My July TVK Box

If you're new to my blog, you may not be familiar with The Vegan Kind Monthly Subscription Box. Each month for £12.95 (including postage and packing in the UK), between 5 and 8 items are selected by the company and packaged into a lovely box along with a recipe card and useful information about the products. The awesome thing about these boxes is the surprise, you never know what's going to be inside.

I'm like a child at Christmas when I receive it, I can't wait for the box to reveal all its secrets. In most instances they are items I've never tried before and this month was no different.

The very generous sized carton of coconut water from Vita Coco is something I've wanted to try for a long time. Becoming increasingly popular in the UK, it seems to be the new kid on the block. So why the sudden interest in a drink which has been drunk for years in Brazil, Asia and The Caribbean? It's mainly because natural coconut water is the natural hydrating drink and who wants to buy a product full of unnatural additives? In all honesty I think I'll stick with mineral water. I thought this would be my favourite product of the box but I didn't like the taste as all! This is something I would need to add to a smoothie or juice. But don't take my personal opinion, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide adore it so try it for yourself, you may love it!

The most stand out item in the whole box was the vegan whole hazelnut chocolate bar from Vego. The 5 hugely generous chunks add up to a total of 150 grams, so the bar is really not something to sit down and eat in one go! Though a little too sweet for me, judging by the reviews I've read on The Vegan Kind Facebook Page it has been incredibly popular.

This bar is jam packed full of whole hazelnuts and the best way to descibe it is that it's similar to the well known green triangles in taste but it's made from far superior ingredients...

"We only use exclusive high-quality ingredients such as fine Italian hazelnut paste, hazelnut cocoa cream and whole hazelnuts that we blend together in a unique process to create your "Vego Whole Hazelnut Chocolate Bar"."

... and of course it's much, much bigger!

I've been interested in trying Cocobacon for some time now since I follow many blogs written by people who live in the United States and have seen this mentioned a few times. Personally I've never been a great fan of foods made to taste or appear like meat products but on the other hand maybe that's not a bad thing since the product may appeal to a wider audience, people who wouldn't necessarily be bothered to try something aimed purely at the vegan marketplace. So what is it? This is what it states on their website.

"CocoBacon ® is made in our organically certified kitchen. First we start with thick, sweet organic coconut chips from mature coconuts and lightly toast them. These crunchy decadent coconut chips get a generous dose of raw, organic coconut oil to achieve the fatty satisfaction of bacon. Then, we apply a little bit of low-glycemic, high-vitamin organic coconut sugar for the slight sweetness of bacon. Next, we add some high-mineral Celtic Sea Salt ® for the salty side of bacon. The final savory and smoky flavors come from organic mesquite smoke flavor and our special organic spice blend. The result is a perfectly balanced salty, savory, smoky and sweet flavor combination on a crunchy coconut chip."

The result is exactly as they suggest. On its own I wasn't that keen, I felt it was a little greasy but when sprinkled on top of foods like salads and soups it adds a lovely rich smoky flavour along with a nice crunchy texture. I think the best way to approach this product is to look at it as a unique and new taste experience and don't try to compare it to anything you've ever eaten before. It's like trying celery, mushrooms or marmite for the first time, you're either going to love it or hate it. Give it a chance if you're one of the latter, you may grow to love it!

This product was by far my most favourite, Heavenly Organics "just add water" shampoo. So unique and SO useful to take with you on your travels. Just use a heaped teaspoon of the powder mixed with a little water to make a paste and massage it into your hair but don't expect it to foam, there's nothing nasty in this product. Check out their shop for all the other products they sell, I especially like the travel packs.

I'm familiar with Frank Bars since I follow them on Twitter but this was the first time I had managed to get my hands on one of their bars. This Strawberry and Chocolate flavour bar was delicious. Gluten free, dairy free, tree nut free and not overly sweet they're easy to drop into your bag to have on hand when you're desperate for an energy boost during the day. What's inside these tastybars? I lifted this from their website.

"FRANK bars are a deliciously indulgent snack bar made with 100% natural ingredients such as wholegrain oats, dates & dried plums and topped with a delicious dairy free Coconut Cream chocolate. FRANK bars are gluten, nut, & dairy free and are a source of protein, with each bar containing almost 4g of protein per 35g bar. FRANK bars also contain ENERGYSMART®, which is a patented, all-natural combination of carbohydrates from select fruits (apple, grape & pear) plus specially developed natural dextrins from grain which together provide longer-lasting energy. ENERGYSMART® is a registered trademark of Advanced Ingredients Inc. (USA)"

Other flavours available to buy are Double Chocolate, Blueberry and Chocolate and Oat and Chocolate. Visit their website to find out where you can buy them.

Squeeze Juice Café is the UK's only juice producer of a Ready to Drink Wheatgrass shot. Have you ever tried Wheatgrass juice? My sachet still remains unopened but I know plenty of people who drink it every day and swear by it! If you don't know what Wheatgrass is, I picked up this information from the Squeeze Juice Café's website, the fifth point will interest you :

• Nicknamed “liquid gold,” one serving of wheatgrass juice is the rough equivalent of one and a half pounds of dark leafy green vegetables.
• Because of its high chlorophyll content, it has a strong alkalizing and detoxifying effect on the body.
• Like all chlorophyll-rich green plants, wheatgrass is high in oxygen and therefore an excellent source of natural energy.
• Known to improve digestion, it only takes one minute to digest.
• Even though the word “wheat” is in its name, wheatgrass is gluten-free.
• The best time to have wheatgrass juice is on an empty stomach and one hour before eating so that all the beneficial nutrients are completely available to the body for absorption.