Graze Box #7
Aug. 19th, 2016 01:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fauxkloreYes, I still have theatre and genealogy updates from last weekend in NY to write, as well as things I have done this week. But I don't want to fall behind on the regular topics, so here is a review of my most recent Graze box. (Note that I get an 8 snack box every other week. I normally eat one snack a day, workdays only. So if the box comes on Monday during the day, I eat the last snack the following Thursday.)
Snack #1 – Original Protein Flapjack: This is a typical Graze rolled oat flapjack, in this case with flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. The seeds make it high in protein (8 grams), but also high in fat (15 grams) so it has 260 calories. The description (rolled oats, seeds, soy protein) sounds very wholesome and virtuous, but doesn’t give a hint at how tasty this is. The dominant flavor comes from golden syrup, which is a very British sort of very light molasses type product. I liked this a lot and thought it was a good way to handle a telecon that was going to delay lunch beyond acceptable bounds.
Snack #2 – Sour Cream & Garlic Crostini: This was a repeat. It consists of sour cream & onion cashews and garlic crostini (essentially croutons) and is 130 calories. It’s well-balanced, crunchy, and feels reasonably healthy (due to the cashews). Overall, a good savory snack.
Snack #3 – Strawberries and Cream Protein Granola Topper: Another repeat, this is 130 calories of oat and barley granola, yogurt coated strawberry pieces, soy protein crispies, and freeze dried strawberry pieces. I ate it with some Greek vanilla yogurt. I like the crunchiness, but I can’t get past how this still being strawberry season here, so the sugary freeze dried strawberry pieces just can’t compare to the fresh ones from the farmer’s market.
Snack #4 – Booster Seeds: This is a straightforward mix of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and golden flaxseeds. It’s high in protein (9 grams) but also high in calories (220). There’s not really much to say one way or another about this sort of thing. It’s fine, though unexciting. I do find the tiny flaxseeds to be a bit of a pain to pick up. So one might consider sprinkling this on salad or yogurt or something. But it tastes just fine eating it straight.
Snack #5 – Japanese Miso: This consists of a miso soup paste, which you reconstitute by adding hot water, and a side snack of dried edamame beans. It’s 90 calories – and 750 mg of sodium. I like miso soup in Japanese restaurants, but this version just didn’t work for me. I can’t quite pin down why, but maybe the flavor was a bit too seaweed dominated. As for the edmame, they were okay, but I prefer warm steamed ones to these dry crunchy ones. It’s rare that I really dislike a Graze snack, but I decided to trash this one.
Snack #6 – Snickerdoodle Dip This was another repeat, but since it was of something I absolutely love, I certainly didn’t mind. The combination of cinnamon pretzel sticks and a cookie dip with sweet spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) is just fabulous. It’s also not too bad nutritionally for a sweet snack – 150 calories and 5 grams of sugar. This is another one they can send me as often as they want to.
Snack #7 – Protein Cashew Kick: This has chili lime cashews, garlic sesame sticks, and spicy chickpeas. It’s 6 grams of protein and 180 calories. I’ll admit that I didn’t really taste any significant lime on the cashews, but that isn’t a big deal. Both the cashews and chickpeas have mild chili flavoring, which I found tasty, but not actually hot. The sesame sticks were decidedly garlicky. Overall, I liked both the zesty flavors and the crunchiness of the combination.
Snack #8 - Stars & Stripes: To close out this box, yet another repeat. This mix of blueberry flavored cranberries, miniature blackcurrant fruit stars, and raspberry fruit strings has just 130 calories, but is high in sugar at 25 grams. Still, it is absolutely delicious and that’s still less sugar than in, say, a Milky Way bar. Overall, I think this is an excellent sweet treat.
Summing up, this box was half new, half repeats. All of the repeats were good, though I think my overall favorite snack of this box was the new-to-me Original Protein Flapjack. There are lots of recipes out there for British flapjacks, so I really ought to try making some myself. But it is so easy and so good to just eat the various sorts I get from Graze. The clear loser was the Japanese miso, but I need never have that vile experience again.
Snack #1 – Original Protein Flapjack: This is a typical Graze rolled oat flapjack, in this case with flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. The seeds make it high in protein (8 grams), but also high in fat (15 grams) so it has 260 calories. The description (rolled oats, seeds, soy protein) sounds very wholesome and virtuous, but doesn’t give a hint at how tasty this is. The dominant flavor comes from golden syrup, which is a very British sort of very light molasses type product. I liked this a lot and thought it was a good way to handle a telecon that was going to delay lunch beyond acceptable bounds.
Snack #2 – Sour Cream & Garlic Crostini: This was a repeat. It consists of sour cream & onion cashews and garlic crostini (essentially croutons) and is 130 calories. It’s well-balanced, crunchy, and feels reasonably healthy (due to the cashews). Overall, a good savory snack.
Snack #3 – Strawberries and Cream Protein Granola Topper: Another repeat, this is 130 calories of oat and barley granola, yogurt coated strawberry pieces, soy protein crispies, and freeze dried strawberry pieces. I ate it with some Greek vanilla yogurt. I like the crunchiness, but I can’t get past how this still being strawberry season here, so the sugary freeze dried strawberry pieces just can’t compare to the fresh ones from the farmer’s market.
Snack #4 – Booster Seeds: This is a straightforward mix of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and golden flaxseeds. It’s high in protein (9 grams) but also high in calories (220). There’s not really much to say one way or another about this sort of thing. It’s fine, though unexciting. I do find the tiny flaxseeds to be a bit of a pain to pick up. So one might consider sprinkling this on salad or yogurt or something. But it tastes just fine eating it straight.
Snack #5 – Japanese Miso: This consists of a miso soup paste, which you reconstitute by adding hot water, and a side snack of dried edamame beans. It’s 90 calories – and 750 mg of sodium. I like miso soup in Japanese restaurants, but this version just didn’t work for me. I can’t quite pin down why, but maybe the flavor was a bit too seaweed dominated. As for the edmame, they were okay, but I prefer warm steamed ones to these dry crunchy ones. It’s rare that I really dislike a Graze snack, but I decided to trash this one.
Snack #6 – Snickerdoodle Dip This was another repeat, but since it was of something I absolutely love, I certainly didn’t mind. The combination of cinnamon pretzel sticks and a cookie dip with sweet spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) is just fabulous. It’s also not too bad nutritionally for a sweet snack – 150 calories and 5 grams of sugar. This is another one they can send me as often as they want to.
Snack #7 – Protein Cashew Kick: This has chili lime cashews, garlic sesame sticks, and spicy chickpeas. It’s 6 grams of protein and 180 calories. I’ll admit that I didn’t really taste any significant lime on the cashews, but that isn’t a big deal. Both the cashews and chickpeas have mild chili flavoring, which I found tasty, but not actually hot. The sesame sticks were decidedly garlicky. Overall, I liked both the zesty flavors and the crunchiness of the combination.
Snack #8 - Stars & Stripes: To close out this box, yet another repeat. This mix of blueberry flavored cranberries, miniature blackcurrant fruit stars, and raspberry fruit strings has just 130 calories, but is high in sugar at 25 grams. Still, it is absolutely delicious and that’s still less sugar than in, say, a Milky Way bar. Overall, I think this is an excellent sweet treat.
Summing up, this box was half new, half repeats. All of the repeats were good, though I think my overall favorite snack of this box was the new-to-me Original Protein Flapjack. There are lots of recipes out there for British flapjacks, so I really ought to try making some myself. But it is so easy and so good to just eat the various sorts I get from Graze. The clear loser was the Japanese miso, but I need never have that vile experience again.
