Monthly Favorite Snacks & Drinks Roundup: February 2019

Welcome to my second Monthly Favorite Snacks & Drinks Roundup!

 Happy February, friends!  This month’s list of snack and drink obsessions features more snacks than drinks, mainly because I’ve been super hungry lately.  It also includes a few snacks with dairy in it which is totally against my usual strict diet.  I’ve basically started to not give as much of a fuck because I’m sick of not eating delicious things just because I’d break out in a stupid rash. YOLO, amirite? On that note... 

These are the top 10 snacks and drinks I’ve been obsessed with throughout February 2019:

If you missed January’s roundup, check it out here!

Sejoyia Coco-Thins Salted Caramel Cookies

  Okay, so Sejoyia makes a few different cookie flavors like Lemon Zest, Chocolate, and Vanilla (all of which I’ve tried, of course) and they’re all good, but their salted caramel cookies taste JUST like Girl Scouts Samoas… except they’re way healthier.  These paleo-friendly and gluten-free cookies are made with only five healthy ingredients like cassava flour, coconut, and cashews so they’re totally safe to binge on… anddddd yeah, I’ve been binging on them. 

Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs Vegan White Cheddar

 If you follow me on Instagram (which you should), then you already know I’ve been obsessing over these cheese doodle knockoffs for weeks.  Do you like cheese doodles? If so, welcome to your newest snack obsession.  Hippeas chickpea puffs are organic, vegan, soy free, dairy-free, non-GMO, delicious, and all of those other amazing qualities found in a good snack. Whether or not you follow a vegan or dairy-free diet, these vegan white cheddar puffs taste EXACTLY like cheese doodles, only they’re not loaded with bad ingredients.  

Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs Bohemian Barbeque

 Once I fell in love with Hippeas’ vegan white cheddar puffs, I had to try this barbeque flavor because I love me a good barbeque chip. I honestly don’t know which flavor I like more. Regardless, these puffs are such a good, healthy alternative to LAY’S baked BBQ chips.  Try it out.  

Open Road Snacks Rocky Mountain Popcorn

 As you already know, I’m not supposed to eat dairy, but Open Road Snacks’ white cheddar popcorn is 100% worth the risk of an allergic reaction. This popcorn is non-GMO, gluten-free, and addicting. I have yet to try the other flavors but I have Jalapeno Cheddar and Butter bags waiting for me when I’m ready. Stay tuned. 

Lily’s Sweets Chocolate

 Lily’s Sweets makes chocolate bars without any added sugar, which I’m a huge fan of. I’ve tried a bunch of different flavors shown above (salted almond, dark chocolate, creamy milk chocolate, etc.) but the caramelized & salted chocolate bar has become my latest guilty pleasure. The milk chocolate isn’t dairy-free but the dark chocolate is. Again, totally worth the risk of an allergic reaction.  

From The Ground Up Cauliflower Pretzel Sticks

 My sister-in-law told me to try these cauliflower pretzels, and I’m SO thankful she did because omg. I could (and do) easily kill a bag of these in one sitting. These pretzels are very different than your everyday pretzel. Made from cassava flour and mix of veggies and other decently healthy ingredients, they have this flavor I can’t even describe but it’s soooo good.  

Rosė

 I’m not much of a drinker or a champagne lover, but I really channeled my inner fancy/basic bitch this past month. On Valentine’s Day, my best friend and I popped open a bottle of G.H. Mumm's rosė to celebrate how single we are while we ate our massive to-go orders of delicious fried rice at my apartment. I also tried Strongbow’s 100-calorie apple rosė hard cider. Although I had a good run with it, I think I’ll leave the rosė in February and stick with my usual fav -- margaritas. 

*STILL OBSESSED WITH*

• Lotus Foods Buckwheat & Mushroom Ramen
• Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Rebbl Dark Chocolate Protein Drink

 Thanks for reading! Come back next month to find out what other awesome stuff I’ve been eating and drinking.  Have any personal favorite snacks or drinks that you think I’d like? Let me know in the comments below. 

Monthly Favorite Snacks & Drinks Roundup: January 2019

Welcome to my very first Monthly Favorite Snacks & Drinks Roundup!

 HAPPY 2019, EVERYONE! Hope your new year is off to an amazing start.  Every month I find different treats to become obsessed with… and I mean OBSESSED with. I try new things then immediately fall in love with them and unnecessarily drop hundreds of dollars on them feel the need to buy these items in bulk every week until my obsession subsides. It’s actually probably (definitely) an issue.  On that note, I’ve decided to start this new segment on my blog which will feature all of my latest food and drink addictions.  Like the self-proclaimed foodie and health nut that I am, these snacks and drinks are usually quirky in nature, dairy-free, and as healthy as can be -- because that’s the type of stuff I consume (thanks to a kick in the ass by my worst friend ever Lyme disease). Ready to find out all the weird and delicious stuff I eat and drink on a monthly basis? K, let’s go. And don’t say I didn’t warn you.  

These are the top 7 snacks and drinks I’ve been obsessed with throughout January 2019:

gimMe Organic Seaweed

 Nutritious, delicious, and weird as hell, seaweed is my #1 addiction lately. I eat it every day either as a snack straight from the container or as a hand roll wrapped with brown rice and avocado. gimMe’s organic seaweed snacks come in a ton of flavors -- Toasted Sesame is my original favorite, then I tried Teriyaki, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt, all of which are equally as awesome and now incorporated into my weekly rotation.  If you want to learn more about weird food trends, check out this post I wrote for Betches! 

Szent Water

 Don’t like regular water? Don’t want to make your own detox water by infusing it with fruits, spices, herbs, and other magical ingredients that will make you debloat and lose weight? Try Szent Water. There’s a ring around the neck with oils around it that add a kick of flavor to your water. I prefer the Pineapple flavor but the Mint comes in second place. It’s definitely different than drinking normal or fruit-infused water but it’s a really cool alternative.  

Brew Dr. Kombucha

 I originally tried this kombucha after being summoned to try a free sample at Whole Foods -- and ya girl loves free stuff, so I tried it, and I loved it. Literally. The Brew Dr. flavor I love most is the Love flavor followed by Superberry. These kombuchas are organic and low in sugar and made with simple, good ingredients. They also gave me a free stainless steel straw for trying the samples, so yay for saving dollars and the environment!  

Ramen

 Ramen has become a weekly staple for me. I started off by making it myself, and it came out AMAZING. But then I got super lazy and researched the next best thing -- instant ramen that isn’t packed with preservatives and sodium and other shit. Lotus Foods makes a fantastic gluten-free brown rice ramen buckwheat mushroom soup that serves as an awesome alternative to the typical salty white rice ramen I used to love prior to eliminating all white-foods from my diet. 

Justin’s Dark Chocolate Cashew Butter Cups

 Since I can’t have peanut butter anymore, I’ve had to find substitutes for my chocolate-peanut butter addiction (see: this delicious chocolate peanut butter overnight oats recipe). I’ve tried sunflower butter cups and almond butter cups, but NOTHING compares to the deliciousness that is Justin’s organic and gluten-free dark chocolate cashew butter cups. They. Are. Incredible. 

Rebbl Dark Chocolate Protein Drink

 Rebbl’s dark chocolate “super herb elixir” is my all-time favorite protein drink to chug after I get home from training jiu-jitsu. It’s organic, dairy-free, soy-free, ethically sourced, and tastes just like chocolate milk. It’s also full of crazy superfood ingredients like maca, ashwagandha, and reishi. On the pricier side at $5/bottle, it’s 100% worth it. 

Almond Milk Latte With Cinnamon

 This is my new go-to order from Starbucks and the local coffee shop where I’m currently writing this article. It’s pretty basic but it hits the spot with a nice dose of caffeine and anti-inflammatory superpower thanks to cinnamon. Shout out to the Patchogue Bean who makes a perfect one!  Anddddd that’s it for my very first favorite snacks and drinks roundup! Come back next month for an updated list of my newest food and drink obsessions. :)  Thanks for reading. Have you ever tried any of these things? What have been your latest snack and drink addictions? Let me know in the comments below.  READ NEXT: 10 Best Snacks From Trader Joe's 

SISU Aero NextGen Mouthguard Review

I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu back in January, and I instantly became hooked (no pun intended). Since BJJ is a high contact, grappling-based sport, half the class always wears a mouthguard. I never really felt the need to wear one when drilling or rolling -- until I got a knee to the face and my first busted lip. Later that night, I asked around to find out which brand mouthguard is the best for BJJ. Gladiator, Impact, and SISU were the most common recommendations, but I went online to research for myself. I scoped out a bunch of different brands to see the benefits of each mouthguard, prices, reviews, and even checked out the /r/bjj subreddit to see what everyone else is using. After hours of researching (and debating which color I should choose*), I purchased my very first SISU Aero NextGen mouthguard. Stuck between the new Awesome Aqua and Purple Punch, I went with the Purple Punch color to match my favorite black and purple gi.

Why I Chose The SISU Aero Nextgen Mouthguard

The SISU mouthguard sold me for a few different reasons.

• It’s custom-moldable up to 20 times so it will perfectly fit your teeth and mouth
• It’s affordable (I spent $24 including tax and free shipping on Amazon Prime)
• SISU offers $35,000 in dental coverage should you experience any damage while wearing their product
• It’s super-thin and doesn't distort your mouth 
• You can talk and pronounce Ss without lisping while wearing it
• You can drink while wearing it
• You can breathe while wearing it (breathing is always a big plus)
• There were a ton of positive reviews online
• The mouthguards are BPA, phthalate, latex, and PVC-free!

The Molding Process

Even though the instructions were easy to understand and complete, I’m a bit of a ditz so I had trouble molding the mouthguard. I heated up water in my tea kettle and poured it into a ceramic bowl about four times because I just couldn’t get it to become soft and pliable. It turns out you need to use REALLY hot -steaming hot- water (the instructions aren’t kidding)... then you can finally bend it over your teeth and mold it properly.  Overall, the process of molding the SISU mouthguard over my teeth was simple and only took a few minutes. Anyone who can read instructions should be able to complete the process with ease. 

No Bad Chemicals!

I LOVE the fact that there are no bad chemicals in this product. I’m big on the organic, chemical-free lifestyle, so this was a huge plus for me. It comforting to know that the mouthguard I’m using three to four times a week isn’t releasing toxins into my body.  

How Does It Fit?

Really well and very comfortable. It’s so tight-fitting (or just so well molded ;)) that it won’t come out unless I manually take it out. You can’t even tell I’m wearing a mouthguard until I open my mouth. My lips aren’t protruding or distorted when I’m wearing it, which is awesome. I don’t lisp when talking, I can drink water easily, and breathing isn’t an issue at all.  

Final Thoughts

It’s been about three weeks now and I’ve been using my SISU mouthguard while rolling nonstop. It fits like a glove, I can drink, speak, breathe, drill, and roll in comfort. On my first day using it, I got kicked in my jaw and my mouthguard caught all of the force. Even though I had a bruised chin, my teeth were fully intact, so this mouthguard totally works. It feels good knowing my teeth are protected from unexpected knees and other accidental blows to the face (and if any damage was to happen, the peace of mind of $35,000 dental coverage is priceless).  Overall, I can confidently say I love my SISU Aero NextGen mouthguard, and I highly recommend it to anyone who trains jiu-jitsu or any other similar-level contact sport. Click HERE to check it out on Amazon. * Be careful when considering different colors because some are more expensive than others. For example, Intense Red is $19.90, Hot Pink is $22.25, and Charcoal Black is $24.97.  DISCLAIMER: I may receive a commission if you purchase a product using one of the affiliate links found within this post. Clicking these links will not in any way affect the amount you pay.

Bumble BFF App Review: How My First BFF Date Went Down

It’s not that easy to make new friends anymore. If you don’t go to school, work in a place where new people enter the building all day long, or enjoy frequenting bars every weekend, the odds of meeting potential amigos are slim to none. Thankfully, the friend gods have answered our prayers, and the dating app Bumble has recently released a feature on the platform called Bumble BFF.One of my girlfriends told me she found luck and matched a couple of pretty cool girls, so I was inspired to see if I could get some matches myself. Lo and behold, I’ve already matched… drum roll, please… three girls! Yay! I’m on my way to #squadgoals heaven.After just one night of swiping, I scored my very first Bumble BFF match. Right from the start, Jackie seemed super nice and down-to-earth. We got along well and shared some common interests, one of which being the fact that we’re both proud grandmas and we don’t go out drinking every weekend like most of the people our age. We swapped numbers, texted, and made plans to hang the following week.Yesterday, she and I hung out for the first time. We went to the mall, grabbed drinks at Starbucks, shopped, and filled each other in on our lives. Not going to lie, I was nervous as I sat and waited for her to show up, but once we were talking, it felt like I knew her for years. Turns out blind friend dates are SO much less intimidating than typical blind dates with someone you're interested in potentially dating.PS: This literally sounds like I’m telling the story of the first date with my now fiancé (if I had one), and I’m so sorry. Just trying to give you guys a thorough review of how this app worked for me and what went down.Overall, I had an awesome time. I’m a pretty awkward human, but it wasn’t awkward at all. Jackie is totally someone who I could see becoming one of my genuinely close friends. This also means that I am officially one squad member closer to giving T Swift a run for her squad money -- score!

My suggestion? If you’re looking for new friends and don’t mind losing your pride or ego over downloading a “dating app,” then go install Bumble on your phone right now and go find your new BFF!If you wind up matching with anyone and plan to hang out with that person, here are four quick tips from my personal experience:

1. Be yourself.
2. Don't be nervous.
3. Have fun with it.
4. Don't be a serial killer.

So thanks, Bumble inventors, for enabling me to gain a new friend and for giving people like me who freelance, have already graduated from school, and don’t like the bar scene a way to meet people without having to join actual real-life social clubs or anything like that… because who actually does anything without the help of technology anymore, amirite?  Thanks for reading! Happy swiping. Have you tried the app yet? Have you had any luck? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or tweet me @MorganMandriota!