Because You Asked: A Snack Trip to Israel

Back of the scorecard

Last week, Donna and I got together to sample the next box in my Universal Yums gift subscription (thanks again, Kenn and Jonathan!). I had meant to post this earlier but – as I explained to Donna – feeling sorry for myself for injuring my IT bands in both knees was taking up all of my time, doncha know?😉. I’ve seen my nurse practitioner and my chiropractor already, and I am seeing a physiotherapist tomorrow with hopes to resolve the problem as fast as possible. I am mightily miffed that I have had to curtail my exercise program for the time being, lest I make things worse. All those hard-won meagre gains will be lost! ARGH! OK, Pity Party over…

Donna decided to make us a delicious chicken shawarma lunch to accompany our sampling of Israeli snacks, and I decided to make an Israeli drink to go with our lunch (recipe included in the box) so we were all set for another fun morning.

Box contents

First up: Falafel sticks

These really captured the flavour of falafel, nicely although they did not contain any chickpeas whatsoever. I guess it’s all about the spices.
The only issue I had with them is that they reminded me of something I have fed to a pet in the past (I think it was my hamster). 😂

This was followed by another savoury snack.

Lemon flavoured corn snacks? Sounds good!
These were a hit with the both of us as well. Not spicy at all, despite the chili pepper depicted on the bag.

Next up – a sweet candy bar.

The name of this bar means “Time Out”.
White chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel wafers and milk cream. Very rich and very sweet.

Back to savoury (and sweet) with some pretzel bites.

These tasted and looked exactly like what you can get in North America. Nothing unusual about these.

The next sampling was also nothing new – marshmallows.

Another sweet offering was next on our agenda – grape toffee sticks (found in the Yum bag).

Our last Yum from the box (and the Yum bag) was the Strawberry Banana Swirl soft candy.

Another delightful box. Our scoring:

No surprises here…

Now on to the Israeli drink – Limonana!

This drink was absolutely delicious and refreshing, as promised. We couldn’t be bothered to separate out all the membranes from the lemons so our drink was cloudier than in the recipe (bonus fiber!😄). I will be making it again this summer – you can count on it! I bet it would go great with gin or vodka.

We capped off our tasting session with a delicious lunch prepared by Donna. Thank you again, my friend!

Wow! What a beautiful spread.
Slow cooked shawarma-spiced chicken with veggies and a liberal helping of baba ganoush, in a pita. Amazing flavours!
We didn’t try to dress like Israelis because a) we didn’t know how and b) we had to skedaddle immediately after lunch to an outdoor class on trees (where we were rained upon, per usual 🤣).

I wonder where the Universal Yums box will take us next month…Any guesses?

Rock on,

The WB

44 thoughts on “Because You Asked: A Snack Trip to Israel

  1. hilarymb

    Hi Deb – it’s certainly an interesting experiment … and opens the doors to different countries – though personally I’d go for Donna’s lunch – looks positively delicious. I guess I’d give the marshmallows to some kids, or grab a wooden skewer and roast them. But fascinating present to be sent – cheers Hilary

  2. Looks like fun! I’m so happy that you didn’t bother with the pith and membrane removal before making the drink. That’s the ONLY way I’d try it… and, based on your recommendation, I just might. Tell Donna that we want her chicken shawarma recipe 🙂

    1. “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”, some wise woman once said. I will pass on the recipe request to Donna…I should have asked her earlier…trying to make my own chicken shawarma today from a recipe I found on the Interwebs…I don’t know if it will give me the same flavour as her fabulous chicken, but 🤞. Thanks, Janis 💕

  3. It’s funny how many of these international delights are similar to ours. I guess snacking is universal. Lemon and mint lemonade sounds lovely.

    1. Lemon and mint is a wonderful combo…I know I’ve have drinks with that before, but never thought of making it myself. I agree, snacking is universal as are human tastebuds. Thanks, Rivergirl 💕

  4. Not being a sweets fan, I’d ditch those and probably the sugar in the drink, too. (But I’m used to those sweet Meyer lemons you can eat right off the tree… if said tree hasn’t been sprayed. 😝 However, Donna’s lunch looks enticing. Take care of those legs, lady!

    1. You can eat Meyer lemons right off the tree?! Wow. I have seen them in the store from time to time but didn’t realize what they were all about. Going to have to try some next time I see a bag. Thanks, Del 💕 I came home from physio today with a bunch of exercises to do to help heal and strengthen my knees.

      1. Glad to hear you’re doing better. Yes, do try the Meyer variety… make sure they feel plump & juicy. Sometimes they’re picked too soon & are hard as rocks. Them’s the ones to avoid – very bitter. 😉

        1. Probably those are the ones we would find in the grocery stores up here, unfortunately. Thanks for the advice, Del. Maybe I will get lucky with these lemons!😁

  5. I love reading about your snack boxes. All the fun and none of the calories ( on me! )

    Even though you didn’t even try 😉 … I tag you for today’s Friendly Friday Challenge: Unique Treats

  6. Hi, Deb – These snack boxes have been such a fun adventure! I should send a thank you note to Kenn and Jonathan myself! I’m already looking forward to our next snacking adventure. For that photo, please remind me to remove my socks when wearing capri yoga pants! 😀

  7. I would like very much to be a guest Yummer some day. While you and Donna fight over the savoury, salty treats, I will happily indulge in the sweet and sticky versions that the two of you seem to always reject. I predict a win-win-win 😜

    1. Yes, it is frustrating but I suppose to be expected no matter how careful I thought I was being. I guess this is an argument for working with a trainer instead of following a video at home. Not that I am going to be doing that any time soon…Thanks, Tracey 💕

  8. The snacks sound good, didn’t know about the Israel marshmallow connection. Limonana sounds delicious, as does Donna’s lunch. Looking forward to seeing where your snacks take us next.

  9. If we had a pity party together is it still a pity party? I am almost back to square one again. As to the IT issues– consider massage with cupping. It’s the thing that worked the best with mine. I guess it’s an age thing that we need to accept and learn to go slower. I did a Seniors cardio video — I’m not that old!! As to the snacks I was surprised you didn’t costume up. It would have been easy to pull on long sleeves and a tichel. But maybe no socks with the capris! I did note that😉

  10. debscarey

    I vote yummy to the falafel & lemon corn snacks, but it’s the drink that’s the absolute winner for me. It sounds much like what we drank in India on hot days as children. Donna’s lunch also sounds excellent, and has inspired me to suggest Himself adds it to his summer repetoire 🙂 Me, I’d better get squeezing the lemons.

  11. Pingback: What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge – Donna Is Away Edition – THE WIDOW BADASS BLOG

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