warm), probably because the weather’s been a bit cooler, so I’m going to eat it and see how it goes.

I started with the broccoli rice and added the Thai peanut sauce, and a container of Italian Herb Chickpea Medley. I had to add extra curry powder to the peanut sauce – it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really taste like any peanut sauce I’ve ever had before. The chickpea stuff was pretty darn tasty though. So there is that. XD Also the Black Bean Brownie Batter is YUM!!

I debating whether or not to cancel. I mean, I like the idea of getting more veggies in my diet, especially since I’m really bad at eating them most days. But, if I’m going to have to worry about shipping issues every week, that’s a major deterrent. The other is that I already struggle with getting enough protein, and given that all of this is vegan, it’s definitely not going to help.

Decisions… decisions…

 

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Things Discovered: Simple Mills

Posted by Sephira in Dieting, Food, General, Recipes, Things Discovered and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

So, now that I’m back on track (more or less), I’m continuing the quest for yummy, hopefully somewhat healthier, low carb options. Enter Simple Mills and their line of gluten-free bake mixes.

I ordered the 3-count set, which came with Chocolate Muffin, Artisan Bread, and Chocolate Chip Cookie mixes. Of course, I made the Chocolate Muffins…

chocomuffins

They weren’t bad and still warm it was like eating a brownie (which according to the directions you can actually make brownies with this mix so double yay!!). Not super-sweet – more of a dark chocolate flavor, but all-in-all pretty tasty. And at 110 calories* and 14 carbs, it definitely fits into my diet (with a little protein and fiber thrown in as well).

Can’t wait to try the other mixes!! Yum!!

* to make sure that each muffin was as close to the suggested serving as possible I used a one tablespoon scoop and evenly distributed the batter. Each muffin cup took about 3 tablespoons… making a total of 12 muffins.

Things Discovered: Halo Top

Posted by Sephira in Dieting, Food, General, Recipes, Things Discovered and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

So… in my (current) never-ending quest to find low-carb foods that I can eat, I came across a few winners today. At the top of that list… Halo Top ice cream. It’s very low calorie, and best of all low-carb. The normal (1/2 cup) serving size only has about 14g carbs, and if you cut that in half to a 1/4 cup, then it’s only 7g carbs. Plus, I also found Mrs Thinster’s Waffle Crisps, which are these little pieces of waffle cone – yum!!! But, the best part is that a normal serving size is like 15 crisps (120 calories / 22g carbs), which is great if I ever have a serious craving, but for average consumption, I can cut that into thirds to pair it with the ice cream and it makes for a nice treat that fits well within my food budget (71 calories/14 carbs/3g protein – there’s a bit of fiber in there too, so net carbs are even less) .

halotop

Another keeper… Special K Crustless Quiche. Great for a quick meal or snack – 140 calories, 7 carbs, 2g fiber and 11g protein.

 

Something I Want To Try…

Posted by Sephira in Dieting, Food, Recipes and tagged with , , , , ,

In my desperate search for things to eat, and to find ways to replace the yummy things I miss (like pizza), I will occasionally post recipes and ideas here that I want to try.Ā This week – I’m going for some sort of low-carb version of pizza (or a pizza-like substance)…

Things I Need To Buy

  • Toufayan Bakeries Low Carb Pita Bread – 100 calories per pita / 3.5g fat / 125mg sodium / 16g carbs / 7g fiber / 8g protein
  • Sargento Shredded 6 Cheese Italian – 90 calories per 1/4 cup / 7g fat / 200mg sodium / 2g carbs / 0 fiber / 7g protein
  • Hunt’s Tomato Sauce w/Basil, Garlic & Oregano – 20 calories per 1/4 cup / 0 fat / 360mg sodium / 4g carbs / 1g fiber / 0 protein (only need a spoonful or so though so even less of an impact on the actual recipe)

Note (if making something like a quesadilla instead) – theĀ 4 Cheese Mexican blend has 110 calories per 1/4 cup / 9g fat / 170mg sodium / 2g carbs / 0 fiber / 6g protein. Also look for low-carb tortillas.

So just slap sauce and cheese on the pita and bake for a bit. Then YUM!!! Could also add some spinach (which is negligible in terms of calories and carbs) for a little something extra.