Mary’s Gone Crackers products have been all over the blogosphere lately, so I was excited to get the chance to try these for myself when the company agreed to send me some sample flavours to review (you all know the usual disclaimer… yes, I received these products for free; no, I was not obligated to write up a positive review etc etc).

The company sent me three big bags of “Sticks and Twigs” to try. They came in three flavours: sea salt, chipotle tomato, and curry. These products are vegan, gluten-free, organic, full of a variety of whole grains, and made with all-natural ingredients, which I highly approve of. The ingredients themselves are fantastic: brown rice, brown flax seeds, brown sesame seeds, amaranth, millet, quinoa and red quinoa, chia seeds, water and sea salt. Score! That packs a nutritious punch right there. The only other ingredients are low-sodium tamari and some spices to change up the flavours. Whole, natural goodness.

There are about 7.5 servings per bag, and each serving (about 15 pieces) clocks in at 150 calories, 5 grams fat (most of which is healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), 20 grams carbs (4 grams fibre), 0 grams sugar (!!!), and 4 grams protein. Sodium is slightly higher for the sea salt flavour, but even it only has 300 mgs of sodium (or about 12% of the recommended daily amount for the average person).

Now, those statistics for one serving size is all very well, but what about the fact that most people eat several servings in one sitting? I was skeptical at first, but I can say with all honesty that these snacks are filling. As I’ve talked about before, my biggest problem is portion control (I know exactly how big one portion is, but I still find it challenging to stop myself from reaching for more after I’ve had my allotted serving size). But even for someone like me who can eat a lot, the one portion size is the perfect amount! I had read on other blog reviews that the reviewer was filled up after eating a single serving, but I didn’t believe them until I’d tried the Sticks and Twigs myself. It’s true. This is one case in which the serving size on the bag is truly a good amount!

I first tried the Sticks and Twigs when I got home from work at around 7:30pm a couple weeks ago. I was quite hungry, but it was later in the evening than I normally like to eat at. I remembered how my nutritionist once advised me to have a small snack of 1/2 whole wheat bagel with 1 tbsp peanut butter as an evening snack if I was hungry in the evening (the combination of whole grains with the protein and fat from the nut butter are good aids for sleeping), so I broke into the sea salt bag and dipped a few of the Sticks and Twigs into peanut butter. It was delicious and the perfect snack! The Sticks and Twigs themselves are very much like a cross between small crunchy bread sticks and pretzels.

The mother dear, the father dear, and the boyfriend all assisted me in reviewing each flavour. The boyfriend noted that the tomato flavour tasted almost burnt (not in a bad way). The father dear said that he wouldn’t be able to eat many of the curry-flavoured ones, just because a curry flavour is so unusual. The mother dear commented that she would buy the sea salt flavour again. I have no particular preference in terms of taste; they were all really yummy flavours. We all agreed that they make for a great snack any time of the day, although it would be tricky to eat the Sticks and Twigs while watching a movie… they’re so crunchy and loud that they would drown out any other noise! But I like that. Big crunch is important in a cracker/pretzel-style snack.

I like these because you can eat them as a cracker/pretzel/chip treat, or they can even be eaten for breakfast as a replacement for toast with your nut butter (especially if you want a gluten-free whole grain). They’re a really tasty treat that everyone can enjoy (and yep, they’re even certified organic and kosher). In fact, the only thing that I would change about them would be to have ground flax seeds in the sticks rather than whole flax seeds, just because our bodies aren’t able to digest whole flax seeds. Other than that, Mary’s Gone Crackers Sticks and Twigs are pretty much perfect!