Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Hungryroot - Unboxing and Update

Happy Thursday!  This is an update on my work with Hungryroot.  Eli and I have been using the service for about two full months now.  We are continuing losing weight and it is really something. We have coined a new phrase that we use when we're asked, "What's for dinner?"   We say - REAL RATIONS!


Over the years we have both struggled with our weight as many of you are aware.  We have tested out several meal delivery services while trying to get ourselves out of the emotional and physical addiction to our food.  

When we added Hungryroot we also cut all added sugar out of our diet.  The results have been astounding.  And Hungryroot got us there.  Below is our progress over the years at fully understanding veganism and nutritarianism. Now we only eat foods that give us nutrients.  Any "junk" food, packaged foods or fast foods are off the table.



Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Elijah's Weight Transformation



Photo Credit - Elijah Olson
Renee's Weight Transformation
The cost of the package I order is 69.00 per delivery. I can see for a larger family or someone on a fixed income, that this could be out of your price range.  I have included in this next video how to split up the food and place the orders in a specific way to make them last longer while still enjoying the benefits of fast, vegan delivery.  


Here is a list of my most recent order.  We discovered that we really liked the Lemongrass Tofu so we purchased that along with two Chickpea Medleys and one Roasted Corn Edamame to go with them.  We Then picked up some bags of organic shredded broccoli slaw and/or super-green mix from the supermarket to create out own dishes.  This allowed us to make this box meant for 5 meals for two week last us for 12 meals for two.  We essentially doubled the yield by adding $6 worth of veg from the supermarket.


Screen Capture - Hungryroot






I cannot tell you how much this box service has helped me.  I recommend starting out with their largest box and get a variety of dishes to try.  Then, on the follow week or two switch to the smaller size and then pick and choose what you like.  Use the meal planner they supply to learn about the foods.  I discovered Kholrabi for the first time with Hungryroot. Now I seek it out in the stores.  I found that Alberton's in Las Cruces and Whole Foods in El Paso both carry it.   This is something that you can toss into a salad to eat raw or lightly saute to use as the noodle component to a pasta dish.

If you think you'd like to try Hungryroot, I have a link below that you can use for a discount to the service. If you do try it, be sure to comment here and tell me how its working for you. I would love to see your before and after photos or just an update on how you're feeling after adding a bit more veg to your diet. - Hungryroot Link







Look for our upcoming book and website on learning to eat real!

Eat Real to Heal by Nicolette Richer - A Review


As part of a new section to my blog, I have invited my husband, Elijah Olson to begin sharing some of his research and expertise on health and food related books and submissions.  This comes on the heels of his upcoming book.  I hope you enjoy this new venture into kitchen magic in healing with food.  I look forward to your comments as we move forward with our Meatless Monday series.



Book Cover


Today I am reviewing a book written by Nicolette Richer called Eat Real to Heal. Nicolette uses the Gerson Therapy or otherwise known as the Gerson Method as a basis for her book.

Nicolette does a fantastic job of breaking it down even further into easily digestible chunks of information for the layman. She adds her personal journey as well as personal accounts from clients that really allows the reader to engage and relate. She speaks specifically to chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Nicolette has not only researched but she has also experimented and proven these methods to work on herself and her family and this is relayed clearly throughout the book. She has provided clear steps for the reader and included meal planning and recipes. She is an accomplished businesswoman that promotes healthy eating and healthy living.



You can give this book an added home on your shelf, you will not be disappointed.

Book available on Amazon

Author: Nicolette Richer
Publisher: Mango Publishing

Guest Reviewer: Elijah Olson


HungryRoot - A Review

Today I'm reviewing the home food delivery service Hungryroot.  Hungryroot is a company that delivers vegan meals that can be prepared in 10 minutes or less and are gluten free, organic (when possible) and of course vegan.

After moving to New Mexico, I can say that I fell off the wagon.  I started eating meat again including beef and of course soon after the animal products came back as well.  About a month ago Elijah and committed to get back in shape as we're both turning 50 and want to get our butts in shape!  We checked our meals and figured that not only were we eating tons of fat but we were up to 30 grams of sugar a day. It was completely out of control.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


So far I really like the Kholrabi dishes. They are my favorite. There is a bit of inconsistency in the sauces sometimes. Sometimes they are a bit spicier than others. Sometimes a little more onion than others. I wish we could correct that.  I really enjoyed the tofu they have.  There are two types. Spicy and Lemongrass. Both are excellent with any stir fry. We have started ordering just the tofu and using that in our own super blend mixes from the grocery store. Over this is a great service. Elijah and I have both already lost 10 pounds each.  Not to mention we're learning new ways to create our own dishes in ways we would have never tried.



Here's a video of us actually making one of the dishes.




Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


We tried both sizes of boxes. The first one was way too much food for us. We ended up throwing out 1/2 of the sauces.  They give you a huge amount of food and you'll easily have left overs.  We moved back to the smaller box and then eventually cut down to just the main parts we wanted and are now picking up the super-blend mix and the riced cauliflower from the store.

So here's my first boxing of our first order from Hungryroot.  If you think you might like to try it out, use my code.  You'll get a discount and so will I.

https://www.hungryroot.com/r/JDUZ0G





Another unboxing of Hungryroot





I'll check in over the next few weeks to review how the weight is going.  Hopefully we'll have dropped another 10lbs at next check in.









Passion Pie Cafe - A Reivew

Went to a new place this week called Passion Pie Cafe.
(Facebook)



Really cute place with pretty good food. Tasted clean even though some are a bit decadent. Hubby tried the Elvis (won't get that again because wow talk about sweet) and I had the falafel.  It was really good. Had a nice spice to it.  We will definitely be back. I won't have the coffee though, I could taste the cup.  But over all nice place.  Here's some photos.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson 
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson



Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson







Photos from New Mexico - Resturants

We found this place in Truth or Consequences New Mexico.  It's called Latitude 33 and it quite yummy.

This was an orzo salad with grilled shrimp.  It was just beautiful.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


My dish was a yellow curry with golden raisins and candied pecans.  So yummy!
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


A Witch's View - Food Box Reviews

So this was a pretty full series. I managed to test out several different food box delivery services and had mixed results. One thing I have found is that I prefer the boxes where I actually cook. Most of the food delivery that was heat and eat were pretty much not good.

I ended up sticking with Green Chef.  They are by far one of the better services out there. Recently they removed the ability to look up your recipes on their website to replicate later.  Which is a bummer. I really enjoyed being able to recreate the seasons and sauces they provided in their meals on my off days.

This is their site and the recipe for one of my favorite dishes.  I think we have made it four times since we got it the first time.  The only way we could recreate is that we found the actual named seasoning online.

Green Chef Website


Clicking on the magnifying glass provided information on the item selected.  Here my amounts are missing.
Green Chef Website








Below you can see the ingredient amounts for the seasoning.  They are still available on the older recipes.

Green Chef Website



That aside, which I hope they change back, over all I really enjoy my Green Chef recipes weekly. It is working out fantastically for us and my only complaint is that I wish I could get five days instead of just three.  If you think you might be interested in giving them a try just follow this link and sign up. You can also reach out to me on Facebook if you like with a personal message.  I sometimes have free trials I can share.


Look at these fantastic meals.  The Cuban Tofu and the Israeli Salad were my favorites!  If you sign up before to share your dishes with me.  I'd love to see what the Meat Eaters and the Vegetarians are munching on.
Green Chef Website


Green Chef Website











A Witch's View - Mama Sezz

In my search for Vegan food delivery I have found myself reviewing this new prepared food delivery services.  This week I ordered four dishes to try out.  This week we're trying Mama Sezz.


Here's a bit about the company.




My food arrived in two days because I happened to order just in the right time window.  The package comes with a return FedEx label.  You have to put all the product back into the box and schedule a pick up from FedEx.

 I was so excited to see Mac & Cheese as an option.  Of course I tried that first!


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


 I ordered Gardener's Pie.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Moroccan Stew


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Quinoa Stack
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


We also ordered the raw bread which we did not care for at all. We ended up tossing that into the bird feeder.  They loved it.


My mac and cheese was pretty tasty.  I warmed it on the stove but I think next time I would do it in the microwave to avoid the mac getting broken up.  The flavor was great.  I was really pleased.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
The next thing we tried was the Moroccan Stew. The smell was incredible.  It was extremely hearty and looked amazing.  About three bites in however the spice was over the top.  I had to stop eating it because it was so spicy hot.  This would certainly be something I wouldn't order again.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Our next adventure was the Gardner's Pie.

Well, I had high hopes for this one but again, I was disappointed.  The potatoes were loaded with an onion puree that over powered the entire dish.  Then the carrots on the top were almost raw.  It did not make for a pleasant experience.  we ended up tossing the whole thing.  :(

Finally we got to the Quinoa Stack and it just didn't look right.  We decided not to eat it.  I contacted the company to let them know about the quality of the food we received and they were amazing. The founder herself contacted me and we spoke on the phone.  She offered me a full refund on my order which I accepted and she included my choice of anything on the site to test out.  I opted for some chili and another go at the Mac Attack.  This time I'll heat it in the microwave and hopefully it will be better.

I really love the concept behind this company and with this personalized dedication to quality and customer service I believe they will go far.  If you have a chance, head over and check out Mama Sezz. I highly recommend them!





A Witch's View - Purple Carrot Review - Herbed Barley Bowl

Our last recipe with Purple Carrot is the Herbed Barely Bowl.

So let's get started.  The greens that came with this were pretty badly wilted so I just used some mixed green salad from the grocery store.

Here's the whole group.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Here's my wilty salad.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 I had to pick up some parsley from the store as well.  As you can see it was a bit damaged in transit.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Next we cleaned and cooked up the mushrooms.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 All the while, our barely just cooked and cooked.  It took about twice as long as the card said to become soft.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 We thinly sliced our peppers and cooked them in some sugar water to create a pickling effect.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Finally we plated.  It was just ok for me.  Hubby really liked it, I wasn't feeling the mushrooms.  They were pretty slimy from the butter and just reminded me of an oyster.  Gross.  :P

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
So pretty much we had no luck with Purple Carrot.  I did try everything that we got from them though. We are still getting our GreenChef meals regularly and I love them. I still take photos and share my meals from them on Instagram and on Facebook.  If you think you'd like to try them here's a link.

A Witch's View - Purple Carrot - White Bean Ball Subs

This is my second recipe from Purple Carrot.  We had a bumpy road with Purple Carrot with the quality of the veg and with missing (and this time extra) ingredients.  I ended up canceling this service but wanted to do a review on the recipes since I had them.  I decided to continue with GreenChef and I highly recommend them.

Today I'm reviewing the White Beanball Sub with a salad.  I ended up with all my ingredients, however I had double of the flaxseed flour, which makes me wonder if someone was missing theirs??

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson 
Hubby prepped the onion and the peppers for this recipe while I prepped the bean ball ingredients.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


 In the processor we added the beans, a clove of garlic, nutritional yeast, the flaxseed flour and salt.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 I used an ice cream scoop to make the balls and then just patted them round and added them to the pan.  Looking back, these were way too big. I would probably make 8 balls instead of six out of this much bean mixture.  Also the instructions said to "coat the balls in oil"  I had no idea how to do that so I just put oil on the pan.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Next we cooked up the onions and the peppers and then added the sauce.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 They had this mixture of panko, fresh parsley and a "lemony salt" mixture that was included in the package.  It was ok.  I think they were going for something that looked like Parmesan cheese on the top of the sub.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Over all the meal was ok.  The salad was dressed with lemon juice and salt.  Pretty simple. The beanballs desperately needed flavor.  Maybe some more garlic or oregano and basil in the mixture. Something to give it a little life.  I did appreciate the fact that this recipe taught me how to make these "balls" so I can easily now make my own black bean burgers or even sub sandwiches using this method.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Next week we're reviewing the final recipe from Purple Carrot.

A Witch's View - Purple Carrot Review - Happy Pancake

If you've been following along you know that I am testing out several home delivery meal services. For the next three posts I'll be looking at Purple Carrot.  My big challenge living out in rural NC is I don't have a lot of choices for food that is good for you.  Everything here is deep fried, loaded with fat and sugar or just plain bad for you.  Being Vegan makes this a much more desperate situation. I literally have one restaurant I can eat at because it has a salad bar and I can choose items that normally wouldn't have animal products in them.  So these home delivery deals with Vegan options are really important for me.  I tried Blue Apron originally but they didn't have a Vegan option.  Next I tried GreenChef, which I still have  because they have really awesome recipes.  They only deliver 3 meals and ideally I would like six different meals a week.  So I added Purple Carrot to see how it was.  My next three posts will review the meals they sent me on flavor, ease of preparation and quality of the ingredients.

When my box arrived from Purple Carrot I was a bit disappointed.  The ingredients were a bit lacking. The herbs were wilted and the veg was brown and mushy. I contacted the company on Facebook to get some assistance with that and they asked me to send in an email.  Again, a bit annoying.  But I continued with the first recipe.

The Happy Pancake, is neither.  It has to be one of the worse dishes I have ever had in my entire life. It the pancake was mushy and had zero flavor even after I added my own Tumeric because mine was left out of the box.

Here's the first recipe.  

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
When I opened the box the first thing I noticed was how poor the quality of the veg was.  The herbs were wilted and my green onion was brown.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 You can see here the onion and the greens for another meal.  Wet, wilty and just nasty.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 One of my spice packets was just dust.  As you can see below there's really nothing in this. Luckily I had some Turmeric on hand to replace it.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Hubby prepped the veg while I prepared the pancake batter and the dressing.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 The dressing came in four little bottles which I combined in a bowl.  It was really heavy on the sesame oil.  It was very similar to a Bimibap sauce.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Hubby started the veg in the frying pan.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 The pancake batter was water, rice flour and turmeric. It said add a bit of salt and pepper which I did, but it was still very very bland.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 The salad consisted of shoots and some mixed greens.  I had to toss out the greens they sent because they were so bad.  I did have some salad in the frig, so I added that to the dish.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 The finished pancake was a soggy mess.  It had zero flavor and was just awful. I took this photo, one bite and then tossed it in the trash.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
At this point you can probably guess that my Purple Carrot days were numbered.  When I contacted support on Facebook about the pour quality of the ingredients they referred me to the website/email contact.  When I emailed no one replied.  Getting nervous about the next up coming meals I put my entire cart on skip mode to wait for a reply.  When no reply came I went to look on how to cancel.  It said you had to email or call in to cancel the service.  On the Facebook page all the claims of getting sent more food after canceling really scared me so I decide to email in to cancel.  I figured, well, I have that one week coming and maybe if I like those next dishes, I can just reconnect my account. The next morning I got up and I went to check on my Purple Carrot page to see if reconnecting was easy to do.  I was surprised to not only see my account canceled but my next shipment canceled as well.  So this review will only consist of the three meals I have currently. Based on what I have seen so far and the condition of the veg in my fridge right now, I probably will not be reordering Purple Carrot.  I did decide to check out a new service called Mama Sezz.  This is a plant based meal service where the food is already preppared.  Not really want I wanted but I figured why not give it a shot.

Next I'm reviewing the White Bean Ball Subs.