Product Review: Alive & Radiant: Kale & Veggie Krunch

Everyone who knows me personally is familiar with my obsession with vegetables, specifically kale.  The fixation is real; my mom even calls me "Kale"; it's that bad/sad.

The gang

If you're a friend or acquaintance of mine, our first experience with me eating kale was probably eating it as a salad like a baby dinosaur, watching me with disgust as I threw it into my smoothie, or whipping out a bag of kale chips with a spoon so I could scoop out every last crumb.  I was probably also explaining to you, with kale in my teeth, about my Vitamin K deficiency blah blah blah greens blah blah blah bruising easily/randomly, and so on.

I came to the realization that I found that I like to justify my love of kale for health reasons, which are true, but I just actually like it.  It was through a deficiency that my obsession grew, and I wanted to find more and more ways to incorporate veggies, specifically my leafy green buddy kale, into my diet.

A lot of people I know think it is a disgusting food, and, frankly, if you can't handle a small, bitter bite to your veggies, I don't recommend it.  I think it is good, but everyone has their preferences.  I do recommend this brand of kale chips, though, that I order by the caseload (sorry, wallet).  Even if you don't like kale foods and recipes, these chips are incredible.  That bitter taste is nonexistent.  Although you can make your own in the oven, you are depleting the vegetable of it's essential nutrients through the heat of cooking.

Alive & Radiant does not fry or cook their products; they are raw in the sense that they "dehydrate" them.  They put them through a machine that basically dries them out and makes sure you don't lose the nutritional benefits.  Then, they add flavors to them in order to make them taste even better than just plain!   The way they flavor is through cashews, which is great for those who have dairy issues or are vegan.

I won a contest with them on Facebook (check out their page here; there are tons!).  I am reviewing the products they sent me via this contest (although I am already too familiar with their products).  I haven't found a flavor I do not like.  I was not sent every flavor available, so you should check out their website here for what is out there.

Here is what they sent me!




I love every flavor, and I definitely recommend it as a great way to bring your veggies along with you especially with a busy lifestyle.  They satisfy any chip craving, and you get a lot of bang for your buck diet-wise. If you're not interested in buying online, I know that a lot of Whole Foods Markets have them. 

Southwest Ranch Flavor

This flavor is perfect for those who love the taste of ranch, but don't want to ruin that with a fatty, creamy dressing.  It has that nice ranch "tang" and satisfies that chip craving we all get once in awhile. 

Cheezy Chipotle Flavor

I like this flavor a lot, especially when I am in the mood for salsa!  This has a nice cheesey flavor while keeping a bit of a spice kick at each bite.  I feel like I get to eat queso while not worrying about my arteries clogging with that fake cheese you usually get to make it.

Superfood Flavor

This flavor is awesome for those of you who like just plain, salty chips.  I like that it packs a superfood punch with spirulina, maca, and chia.  You get a lot of essential fats this way.  They even have a spicy version of this, which is the same essential flavor with that spicy kick you taste in cheezy chipotle.

Teriyaki Greens Veggie Krunch

I have no idea why, but the fact that this one has teriyaki flavor always makes me pair it with sushi when I have it.  I love that combination.  It has a sweet and salty (due to the spices and coconut) essence that makes it the perfect midday snack that captures both cravings in one sitting.

My personal favorite: Quite Cheezy flavor

This one is the flavor that I constantly crave.  It is a rich, cheddary flavor that goes with literally everything imaginable: your favorite sandwich, your favorite salad, or just by itself!  I love eating this one, and I honestly have not gotten sick of it after eating this flavor for years.  I love cheddar flavored things, but I have issues with dairy (and cheddar is one of the worst for you if you are sensitive to it).  This was the perfect solution for me, along with all of the healthy benefits I get from eating the chips. 

I would like to say that I divide the bags into servings, but, in all honesty, I finish them all mostly in one sitting.  I told you- this is a real addiction.

Thank you for the free case from the contest, Alive & Radiant!!! Much love, and keep it up!

Healthy Meal Prep: My "Kitchen Sink" Approach to Packing Meals

You were a good consumer this past weekend.  Not only did you grocery shop, you bought healthy and wholesome food to last you this week (since you are too busy throughout the week to go back to the store). 

Now, Wednesday and Thursday have rolled around.  Now, you've come home after a long day of work and school, and you open the fridge to only find a random assortment of what's left of your grocery list.  A few carrots, a handful of spinach, some hummus, a piece of chicken left over from dinner last night, a few berries, etc.  You have no idea what to do for the meals you need to pack the rest of the week.  You don't want to undo your healthy eating with fast food nor do you want to resort to the cafeteria during your break.  Plus, you spent a decent amount of money at the store and planned for a week of good eating.  Also, these handfuls of random food would be wasteful to throw away, even though none of them alone would constitute as a meal.

...So. What do you do?

This is the time to get creative.  I love calling this the "kitchen sink" approach.  Basically, you throw together the leftovers of what you bought at the store to create things like salads or breakfast bowls.  Here is where your kitchen staples, like dressing, lemon juice, and protein powder/oatmeal come in.  Here are a few examples of what I did on a Thursday when I had only a few random ingredients left over from my grocery run.

Breakfast:

Protein Oatmeal with Toppings

 What I had to work with:

• oats (staple)
• protein powder (staple)
• a few berries 
• some sunflower seed cocoa cookies (2)

I cooked the oats, mixed in some powder with water, then topped with the rest of the berries I had in my fridge.  I wanted some crunch, so I found some small whole grain, cocoa flavored sunflower seed cookies that I crumbled on top.  That's it!

 Lunch:

"Kitchen sink" salad

What I had to work with:

• a handful of broccoli slaw
• 1/4 of a cucumber
• 5 carrots
• a few leaves of lettuce
• a chicken patty leftover from dinner the other night
• hummus (staple)
• lemon juice (staple)

All I did was put the veggies (some needed to be chopped) and protein (chopped up the chicken as well) into a salad container, put hummus on the top, then squeezed lemon juice all over the ingredients.  The lemon juice helps break up the hummus (which is what I used as a dressing, per se) while adding flavor and preserving freshness of the veggies.  When I ate this, all I had to do was salt and pepper.  You could do that ahead of time, too.

What are some creative on-the-go meals you have come up with?  Comment below!

Also, if you have some ingredients you want to get rid of and need ideas on how to use them, comment on this post!  I could give you some help(: