LYRA MAG.

Functional tea blends -with or without  some sweetener help-appeal to the whole wellness lifestyle-that dominates today's lifestyles. via GIPHY  whatever??? Tea Blends+Healthier Sodas Argentina's staple-Yerba Maté-superfood -liquid style-has a smoky green tea flavor = made from the dry leaves of  an evergreen holly-a native South American plant. Mild or strongly brewed----the taste for non believers benefits from a  bit of honey. It's naturally loaded with antioxidants and has a bit more caffeine than regular black tea (85 mg-caffeine/8 ounces) but less than coffee. Plus-it has some of the perk benefits of dark chocolate too-with theobromine + theophylline. Can be prepared in several ways-like in a french press coffee pot as well as the traditional gourd.    Palais de Thés-from France...launched blended 'Detox' teas inspired by 5 regions of the world---like the USDA Organic Brazilian-ENERGY -with green tea, maté  ---anti-oxidant açaí and ...

Part 5 Clever, catchy and an eco  sourced materials for containers...food packaging can grab those consumer eyeballs. Packaging+ Icy cold Coconut Water is so tasty refreshing...and this coconut packaging container-by Thailand's   Pearl Royal - transports us to the source-in a manner of speaking...with  a neat string rope to close/open the top that wins our top pick for cool packaging. It comes with a tiny plastic straw-too-that imo-should be replaced with a paper one.  can see from up top-Pearl River...the string opens and closes the tiny opening-sized perfectly- that accesses the delish coconut water...where the straw goes. Nifty!

Part 4 Indie brands as well as the CPG giants-are re-discovering the fun airy crunchy puff-a winning -lighter texture now in real deal variety of flavors. via GIPHY Puffs-The Eating Kind Pirate's Booty- Aged White Cheddar- cheesy baked bites made with cornmeal/rice flour, cheddar cheese, buttermilk, sea salt in the mix- w/o the weird the weird greasy orange stained fingers of our youth. HAAA. Delicious-even our cat leaned in for some-Non-GMO, gluten free and Kosher too. Coincidentally- Vegan Rob's was founded by the founder of the aforementioned Pirate's Booty (now owned by B&G Foods)- had snack size bags of puffs made from more exotic plant based origins-like Jackfruit and Moringa, as well as cauliflower, brussel sprouts, beets cheddar  and--- Probiotic loaded, but spicy- Dragon Puffs-that ALL found ready grabbers at the show. .Gluten-free, Vegan, Kosher...and zero trans fat. Crunchy -airy-and delicious-organic whole grain sorghum flour and organic sunf...

Part 3 Moringa + Cauliflower + Broccoli  (Oh MY) Carb less alternatives, sneaky veggies invade the grain/potato space. Green Giant goes back to the future with mascot Little Green Sprout-for its soon to be intro-ed USDA Organic assortment of veggie dishes-that sub as tasty alternatives-and lower in calories-than carb-cal loaded pastas, mashed potatoes..etc. Handy-just heat and serve! For now-freezer section stocks Green Giant's veggie spirals...pasta alternatives made from assortment nutrient dense vegetables. AvoLuv' s avocado chips come in four flavors-pictured above-these stackable chips-are made from HASS Avocados, tapioca flour and pink Himalayan Salt-that's it! Gluten + sugar +soy free, vegan, and  free from 8 major allergens-has a crunchy texture and def creamy avocado taste. Tasty--- these...1.5 oz=185 calories -w/ those healthy fats of superfood avocados. From The Ground Up crackers-are cute sized-like those goldfish....gluten free, Non-GMO ...

Fancy Food Show 2018 Part 2 A world staple-rice-comes in many varieties. As a headline ingredient -several new products used versions of...with tempting results. Rice Is Nice Lundberg-USDA Organic rice cake in plastic sleeves -are sold everywhere we shop. Now-their  Grounded Snacks- are a smart (and tasty crispy)additions using some of the tons of rice  grown on their farm lands. We tried one-the  French Onion - a flavor in the line of  USDA Organic, Non-GMO, Red Rice & Quinoa Tortilla Chips. FYI-tastes reminds of tangy sour cream onion dips....which makes sense given the ingredients. Eat straight outta the bag,..12 chips+140 calories. Certified Non-GMO

Fancy Food Show 2018 Stroll enough aisles at the massive Fancy Food tradeshow-and food themes jump out... Below-are some of the new 2018 trends we picked up on. via GIPHY Part One. Thin Is In -small bites - crispy sweets The name is apt...Rich Chocolate COOKIE THINS  are crispy melt in your mouth good-now available in snack size (90 calories). If you're the type that separates your Oreo cookies-and eat the wafer part, separately ...you'll love these Mandy's Cookie Thins. (Available by the case-  Fusion Gourmet , Amazon)  These mini graham crackers= Chortles - are so cookie cute small-lends itself to tossing a few atop an ice cream scoop-or yogurt. And as sweet indulgent as these are-there's a cleaner ingredient list-than others in this category. No high fructose corn syrup no hydrogenated oils, no palm oil (YAY), no trans fat, no cholesterol or saturated fats, and made in a nut free facility. The snack sizes above contain 110-120 calories-and they're...

Plant based protein yogurt, milk , creamers and ice cream are super popular...and it's not just the clean labels, ethics, and/or the more functional ingredients---it's the taste!!!! Not surprisingly-our fav products come courtesy of smaller -innovative companies. via GIPHY  A few Halo /   Half N' Half slayers from the recent Fancy Food Show/Consumer Products Events: WOWWEEEEEE! Organic Nectars Cashewtopia -hand made in a Hudson River  town...just floored us! In a good way. This delicious creamy USDA Organic, Vegan +Kosher- plant based gelato w/ cashew nut milk as the 'dairy' stand-in-is dairy free+ gluten free. No worries tho'-the rich decadent spoon licking flavor we tried...chocolate hazelnut-is sweet enough-(organic agaveLight, organic coconut palm sugar) w/ real deal chunks of chocolate +hazelnuts. IMO-will convince even the skeptical that a better for you ice cream sub-tastes better too. We should of asked for more samples. That good. Available in Wh...

via GIPHY YES-you can have your caffeine and be sustainable too. Officially obsessed... The original Swiss Army knife company Victorinox has teamed up with single serve- pod royalty Nespresso...in a recycle program whereby 24 aluminum single serve capsules get the do-over melt-down treatment-morphing into the aluminum cladding-aka the textured scales on the outside of a limited edition PIONEER pocket knife/ multi-tool . There's even a Nespresso engraved stamp on a blade. Available online   $55 while supplies last ...and select Victorinox + Nespresso boutiques. the 411...fill up the the Nespresso UPS bag w/ used single serve capsules -give/drop off to UPS locations.... or drop off at Office Home Depot or Staples. FYI-part of Nespresso's Second Life Project pictured-on left this limited Victorinox Swiss Army Pioneer multi tool knife-packaged in recyclable box +Nespresso bag for UPS. PS: Tools for the Pioneer -large blade, reamer, punch, ...

Fancy Food Show '18 Two companies that we've written about prior-showed new (to us)-versions that stood out... Reishi mushrooms have herbal medicinal properties-help detox the body, boost the immune system+fight stress. FYI-there is absolutely NO mushroom taste in this pleasingly sweet enough (coconut +coconut sugar) crunchy chewy bar.    organic pumpkin, chia and hemp seeds, sunflower kernels-and peanuts+peanut butter, cashews+almonds- in this flavor-with 7 grams protein purely elizabeth. brand expansion on their popular granolas...with a bunch of bars-including four flavors of  GRAIN-FREE Granola Bars with organic extract from SUPERFOOD REISHI mushrooms in the mix. NON-GMO, certified gluten-free, vegan and bonuses-NSF certified (great for athletes) & purely elizabeth =  CERTIFIED B Corporation .  USDA Organic Keep Healthy® Low Glycemic Bar -are tasty treats-with meaningful amounts of plant based protein-making this ...

Fancy Food Show 2018 Vegan Rob 's Kombuchabar™ bars-"crunch consciously" with organic quinoa, pumpkin+sunflower seeds and very slight hints of all star ingredient-n kombucha (yup- like the 'it' sip-the tea )...fermented-therefore has active bacteria cultures aka probiotics). Also delivered, 6 gram plant based protein- more than similar bars not loaded with whey (and therefore, not vegan)....and 4 grams of real deal fiber. Four flavors available-Non-GMO, cold pressed (heat protection for probiotics), vegan and grain free. Factoid-this company has plenty of snacking fans...founded by the leading light of Pirate's Booty popcorn. BIENA 's salted roasted chickpeas (deliversr a bit of protein, calcium, iron and potassium, naturally) -are a fav snack-now the company has taken a sweet turn with Fair Trade certified dark chocolate coated and FUN-Girl Scouts' inspired THIN MINTS' flavor-that nails it-the chocolate int so unique surrounds crunchy chic...

Snacks- (or dessert additions)-the new 'energy bars' are better than inhaling the typical packaged cookies when the mood strikes for tempting tasty treats. via GIPHY Part One Reasons-real deal fiber, organic and/or 'functional' ingredients,  cleaner labels...and allergy free choices.

Ancestral inspirations and distant islands/continents...turned up in new ways at the latest Fancy Food Show...with African, Haitian, and Australian spices livening up foodie goodies. Highlights... Departure Snacks -travels for you, no security checks-needed, tastes wise-with far flung locales-thematically adding flavors to dry roasted almonds. Pictured-Ethiopian Berbere-with smoked paprika, mild chilies, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and imo the new 'it' spice-cardamon=fragrant spice hits. Non-GMO, gluten free +vegan. 210 calories/pack.

ALLEZ LES BLEUS ... French mustards and salts are probably the most popular of that World Cup powerhouse offerings...besides a football team with players ready for the world stage (too). via GIPHY Some favs from the recent Fancy Food Show: Moutarde Pommery à l'Ancienne ---Meaux Mustard- Pommery-founded in 1949. We had the grainy signature crock packaged mustard -with a wax top- in our kitchen pantry growing up-been in the USA for awhile...other truly delicious flavors from mild-to medium...including new fruit added blends-(cranberries on the left, figs on the right)-which we think could add pop of flavor to BBQ-grilled anything. Once Canada slaps on retaliatory tariffs on a certain USA brand of mustard-we think...price of this French gourmet brand-will be similar-and will be an easy replacement. AND-the ancient Romans 'shared' their cultivation of this ancient spice-with the Gauls...but many believe it was really the French town of Dijon-back in 1382 -under the r...

Spreadably familiar- fresh creamy smooth Montrachet style  rolls-soft ripened or aged- in harder rinds' slice worthy formats-or headlining spreads/yogurts/dips/gelato ...goat milk's distinct tangy mildness highlighted  exhibitor offerings at the most recent Fancy Food Show. just get right to the point-no fancy consultants needed to conjure up this distributor's name... World's Best Cheeses What caught our eyeballs... BELLE CHEVRE (an Alabama creamery)=goat cheese nirvana-log rolls, flavored in light+creamy spreadable textures...and an amazingly delicious sweet vanilla lemon zest fresh goat cheese cheesecake  $34.95-in a graham crust-airy- like NY cream cheesecake version versus the more heavier Italian ricotta style. Zingerman's Detroit ST Brick Cheese ...goat cheese with Tellicherry Peppercorns in velvety mold...aged 2-5 weeks-crumbly and sliceable for grilled cheese potential-yummy-slight sweet- earthy flavor. An Ann Harbor, Michigan Cr...

Not a ref to Prince Harry, Teeth clinging-taffy-like aromatic ginger chews were a fav of  senior family members-acquired tastes for time spent in India and England during/post WW II. Now-the natural remedies/ health benefits of this fragrant root-are well known-particularly as a digestive tummy calmer+anti-inflammatory helper. No wonder ginger (lemon tea) is so popular...whether sipped up via branded tea bags-or what we do...slice a fresh chunk off the real deal root-peel it a bit-and steep in a cuppa hot water. Plus unlike say ginseng ...ginger actually tastes good. Paired with cinnamon/cloves in cookies, garlic in Asian fusion sautés or on its own (with sugar-in addictive ginger snaps)...this sophisticated flavor multi-tasks in a lot of yummy eats. Maybe that's why-it seemed like the sweet-savory Ginger chews were the "it' single wrapped hardish chew candy at this year's Fancy Food Show. Besides the soon to be collectible Harry Potter themed Jelly Beans. ...