Graze Snack Box Unboxing & Review!

Hello all! I recently got a free code for a Snack Subscription Box called Graze. I've heard some positive and negatives about this company, but decided I did want to try it (considering it'd be free). For those who don't know, Graze is a weekly or bi-weekly subscription that costs $5, and they send you a small box with 4 different snacks. The sizes and portions are very small, but it is a snack, and not a meal. Right now it's really hard to get into this box, as you have to be put on a waiting list or get a code from a friend. Everytime a new person joins, they get a free code to pass on to their friend, and it's a chain of people joining. I find this to be a terrible approach to a box. It's not fair for the ones waiting and waiting to get into the group. I was lucky enough to be on a Subscription Box group on Facebook that started a chain of sharing, and I was given a code. I'm just going to tell people now, it's nothing spectacular. But I will get into that further down. The week of my box was August 1, 2013- August 7, 2013.



 

Here is a picture of the box. Mine got crushed and ripped, but luckily the contents were okay.

When you open your box, there is a cute welcome card, letting you know what box you chose. The one I chose was the Nibble Box. The other choice you could get is the Light Box, which is the healthy version. The inside includes a little blurb, and a picture of the folks at graze. The card reads:

"Welcome to Graze! Here are a couple of things we'd like you to know: Graze is all about healthy snacking, so we think it's best to keep your box close at hand. That way, you can beat those 3pm junk food cravings with a perfect portion of something that will taste good and do you good. As you snack, you can rate your favorite foods online. It only takes a few minutes and it's the best way to make sure you get the boxes that are just right for you. Enjoy your first Graze Box."

Attached to the card were these cute little notes. "This Box Belongs to: Mishelle", "Have You Been Working Out?" "I <3 U" and "You Look... a Million Dollars". These are to place on your boxes so no one touches them ;)

These are the backsides of the cute little notes. Altogether they read "This Box Belongs To: Mishelle; If you're lucky, I might share." "Have You Been Working Out?; From Mishelle" "I <3 U; But... Hands off my craze box!" "You Look...A Million Dollars; From your buddy Mishelle."

These are the snacks I received. Unfortunately, only 2 of them were actually good.

When you lift out the tray of goodies, you get a napkin on a grass background! How cute!!

The first snack I received was a 1.1 oz package of Black Pepper Pistachios. These are simply pistachios roasted with black pepper. On the website, it says they are best for fiber. For those wondering, there are 104 Calories in this pack.



 

These were actually very good. I thought they were awesome. The pepper flavor was great, and not over powering. My mom really loved them too. She was sad that the packaging was so small because she wanted more. That's one of the downfalls of this program. If you like the item, you get sad because the packaging is tiny. I wish they made bigger sizes. My dad also enjoyed them :)

The next snack was this 0.99 oz package of Scandinavian Forest. It is a "tasty snack with lingonberries from the forests of Finland. This punnet doesn't just look pretty, it's a good source of Vitamin C." The mix has lingonberries, blueberries, cherry raisins, and apple. It has a Health Star because it's really healthy. This has 76 Calories.

In my opinion, this was actually pretty weird. It was just so dry. The apples were soft, and very sour. The texture was awful. The cherry raisins were also sour. The lingonberries, or the items I think were them, were the only good part. This was a waste of snack for me. My mom also likes the lingonberries, and my niece thought everything was too sour.

Next is a 0.71 oz package of the Herb Garden. This is a snack mix that includes oregano rice crackers, crispy peanuts, and baked herb bites. It's considered light, as it has 105 calories.

These were TERRIBLE. I saw "herb garden" and I was thinking like bread sticks, or croutons. Oh no, this stuff is heavily spiced with terrible spices. I ended up literally spitting it out. My mom will most likely like these, so I'll give them to her. I was highly disappointed with these.

The last snack was this 1.9 oz package of Summer Berry Flapjack. It's a rustic rolled oat flapjack with berry-infused cranberries. It's a fiber filled snack, and is 236 calories.

Oh. My. God. These were out of this world. I love the buttery taste of them, and the way the cranberries just add so much flavor. I literally want a whole tub of these. My niece also really loved them. My mom, who I had saved a piece for, never tried it because I'm eating it as I write this 0:)

Overall, I think the size of the contents really makes this NOT worth the $5. When I spend money, I want to get a good value from it. I don't think these are worth $5. Although I really likes the Flapjack, and the Pistachios, I don't think it's enough to keep me interested in this program. Maybe if they decide to change it so you can purchase bigger quantities, I may just go for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodies Co. July 2013 Unboxing & Review!

I received my 2nd Goodies box last month (it's a little late...I know, but better late than never, right?). I was so excited to get this in the mail, but wasn't too excited about the products inside, but I will get into that later on. If you don’t know what Goodies Co is, it’s a monthly subscription box in which you pay a flat $7 a month, and receive a box full (5-8) of goodies at your doorstep! $7 a month is ridiculously cheap and awesome for what you get in here (sometimes). You can read my last review on Goodies, which was back in April. Luckily, I now can get it Monthly, and will be recieving Septembers box next month, and the August Kids Goodies Box this month. Any ways, I love Goodies, even if sometimes it's a bad box! For $7, you can't really complain.

This was my July Goodies Box! There was 5 items in here, as you can see. I was upset they did away with the aqua colored box, and exchanged it with this pastel green, but oh well, I'm not paying for the box itself am I?

The first item inside was this full sized Fruit Water from Glaceau (Vitamin Water makers) in Black Raspberry. This is a sparkling, zero calorie water that is enhanced with nutrients and other natural flavors. It has vitamins b5 & b6, magnesium, zinc, and green tea extract. I'm not going to lie, at first I wasn't excited about this item. My niece got the same exact box I did, and when she came to spend the night she let me try her Fruit Water. I thought it tasted horrible. I decided to throw mine in the refrigerator and try it nice and cold, and boy did it make a difference. It's really good chilled! I thought the fizziness was off putting though. I don't like sparkling anything really, unless it's soda. This really wasn't that bad though! I'm not even a black raspberry person!

You can find Fruit Water in stores such as Target for around $1.00 (I'm saying this because last time I went there that's how much they were)

Next was a .5 Oz bag of Multi-Seed Crackers from Crunchmaster in original. These crackers are oven baked, all natural, 100% whole grain, and cholesterol and gluten free! From their website:

"The name says it all. This versatile favorite is packed with delicious toasted seeds (sesame, quinoa, flax and amaranth) and is lightly seasoned with a wheat free tamari soy sauce."

These crackers look intimidating, but they're great. They look so shiny and bumpy, but are delicious. I love the taste and texture of them! The only thing is, is that they are very VERY hard to chew. It's almost a mixture of being dense, but also almost stale. It doesn't taste stale, but the crunch feels it. I love the pumpkinish taste that it has, and the saltiness! My mom said they're good too!

You can purchase a 2 Pack of 4.5 ounce bags on their website for $7.05, making this .5 oz size about $0.39 

Next is a .7 oz Cosmos Creations in Caramel! These are heavenly morsels of baked corn. They use all natural ingredients, are Non-GMO, gluten free, have no transfat, have no kernels and no Hulls!

These little bundles of caramel corn really taste like caramel popcorn without the crappy pieces that get stuck in your teeth (the hulls)! I think these are really good, and taste like Kellogg Smacks. The only thing I have a problem with is that the caramel kind of tastes burnt. I'm not sure if that's what they all taste like, or I got a bad batch. My mom said she had to chew the product to actually get any flavor out it it. She said she likes these, and doesn't even like caramel popcorn.

You can purchase a 2.5 oz bag on their website for $2.49 making this .7 oz bag about $0.70

Next is a 2.75 oz bag of Cherry Lovers Fruit Chews from Gimbals. These chews are made with REAL Cherry Juice, are high in antioxidants and vitamin C too! They have no high fructose corn syrup, are peanut free, tree nut free, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, trans fat free, gelatin free and soy free! They come in 9 delicious flavors including Chocolate Cherry, Bing Cherry, Cherry Daiquiri, Kiwi Cherry, Black Cherry, Wild Cherry, Cherry Vanilla, Cherry Cheesecake and Cherry Cola.

I've tried them all, but the one that stuck out most to me is the Cherry Cheesecake. This literally tasted like a cherry cheesecake! I was super impressed with the realistic flavor! I made my mom try it and she loved it too! The worst one is probably the Chocolate Cherry one...artificial chocolate flavor is terrible...

You can purchase the same bag on their website for $1.29

Lastly is a 2 oz bag of Corn Chips with Sea Salt from The Better Chip. These are made from fresh corn, are non-GMO, gluten free and are 100% all natural.

I thought these were very good! I thought they tasted like a sweeter Frito. Although they tasted good, they did seem a little stale. If they wouldn't have a stale crunch to them, they'd be a lot better. My little Chihuahua also really enjoyed them :) My mom thought they were good too!

You can purchase a bag of 18 of these on Amazon for $21.24, making each bag $1.18

TOTAL: $4.56 

I really didn't care for this box as I said above. I think the value of the box really stunk, and the items weren't that great. They were very plain. I mean, a bag of corn chips? Although they were good, I didn't think they should have been put in the bag without any dipping sauce or anything. Also, the Multi-Seed crackers were very boring too. Hopefully Septembers box is better!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plated.com August 2013 Unboxing & Review!

This is our 3rd dish from Plated.com! If you're interested in reading the first and second reviews, you can click here & here. If you don't know, Plated.com is a  Gourmet Meal service in which you pay per plate and have all the ingredients, INCLUDING meat mailed to your door FRESH and ready for you to prepare and cook! You can purchase these plates, which change on their menu every week, on a no commitment basis, meaning you only have to pay $15 a plate, and must have an order of 4 plates, or if you order 6+ plates you can get them for $14 per plate. If that is too expensive, you can buy a monthly membership for $10 which knocks your plate cost down to $12 per plate for 4, or $10 per plate for 6+!  Now here’s the awesome thing. If you use my referral link, and buy 4 plates, you get 2 of them for free!! That’s right, you’ll get 4 plates for $30 SHIPPED!!! I’ll also receive two plates free for you using my link! But this is where it gets better, when you sign up, you’ll receive your OWN link, and if you get people to buy off of yours, you’ll receive free plates too! It’s a win win win situation  ! Currently they’re only in select cities, so you’ll have to check and see if they deliver to your area.

Now, lets get on with my unboxing! This week (August 6th, 2013) I received Asian Soy Steak Tacos with Jicama Slaw!  

This is the box that all meals ship in. (They have since changed the style of the box, how it opens, ect. I just had this photo still, so I'm using it for now :P)

Inside were the 2 10 oz Beef Flat Iron Steaks. These, of course, are the Steak in the steak tacos! Usually we don't quite enjoy the meat serving sizes that they send. They usually send 2 10 oz. steaks for 4 plates, meaning 1 feeds 2 people. In our house, we're huge steak lovers, so it's kind of a bummer to see that, this week however worked out awesomely!

Then there were 2 of these green bags with a sticker that reads "asian steak tacos with jicama slaw".  I love these bags because they're stuffed with goodies! I opened one bag up to give you a look, so everything in this bag is doubled (as there are two bags, like I said.)

All of this stuff was in just 1 of these bags! I was so shocked at all of the items! :D

The first items in the bag, were 4 (8 altogether) of these Kikkoman Soy Sauce packets. I was really happy to see a name brand soy sauce in there! We love Kikkoman AND soy sauce! This is used to marinate the steak in :)

Next was a big bag of Jicama (2 altogether)! The night I made this dinner, I had just come back from the ER because of leg pains, and my dad and I were sitting in my room at the ER wondering how the heck you pronounce this. We later realized it's "hicama"...we felt really stupid! :) Anyways, this is used as the main part of the Slaw. You shred it up, and you're good to go!

After the Jicama, there were 3 (6 altogether) limes! These were good sized limes too! These were used in almost everything in this dinner. It's used in the dressing for the slaw, the marinade, and the beans!

Next were 3 (2 of each) packets of Cumin, Sugar and Garlic Cloves. I was very shocked to see Cumin in this, as I'm not a huge fan of it, but omg, it made the beans so much tastier! That is all the Cumin is used in. The sugar was used in the dressing for the Slaw, as well as 1 clove of garlic. The other clove of garlic was used in the marinade.

Next was 2 huge bags of Cabbage. This was also used as a main ingredient in the Jicama Slaw.

Then there were 2 little bottles of Sesame Oil. This was used in the dressing, and smelled really weird! I was confused on why it was needed...but it all worked out in the end!

Next were 2 big cans of Roland's Black Beans. These were the beans used for topping/filling of the tacos. Mixed with cumin, lime juice, salt and pepper, they were DELICIOUS.

Then there were 2 red onions! These were used in the Jicama Slaw too!

Last but not least were 2 bags of tortillas! I love tortillas :)

The first thing my dad and I did was make the slaw! We shredded the jicama, poured in the cabbage, and sliced the onions really thin (my dad did that part, I had a hard time keeping my eyes open because of the onion stench!). Then we dumped the dressing in (Cilantro, garlic, lime juice, sugar and sesame oil with a little salt!) and mixed it in with our hands! The mixture smelled strongly like skunk...I'm not sure why, but it did!

Next up, we made the beans! We washed them all, and combined them with the cumin and lime juice, then added salt and pepper. These honestly were SO delicious! The cumin mixed with these tasted like a taco sauce...it rocked!

While we were making the slaw and beans, we let the tortillas warm up in our oven, and marinaded the steak! The steaks were left in a bag with the soy sauce, garlic clove, and lime juice mixture.

Then it was time to cook the steak up! These things smelled AMAZING while they were cooking! Although, the outside cooked much faster than the inside. We were a little disappointed at that, but they still came out amazing.

The last step was to make your tacos! This one is mine. I added the steak and beans to my tortilla, and threw on a little Taco Bell sauce, which REALLY pulled the spicyness together. It was so good! As for the slaw, in my opinion, I didn't like it. I'm not a cabbage/onion type of person, so that may be why. The smell really threw it all off for me. I did enjoy making it though! I thought the taste of the Tacos were over the top awesome. The spices and lime juice really blended together nicely. The marinade on the steak was fantastic! I'd love to use that all the time. I really look forward to making this again.

This was my dads. He put the beans, steak and slaw on it! He goes all out when he eats :) My mom's looked the same, but less of everything.

My parents really enjoyed everything yet again. My mom really liked the Jicama Slaw. She thought everything was perfect, and it was very nutritious. She literally tells EVERYONE about this website, and brags about how good all of the meals come out! My dad said that he loves how everything is so fresh. He really loved the whole entire dinner. He thought it would have paired nicely with some sour cream, it would have added to it, or some kind of sauce. He wanted me to tell Plated that they should make desserts to match the dinners too! He also said we're going to twist the recipe a little next time and have grilled steak burritos! That should be yummy! :)

If you're interested in ordering from Plated.com, use this link to get 2 Free Plates! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PowerMyLearning.org Website Review!

I was recently approached to review a fantastic new website called PowerMyLearning.org. This is a free web-based platform for students, parents and even teachers that takes thousands of the best online games, videos and interactives from grades K-12 and puts them in one simple, easy to use website! I have 2 nieces in school. One is going into 2nd grade this year, and the other is going into 6th, and both take after me when it comes to school. I've always been one to play educational games in my free time, do "work books" picked up at my local store, and just indulge in anything school related. Luckily, both of them take after me and enjoy playing educational games as well, so when I was offered to review this, I honestly couldn't say no! The games, interactives and videos come from all sorts of studies including math, english, science, social studies and more! The site is able to remain free for others to use thanks to funding from generous companies such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

Signing up for free on PowerMyLearning.org brings you into a world of resources! Including:

• Playing THOUSANDS of thoroughly vetted online learning activities in all major K-12 subjects


• Having easy-to-find activities tagged by subject, grade, Common Core State Standard, activity type, and language support


• Make a playlist of the activities that interest you!


• Have detailed reports that allow educators, parents, and students to keep track of usage


• Collect playpoints and rate the games you play!

Of course there are a LOT more advantages to this website than just that. I really like that it goes in through highschool! I personally just graduated last June, so I decided to take a look at the programs for 12th graders, and was thoroughly surprised at how awesome they were. There was even an interactive program for those going into college, so I definitely jumped on it and signed myself up! The program is very uplifting and inspiring, but I will get into it later. I also love that you don't have to search the internet to find awesome games and interactives, you can just come to this 1 simple website and browse through what they have! I know personally I would rather learn by doing something fun and hands-on then being thrown a book at and be told to read chapter by chapter. I've always been a hands-on learner, and know that a lot of people are the same way!

For teachers I feel that this would be the perfect way to bring some changes to the classroom. I wish this was introduced back when I was in school because I would of totally suggested it. I think this could be a big change to school, and feel that it should be introduced into every school. While the world is changing, and technology is becoming more and more relevant, I think schools should adapt and possibly teach every class with some sort of technological advance.

This was supposed to be a post with game suggestions and favorites from only my nieces, but where I was able to use the site as well as them, I will be adding the games around my level that I feel are awesome! The first one is called Big Future (College Board):

This program is basically a site to get you active and more interested in going back to school. As I said before, I graduated from High School last year, and it's taken me a bit to figure out what I want to do in life. I was going to a Community College for High School, so I was already receiving college credits. Then I started worrying about different things such as the cost College may actually bring, and kind of held it off. I held it off a lot longer than planned because I didn't know how to get started with Financial Aid, Loans, Scholarships, ect. This website has it ALL. They have videos and interviews with people just like myself, who didn't know where to start, but got on the right track quick. I spent about an hour last night perusing on the site, and memorizing things in my head. I think I'm going to go back on and take a notebook and write everything down. It even goes so far as to telling you how to go about getting Financial Aid! Just what I need! :)

It even gives you Planned Activities and deadlines for SAT's and Registrations! I think it's so cool you can get everything you need in one site! It definitely gives be hope that I can make it to college and not have to struggle and worry.

The next "game" I found to be pretty cool was a game called Design a Cell (EdHeads). It's a really neat physics game that allows you to create a cell phone based on information given from elderly people. This is, of course, a fictional game, but realistic nonetheless (minus the cartoon teacher ;))

The game requires you to research your cell phone and go through pages of data collected from numerous different elderly people for your client. Then you have to take the data you researched, and actually design the phone.

Of course, the design of the phone goes hand in hand with the data! For an example, a cell phone for elderly of course wouldn't use a complex software, so Simple should be marked.

Then you have to test your results. A group of study patients will tell you what is good and what is bad with your phone. Then from here it's a lot of trial and error, unless you pay very good attention. I think this is such a fun game, and it's creative and challenging at times! I'm glad I went on this website because I wouldn't have known about this game otherwise!

Now onto my niece going into the 6th grade. I will refer to her as A. She loves playing games online, and is always trying to learn both in school and out of school. I'm proud to say she maintained high honors all throughout her 5th grade year!

The first game she really loved was called Make Beliefs Comix! This is a terrific writing game that allows you to make your own comic strips! A is very creative and talented, so she really loved seeing this in the list of games for her grade! This game is perfect for those who enjoy creating and drawing. It gives you a lot of different characters, props, and backgrounds and lets you create your own dialogue.



A being the smarty that she is, decided to do a comic for PowerMyLearning! If you can't read it in normal view, click the image to make it larger. She's funny! This is definitely a ton of fun, and will always produce new laughs and comics! This is a simple and easy to use maker! I think it would be fun for anyone though, not just 6-8 graders :)

Her other favorite game was Coaster Creator! This is an interactive game that explores the science behind roller coasters! It's a very neat physics game.

You're able to choose the color of your car, the animal on your car (in this case, a squid is chosen) and then figure out the mass & height/mass & velocity to make your coaster a success. At this point, I don't think she actually knows what's going on, but thinks it's fun to make an outrageous coaster and try to make it successful! I think it's funny to watch! She hasn't really entered the grade that teaches you about this (in our schools, I believe we learned/learn about this in 8th grade).

Lastly is my niece that is going into 2nd grade. I will refer to her as K. She's 7 years old, and also loves going on the computer and playing games. She really enjoyed more than one of these (including the comic maker A had used). The first game she loved was Change it!

This is an awesome and cute little game that shows you what happens to an item when introduced to both heat and freezing cold temperatures. For heat, the items are Ice Cubes, Ice Cream, a Bone, a Candle and a Rock. For the freezer, the items are an Ice Cube Tray, a Boot, Orange Juice, Oatmeal, and a Brick. I think this is an awesome way to show kids what happens in liquid and solid state. She seemed to enjoy the outcomes of each object. I think it would be cool to do this in person as well! This was a very simple game, but one she enjoyed very much.

The next game she really loved was a game called Dance Mat Typing! It's a fun animated game that teaches kids how to type correctly. It teaches them the correct finger placements while being fun and cute!

The game is taught by an English goat! She thought it was funny that a goat was teaching her how to type. I think it's a good idea to have children start learning how to type correctly at a young age, and I think it's easy to do so with a fun character helping them! I've always loved typing games at school, and I think both her and A will enjoy them too!

 

Overall, I think this website rocks! I really love that it's free, and introduces children to fun games that have educational value in them! They aren't just playing a shoot 'em up zombie game (which believe me, I'm a huge fan of) but a game that will give them information that will last them their whole life! I feel that learning through fun games and activities are a better way of having the information stick with them than just reading out of a book.

If you'd like to sign up for a free account for your children, yourself, or as an educator, click HERE! You won't be sorry, I promise!

Big thank you to PowerMyLearning.org for allowing me to write this entry! I'm so glad I was introduced to this website! :)

 

*This is a sponsored post. Although it's sponsored, all opinions are my own. I would never try to introduce anyone to a product that I myself do not like or would not use.