What’s this, I’m posting on a Monday?! ;) This post was ready to go last week, but since we had so much fun content already going out (Glow Getter, Ask Angela, and the next issue of In The Glow!), I decided to hold off until Monday for this one. Thanks for all the positive feedback about the reboot of Things I’m Loving Lately, by the way. It’s such a fun way for me to share the things I use and love in my everyday life, and I enjoy hearing about the new things you’re diggin’ too. So feel free to spill the beets, errr…deets, below!
As always, these posts are never sponsored, but I’ll occasionally have an affiliate link or two included in the roundup.
1. Hilary’s Broccoli Casserole Bites
I discovered these frozen casserole bites when I was looking for super-fast dinner options for the kids. We definitely don’t have a made-from-scratch meal on the table every night, so I was delighted to find these mini veggie burger patties packed with awesome organic ingredients: cooked whole grain millet, broccoli, cooked white beans, expeller-pressed coconut oil, carrot, onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, psyllium husk powder, salt, arrowroot, basil, and oregano. The kids love them dipped in ketchup, and I try to always have a bag in the freezer for those emergency don’t-know-what-to-cook situations! If you’re in a similar pinch, I recommend throwing some on a baking sheet with sweet potatoes fries and serving with a side of sliced avocado for an effortless weeknight dinner option.
2. Instacart Canada
Let me preface this by saying that I’m someone who loves grocery shopping. It’s something I tend to look forward to, especially on those rare, heavenly occasions when I’m able to go shopping by myself. But sometimes I can’t leave the house to get groceries (like during nap time), and find myself stuck needing ingredients to test a recipe. That’s why I was so excited to hear that Instacart, an app-based grocery delivery service, is now available in my area. I simply add food to my virtual “cart” through the app and then my order magically arrives on our doorstep within an hour or two. I also love that I can text my “shopper” and make adjustments as they shop away. I only use Instacart when I’m in a pinch, but so far it’s been a huge help when I can’t leave the house to get groceries. More ingredients = more recipes! Can you say win-win?
3. Hardbite Drop’N Mad Beets chips
At first I wasn’t sure about these earthy-tasting beet chips (I initially described them as tasting like ketchup chips with a hint of dirt, lol), but then I found myself polishing off the bag and realized I’d fallen in love. Now they’re pretty much the only chips I buy when I want to splurge on something deep fried (which is often…#YOLO). I did say I didn’t see my beet chip phase ending anytime soon…
4. HURRAW! Black Cherry Tinted Lip Balm
I’ve been using HURRAW! lip balm for years, but this cherry flavour is new to me and it’s my favourite yet. The red hue leaves a subtle hint of colour, and when I don’t want to go all out with a bold lip colour this is my “no make-up” go-to. Best of all this moisturizing balm is vegan, organic, and made using cold-pressed oils.
5. Love Grown Original Power O’s
We’ve been buying Power O’s for a few years now, and it’s the only cereal we give the kids to munch on. Get this…these fun little O’s are made from BEANS! I buy the original unsweetened flavour, which I love for its short and simple ingredient list: navy beans, lentils, garbanzo beans, brown rice, salt, and tocopherols. My kids enjoy the cereal dry or with milk and sliced banana. I don’t know what Arlo loves more: snacking on this cereal or tossing it onto the floor, leaving crunchy little landmines scattered about for us to crush into smithereens. (Dang it, Arlo, with the food throwing!) *gets the vacuum out yet again…*
6. Sunshine Farms Organic Pickled Jalapeños (Foodland Ontario)
Pickled jalapeños are a fairly new-to-me food product. I originally picked these up a few years ago when I was developing my Chili Cheese Nachos recipe for Oh She Glows Every Day. They were great for the nacho recipe, and I quickly discovered they were just as good sprinkled on wraps, salads, and savoury oatmeal for a kick of heat. I love that the jar has a long shelf life, so I don’t have to worry about keeping a supply of fresh jalapeños in my crisper (which tend to spoil before I can use them up). And bonus points for buying local! Turns out these awesome jalapeños are made in Thamesville, Ontario. Maybe you should pickle some up? ;)
Thank you for sharing! I also love HURRAW! lip balms and I’m looking forward to finding those broccoli bites near me. The vegan items we’ve tried recently and loved are the Field Roast corndogs, Field Roast Chao Cheese (original or tomato cayenne), Field Roast Fruffalo wings, RawRevGlo Brownie bars, and pretty much anything made by Kite Hill :) All approved by myself and 2 picky non-vegan daughters. *Field Roast’s website says that all of their products are GMO free.
Oh man those Field Roast sausages are so good!! When I was pregnant I had major cravings for them and would always make “veggie dogs” with all the toppings. Too good. I’m dying to try Kite Hill products…I haven’t been able to find them near me yet! I hear they are just awesome.
Hahah I’m 5 months along and can’t get enough of the field roast veggie dogs with “all the toppings” ?? good to know I’m not alone!
That’s too funny!! Nope you definitely aren’t alone…it was all I could think about for a while. Hope you have a great rest of your pregnancy Elizabeth!
Yes to Kite Hill products!!!! The cream cheese is delightful. As someone who developed a dairy allergy, it allowed me to be able to make foods that both myself and my family could eat and they thought it tasted better than dairy cream cheese. The yogurts taste a bit like SweetTart candies. Not what I was expecting, but I loved them too!
Hi Angela! Would you mind sharing where you found the Hilary’s bites? I’m in Ontario too.:-)
Hey Jess, Absolutely! I buy them at Organic Garage. :)
I find them in Loblaws ‘health section’ :)
Thanks Sarah!
Thank you for sharing the broccoli casserole bites… I’m always looking for healthy kid and toddler friendly ideas. Which inspired this question – would you consider doing a post on a sample weekly meal plan including (or limited to) what you feed your kids? My husband and I both work full-time outside the house and if I don’t spend all weekend cooking, i’m always scrambling for week-day dinners that our babysitter can quickly heat up. We don’t usually get to share dinner-time with the kids during the week, and all end up eating different things. They could certainly stand to get more veggies :-)
Hey Allison, I’m sorry for the delay in reply…somehow I missed your comment! I can relate to your struggle with weeknight meals…it’s probably our biggest struggle when it comes to feeding the kids (and ourselves). We often have different mealtimes and meals many nights! I wish I had something concrete to share, but I will definitely keep it in mind. :)
I’m also a huge Kite Hill fan! Their cultured almond milk tastes sooo good on baked potatoes, in a layered breakfat parfait or as a sour cream sub in baking. Love Kite Hill crackers, Flackers and Brad’s Vampire Kale chips. Yum!
Oh wow I didn’t know that Kite Hill’s line was so big!! *jealous* ;) When I go to AZ on vacation soon I’m going to have my EYES PEELED! lol.
We love Love Grown for our kiddos too! I feel like I’m the one keeping them stocked on the shelves at my stores. For my baby we soak it in hemp milk to soften a bit, but my toddler eats it a billion different ways. Lately he is into adding Apple Spice to his cereal with milk and banana.
Do you know they also make an oatmeal packet? It’s loaded with good stuff too, and perfectly portioned to make things just a wee bit easier.
Oh I haven’t seen their oatmeal packets! I bet those are good too. I would always soak the cereal when the kids were babies too…such a great tip!
Hey Angela, Original Power Os have also been my go-to cereal / snack for my son since he was little and working on his pincer grip… now he’s 2.5 and still loves them, but lately I’m having a lot more trouble finding the Original flavour. Can you let me know where you can still find them? The flavours are everywhere but my preference (and my son’s oddly enough) is still the Original.
Hey Erin, So glad you both love that cereal too…it’s a keeper. I tend to buy them from Organic Garage or Whole Foods. :)
Thanks for sharing. I’m looking for the Hilary’s bites today!
I hope you can find the bites…they can be tricky ones to locate! I’d love to hear what you think if you try them.
Love these posts, Angela!! Just out of curiosity, do you buy that wonderful-looking lip balm on Amazon or in-store somewhere? I’m also in Ontario and wondering if there’s a purchase option other than ordering :)
Hey Jacklyn, I bought it from The Detox Market in Toronto (https://www.thedetoxmarket.ca/products/hurraw-black-cherry-lip-balm) but it’s available on Amazon usually and iHerb I think. Hope this helps!
Oh Instacart. It’s such a great concept, but I hate that all of the groceries are marked up (at the Superstore anyways). I’m fine with a delivery fee, but can’t justify paying so much more for the same things.
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I am especially interested in those Jalapenos. Not sure I can get them here, in the Uk.
I hope you can get your hands on some…they really are a fun topping for various dishes. :) I’d like to try making them at some point too…it’s probably quite easy I would guess.
Im absolutely crazy about the pickled jalapeños!! I get them from my grocery store in the mexican stuff section. They are just the perfect pop of flavours. I also tried making them and they are really easy and quick to make. My only suggestion is to let them sit in the fridge for a few weeks. They definitely get better with a bit of aging in my opinion.
Thank you for your suggestions. Ill try to find them near my house!
Oh that’s so fun you’ve made them! I definitely want to try it this summer. And thanks for the tip about letting them sit for a bit.
Love these ideas! I’ve got a husband who’s practically a big kid so he would definitely like snacking on some of these ? Right now I’m loving the Sunshine burgers (really short ingredient list), Kite Hill as others have mentioned as well as Miyoko’s nut cheese ?
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Miyoko’s nut cheese too. Do you have a fave flavour?
OMG! I’m in love with Hardbite Drop’N Mad Beets chips as well. Discovered them a few months ago and they sure are very yummy!!
Hilary’s – I’ve seen these in store but not tried them yet. Thanks for post will pick up some next time I’m grocery shopping.
The Hardbite Mad Beet chips are sooooo good! We are huge fans of their parsnip chips too
Those are good too! Although sometimes I find my parsnip chips are burned…have you ever found that?
It is so funny you mention moving because it feels good. I got pregnant and I assumed that I would use it as an opportunity to finally stop for a while and just do gentle yoga but that couldn’t be further from the truth! I continued cycling, jogging and doing yoga (both prenatal and vinyasa) until the week before i gave birth because it felt good
Wow, that’s so great you were able to do that until the end. I definitely wasn’t jogging past 1st trimester (I have bad knees), but I did long fast walks until the day I went into labour (for both pregnancies) and then I did Barre workouts at home until almost the end for my second one as well. I felt quite good all things considering!