Naturebox October/November 2013 Review

I'm a bit mixed up on which month this box is for. I labeled my last post September, but I could've sworn this one was November and it came at the beginning of the month, so I think maybe Septeber was actually October and this is November's box. Anyway...

So, if you recall from my last month with Naturebox, I had been contemplating ordering some add-on snacks this month in addition to my regular 5. The first 2 are $3 each, the 3rd and 4th are $2 each, and the 5th is $1. I ended up going for it, haha! However, I also put my subscription on hold for the holiday season to tighten up my budget a bit for Christmas, so at least I'm set for a while!

Big box for 10 snacks!

Packing list/ info sheet

From the top:
1. Dried Pears - I love the dried granny smith apples, so I wanted to try out the pears and they don't disappoint either! I love them! They're really chewy and I just find it satisfying to sit and gnaw at them at my desk for some reason, haha. My only complaint with these is that the core is more or less included in the slices. There aren't seeds, but the hard parts around the seed is there, so I end up chucking small parts of about half of the pieces. It's only like a bite's worth, so it's not a huge waste, but I kind of wonder why they don't just core them like the granny smith apples. (3 servings listed)

2. Fancy Dried Figs - I just really like dried fruit. I find these yummy on their own and sliced up in yogurt or on salads. Or ooh, I bet they'd be great with some soft cheese, like brie! Yum! (3 servings listed)

3. Masa Crisps - I can't find these on the site anymore, oddly, but they're corn chips with flax seeds. I find them pretty tasty. Comparable to most corn chips, but the flax seeds add a bit more nutrition. Salty and yummy on their own, but the package recommends pairing them with hummus, which sounds great! (4.5 servings listed)

4. Garden Tomato Crunchies - Almonds coated in a tomato powder (with some other flavors mixed in). These are tasty! Crunchy and a small amount is satisfying. (4 servings listed, but I know they'll last longer)

5. Pistachio Power Clusters - I also can't find these on the site anymore, but they're "nut squares with almonds, cashews, and pistachios". I actually taste the cashews more than the pistachios, which bummed me out a bit because I like pistachios better. They're not bad though. Sweet and salty. (3 servings listed)

6. Toasted Cheddar Sticks - Cheddar flavored sesame sticks. I like sesame sticks and the cheddar flavor seems fairly true as opposed to, like, a Cheetohs flavor. They're pretty good, and my last sesame stick snack lasted me a long time, so I expect this to last a while too. (4 servings listed, but again, I think it'll last much longer)

7. Peanut Butter Nom Noms - I had heard great things about these and they were out of stock for the first box I got to choose my snacks for, so I snapped these up when I saw they were available this time. Sadly, I'm not in love with them. I don't really taste much of the peanut butter. They're just kind of dense oat cookies with a strong fruit flavor (there are raisins as well as fruit juice in the ingredients). Meh. Each serving is 1 piece and there are 4 cookies in a bag. (4 servings)

8. Whole Wheat Raspberry Figgy Bars - I had tried the blueberry figgy bars last time and enjoyed them, so I figured I'd try the raspberry ones this month. They're similarly satisfying, but I think I prefer the blueberry flavor slightly over the raspberry. Each bar is individually wrapped, which is nice to keep the bars from getting stale. (5 servings)

9. Mango Almond Bites - These are mango and crispy rice squares. One of the reviews from, I think, one of the other flavors of these rice bites had compared them to rice crispy treats and this flavor had the most good reviews so far, so I went with this one. They're good, but I wouldn't say they're terribly close to rice crispy treats. They actually taste more like Honey Smacks (do they even still sell that?) to me. That kind of puffed rice and they're fairly dry, so definitely no comparable moisture to rice crispy treat marshmallow. Good enough, but not quite what I was expecting. (4 servings)

10. Italian Bistro Pretzels - Pizza flavored pretzels. Oh man, these are good. Very strong flavor, but yummy!! These are probably tied for my favorite with the pears. So good. (5 servings)

Again, a pretty great box of snacks. And one that will last me a while! If you'd like to sign up, please use my link to get 50% off your first box! If you already get Naturebox, what did you choose this month? What are some of your favorite snacks? Any must tries?


(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)

Naturebox September 2013 Review

After really enjoying most of my first Naturebox, I was really looking foward to this month's box! For my second month of Naturebox, I got to choose my own snacks using their new online selection tool! For $19.95 a month, you get 5 bags of healthy snacks (they seem to range from 2-5 servings each - though mine are lasting me longer than that even!). They are "made from the most wholesome ingredients and will be minimally processed, if at all" according to Naturebox. The selection process was very easy, although 4 or 5 snacks were totally out of stock, which was a little sad. There were still a ton of choices, though, and I was able to easily choose my 5. My box arrived a bit earlier in the month.

Opening the box

There isn't really an info card that explains what you got - just the general "how this box works" card sitting on top there in the box.

This month, the snacks I chose were:

• Everything Bagel Stix - Sesame sticks with poppy seeds, garlic, and onion. I thought these were pretty good! I love sesame sticks. These weren't too strong, like everything bagels can sometimes be, but had enough flavor to be tasty. 5 servings listed, but still going strong with little snack sessions.

Everything Bagel Stix

•  Salted Caramel Pretzel Pops - Sea salt and caramel coated pretzels. New this month, I think. These are good, but not great. I definitely taste the sea salt, caramel, and pretzels, so I'm not entirely sure what it is I don't love (I normally love sea salt caramels). 4.5 servings, but I tend to only eat 4-5 pops at a time, so these'll last a while.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Pops

•  Sunshine Chips - Mixed veggie chips with sea salt. I usually love terra chips and stuff like that, but I'm not in love with these. They're way too sweet and not salty enough. The addition of the dried green beans is interesting, but again, they're just so sweet. Meh. 4 servings.

Sunshine Chips

•  Whole Wheat Blueberry Figgy Bars - Slightly larger and a tad heartier fig newtons. I loved these! My favorite of the new snacks I tried this month. Really tasty. I think I'm going to try the raspberry ones next month! They come individually packaged inside the bag, so this one is definitely correct at 5 servings.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Figgy Bars

•  Granny Smith Apples - Chewy dried apple slices. I loved these from the PopSugar box and I still love them now! There's just something satisfying about gnawing on them. 2 servings - I think I stretched this to 4 or 5. First bag done. 

September 2013 Naturebox

I'm still loving this box and trying new snacks! I'm really happy they started up the choice system because although I may not love everything I choose, at least I can make sure I try things that look best to me and avoid things that I know I won't like. I'm even adding on a couple extra snacks next month (added on $8 for 3 extra snacks) because I couldn't choose! Technically, I could add on another 2 snacks for $3 more (each additional snack seems to cost a little less), so I might just do that. Yum!

If you'd like to sign up, please use my link to get 50% off your first box! If you already get Naturebox, what did you choose this month? What are some of your favorite snacks? Any must tries?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. The final link is a referral link, but I also included a non-referral link at the top.)

Naturebox August 2013 Review

After trying the yummy dehydrated granny smith apples in my last PopSugar Must Have box, I decided to use the included 50% off your first month coupon to sign up for Naturebox! For $19.95 a month, you get 5 bags of healthy snacks (they seem to range from 2-5 servings each - though mine are lasting me longer than that even!). They are "made from the most wholesome ingredients and will be minimally processed, if at all" according to Naturebox. Sadly, I'm not the healthiest eater, but after I enjoyed the granny smith apples, I decided to try this out to make at least my snacks healthier.

Opening the box

My first box was a "discovery box", meaning they make all the choices. I think in the future I can make my own choices via email, but I'm not entirely clear on that. They are working on an online system for you to make your choices, so I look forward to that. Anyway, this month's theme was "Back to School".

The other side of the info card (front is above)

My snacks this month were:

• Santa Fe Corn Sticks - pretty yummy! They remind me of denser Fritos with a salsa-y taste. I didn't think I'd like them, but I did! I might get these again. 5 servings (I've had 3 so far, and I think 5 may be reasonable here).

Santa Fe Corn Sticks (I think in the future, I may pour out a handful to get a better picture than just the bag)

•  Sweet Blueberry Almonds - super yum! Almonds on their own are ok, but these are dusted with a blueberry powder that tastes so good! I'd definitely get these again. Labeled as 4 servings, but I've snacked on these at least 5 times so far and have half the bag left.

Sweet Blueberry Almonds

•  Cherry Berry Bonanza - These were fine. They're dried fruit - cherries, blueberries, and cranberries. Sweet, but not something I'd necessarily reach for first. 3 servings (again, it's already lasted longer than that).

Cherry Berry Bonanza

•  Teriyaki Twists - I hated these. Thankfully, Chris loved them! I don't like the savory Asian snacks. They all taste the same to me and I don't like that taste. I'd get these again if Chris really wanted them, but he's not a big snacker, so I don't see it happening. 4.5 servings, but Chris only eats a handful at a time, so I think it'll last him much longer.

Teriyaki Twists

•  Cocoa Waffle Wafers - I opened these first, thinking "Oh boy, these look yummy". Nope. When it touches your tongue, there's a brief hint of sweetness, but as soon as you start to chew it, it's gone. It's just bland and tastes like nothing. Eating cardboard. Maybe like rye cardboard? I definitely don't want these again. 2 servings. Didn't get past the first, so I can't comment on that.

Cocoa Waffle Wafers

August 2013 Nature Box

I'm happy with my first box. Only 1 total loss and I think in the future I can make requests, so I think I'll keep this box around a while.

Oooh, I stand corrected: I just went to look at the site and the new choice feature is up and running! I just put in my choices for my next box!

If you'd like to sign up, please use my link to get 50% off your first box! If you already get Naturebox, what are some of your favorite snacks? I need to make a list of things I want to try in the future! :)

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. The final link is a referral link, but I also included a non-referral link at the top.)