Artificial sweeteners are always popular to use, especially for coffee or tea. People always pick the sugar substitute because it seems like the "healthier" option. That might be because they are low in calories. But most of the time, artificial sweeteners end up tasting a lot sweeter than actual sugar. But with the Splenda Naturals Stevia Sweetener, you get the sugar taste combined with the guilt free feeling because it is low calories, just like an artificial sweetener. But what's the difference? Well instead of using synthetic sugars, this type of Splenda sweeter uses natural and non-GMO ingredients. It has a Stevia extract which comes directly from the Stevia plant. So in short, it is like a healthy sugar alternative that tastes exactly like sugar! Sounds too good to be true right? Well us sugar lovers lucked out because it is as true as it can be!

When it comes to hot sauce, Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce is easily the best choice. Why? Well, the original sauce is made with a premium blend of aged cayenne peppers. It adds the perfect amount of spice and heat to all of your favorite foods. It really is the perfect balance of being not too hot while having a little kick, and it can be paired with anything. In fact, their slogan is "I put that s*** on everything," and you literally can. In all honesty, Frank's Red Hot Sauce has been my go to hot sauce for years and I really do put it on everything.

Microwaveable meals are always good go to meal, especially if you really don't have time to cook a full meal. But with most microwavable meals there are always problems. Either they're not too filling or they do not taste good at all. Smart Ones is known for their healthy and great tasting meals but now they have a new and different option: Smartmade by Smart Ones. Smartmade has a range of meals that are made just like you would make at home. They use ingredients and cooking techniques like grilling or roasting, and even added some even healthier options. Now if you're a vegetarian, there are only two vegetarian options, which is why I never redeemed the coupon. However, for all of the meat lovers out there, you're in luck. A majority of the Smart Made meals include meat.

The product that really made me step out of my comfort zone was French’s Orginal Crispy Fried Onions. I had no desire to try it, but nevertheless I stuck to my resolution and tried it. And to be quite honest, I did not (and still do not) understand the point of these. It is literally a box of chopped up onion rings. Personally, I would never add chopped up onion rings as topping to my salad or on my veggie burger. I even searched Pinterest to find a use for them, and nothing sounded good. And I certainly would not eat these as a snack. But to each their own.

In my family, our go to butter alternative is the Country Crock Buttery Spread. So when I saw the coupon for a free tub of Country Crock, I was stoked. When it comes to butter alternatives finding one that tastes just as good as butter but has fewer calories can be difficult to find. Country Crock's original buttery spread is made with real ingredients like a blend of oils, water and a pinch of salt. They also have at least 70% less saturated fat and 60% fewer calories compared to butter. Country Crock's buttery spread is a delicious alternative that can be used for just about anything! In fact, along with the coupon, Country Crock provided a cookie recipe. The Make It Yours Cookie Recipe is also on their website.

When it comes to tea, you either love it or you hate it. Personally, I strongly dislike most flavors. However, when I saw the Yogi Tea Bags in the Tasty Voxbox, I figured I'll give them a try, especially since the flavors I received were very intriguing. The two flavors I received were: Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life and Sweet Tangerine Positive Energy. The Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life tea, by far, was the superior sample. When you first take a sip of the tea it does not taste very strong, instead you get a subtle sweetness thanks to the blueberry flavor. But as you let the tea sit and absorb into the water it gets stronger by the second. The same goes with the Sweet Tangerine Positive Energy tea, it takes a bit to fully absorb into the water. But once it does, the taste is strong and any tea lover will enjoy it. The tangerine flavor is unique, but it gives the tea a sweet and fruity flavor. On the actually tea bags, they have compliments and encouragements on them! How sweet is that?

When you're a vegetarian or vegan, getting enough protein is always a main concern. Finding an alternative protein can be difficult, especially if you want something that tastes great. Most people go for a protein bar or shake, but most of the time those are not the tastiest. So when I saw the Kashi Dark Cocoa Plant Protein Powder in the box, I was hesitant to try it. I'm not a huge fan of protein shakes, but figured why not give it a try. Even though I'm not a big protein shake fan, Kashi's powder was actually pretty good! It contains 21g of plant protein, all while not containing any GMOs, be gluten free, and also be vegan friendly. This is a product that actually is really good for you. Mix this powder with your favorite kind of milk (or milk substitute) and maybe even add some other ingredients to have a filling meal while you're on the go. Or if you really want to get creative, add some powder to your favorite pancake mix and have some protein filled pancakes! Now that's really delicious.

Even though I was hesitant to try some of these snacks, I have to admit that Influenster was right, they were pretty tasty. Here's to the New Year and trying new things! Speaking of trying new things, join me on Influenster today! It's free, why not sign up and get one of these awesome boxes for yourself?

Until next time.