January 2020 – The Savvy Pantry

GoodFood Meal Kit Review

Published on January 27, 2020January 25, 2020 by thesavvypantryLeave a comment

Hi Savvys!

I am always on the look-out for new inspiration and new flavours that I can add to my repertoire. With all of these new meal kit subscription boxes, it is a great way to test new flavours and recipes without having to commit to too many ingredients since they provide you everything you need for the recipes! I especially love how a lot of these companies have huge discounts for first timers since it allows me to test the different recipes and ingredients out there.

When I saw that GoodFood had a special on their boxes (I paid $24 for 3 vegetarian recipes for 2 people), I knew I wanted to try it out. Like many meal kit subscription boxes on the market today, they offer fresh ingredients that come with step by step recipe cards. What sets GoodFood apart from other companies is that they are committed to donating a meal for every meal kit purchased to a local school in need. I love companies that give back to the communities in which they operate in!

What I would say however is there is still an opportunity to reduce plastic waste associated with these subscription boxes. Though the plastic does serve as a way to protect the freshness and integrity of the ingredients, I do believe that there are still opportunities to preserve the ingredients without having to use single use plastics. I do like how some of the ingredients do come in mini plastic containers that I can reuse in the future for home use. The ice packs also come in handy for road trips and BBQs!

See below for my reviews for each recipe. Don’t forget to check out the full video and leave your comments!

Now set forth and be savvy!

I don’t think I’ve ever actually had an quesadilla before and am not typically craving it however I chose this as part of my box because I wanted to see for myself what it was like! This recipe was pretty easy – the longest part was waiting for the cauliflower to roast. The spices that came with this recipe was actually really tasty and I’d love to use it again for future dishes and other veggies. It was flavourful and very easy to make.

Who doesn’t like a baked pasta dish? I’ve never had mafaldine pasta before but after trying this recipe, I am addicted. I love the shape – it reminds me of miniature lasagna noodles. It’s perfect for tomato sauce and the spices were really great as well. I also like how this was served with green beans to really round out the meal with a serving a veggies. In the future, I probably wouldn’t bake this as cooking it over the stove top was already delicious all on it’s own.

This recipe actually was a pretty big portion and made enough for 4 servings, which is great value. I always make Thai curry at home and received a very similar curry paste in the recipe, so this was one of the least exciting recipes for me. However, I really enjoyed the pairing over red rice since this is something that I never thought to do. It’s great that I am still able to learn something new! I also added more veggies that I had in the fridge which was perfect since we were able to have leftovers for lunch the next day. I also noticed that the tofu was probably frozen beforehand and thawed out due to the chewy consistency. This is actually a hack a lot of people do, in order to make the tofu more meatier in texture, you can freeze it and that before using!

2 Meal Prep Breakfast Recipes using Eggcitables Egg Alternative – Chipotle and Garlic & Chive Flavours

Published on January 20, 2020January 19, 2020 by thesavvypantryLeave a comment

Hi Savvys!

With Veganuary upon us and of course it being a new year, I wanted to share 2 easy vegan meal prep recipes you can make for breakfast that is healthy, full of nutrients and most importantly easy to make. These recipes use the new Chipotle and Garlic & Chive flavours that Eggictables recently launched. I’m loving how versatile these flavours are and how easy the egg alternative product is to use.

For more recipes using Eggcitables Egg Alternative, check out my blog post here.

Hope you guys enjoy these recipes. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @thesavvypantry and leave a comment below!

Now set forth and be savvy!

Ingredients

~recipe below is for 1 sandwich

2 tbsp of Eggcitables Chipotle flavour egg alternative
2 tbs of water
½ tsp grapeseed oil (or any neutral tasting oil)
1 strip of bacon tempeh (optional)
1 English muffin
1 tbsp salsa (homemade or store bought)
1 avocado
1 tbsp vegan plain yogurt or vegan sour cream (I used sour cream from Tofutti)

Directions for Egg mixture

In a small bowl, mix the Eggcitables Chipotle flavour egg alternative with the water
Add the oil to a non-stick frying pan over medium heat
Add the mixture and cook for about 4 minutes, folding the mixture onto itself so that it is roughly the shape of the English muffin and flipping halfway through
Once cooked, set aside
If you are using the bacon tempeh, cook it now according to the directions on the package

Directions to assemble Sandwich

Toast the English muffin (optional)
Starting from the bottom layer, add the salsa on the bottom of the English muffin
Place a few slices of avocado
Place your cooked Eggcitables Chipotle egg on top
Break the tempeh bacon in half and place on top of the egg
Finish by placing a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream on top of the tempeh
Place the top of the English muffin on top
Enjoy!

Ingredients

~makes 24-34 mini quiches

1 cup Eggcitables Garlic & Chive flavour egg alternative
1 cup water
½ cup soy milk (or non dairy milk of your choice)
1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or any neutral tasting oil)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 mushrooms, diced
1 cup packed spinach
1 roma tomato, diced
2 green onion, diced
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt

Directions

Pre-heat over to 375 degrees
In a large bowl, mix the Eggcitables egg alternative with the water and soy milk. Set aside
In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat
Add the garlic clove and sautee for 1 minute
Add the diced mushrooms and sautee for 2 minutes
Turn off the heat and add the spinach. Keep mixing the mushroom and spinach mixture until the spinach is completely wilted
Add the mushroom and spinach mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients
Add the diced tomato, green onion and pepper and mix well
Pour the batter evenly into a 24 mini muffin tray
Bake for 30 minutes

Nena Skincare Routine

Published on January 15, 2020January 14, 2020 by thesavvypantryLeave a comment

Hi Savvys!

Happy New year, new you! If you haven’t already heard of Nena Skincare, let me give you the lowdown on this Canadian company! Nena Skincare products are made using Glacial Oceanic clay harvested from British Columbia. The natural properties of oceanic clay make these products great cleansers as they help remove toxins from your skin while tightening your pores and adding back moisture at the same time.

Continue reading below for a review on each product! Don’t forget to check out my skincare routine using Nena products!

I am always on the lookout for new facial cleansing products so I was excited to try the Nena Cleansing cream. Since it’s a cream, it was a bit thicker and creamier than I’m use to, however I did immediately notice the look and smell of the Glacial Oceanic clay within the product. Because of its creamy and thick consistency, a little goes a long way and it left my face feeling and smelling fresh right after the first treatment!

According to the directions, the next step in my routine was to apply the clay mask. The clay mask was a bit runnier than I am used to (since other clay masks tend to be very thick and sticky), however I think prefer this type of texture since it was very easy to apply and again, I didn’t need to much product to cover my face with. I only had to wait about 5 minutes before the mask dried completely. And because of the thin texture, it was very quick to wash away, leaving my face feeling super supple and pores looking noticeably smaller.

I love adding toners to my skincare routine because it just makes my face feel very light and fresh. The texture is thicker than usual toners and resembles a serum more than a toner. I like how I can control how much toner I am using and the fresh feeling it leaves on my face.

The last step to any skincare routine is always a good moisturizer. When I am feeling too lazy for the full routine, this moisturizer is the only thing I put on. This moisturizer is thick and creamy and makes my skin feel so soft. There’s the added bonus of walking around smelling like a spa which means you will feel refreshed and relaxed all day!

Hope you guys found this review helpful and try out these Nena products. Since I am trying to be more disciplined with following a skincare routine at least once a day, Nena makes it easy by providing all of the necessary products so I can achieve my new year goals! I love that these are Canadian, cruelty free and use high quality ingredients.

Now set forth and be Savvy!

What I Eat in a Day in Zurich

Published on January 9, 2020 by thesavvypantry1 Comment

Hi Savvys!

Since we came to visit Zurich as a tag-along to Sean’s conference (which was in February 2019 FYI!), this meant that I had 1 full day to roam around the city by myself while he was at his conference. This gave me a chance to check out all of the vegan restaurants I wanted to try in Zurich and re-visit some of the sights we had seen earlier in the week.

See below for all of the food that I ate in a day in Zurich! It wasn’t much, and to be honest I thought I would have eaten more food. But Zurich was really expensive so I am glad that the food was very filling.

The first restaurant that I tried was Roots and Friends. This restaurant was within a 5-minute walk from the train station which was perfect because I was pretty hungry when I arrived in the city. I arrived around 11 which was perfect because it was right before the lunch rush. Right after ordering and sitting down, there ended up being a huge line up of people picking up orders to go, so it was nice to get a seat and people watch while I ate my meal. Though February in Zurich is much milder than in Canada, it was still a bit chilly so I opted for a miso soup (which unfortunately is no longer on their menu according to their website) with a matcha latte on the side.

The soup was wonderfully flavoured with miso but also had a slight Thai curry flavour as well. It was filled with lots of raw veggies like cabbage and carrots and topped with fresh cilantro and mint. The matcha latte was the perfect dessert to go alongside my meal and was wonderfully creamy but not too sweet.

After lunch I walked around the city to visit some sights as I made my way over to the popular grocery/department store Co-op. I wanted to make a trip here because I heard that they had a huge selection of vegan foods (check out my vegan food haul found here) and wanted to bring some treats home. I probably spent an hour here because it was so nice to explore and discover all of the different foods that they.

On my way to my next destination, I wanted to visit a different Hiltl location (we had visited one on our first day for lunch) just to check out the selection. I really like this chain since both times I’ve been, they offered different selection of food which is great because it will keep you wanting to visit over and over again. However, the food is weighted so it does add up pretty quickly.

On my way back to the train station, I wanted to get some ice cream and bring back some dinner to the hotel. I was happy to have found The Sacred which had a nice vegan ice cream bar at the front as well as a weighted buffet with a great selection of food so that I can bring back to share with Sean. The front also had a little section where you could purchase soy and vegan products to cook at home. The owner was super nice and let me sample a few ice cream flavours before I chose the pistachio. I wish I had a chance to visit this restaurant again because there was so many things I wanted to try. For dinner, I took home a selection of veggie curries and some almond feta which was delicious.

Hope you guys enjoyed the list of restaurants that I checked out during our visit. There were so many more that I didn’t get to check out since I only had a few days to explore. But I will definitely keep a list handy for if we ever visit Zurich again.

Now set forth and be savvy!