WIAW: Easy Eats + Snacking on Kala Beans {Review}

Hello, hello!

Today I’ve decided to switch it up & do something I haven’t done in quite awhile: participate in the What I Ate Wednesday party, hosted by my friend Laura this week!

This is actually a recap of my day of eats one day last week when I actually remembered to snap photos of every meal. Let’s get to it!

For breakfast in between my morning yoga practice and a conference call, I made a berry smoothie bowl and topped it with coconut shreds and blueberries. So good! I think that fresh blueberries + coconut is a new favorite combo of mine.

Early afternoon, I took a break from work to take my pup for a walk and make some lunch – which was really breakfast #2: banana protein pancakes with blueberries, a few dark chocolate chips & honey + Yogi green tea.

Pancakes never get old to me!

A bunch of hours later, I noshed on a Luna bar as a pre-workout snack while finishing up a writing assignment.

Bars = the easiest snack ever. I have bars all over the place – in my car, gym bag, purse, beach bag, and probably a few other places.

For dinner, I tried out Morningstar Farms’ new white chili bean burgers. I placed one on a slice of whole wheat toast and topped it with mashed avocado + salsa, along with a salad on the side.

Who says healthy can’t be convenient? Dinner was ready in 10 minutes flat!

As a snack a bit later, I ate a few handfuls of Kala Beans pineapple kick medley – which is a mix of roasted fava beans and orange-glazed chickpeas with pineapple, blueberries and paprika. It’s a bit of a sweet & spicy kick, and I liked this sort of strange but good combo!

Recently Kala Beans sent me an adorable package of their bean snacks to try out. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of beans. They’re a wonderful plant-based protein source that pack in lots of nutrients, including iron, magnesium and zinc.

One of my favorite ways to tout beans and their benefits in conversations is to reference Blue Zones, which has explored the communities around the world where people live the longest to research how they’re doing so and what their secrets are. While these communities differ a lot, they also have a lot of commonalities…. one of which is the daily eating of beans! People in these communities also eat lots of veggies & fruit, little meat, and usually drink wine nearly daily (yes!)… but I digress.

While I often incorporate beans into my dinners (as with this day), I also like the idea of consuming beans in snacks so that I can get my daily bean fill. In my recent Natural Products Expo West recap, I mentioned the presence of beans in unconventional products as a current food industry trend, and Kala Beans is a company that’s doing it well. Their nutritious & crunchy snacks contain short ingredient lists and provide the body with a nice dose of protein and fiber.

Plus, how convenient are crunchy bean snacks in a resealable bag? I think I might start keeping a bag in my car for ‘hangry’ emergencies while I’m stuck in traffic.

I’ve liked every one of their flavors, but not surprisingly, I’ve been the biggest fan of their cherry trail medley – which has roasted fava beans and vanilla-glazed chickpeas with cherries, toasted coconut and dark chocolate chunks. I’m usually a fan of anything with the chocolate + cherry combo (speaking of which, a chocolate + cherry recipe will be posted on here on Friday!).

Kala Beans are currently only available at Sprouts locations. You can check out their website to view more about their products & get a $1 off coupon.

Tell me.. Do you like reading WIAW posts? Have you ever tried Kala Beans or any other crunchy bean snack?