Is Air Canada Bulkhead Seat worth an $80 upgrade

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I took a flight from Ottawa to Vancouver. I could see from the seating map that the flight was fully booked. I usually pay to book a window seat and then try and get a seat with no one beside me at the last minute it works 50% of the time and the planes that I have been on leaving from Ottawa are not usually full. This time was different the airport was busier than I have ever seen it. I could tell from the seating map the plane was full. It cost $40 to book a window seat. I saw a last minute opening for a bulkhead window seat and decided to try it. It cost $80 to upgrade to the bulkhead seat but the $40 I already paid would get credited. I liked the idea of having a wall in front of me on such a packed flight.  I have free check in luggage with my credit card so I usually only take a backpack to leave under my seat on the plane. If I was in the back of the plane I wait until the last minute to board. I knew I would have no storage at my seat but this seat comes with early zone 3 b...
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Boxed Vegan Mac and Cheese Review

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Update May 2024: I tried the new Daiya cheddar Mac and cheese. Daiya has come a really long way in the last couple of years. The new cheeses made with oat cream are amazing in the way they melt. They reformulated the mac and cheese as well. I don’t remember where I can’t remember where I bought this from I think it was whole foods for $3. 



The new version is really good and I did not like the previous version. I don’t usually like rice pasta but this one is good in texture they have blended white and brown rice. I find there is still a slight after taste with the pasta but the sauce is really good. It is tasty they have achieved that bright orange colour without chemicals that is always a plus for me. I would but this again if I see it on sale.




Update March 2024 Kraft NotCo has arrived on the shelves. I found it at Walmart Canada in Ottawa. The shells and white cheddar were the only variety available. It was $2.67 which is on the cheaper side of other boxed vegan Mac and cheese. 


You can see an Instagram Reel of preparing this Instagram Reel Preparing Notco KD. The instructions say to add plant based butter and plant milk, I only had a salted cashew butter and there is a lot of sodium in this so I knew this was going to be a little extra salty. I do like the protein amount and that a serving size is a whole box. 



After cooking the texture is good.  I don’t feel it’s much  different than other vegan Mac and cheese products other than its smooth and the powder mixed into the pasta nicely. If you don’t like the pineapple taste that Notmilk has you won’t like this. I happen to like that taste in the milk but I thought it was a little overpowering in this. I do like this but I had to add nutritional yeast and pepper to make it better, I think it’s a good product but I don’t think it’s the best boxes vegan boxed pasta I have tried. For the price I think it’s worth it to buy again. I am hoping to try the cheddar variety in the future which will make it easier to compare to the non vegan version. 

2023 Vegan Boxed Mac and Cheese reviews below 



Annie’s vegan Mac and cheese was $3 at Giant Tiger. It’s the first one I tried. The macaroni is the same as the texture I remember from Kraft. The cheese pack had a distinct vegan cheese smell. The taste of this Mac and cheese is good but it is definitely vegan cheese powder. My apartment has a lingering vegan cheese powder smell. If you really like Kraft Mac and Cheese this is a good vegan substitute. 

I have had the Farm Boy vegan and gluten free cheesy Mac for awhile. I think it cost around $3. Farm boy has a lot of great vegan products so I am excited to try this. I also just got back from a vacation with a lot of flight delays so I am very hungry. 


The cheeze sauce is very creamy and tasty. It tastes like a homemade vegan cheese sauce. 


This is a very good vegan mac. It tastes homemade I wish I had some extra vegan cheese to add to it and bake it. This is something you could serve to guests. It is very good I would buy this again. 


I found Vegan goodles at target in Vegas. I don’t think they are in stores in Canada but I believe we can order online. They were $3.99 US so a little more expensive also only for a limited time. I heard about regular goodles a long time ago from the creator of 2B mindset she mentioned these were a favourite of her kids and if a nutritionist is promoting them they are probably good. These are high in fiber , protein, and contain probiotics so a healthier noodle. 


I had to add about a cup more milk to the cheese mixture to get it into a sauce form. I did use creamier plant milk but I also feel like the measurement in the directions was too little. Other than that I really like the noodles. I found them a bit salty at first but once I added pepper and a little hot sauce they were really good. They don’t taste healthy at all so if you have access and want something a little more nutritious than what normally comes in a box they are worth trying. The instructions said to eat out of the pan so I did. 


I still have more Vegan Mac and cheese to try. Do you want me to do a part 2? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram @livingottawalocal. 

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