December Conscious Box 2012 Unboxing

I am really enjoying Conscious Box and I plan to keep subscribing for as long as I can. Conscious Box is $19.95 a month and there is also a vegan option.
Here is a video showing what was in this month's box.Please rate, comment, and subscribe.

November 2012 Naturebox Unboxing

Last month I was contacted by Naturebox (a monthly subscription box that offers full size healthy snacks for $19.95/mo) and they asked if I'd be interested in reviewing their box. Of course I said yes! I am a big snacker and I try to keep most of my pretty healthy. Plus, I'm always looking for new snacks to try so I was really excited to get the opportunity to try Naturebox. I got the box about a week later and couldn't wait to open it!

Check the video to see exactly what I got!

from l to r:

 Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Seeds

Country Ranch Peas
Carrot Chips

Chipotle Maple Almonds

Cinnamon Spiced Granola

Since the video I have had the chance to sample all of the snacks and I thought they were really good. My favorites were the almonds, granola and the pumpkin seeds.  Overall I think this is a great box to try, especially if you love healthy snacks or if you want to start switching out some that junk food. And as I said in the video, you could easily spend $20 on this amount of product at the store so I believe Naturebox is well worth $19.95.
Naturebox is offering a 25% discount on your first month's subscription with the promo code CARROT. This discount applies to the month to month subscription only. If you buy the 6 month option you'll get one month free. And the 12 month option gets you 3 free months.
Let me know if you give it a try.



Here some information about Naturebox:


NatureBox is a subscription service that offers the ability to discover and enjoy 
healthy snacks on a monthly basis. We currently ship to the 48 continental states as 
well as FPO/APO addresses. We also ship to P.O. Boxes.

 Our products are made from wholesome ingredients and are Nutritionist-approved. 
We abide by our strict quality standards: No High Fructose Corn Syrup, No Partially 
Hydrogenated Oils, No Trans Fats, No Artificial Sweeteners, No Artificial Flavors, No 
Artificial Colors.

For every NatureBox sent out, together we’re helping to feed the hungry. NatureBox 
donates one meal for every box to feed the over 14 million children in America who 
go hungry every year. We believe in doing good and eating well.

We are working on new NatureBoxes which will address various dietary needs and
personal preferences such as Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan and Low-Sugar. If you are 
interested in a not-yet-launched line of NatureBoxes, send us an email to 
info@naturebox.com to be added to our mailing list when we introduce new or 
customized NatureBoxes.

 NatureBoxes will soon be available in various sizes depending on you or your family’s 
needs.

We catalog all of our NatureBoxes and each month we display the nutrition label and 
ingredient list of every NatureBox product on our site: 
http://www.naturebox.com/naturebox-foods/

 NatureBoxes make great gifts for your friends and family for holidays, special 
occasions, or anytime. College students, summer campers, teachers, coaches, new 
parents, and deployed service members all love to receive healthy snacks any time of 
the year. 

We are always looking for nutritionists, healthy living professionals, and healthy 
snacking enthusiasts to share tips, tricks, and ideas for making healthier choices. If 
you would be interested in featuring your articles or thoughts on our blog, please 
contact molly@naturebox.com. We look forward to the opportunity to partner with 
you to share the healthy snacking message

Bobo's Oat Bars! Yummy Snack!

I really love a good snack bar and I have found new one that I like. It is called Bobo's Oat Bar and I found them at Whole Foods. It is natural, organic and not to mention very tasty. Plus they are not overly sweet and are very moist. They do contain a few ingredients that stringent label sticklers might turn their noses up to (xanthan gum, soy lecithin) but I'm not that extreme. One entire tire bar is 360 calories but I have found that I only need to eat half at one time.

Bobo's oat bars come in nine flavors which are: apricot, banana, coconut,strawberry, original, cinnamon raisin, cranberry, chocolate, and peanut butter. I have only tried the latter two but I am going to try more. They can be bought at health food stores and online ( only in 12 bar cases online) at amazon.com and vitacost.com.

Another Fave Online Shop!

Yup! I have found yet another online shop to burn up my cash. The name of the shop is RawGuru.com and it specializes in raw foods and is also a community network for people who are interested in or already live a raw foods lifestyle. They sell all types of raw food snacks, nuts, dried fruit, superfoods, vitamins, supplements, teas, dehydrators, sprouters (getting one soon-tired of paying top dollar for sprouts), etc... Now, I am not one who only eats raw or organic but I do include raw and organic in my diet. And I especially like some of the snacks that I have found on rawguru like the Gopal's Goldenberry Brazil Nut Cookie (made with only brazil nuts, agave nectar, and organic goldenberries) which does not taste exactly like a traditional cookie but it tastes good to me. In fact, most items of the raw items I have tried do not taste exactly like their traditional counterparts (cookies, chocolate bars, jerky,etc..) but I still like them. And besides, many of them (raw snacks) are a little healthier and have more nutrients for the calories. Needless to say I am gonna be doing a little more shopping on rawguru.com in the days to come.

Healthier Treats!!! My Top Candy and Snack Picks!!!

When is comes to passing out candy or snacks (for Halloween, or parties or just for a treat) there is always the dilemma of should I go for healthy or fun. If you are a parent or concerned adult you usually want to pass out treats that kids (or adults) will love. However, many "fun" candies and snack contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), dyes, chemicals, and preservatives that are not so healthy. And nowadays more people are becoming concerned with what they and their children eat - am one these people. I do not have children but I have plenty of nieces, nephews, and cousins. Plus, I have always been a sweets lover and in recent years have been looking for better sweet snacks and candies. When I look for sweet I usually want them to be either natural, or organic, or vegan. I would also like them to not contain artificial flavors, unnatural dyes, HFCS, preservatives and chemicals. On my search I found a few websites and companies that have these healthier choices. Here they are:

Yummy Earth (yummyearth.com), which was invented by two dads who wanted organic candy for their children. Yummy Earth sells organic lollipops and candy drops which are also kosher parve, nut-free, and gluten-free. These lollipops and drops come great natural flavors (pomegranate, watermelon, grape, etc...). Plus Yummy Earth uses veggies, fruits and juices to create colors for their candies. I and my kid relatives had tried these candies and we all think they taste great. I would recommend lollipops for the younger children as the drops may be too small for them. Yummy Earth candies can also be found at amazon.com and Whole Food Stores.

Yummy Earth

Naturalcandystore.com is a website I linked to from artisansweets.com. Naturalcandystore.com sell all types of candies (chocolate, hard candies, lollipops, caramels, gummies, etc..) that are all or either organic, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, allergen-free, fair trade and corn-syrup free. Naturalcandystore also has pre-made mixes and goody bags for halloween and parties. They have a wide variety or brands that kids and adults alike can enjoy!!! Artisansweets.com have candies and sweets that cater to more of an adult palate such as salted butter caramels, nougats, fig confections, and more .

VeganSweets

Vegan Gummies

Veganstore.com is a website I found when I was searching for healthier baked goods. Veganstore offers a few different brands of baked goods including Alternative Baking Co., Late July, and Enjoy Life. However, the Vegansweets brand has been my favorite. The item I have ordered the most are the plain VeganSweets donuts w/carob frosting. These donuts come two in a pack for $2.99 or you can buy a bakers dozen for $32.28. VeganSweets also offer cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, truffles, jelly beans, caramels and more. Veganstore also carries and assortment of hard candies, gum, lollipops and gummies. Plus there are also non-food items you can shop for such as clothes, bodycare, petcare, etc.

Healthy Handfuls (healthyhandfuls.com) offers organic baked snacks ( cookies, pretzels, and crackers). These snacks are free from hydrogenated oils, HFCS, gmos and preservatives. Many of these snacks are a great alternative to the over processed cookies and crackers (which are marketed to kids) on the market. I especially like the Lucky Duckies which can be an alternative to Goldfish. Healthy Handfuls snacks come in a variety of sizes including convenient single serve pouches which are great for halloween, lunch boxes, and parties. Healthy Handfuls are available at Whole Foods stores, Jamba Juice, worldpanty.com and amazon.com.

Healthy Handfuls

Snikiddy (snikiddy.com), like Healthy Handfuls, offers baked snacks such as cookies, cheese puffs, and other flavors of puffs. Their products are organic and they taste pretty good too. Their products can be found at Whole Food Stores and amazon.com.

Snikiddy

When it comes to chocolate I have to mention Endangered Species Chocolate (thechocolatebar.com). Endangered Species Chocolates offers dark and milk chocolate bars and 10% of their net profits go to help animals on endangered species list and they support other causes. They offer a few bite size choices of their dark and milk chocolate which includes their Halloween bites that are wrapped in brown and orange wrappers (seasonal), Bug Bites which have little trading cards with info about all types of insects, and Chimp Mints which have info about chimps in each wrapper. Bugs Bites and Chimp Mints sell for $32 for about 64 .35oz pieces.The Halloween chocolates sell for $6.72 for a 24 piece bag (.35 oz). Endangered Species Chocolates are also available on amazon.com and at Whole Food Stores and most health food stores.

Endangered Species Chocolate

I know there are many other companies that sell organic and natural candies and snacks, but these are my picks for now. Especially when it comes to party favors, goody bags, lunch time treats, etc...