This morning I received an email saying that I’ve been named as a Finalist for this year’s CBS San Francisco’s Most Valuable Blogger award in the Dining/Entertainment category!!! It was such an unexpected wonderful surprise and both my husband and I are still shocked!
My Bay Area fans and readers of Just One Cookbook, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I feel really honored to be selected and I wish that I can thank each one of you in person for being part of my blog life.
The voting will end on September 9th, 2011 and if you enjoy my blog, would you please cast your vote for me? It’s just one click. You can support me by clicking on the badge below and click on Just One Cookbook. Thank you!
This month instead of reviewing on restaurants around SF Bay Area and beyond, we decided to do a product review on a new snack called cruncha ma me. The company is based in Berkeley and we wanted to support local Bay Area companies, so here’s the review from my husband Shen.
Dear readers, welcome to the first product review on Just One Cookbook. We were lucky to be selected by Cruncha Ma-Me a few weeks ago as taste testers (we received these for free). As parents, Nami and I are always looking for healthy snacks for our children and ourselves. If you look at ingredients on cookies boxes and other snacks in grocery stores, oftentimes half of them sound like they belong in a “chemistry lab” rather than our stomach. For Cruncha Ma-Me, the ingredients are pretty straight forward, just edamame, veggie, sea salt, and all-natural yeast extract.
Japanese restaurants often serve edamame as an appetizer, and personally, my favorite one is the spicy garlic soy edamame from Ozumo’s in San Francisco. There’s something addictive about popping the beans out of their shell one after another into your mouth. In the sample packages provided to us, one is just plain edamame and the other one was a veggie medley. The veggie medley contained corn and bell pepper in addition to the edamame. The texture was flaky with a crunchy core, and since they were freeze dried the edamame and veggie were very light. What I really liked was that the edamame was crunchy but yet you can still taste the flavor. The sea salt did not overpower the natural flavor of the beans. On the other hand, the sea salt was a bit on the saltier side for me and I wish they used just slightly less. The veggie medley had similar texture crunchy but the flavors were slightly sweeter due to the corn and bell pepper.
We did enjoy both snacks but the downside to eating freeze dried snack is that they make your mouth dry. Luckily we had some icy cold green tea in the fridge and it went perfectly with Cruncha Ma-Me. I did not love the snack but for health reasons, we would definitely pick this up in a supermarket for my kids and ourselves as a healthy alternative to chocolate covered cookies.
HUGE CONGRATS on being selected as a finalist!!! I’ve just voted for you on this excited occasion!! Good luck!!!!! 🙂
That’s one healthy looking snack and it’s a good one to balance off the other unhealthy snacks we usually eat. hahaha
Congratulations!
That is some AMAZING news!
I voted for you and will vote for you everyday…best of luck 🙂
Nami, congratulations!!! How could I NOT vote for you?!
I never ate edamame (I don’t know what is its taste), but this looks like an healty snack!
I too voted for you and will vote everyday :o) You deserve to be a finalist and I hope that you win!!
I love that edamame squeeze toy, my brother brought me one from Japan. It’s so funny and cute!
Wow what an honor! You definitely deserve it and I will vote for you without hesitation.
Congratulations on the nomination, I think you will win, there is no competition:)
Very interesting and honest review – ” I did not love the snack”. I agree, freeze dried snacks do make the mouth dry, hence the reason its good to have it with cold beer, or maybe cold green tea:)
Congrats on a very well deserved honor! Now excuse me while I go vote!
Yay!!! A HUGE congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congrats, Nami. That’s so exciting and you definitely deserve it!
Congrats Nami 🙂
Congrats, Nami! I voted for you. These snacks sound so good. I love to snack on edamame! They sound good, thanks for the review!
Congratulations!!! You have such a GREAT blog! I just voted and I hope that you win 🙂
Great review. And VOTED!!!! Nami, I am so proud of you! No matter what happens you are a WINNER in my book! Now… to spread the word to my friends to vote for you 😉
Congrats, Nami! That’s so great. I voted for you!!
HOW EXCITING!!!!!!!!! I just voted for you, crossing my fingers!
Cruncha ma me? The name is awesome, I hope you guys will be selected to do a lot more fun product reviews, who doesn’t like some healthy snacks!
Congrats on being nominated! I casted my vote – good luck!
That is wonderful for you. I just voted and I hope that you win.
Congrats!
Suzi
vote for u. congrats
Congrats on your most valuable blogger award!!!
Voted! Those freeze dried edamame package look so cute! I wanna try these!
You know even without asking, I will be very happy to vote for you. Good things happen to Good People — congratulations my friend!
~ ray ~
That’s awesome! Congratulations!
Congrats on the nomination. You completely derserve it 🙂
Congratulations on being a finalist. I cannot wait to here if you are the top dog.
Congratulations Nami! I am so happy for you! I have just clicked and am waiting and crossing my fingers!
I thoroughly enjoyed your detailed cruncha mame review and I adore the fact that your were so honest with it. I think I would love to have cruncha mame here. Sometimes I love snacks with a nice cocktail and am always feeling so guilty if I have nuts or even worse (guacamole with nachos is a sinful snack I love…).
P.S. I think they should buy your photos for their ads 🙂 They are very tempting!
Delighted you are getting recognition as a national treasure! I’ve voted and I’m crossing my fingers for you. The very best of luck, Nami!
Congratulations Nami!!! Just voted for you and i hope you win!
Congrats! Or as we say here in Sweden Grattis!!! I just voted for you I hope you win!
Congrats!!! Very exciting!! I just voted for you 🙂
Also, yay for Berkeley! I went there for college, go bears!!
awesome! congrats!
That is wonderful to hear! You know that I am a huge fan and enjoy your blog and friendship a lot. Have a great day! Sherron
Congrats Nami! That key chain is so cute 🙂 I am actually going up to the bay area this weekend but I will be in Napa for most of it. Next time I come up we have to meet up!
Congrats Nami, this is such a awesome news.. Yayyyyy….
I voted for you my dear and will keep on voting. You deserve it my friend.
What a healthy and crunchy looking snack… Love it.
Nami congrats on being a finalist for this year’s CBS San Francisco’s Most Valuable Blogger! I will vote for you on every computer I have my hands on and will hope you win. You totally deserve it!
Great post from your hubby. It’s fun if you have something you both enjoy doing.
Congrats! Hopping over to vote for my foodie neighbor now 🙂
Great review as always Shen! 🙂
And congrats on being selected as a finalist! Just voted for you! Good luck Nami! You deserve all the success, I know how hard you work for this blog and with what passion! <3
I m so happy for you dear girl..This nomination is well deserved! And I so hope that you win! Congratulations & all the best!
Congratulations! Well deserved. I love your recipes and this product looks amazing. Headed over to vote right now.
congratulation will vote for you
these edamame beans look like lovely snacks
Congrats Nami!!! Voted 🙂
Nami – CONGRATULATIONS!! That’s wonderful! I’ve voted for you….you have a terrific blog and I hope you win! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am for you!
I like edamame and usually keep some in the shells in the freezer to make at home. I understand about freeze dried being mouth dry, but I would definitely try them!
Congratulations again~
Nami, I just voted for you. Congratulation to you and I feel so happy for you.
Congrats!!! Well deserved! That is so cool!
Nami…my heartfelt congratulations to you! Well deserved nomination! I just voted!
How didn’t I see this before???…I just voted before writing this comment..CONGRATS!!! So happy to hear that and it is most defiantly well deserved nomination!!!
What a great snack, and pictures..I love this review!!
Congratulations Nami… I am so happy for you…
Will click and vote for you now.. Best of Luck dear 😀
Hugs …
Huge Congratulations Nami 🙂 You got my VOTE!!
Congratulations! That’s is a huge achievement to be a finalist! 😀
Wow, great surprise!! Congrats!
Oh, I’m SO excited for you, Nami! You definitely deserve the honor. I hope I’m allowed to vote for you because I will 🙂
Nami, what do they mean you’re a finalist? I thought you’re already the WINNER, with all this support you’ve been getting all around! LOL, yes of course I’ll vote for you even though I don’t live anywhere near San Fran. As for the Cruncha Ma Me review, the best part is that squeezy plastic edamame pod…I have one too and it’s a great stress buster! Haha…good one, Shen :-).
OMG congrats!!!!!! That is such an honor, I am so proud of you (and a little jealous!!) I love the cute plastic pod, what an easy way to relieve stress and still enjoy your snack!
Congrats!!
This is such a fantastic news .. I voted for you sweetie and I hope you win. So, when are we celebrating ?? 🙂
I never ate cruncha ma me but it’s sounds fun snack bite and looks pretty too!
Hey Nami! Belated congratulations!!! You totally deserve this. You were one of my first bloggie friends and I’ve seen your website grow amazingly in just a few short months. I hope one day we actually get to meet so I can say I know a famous blogger!!
Hi Nami – I just voted for you! Congratulations on being selected as a finalist and all the best…. you deserve it.
Congrats Nami! I can’t think of anyone more deserving! 🙂
OMG congrats Nami, that is such great news!!! Very well deserved. I’ll definitely be voting for you. 🙂
Just voted!
So you need to let us know when you guys will be on CBS ; )
Ganbare!!!!!
Congratulations!!! Very well deserved. I will vote for you.
Nami! Congratz to u my dear!!
Good job & keep it up!
Of coz I’ll support u 😉
Tq for the product review – I my health snack list is +1 more 😉
Congratulations Nami, you are deserved for this! and good product review, if i happen to see this in supermarket here, i must buy some and try it.
Nami! A million congrats or as we say here in Israel Mazel Tov! You deserve it!!!!
Great product review! I love edemame and have eaten it dried before but never freeze dried!!!
Congrats again Nami and Shen! Very well deserved on all your really hard works on Just One Cookbook! 😀
Both my girls and I LOVE edamame the very first time we tried it and my mom too! This is why I always never fail to stock up frozen packs in my freezer the min they’re gone. 😀
I love to snack a lot, SOOO much until I got ‘BANNED’ from my hubby for a period of time bcoz I’d snacks for my dinners! Crazy huh!? LOL
Hopefully I’m able to find this healthy snack here in SG! 🙂
Btw, I like that cute edamame accessory! If I didn’t see wrongly, those peas can be squeezed out from its shell right? LOL
Hey Nami – just sent in my vote. Hope they do count a vote outside from the US, but I know you have all the support from everyone that is enjoying your blog & all your great recipes. We’re as thrilled as you! Good luck from Penang, Malaysia.
Congratulations Nami! I’ve just voted for you.
Clicked it! And voted for you, of course :)) Oh, I`m so proud of you. Congratulations! I hope there will be many more people in this world enjoying and learning from your wonderful blog.
Congratulations! おめでとう！素晴らしいですね。ところで息子は同じ様な枝豆の携帯のストラップ持ってますけど、かわいいと思います。これからもがんばってください。こんなに有名になって、私のブログに来てもらえるのかしら？
明美さん、どうもありがとう！もちろん、ブログに行きますよ～！大抵夜しかコンピューターの前にゆっくり座れないので、いつもすぐには行けないんですけど。明美さんのお食事見ると、なんだかとてもほっとします（やっぱり私はまだ日本人！はは）。私の子供たちも、私の準備した食事を見て、いつかそんな風に思ってもらえるようになりたいなぁと思ってます。ご近所にいたらお茶会でもしたいですね、残念です。
Congratulations on the nomination! just voted 🙂
Congrats!!! Just voted for you 😀
Great review 🙂 Can’t wait to try them they look so yum yum 😀
Congrats! You just got my vote.
San Francisco’s Most Valuable Blogger! Congratulations! I teach an SEO training class in San Francisco, and highly encourage my students to blog more. It looks like you would be a great person to emulate! Congratulations Nami!