Deleting the naughty...with Goodies Co. January

Always excited to see Goodies arrive!

Theme: New Year New You, a box loaded with sensible foods to enjoy while living life on-the-go.

Goodies is the Walmart Labs sponsored box that you request an invite to. At the time I subscribed I got the introductory rate of $7.

You can also purchase items you sample from their shop right on their website. They show you the popularity, the ratings given by samplers, and are good about letting you know if a product is out of stock.

Nature's Bakery Whole Wheat Fig Bar:
I received the Raspberry Fig Bar. It was delicious, enjoyed in the afternoon with a cup of tea. I have actually purchased these before and my kids love them too. 100% natural and contain lots of whole grains to make you feel good...and full. I really like these. 

Wild Garden Hummus and Pita Chips:
Another product I am already familiar with, and another family favorite. We all love hummus, even down to the 4 year old. Made from chick peas, tahini, sea slat and other natural spices. I love that the pita chips were multi-grain with sea salt too. Great snack kit!

Stretch Island Fruit Chews:
Very Cherry was the flavor received.  I thought these were ok, a little gummy for my taste, but my kids went ape for them. I've purchased the fruit leathers by them before, and those are a little different. But the flavor is top notch, lots of fruit for the bite, and made up of several different fruit juices: apple, cherry and orange.

Go Nola:
This was not my favorite item in the box. I got Wild Blueberry Wave. I chose to eat the little portion as a cereal for breakfast. I struggle with blueberry flavored things because it sometimes tastes off to me. I like fresh blueberries and sometimes dried ones don't like me :)

Skeeter Snacks Cookies:
Also familiar with this brand, not that I've purchased, but received from Love With Food one month. Luckily, it was a different flavor then. This time around I got to try Chocolate3. This is a no nuts cookie that will satisfy your chocolate cravings for sure: chocolate cookie, chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. Really good and really crisp.

Flamous Brands Falafel Chips:
I've bought many a bag of these falafel chips in Original, my husband loves them. I have not, however, tried the Spicy. While I don't always get excited about overly spicy snacks, I was willing to give them a try. Made with corn, chickpeas, black beans and also containing some organic dehydrated vegetables like onion, garlic, spinach, carrot, red and green bell peppers and tomatoes, cayenne chili and sea salt...gluten, wheat, dairy, lactose, preservative and cholesterol free. I didn't think they were spicy..at first. Then they started to burn. So, while I won't enjoy these in mass quantities, I know my husband would. Otherwise, we love the original, also good with hummus!

Cascal Natural Soda:
This all natural soda is fermented and caffeine-free, said to include detoxifying properties and boosts energy levels. While it is not carbonated, it does say effervescence is added. I got Berry Cassis, which is black currant, tangerine and lemon flavors. At 80 calories, I am pumped to try this and will update. It's too cold and I hate drinking cold drinks when I am freezing, so I will wait just a bit for a warm-up!


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Deleting the naughty...with Goodies Co. December

Finally! December's Goodies Co. box arrived. So far, I am really enjoying what Walmart Labs has to offer. While I have seen many of the products that have come in two months already at the store, I don't always try them, so this has been fun.

Again, this box is $7/month and so far has been the best value for a food box out there. I think I like this box better than Love With Food, though I much more appreciate what LWF stands for by donating a meal per box purchased.

This month's theme is Naughty or Nice? It was made up of six samples; three of healthy choices and three of naughty indulgences. It's focus was trying to be healthy but allowing ourselves to let loose and indulge once in a while.

On to the contents:

Barefruit Cinnamon Apple Chips

Nice: I will admit, I wasn't too sure about these, but ended up pleasantly surprised. 100% natural, the only ingredients listed on the bag were apples and cinnamon. That's it! No added sugar or preservatives and fat, cholesterol and gluten free. And, the serving size guarantees one whole apple per bag. The chips are really, really good, and have a great crunch to them, still have the peeling on the slices and are super sweet. I would definitely buy these and am willing to try other chip flavors if they came out with them...can you imagine peach chips or pineapple chips?  Yum!

Effie's Homemade Oatcakes:
Naughty: Very naughty. These small little cakes, all buttery, crispy and flaky at the same time contained 9 grams of fat, lots of cholesterol and sugars. But, oh my...so amazingly delicious. They tasted like my mom's homemade Christmas cookies. I don't think I will ever enjoy some plain old oatmeal health bar ever again. I am going to chalk these up at sort of healthy...I mean...they contain wheat flour and rolled oats, right?

EatSmart by Snyder's of Hanover Naturals Garden Veggie Chips:
Nice: A single serving bag was packed full of a trio of chips made from potato, tomato and spinach. I liked this snack, it was satisfying when I got that craving for something salty...but I wish they were just a little saltier. I can get away with a little more sodium - no blood pressure problems here - so that would have put them higher on my list. I have bought these before, but it was veggies straws and my kids ate them up.

Rocky Mountain Popcorn in Cinnamon Sugar:
Nice: Natural air-popped popcorn dusted with real ingredients: cinnamon sugar and popcorn. Cotaining 10 grams of whole grains per serving this products pacts a whopping 10 grams of fat, but is still a better choice than a bag of microwaved movie theater butter popcorn. The popcorn itself was fluffy...slightly stale, but not much, because it was still melt in your mouth fresh. There was plenty of the dusting of the cinnamon sugar, and was really tasty. They reminded me of those county fair cinnamon sugar mini donuts, so if you are looking for something really naughty like those, this would actually be a good substitute to curb that craving.

World Table Chocolate Mint Cookie Thins:
Naughty: I have tried the lemon thins by this brand before, and loved them, so I was looking forward to trying these. I received a full size package, containing two packets of 14 cookies. Peanut said they were "Yummy!" I concur. The buttery, crispy cookie meshed perfectly with the layer of not too sweet chocolate mint on the bottom of the cookie. These were really quite delicious. All I need now is a hot cup of coffee to enjoy them with.

Sun Cups Sunflower Butter Milk Chocolate:
Naughty: Basically, a nut free take on the classic peanut butter cup. Personally, this was my least favorite product in the box.  I gave it a try, but sunflower butter is not my favorite flavor. So, with that said, I will comment on the positives: smooth - no graininess of real peanut butter cups; and the chocolate was really good. Sunflower butter just has a weird aftertaste to me, like something that got old and stale. But, if you have peanut allergies, you can still enjoy a spin on those delectable Reese's :)

Sun Cups Dark Chocolate Mint Cup:
Naughty: I ended up with one extra product, a mint cup. Even though I didn't like the sunflower cup, I was still game for the mint one. I am not sure what this one was filled with. I know it was peppermint, but it wasn't white and it was grainy, but I am guessing it was made with sunflower butter and peppermint flavoring. It tasted good, though. Not as yummy as a classic York Peppermint Patty, but still enjoyable. I give these a B+.  Since I received the extra naughty product, I must have been nice this year!

FUN Holiday box!!


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Deleting the naughty...with Goodies Co. November

My first Goodies Co. box by Walmart Labs arrived. This is a box that I signed up for while it was in Beta mode. The wait was long, I think I signed up in late September so it took a while to go through the process. I saw a news release that says Goodies Co. has now gone live and is taking subscribers. To sign up, I took a little quiz to find out what kind of a food person I was. I am an Explorer, and got a special badge on my profile.

My first impression?  It's a big box, about the same size as Cravebox. My second impression? I was shorted the delicious looking candy bar...Waah! I didn't get one!! There's a picture of it on the website! But then, I realized...I was an Explorer, so I suppose my box is different than the one shown because of my profile. I wasn't shorted a product, I was given a different one. And other products were different flavors. So in some respects I was disappointed, but in others, I realized that I have a bit more of an adventurous side and like to try something new. So, I am not sure what to think because I am truly bummed about a couple of things, and will mention why in the product review. My third impression? For being one of the first subscribers I received a really sturdy, simple farmer's market bag with the Goodies Co. logo on it. I use these bags constantly, so I appreciated the nice touch.

This month's box was focused on entertaining made simple, with products that are easy.

Oogie's Gourmet Popcorn:
Yay! I got the white cheddar flavor! This product also comes in others, like chili con queso and movie theater butter. All natural with no cholesterol, trans-fat or gluten, is Non GMO corn and whole grain. There is nothing not to love about this snack! My husband is a popcorn whisperer. He can make a batch of fresh popcorn popped on the stove in hot sauce, then add the perfect amount of salt to make it addictive, and no butter added, so no popcorn will ever be as good as that. But for a pre-package, pre-popped treat, this is a great substitute.

The Lazy Baker All Natural Cookie Mix:
I received the Brown Sugar Pecan Shortbread flavor. I think this sounds delicious! At first I was really jealous about not getting the candy bar everyone else seemed to get, but I am over it. The story behind this product is that as a little girl, the creator loved to bake with her grandma, but didn't like to do all the prep involved, so her grandma would get all the ingredients ready and she would say "Where's my Lazy Baker?" The little girl, Gina, comes running and just dumps all the ingredients in. These cookies will be perfect to make with Peanut...she loves to be in the kitchen with me but sometimes it is a real challenge because she's a very independent "I can do it myself" kind of girl. I can't wait to make these with her! All you have to add is softened butter. That's it. Put them in a muffin tin and you are done!

Flourless Bliss Pumpkin Souffle Mix:
All natural and gluten-free, this easy kit has everything you need to make a souffle, except an egg, half and half and butter. This wouldn't be a challenge for me since I usually have those three things on hand almost always, but just to be clear, it does not have everything you need. Other people got a chocolate souffle kit, which I would have preferred...but I need to keep in mind I am an Explorer, right?

Lotus Bakeries Smooth Biscoff Spread:
You know those little cookies you get on a flight instead of pretzels or peanuts? This is those...all ground up into a spread that tastes a little like caramel. It's not good for you at all, made of flour, sugar, oil, more sugar, oil and more sugar. But, for a decadent little treat, the suggestion of fruit slices, like apples, is slightly redeeming and a hit with the kiddos.

Bobbysue's Nuts:
I got the original flavor, a sweet and cinnamon taste with a nut mix of almonds, cashews and pecans. I really liked them, especially cashews. Not too full of sugar, but has enough and you can taste the cinnamon without it being overpowering. And what's even better, Bobbysue's has a mission, where a portion of every dollar goes toward building a shelter for homeless animals.

Bigelow Tea:
I received Eggnogg'n, a black and green tea blend made to taste like creamy eggnog. Ingredients besides the black and green tea include natural eggnog flavor and cinnamon. It's not bad. I added some half and half and was a nice afternoon treat on the wintry day!

American Vintage Wine Biscuits:
These are round melba-toast like little biscuits made with real wine. My package was white wine, shallot and cayenne flavor. They didn't come with a spread or a cheese, so not sure what to eat these with. I am going to try some Laughing Cow and see how that tastes. I will update.

Verdict: Not a bad box for the buck. I enjoyed almost all the products and so did my kids. Looking forward to the next one!

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