Fig Food Company: Healthy Plant-Based Soup Review and Giveaway

I always keep a keen eye out for packaged products that are healthy and full of flavor.  When you discount the massive amount of packaged foods that make bogus health claims, smart choices are hard to find.  Just Google “bogus health claims on food labels” and you’ll see what I mean.

And soup, I just gave up trying to find good soup in the grocery aisle.  Have you seen the extensive ingredient lists on some of the soups as well as other canned foods? Thanks, but I don’t really feel like having 1000+ mg of sodium, cheap vegetable oil, and a plethora of ingredients I can’t pronounce in one small can of chicken noodle soup.

Then I stumbled on Fig Food Co. and their healthy lineup of soups in bpa-free, recyclable boxes! Yes, delicious and homemade soup in a box! Fig Food offers several 100% organic ready-to-eat and condensed soups made completely with real food for ingredients.  They source most of their ingredients from farms in North America and even have a link on their website for organic farmers to offer their food for ingredients.

Good story, awesome soup!

In addition to providing the healthiest and convenient (words that are not usually synonymous with each other), Fig Food Co. actively addresses three vital and controversial issues we face in America: health care, reducing dependence on fossil fuel, and reducing greenhouse gases.  With their 100% plant-based soups, they help fight all three of these issues.  This is the best tasting fight I’ve seen consumed!

To learn more about Fig Food’s “Movement” and join the discussion on plant-based foods and organic farming with farmers and people like you and me, visit their “Fig Talk” forum here. Plus, once you join and share your thoughts, you’ll get a $1 off coupon for the soup of your choice.

Do you like helping companies who actively support good causes and provide consumers with plant-based healthy food?  Please take a minute to help Fig Food Company win a $250,000.00 grant from Chase by voting for them at https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/.  Once you're on the site, follow these 3 simple steps to vote:

1 - Log in through the "support" portal
2 - search for "Fig Food"
3 - hit the "support" button.

It feels good to help a company like Fig Food since it's a tough competition agains the big boy companies that seem to run and own everything.  Do they really care about consumers the way Fig Food and other small, independent businesses do? Doubtful; I think the bottom line is their main concern. Just my thoughts.  I made sure to vote and will ask friends and family to as well.

When I contacted the passionate people at Fig Food Company, they generously agreed to send me a few coupons good towards free soup of my choice to review.  Whole Foods Market is a major supplier of their eco-friendly, healthy, and delicious products; if that tells you anything about their high quality ingredients. You can find Fig Food at other places like Earth Fare and many independent natural food stores. Search for a store near you that carries their soups here.

I excitedly entered Whole Foods and quickly found their soup section to make the very hard choice of selecting the soup I wanted to try.  I finely decided on the Kabocha Squash Soup for me and the Split Pea & Potato Soup for Kelley.  These were easy to prepare lunches for work and one less meal for me to cook!

My Kabocha Squash soup had a delicate sweetness reminiscent of roasted winter squash with nutmeg and a hint of peppery spice to liven up the flavor.  Sweet and savory, healthy and a pleasure to eat; this soup is the ultimate comfort food without the gobs of cream found in a lot of soups. "Fat means flavor"? Not always, "Fat" also mean.... "Fat".

I added diced tomatoes, scallions, dried herbs, and extra spices (yes, of course cayenne) to customize to my need for speed spice. This soup was a temporary retreat from work as I gave it my full attention to slurp down the sweet and spicy squash broth.

I added the same extras to Kelley’s Split Pea and Potato Soup and she gave it two thumbs up.  I tried a bite and think the pea and potato combo work in harmony to create great taste and texture. I think without the extra spice, it wouldn’t have too much to it, but that’s the point Fig Food tries to make; they don’t add a lot of sodium and like to say “the salt shaker rests firmly in your hands.”

I’m okay with a little prep work since I can't stand when things are added for me; just let me fix my own food and I’m happy! And I'll fix Kelley’s food too…and she’s happy.

I was surprised to find Fig Food offers more than just soups now; they have prepared beans and refried beans in the same bpa-free boxes.  I saw their baked beans in Whole Foods and think I’ll get these next time.  Baked beans used to be a staple for me, but once I cut back on sugary things, I spilled cut stopped buying the beans.  It’s crazy how much sugar is in a regular can of baked beans! But Fig only has 4g of sugar per serving; I can do with that!

Yes, Please!!

Here is their full line of products….

Heat & Eat Soups: Chickpea, Tomato & Thyme; Gran Farro e Fagioli; Kabocha Squash; Mexican Bean & Rice; Nonna's Minestrone; Split Pea & Potato; Tuscan White Bean; Umbrian Lentil; Yucatan Black Bean

Condensed Soups: Tomato; Split Pea; Wheatberry

Organic Beans: Black Beans; Cannellini Beans; Chickpeas; Pinto Beans; Dark Red Kidney Beans; Refried Beans; Baked Beans

Limited/Seasonal Only: Organic Pumpkin

Want to try a healthy soup in a box for yourself?  Well, it just so happens that I have a free product coupon from Fig Food Company that I didn’t use and want to give it away to one of my readers.  Although just a coupon, this will allow you to open your taste buds to healthy food that supports a good cause and you’ll hopefully want more!

You can enter up to 6 times by doing each of the following and leaving a separate comment for each action you complete.

1. Leave a comment saying the soup or beans you want to try most.
2. Vote for Fig Food Co. to win a $250k grant by clicking here and follow the 3 steps outlined above.
3. “Like” Fig Food Co. on Facebook
4. Follow Fig Food Co. on Twitter
5. “Like” Just Add Cayenne on Facebook
6. Follow @I_Love_Cayenne on Twitter

Contest ends Friday, June 29, 2012 and I will choose one lucky winner at random and announce who won the following Monday. Please make sure to leave a way I can contact you if you are the winner.

Sorry, this giveaway is over (congrats Tiana!), but I highly recommend you find this soup or box of beans and try it for yourself soon!

Good luck and go out to try some now….it’s worth it, I promise!

Healthy Product Review: Amazing Grass Green SuperFood

Have you tried or heard of Amazing Grass before? I would always see it in the store, but never really stopped to get a closer look. When Amazing Grass graciously sent a sample package with their healthy powders, bars, and a handy mixing cup to my front door, I seized the opportunity to see if it really was “Amazing.”

There were numerous recipes swarming inside my head, but most of them involved cooking and that would take away the benefits of being “Raw.” Instead, I opted for simply mixing with liquid as prescribed and to make overnight oats. This enabled me to try the products alone, making for a better review anyway!

I’m an advocate of eating whole food to enjoy the individual qualities of each type, but these mixes are perfect when you’re on the go, at work, or just pressed for time. Most of my sampling took place at work which helped me avoid eating too many snacks. I had extra energy to power through my afternoon workouts as a result.



"Amazing" Chocolate Overnight Oats

 Green SuperFood and Kidz SuperFood

Each serving provides a potent concoction of beneficial greens, fruits, and veggies. I admire how there is no sugar in any of the Green SuperFood powders. I try to seriously limit the consumption of packaged food (limit, not omit!), and try harder if there’s sugar added. Artificial sweeteners are a flat out “NO!” for me, but you don’t have to worry about finding those in any Amazing Grass product.

I tried the Original, Berry, Orange Dreamsicle, and Chocolate flavors mixed with only water and maybe some stevia. I mixed by just shaking in a cup and noticed some chalkiness, but this didn’t bother me since they still tasted good with just water. I expected Chocolate to be my favorite, but Orange Dreamsicle won me over. The flavor is reminiscent of enjoying an Orange Creamsicle Push Pop I used to relish on a hot summer day. Chocolate is a close second, and if I mixed with milk and stevia, it might move to number one!

See the informative comparison chart of all the Amazing Grass Green SuperFood flavors below and click here for more product info.

The “Kidz” version comes in Chocolate or Wild Berry. These mixes help give kids the fruit and plant-based nutrition needed for their growing bodies. If you struggle with getting your kids to eat healthy, add this mix to their favorite drink for instant nutrition. Better yet, mix the chocolate into their milk for cereal or oatmeal to make them think they are getting away with something.

Green SuperFood Energy Bars

I don’t ever buy packaged bars, but these were delicious and convenient for work! When I forgot to bring extra food, I luckily had the bars to pull me through. Out of the Berry, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Original versions, the Original is my favorite.

The chocolate was silky smooth throughout and reminded me of a 3 Musketeers, only 1000% better. The only reason chocolate isn’t my favorite is because I don’t like most coatings used since they usually have little nutritional value. On the plus side, the coating is dark chocolate which makes it healthier than most. If you eat things like Snickers to (in mocking voice) “Satisfy your hunger,” change to Amazing Grass SuperFood bars to obtain their bountiful benefits and still “satisfy” your sweet tooth.

Amazing Meal

This is Green SuperFood on steroids! No, it has protein, actually. Take nutritional powerhouse of Green SuperFood, add a healthy dose of plant based protein, and you have Amazing Meal! Flavor options include Original, Chocolate Infusion, Pomegranate Mango Infusion, and Vanilla Chai Infusion.


Vanilla Chai Infusion Nutrition Info

 Both Original and Vanilla Chai have no added sugar and the other two only have 6 grams per serving. Vanilla and chai invoke happiness inside of me, so it’s no surprise that Vanilla Chai is my favorite. If Chocolate Infusion had no sugar or used stevia instead, this would be my first choice.


Chocolate Infusion Nutrition Info

 I used half water, half skim milk, and a few drops of liquid stevia to mix these which offered enough substance and kept me from snacking (too much) at work. Similar to the Green SuperFood mixes, I encountered some chalky parts towards the end of the drink, but nothing a blender can’t fix.

Wow! All in all, Amazing Grass offers “amazing” (sorry, I had to say it at least once) nutritional benefits in several delicious forms and flavors. You’d be hard-pressed not to find at least one or two products to enjoy. I wouldn’t use these on an everyday basis since I like to eat nutritious foods to experience the individual tastes and textures. Leave a few packets in the car and mix with milk, juice, or water for whenever you need a healthy boost.

After sampling the various Amazing Grass products, I plan to keep my desk stocked with Amazing Meal Vanilla Chai Infusion to drink before leaving and going to work out. To up the flavor brew your favorite chai tea, let cool, and mix the Vanilla Chai with your brew for a super chai experience; you’ll love it! I liked the bars, but I just don’t eat bars enough to want to buy more. If you do, I say go with the Original or Chocolate flavors; you’ll be happy you did!

Are you ready to try Amazing Grass for yourself? Check out their Specials  page and sign-up to join their Email Savings Club to get started.

I want to thank the kind Amazing Grass team for their excellent customer service and for providing their healthy products for me to sample. This was a great experience!

Full Disclosure: Amazing Grass provided all samples and the shaker cup free of charge. I was not compensated any other way and the views and opinions expressed in this post are solely my own.