Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Sprout Vox Box

Another gift from influenster came in the mail awhile ago. Apologies again for the late post. But, this time I want to share what I received in my Sprout Vox Box from Influenster. This box was definitely a box that I was glad to have received because I doubt I would have picked up any of these items on my own. This box contained a whole bunch of goodies that definitely caters to a better life style. So, in other words def a healthy box.

If you haven't heard about influenster, it's a site where you can read and post reviews on products you liked or disliked. You can fill out surveys and if chosen you get to try out some of the products they send you for FREE before they even hit stores. Click the link below to JOIN.
 
 
 

The first item that we tried were the EatSmart Three Bean Tortilla Chips ((made with pinto, navy, and black beans wit 14 grams of whole grain and is gluten free made with non-GMO ingredients which is great). My cousins were over so we devoured that bag in less than 10 minutes. Even though it was a new flavor, it tasted like something we had already tried but just couldn’t wrap our mind on what it was. It def is spicy so if you are not into that, I don't think you would like it. The chip alone was good, but we like chips with dip. So, we tried it salsa and then we tried it with McDonalds Sweet and Sour sauce. The sweet and sour sauce won that round. If you see it in store, def try it the sweet and sour sauce.

The second item in the box was from Hair Food Moisture Collection. I had never seen this brand so when I saw it I was really intrigued by it and the sample size was a decent size. I don't have such long hair so this lasted for 2 showers. This shampoo and conditioner is infused with honey and apricot fragrances. It’s silicone free, paraben free, and mineral oil free. This product was actually made in Thailand, I’m surprised it wasn’t China or USA. After just one use my hair is extremely super soft and smells wonderful. My hair smelled amazing!!! I use different kinds of shampoos and conditioners and this left my hair feeling really soft and silky. I def would purchase this.
With the healthy life style theme, the third product I decided to try was the Orgain Organic Protein Powder in Vanilla Bean (plant-based protein powder). I don't normally drink any protein drinks when I work out, just plain old H20. But because I had the sample, I decided to try it out. The taste was surprisingly good. Not, sure if I want to purchase this since I don't normally drink protein shakes to begin with. But, if you are someone that does, I say go out and buy it so you can judge for yourself.
The next item that we tried was the ECOS hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent. I've never heard of this brand either. If you like floral scents, you will def enjoy using this. It left my clothes feeling clean and refreshed. No one in my household has sensitive skin, so I don't know if I will purchase this. But, for those that do, this would be a great alternative.

The last item in my box was the Curate Bar: Dark and Tempting Flavor. I don't normally eat healthy stuff like this, so I passed this along to my mother. She's a big health nut so I thought this was gonna be perfect for her. She tried it and said it was just ok. Nothing too special. So, I don't think I will be purchasing this.

Overall the box was a good way to try new brands. As mentioned, I have never heard of these brands so I would have never tried to pick these up on my own. Great way to experience new things.


Disclosure : I received these products complimentary for testing purposes by influenster. All opinions are of my own.
 
 

Have you tried influenster yet? What are some of your favorite healthy products? 
 
XOXO,
Geri



Food Series #6 - Thai Food

When I was free from work, a coworker of mine suggested we grub at a thai place in middle village called Nur Thai. It was a recently opened spot that had really great reviews on Yelp so we gave it a shot.
The place had a undeniably deceiving  tiny store front, but once inside it was a decent size. It was decorated with cute chandeliers which seemed fancy but really fitted theme. The store had a cozy at home type of atmosphere.

Nur Thai Store Front
Nur Thai - Rego Park, NY, United States
Inside Nur Thai (Yelp)
During the time of our arrival it was the lunch special so we were able to save some cash (you know broke college students). I ordered the drunken noodle with beef, which was one of the popular dishes there and my friend got the pad see ew with chicken.For dessert we got some fried vanilla ice cream.

Both meals came with a salad and spring roll served in a peanut sauce.The drunken noodle had Sauteed flat noodles with eggs, tomatoes and bell pepper with basil, chili paste and fresh ground pepper. The pad see ew was made from Stir fried flat noodle with eggs and Asian greens in black sweet sauce,  The fried ice cream had a crunchy crust with a doughy soft vanilla ice cream filling.



Light Salad tossed with sweet peanut sauce and spring roll

Top: Pad see ew, Bottom: Drunken Noodle
When we received the food it seemed as if it was ready for a photo shoot because the plate was so cute, I've never seen something like it. It made the food look better than it was.The food was delicious. Not only was the price great but the portions were huge. The seasonings in  both dishes made the flavors pop. I enjoyed both meals.but I would have to say the drunken noodle was the best. The fried ice cream was great too, it was even decorated nicely with pink and green sauce. I am definitely coming back again but this time getting the chicken lollipop!!!



Fried Ice Cream

both meals came with a salad and spring roll served in a peanut sauce.The drunken noodle had Sauteed flat noodles with eggs, tomatoes and bell pepper with basil, chili paste and fresh ground pepper. The pad see ew was made from Stir fried flat noodle with eggs and Asian greens in black sweet sauce,  The fried ice cream had a crunchy crust with a doughy soft vanilla ice cream filling.
When we received the food it seemed as if it was ready for a photo shoot because the plate was so cute, I've never seen something like it. It made the food look better than it was.
The food was delicious. Not only was the price great but the portions were huge. The seasonings in  both dishes made the flavors pop. I enjoyed both meals.but I would have to say the drunken noodle was the best. The fried ice cream was great too, it was even decorated nicely with pink and green sauce. I am definitely coming back again but this time getting the chicken lollipop!!!

-d.rodriguez


Food Series #5 - Miller's Ale House

Since all I have been doing over the winter break is work I barely get to hang out with friends, family or my boyfriend. Every day I get out of work at 11:50 pm and the only place that is open during the time is Miller's Ale House. I told my boyfriend to meet up with me and just chill for a bit. 
Thank goodness Miller's opened till 1 am. The place is a sports bar/restaurant that has a billion tv's placed in every corner of the area, it's hard not to know what people are yelling at when their favorite team is losing. 
We order the zingers plate that came with strips of chicken, drizzled in cheese and 
Crispy pieces of bacon. The plate was big enough to feed 5 people. Thankfully I was starving because if I wasn't, we wouldn't have been able to eat it all. I chose the lemon pepper flavor with the side of ranch.

World Famous Zingers Plate
For dessert, we got a huge slice of ice cream cake. Capt'n Jack's Buried Treasure (strange name for a dessert) is an ice cream cake with oreo cookie crust,  chocolate fudge, caramel, and toffee.
Capt'n Jack's Buried Treasure

The chicken sort of tasted like Buffalo Wild Wings but wasn't as good. The fries were good only because of the bacon. The best thing here was the dessert. The oreo really complimented the ice cream and the whipped cream balanced out the sweetness of the cake. When we were done with our meal we got so sucked into the football game that was being played (we don't even watch sports) that we were yelling at the tv. It was pretty amusing seeing other people get really mad at something they can't help :) 

Enjoy the rest of your week!!!

-d.Rodriguez






Food Series #4 - RAMEN!!!

Happy New Years Everyone! I hope you all are doing well :) Today was my day off from reality (work ugh) and I was able to catch up with one of my really good friends for a lunch date. This time, we were craving Ramen so we headed down to Astoria, Ditmars, to Hinomaru Ramen .
HinoMaru Ramen - Astoria, NY, United States. not too crowded on Friday night, will come again
Hinomaru Ramen 
HinoMaru Ramen - Astoria, NY, United States. interior
Entrance and waiting area (Yelp)
HinoMaru Ramen - Astoria, NY, United States. decor
Seating Area (Yelp)
Once you walk in the store, I was immediately greeted by the waiters, who sat my friend and I down after a couple of minutes. It was around 12 o'clock, I assumed the place would be dead but there were many people there.

 She started us off with drinks, I got tea, it was so cold I needed to warm up.

We ordered some appetizers. The Geso Tempura seasoned fried squid legs with a side of spicy mayo and the Uni roll, fried sea urchin topped with a sauce, wrapped in seaweed. 
Geso Tempura
Uni Roll
For the main course, my friend already looked at the pictures on Yelp and knew what she was going to get, the Chicken Ramen and since I wanted to be surprised there I chose a popular bowl, the Honomaru (New York Style) which was a little spicy, but I needed it because I felt like I was getting sick so I needed to sweat it off.


Chicken Ramen


Honomaru Ramen
The chicken Ramen had chicken broth and meatballs, green onion, a poached egg, bean sprouts, seaweed and corn. The Honomaru bowl had a creamy broth with some vegetables I wasn't familiar with, bean sprouts, fish cake, "fire ball" (which I believe is pork), mushrooms, green onions and thick chunks of pork.
For dessert we were so full, we got little ice cream mochis. It is a chewy texture on the outside and icecream on the inside. I got mango and she got vanilla.

Mochi Icecream Mango, strawberry, green tea (Yelp)
The food was great but was really overpriced (I guess its because there isn't much Asian cuisine in Astoria), our bill came up to 50 dollars. The tempura was so good, the seasoning and the spicy mayo made it ten times better than it originally was. The uni was...different. I'm always down to try new things but this wasn't appetizing to me (including my friend), at least I can say I have eaten sea urchins now. The chicken ramen was good but the Honomaru was more savory and flavorful especially because of the pork. Both bowls were mouth-watering. I love the staff, super friendly and they always refilled our drinks, and a great thing about this place is that once you finish the noodles you can request for more! The dessert was a perfect ending for the meal, really light, refreshing and not overly sweet. I recommend this place for anyone craving ramen, just watch what you order because the bill will seriously sky rocket!!!

Free sample code for our fellow followers???

Who Wants to get a FREE SAMPLE GRAZE BOX FRIEND CODE?? WAIT, EVERYONE GETS ONE.

Hey everyone, its been a while since I have last posted but school is over and I am free! Speaking of free, FOUR lucky winners will get one of my free sample codes for the GRAZE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE! How awesome is that!! The way to win is just too simple! Just be a follower of of blog and comment down below of what your favorite snack is, it can be anything from simple peanuts to delicious ice-cream! 

So if you are chosen as a lucky winner, this code will unlock your 1st and 5th boxes free. The first box is completely free and you would have to put in you card info and address, but if you only want to get the first box free you would have to wait until your snacks are delivered THEN cancel you card information and cancel the next box delivery date, which will stop everything.Trust me, they will not charge a dime unless you decide to keep your card information and continue to the subscription. Its really your choice my special people. So after the first box, you would have to pay $11.99 per box, every month or week and then your 5th box would be free because of my friend code.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

I just found out today that my code could be used unlimited times! How amazing, everyone can get their first Graze box free!
Let me not beat around the bush, here is the code guys! 

Ghelin2wb

Enjoy and I hope everyone had a happy New Year!

Food Series # 3 - Spontaneous Trips To Olive Garden

It is finals week for college students, which means its that time of the year where we get no sleep at all and just stress all day (everyday). A friend and I were surprisingly given an "A" in our Business class and had to have a celebratory meal, I excitedly suggested we go to Olive Garden for dessert (but ended up getting a meal instead).
To start it off, I was really craving a sweet citrus drink so I got the Peach Bellini ($6.50) and my friend got a Frozen Margarita. The Bellini was really light and refreshing, it really satisfied my sweet tooth. It had Zonin Prosecco (italian sparkling wine) mixed with fresh fruits, and despite the name tasted more like pineapples than peach. While on the otherhand, my friends massive Frozen Margarita ($6.50) was mixed with tequila and had a strawberyy-mango mix.
Peach Bellini


Frozen Margarita

Our waiter then gave us a basket of garlic bread and our sampler, the Pronto Lunch ($12.79). We were able to choose up to three things and had a variety of small finger foods to pick at such as calamari, stuffed mushrooms, fried zucchini, chicken fingers, fried mozzarella or toasted beef and pork ravioli. We chose the calamari, fried zucchini and mozzarella.

Unlimited Garlic Bread

Pronto Lunch: Calamari, fried Zucchini, Mozzarella


Although it did not seem like much, we were pretty stuffed at the end. The portions are big and can feed about 2 people (depending on how much you can eat lol). The bill came out to be around 28 dollars which was not bad for the place. The meal and drinks were good, but the Frozen Margarita was too strong for our liking and we ended up not finishing it (but the Peach Bellini was bomb). This was a good celebratory meal for our "A", hoping to do this 4 more times once finals are over! 

Wishing everyone good luck on their finals!

-d.rodriguez