The Healthy Bug-- A Vegan Review

 

The Healthy Bug is located at 3514 Joseph Howe Drive in Halifax. A few weeks ago, the owner Lou asked me to lend a hand in expanding their vegan section of the store. I was thrilled and honored to play a part in not only helping this store expand business but also get more vegan products available in HRM. We discussed lots of possibilities and I think made great progress. So to all of my vegan and vegetarian homies in the Halifax area, prepare your boots for great things coming to the Healthy Bug. 

That being said, they already do offer some awesome vegan products and I want to do a small review of the products I purchased and was given (I was handed a 50 dollar gift card for helping which was unexpected and greatly appreciated). Many of these products I have not found anywhere else in the HRM. The Healthy Bug also has very reasonable prices and actually many identical items that other local stores may carry are either cheaper here or identical in prices. 

So here are my reviews: 

Green Cuisine tempeh burgers: It took me a long time to like tempeh I have to admit but now I finally love it. These were awesome. Huge and very filing, great flavour and easy to spice to how you prefer.

Sol Cuisine's new meatless chicken in Tangy Korean BBQ, Spicy Chipotle Tinga and Ginger Lime Teriyaki. I had been anticipating trying these since their announcement and they did not disappoint. These are gluten-free, that's right GLUTEN-FREE vegan chicken strips. And they are incredible. I honestly can't pick a favourite flavour because I loved them all. I tried them in both wraps and stirfry's and wish I had of had more to try many other ways. The options are truly endless. They are also super easy to cook and perfect for a quick, easy and delicious meal.

Rawkin' Cakes & Creations is a local business that makes vegan and raw sweet treats. Where do I even begin? Her creations are incredible. I tried both the macaroons and peppermint patties. The macaroons remind me so much of Hail Merry, who is another vegan company but they don't sell in Canada, so this was a real treat! Rich, sweet, pure decadent deliciousness. When I bit into the peppermint patty I nearly cried. It tasted exactly like a York patty. I haven't had one of those in over 3 years. Absolutely amazing. I can't rave enough about her incredible products.

Late July sweet potato chips. These are gluten-free, organic crispy sweet potato chips. Lightly salted and full of flavour. They are great with salsa but I like them as is as well. I love crunchy snacks and this was a perfect combination of flavours and crunch.

Nutribiotic long lasting deodorant in mango melon scent. I was out of deodorant and saw this and thought I would give it a try. Finding effective deodorant as a vegan is probably one of the trickiest tasks. You see, natural deodorants aren't antiperspirants because the things they used to stop sweat are harmful to your body and sweating is technically natural regardless of how irritating it can be. I love the smell of this stuff, it's like a tropical paradise but unfortunately, it hasn't been too effective for me. It's a game of trial and error when it comes to trying not to stink up the place by noon. :)

Sencha Naturals green tea leaf mints in tropical mango. I love tea and I love mango, what is not to love? These mints are refreshing, taste amazing and leave your mouth tasting sweet.

Pur gum in their two new flavours coolmint and cinnamon. What's so great about Pur? Well first off, they are aspartame free which is almost unheard of in the gum world. Aspartame is really icky for you. They are also non-gmo, vegan and gluten-free. The coolmint is a great new addition to the Pur family. I love anything minty. Cinnamon is my husbands and I didn't try it as I have a sensitivity to cinnamon. I love Pur!

Coconut Bliss in mint galactica. This is a very rare occasion. I tend to be the goddess of sweet things in that I love them but for some reason, I just can't get on the Coconut Bliss wagon. I want to love it but I just don't. Almost all my vegan friends love this stuff and it's actually the majority of their favourite vegan ice cream but I will stick with my So Delicious. I find the texture to be grainy and non-smooth. For this flavour, the mint was so strong my whole mouth was cold and I could taste nothing but the mint. I guess we can't love everything. Sorry Luna & Larry.



I want to say a big thank you to The Healthy Bug and Lou for giving me such a great opportunity and for letting me try out some products I have been wanting to! Until next time, ta ta for now little peaches.