Goodies Box March 2013

Yup, still behind.  But catching up!  The good thing about waiting so long to write this review is that I've tried every item in this box!  So you get the real deal... not just "This looks yummy", but "This WAS yummy!"

Am I trying to sugarcoat my procrastination?  Possibly.  Let's just enjoy the review though...

Breakfast of Champions!

March's theme was "Rise and Shine", and contained several sample sizes of breakfast foods.  Of course, their definition of breakfast doesn't always jive with mine, so several of these items made excellent afternoon snacks.  (This is not their fault.  I can't stomach anything more than tea or a smoothie before lunch.)

Goooood Morning!

The first item is a Greek Yogurt coated granola bar by Rickland Orchards.  I got the Cranberry Almond flavor.  This is my problem with combination flavors.  I love cranberries, I hate almonds.  GAAAAAHHH.  I sucked it up and tried it anyway.  Greek yogurt?  More like Greek icing.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't my fave.  Moving on.

Adequate, but unmemorable.

Next we had the ubiquitous Belvita biscuits! These are pretty good, but very dry.  I always recommend having a large glass of water (or a gallon of milk, a quart of juice, or a jug of wine.  Your choice) nearby.  I seriously don't know if it's the cinnamon or grains that make me so darn thirsty, but seriously.  Sahara.  Also, these didn't give me any "sustained energy", I was hungry again an hour later.  So... kinda recommend?

Eat these if you need to drink more water!  You'll have no choice!

Ok, onto something I really liked! COOKIES!  Why has no one thought of breakfast cookies before?   The Erin Baker's Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookie was like a regular oatmeal raisin cookie, but less sweet and more... oat-y.  The emphasis on the grains did make it feel more like breakfast, but honestly now I just want to have cookies for breakfast every day!

Bravo, Erin Baker's.

Well... that was the pinnacle of my box's achievements.  The rest of the items were given to my husband and kids, so I'll share their thoughts.  Knight ate the Triple Berry Newtons (I guess you can't call them Fig Newtons if they're a different flavor?), and liked them well enough, but he certainly hasn't asked for any more.  Also? These are MESSY.  They have that crumbly grain outer coating, and bits of it get everywhere. And of course, every bit of grain is connected to a tiny bit of sticky, squishy filling.  If you are a neatnik, avoid these!  

This company can claim decades of wreaking havoc on carpet.

My hubby, the granola connoisseur, declared the Vanilla Almond Ola! Granola to be "good, but a bit dry".  It's all-natural and handbaked, which explains why it may not be as sweet as the bigger brands, but it's not something I'll be seeking out.   

Adios, Ola!

Jovan's Instant Breakfast is also something that went to the hubsters.  He uses protein powder a lot, and I'm trying to talk him into using this as a substitute.  So far, no luck, but I may put it into a milkshake and try to serve it to the kids.  Poor Instant Breakfast... it's like the last kid picked for dodgeball.

Awwwww.

Oh, look, here's the item that won the "Weirdest Drink EVER" award!  It was an Alo (no idea how to do the line above the "O") Comfort drink in Watermelon + Peach.  It tasted great!  But alas, it's made with real aloe juice AND PULP.  That's right, this drink is chewy.  Every time I took a swig, I almost choked on the pulp.  Thankfully, my honey didn't have the same "Argh!  I'm chewing my drink!" reaction and finished this off for me.  He actually wants more.  We'll see.

Darn you weird chewy drink!

And last, we have the most ADORABLE jar of Strawberry Preserves!  It's by Bonne Maman, and it was actually pretty decent.  Unfortunately, due to the jar size (yep, I had to take the picture with it pinched between two fingers) I only got to cover two pieces of toast.  It was good, but I seriously wish they had sent a larger sample.  I would not be willing to buy a big jar based on one (good, but not great) toast & tea experience.

But if they had more tiny jars, I'd buy them all!

So that's my breakfast box.  Some other bloggers figured out the cost of all these items, and I'm not going to break it down individually, but it was right around the $7 price. of the box.  This box has been underwhelming for a few months now, but my family always eats everything in the box (eventually...) and it's led me to several great food discoveries.  So I'm keeping Goodies!  They're also improving their communication about shipping times, and my April box should be shipping around the 24th of this month.  It's my goal to be completely caught up on reviews by the time it gets here!  Wish me luck!