Eco Emi Limited Edition Chocolate Box Review

The Box: Eco Emi Chocolate Box
The Price: $16 (One time purchase)
The Goods: 8 chocolate items

Sweetriot Pure Mini Bites: ($1.78)  I just realized that I should've taken this picture with something to show the size.  These chocolates are tiny and adorable and the bow makes me almost not want to unwrap and eat them.  Almost.

Nature's Natural Chocolate Raspberry Candle: ($.90)  I generally don't like raspberry in any form, but the chocolate scent makes this better.

The All Natural Face Love Dust: ($10)  This adds the perfect amount of shimmer and tastes pretty good, too.  I also love how simple the ingredients list is.

Sjaak's Melk Chocolate Bar: ($1.99)  I was introduced to Sjaak's chocolate last year by Vegan Presence.  It's delicious.

Kawaii Chocolate Chip Brownie Bar: ($3)  I've been eating a lot of Quest bars lately while out and about, so I look forward to comparing this to those.

Cisse Trading Co Dark Chocolate with Cinnamon Hot Cocoa: ($1)  This is sooo good.  It's super rich and creamy and has just the perfect hint of cinnamon.  I loved it.  Granted, I rarely meet a hot cocoa I don't like.

Ek Chok Chocolate Paste with Vanilla: ($1.16)  I wasn't quite sure how to eat this, so I it on some toast.  It's grittier than, say, Nutella, but still creamy at the same time.  I didn't really notice the vanilla flavor.  Also, is it just me or is 'paste' not an extremely appetizing word?

Element Milk Chocolate Rice Cakes: ($2.25)  These rice cake are denser than what I'm used to.  They're pretty good, though - I would definitely eat them again.  My only issue is that they think a serving size is only one cake.  Psh.  PSH.

Total Value: $22.08

I mean, how can I complain about chocolate?  I feel like Eco Emi did a really good job choosing a variety of products - I was sort of expecting various different bars of chocolate but this is way better.  If they were to turn this into a monthly subscription, I would totally subscribe.

Target Back to College Study Break Care Package

The Box: Target Study Break Care Package

The Cost: $5 (Still Available!)

The Goods: Products perfect for getting a college student through late night study sessions.

The box came with a book of Target coupons for products such as Swiffer, Goldfish, Nivea and more.

Goldfish Mac & Cheese - Original: ($1)  Mac & cheese is easily one of my favorite foods, but I'm not sure about this.  Don't get me wrong - I'll eat it.   I just don't have high hopes for it.

Icebreakers Duo Fruit + Cool - Watermelon: ($2.09)  Oh!  These are actually good!  They're watermelon flavored but still have the freshening tingle that mints have.

5 Gum - Ascent: ($.09)  I generally prefer Orbit gum, but wintermint is my favorite mint so this can't be bad.

Goldfish Puffs - Buffalo Wing ($.57)  I am partial to the plain, original Goldfish - I don't know why they insist on messing with perfection.  These are somewhere between crunchy Cheetos and the puffy ones.  

Actually, they kind of taste like the Jalapeno Cheddar Cheetos.  They're good, but I like the consistency of Cheetos better.

V8 VFusion Energy - Pomegranate Blueberry: ($.66)  I actually can pronounce most of the ingredients, which is rare for an energy drink.  J adores V8 drinks, so I think he'll be the one who winds up drinking this.

 Total Value: $4.41

So, the value is a bit below what I paid for the box.  However, the coupons have the potential to make up the difference if I can remember to use them.  I think the items in the box make total sense, but I would have liked to see one more item.  Maybe some sort of chocolate?

Plated Review - 6/28 Delivery

The Box: Plated

The Cost: $10/month for optional membership.  $12/plate with membership, $15 without.

The Goods: Ingredients needed to make a dish that you choose from their weekly curated menus.

J was really concerned with the fact that they were sending us produce and cheese and such via Fedex, but they ship in a box with plenty of insulation and cooler packs. 

Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Grilled Vegetables: I'm not sure why, but I've never made my own pizza before!  J doesn't drink, so we skipped the vodka part of the sauce.

The ingredients for each recipe are sorted and clearly labeled.  (The pizza dough came ready to use, no kneading or anything required.)

The recipe only required about half of each of the veggies.  J was more than happy to claim the rest of these lovelies. 

J took the arranging of the veggies very seriously.

Here's our finished product!  It was super delicious.  I'm not sure I'd have ordered a pizza with zucchini previously, but I definitely would now.

Tofu Scallion Pot Stickers with Sugar Snap Peas: We buy frozen pot stickers pretty regularly but, here again, we've never made them ourselves.

Here's the full cast of ingredients:

The in-process shots:

And the final product!  These were SO good.  They're a lot easier to make than I was anticipating, so we'll definitely make these again. J - an avid hater of peas - even admitted that the snap peas were tasty.

  So, I'd say our first Plated delivery was a big success.  Yes, I probably could have gone to the grocery store and picked up ingredients for less money.  However, I'm lazy.  I also have a knack for finding a recipe, buying all the ingredients...then forgetting about it until one or more has spoiled.  We won't be ordering one every single week, but we'll definitely get more deliveries in the future.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

June Bulu Box Review

The Box: Bulu Box (Regular)

The Cost: $10/month (less with a longer subscription)

The Goods: Choose between Weight Loss or Regular options and you'll get 4-5 health and nutrition product samples. You can also earn points to spend in their shop by reviewing the samples you receive. 

Mindful Mints: ($.83) I don't like spearmint, so I made J try these.  He said the mint flavor is fine, but the mint itself is SUPER chalky.

 Bach Rescue Pearls: ($9.95)  These aren't vegetarian-friendly, so I handed them off to J.  I'm not sure whether or not he'll actually take them, though.

Spatone pur-Absorb Iron: ($1.18) The directions suggest taking this by itself, which is what I tried first.  I don't recommend it - it tastes like dirty lake water.  I chugged the rest of it mixed in with some juice and then had spend a few seconds convincing my stomach that it was worth keeping down.  I think I'll stick to getting my iron in pill form, even if it is less effective.

PepPod: ($1.50)  J is the one who's more into drink tabs and such.  This one Vitamin C, B1, B2, B12, Potassium, Niacin, and a few others - plus caffeine.

Nature's Bakery Fig Bar - Raspberry: ($1) We've gotten these fig bars from a few different sub boxes now and both J and I are fans.  I don't much care for raspberry, so he'll get to have this one.

Coconut Organics CocoBacon: ($4) A few vegans I'm following on Instagram are regularly posting about coconut bacon, so I was stoked when I saw this in my box.  Having now tried it...I can't quite decide how I feel about it.  It's not bad, but I don't think it tastes extremely bacon-y.  (Granted, it's been several years since I've had actual bacon.)  It tastes more like someone took coconut flakes and rolled them in the flavoring used on BBQ potato chips.

Total Value: $18.46

This is the highest value box that I've received so far AND it's the first one that had something I was actually excited to try.  Granted, I'm not going to run out and buy a case of the CocoBacon but I'm still happy I finally got to give it a go.

Disclaimer: This post contains referral and/or affiliate links.

Bonjour Jolie Summer Blowout Mystery Box Review

The Box: Bonjour Jolie's Mystery Box (no longer available)

The Cost: $15 + $5 shipping

The Goods: 5+ teas, 10+ sweets, 5+ pampering items, and 2 mystery gifts.

 Oatfield Chocolate Orange Candies: ($.72/ea)  These Irish hard candies have an orange shell with a chocolate center.  They're good, though I wish the chocolate centers were just a bit larger.  Each candy in the roll has its own little wrapper, which is nice.

Craisins Pomegranate: ($.66)  I've only ever had the regular Craisins, but I think I like these better!

Swiss Miss with Marshmallows: ($.11)  We go through a lot of hot cocoa at our house.  I think J actually used this right after I unpacked it.

Bewley's Irish Breakfast Tea: ($.57)  I'm not a massive fan of hot tea, but I've developed quite the collection.  I should probably sort through it all and either give it a go or give it away.

Good Earth Teas: ($.75)  Okay, you know what I *just* said about not liking hot teas?  Yeah, if there were ever flavors that could change my  mind about that...it might be one of these three.

Stash Mango Passionfruit Herbal Tea: ($.25)  I've already given this to my grandmother since she avoids caffeine.  I should check back and find out what she thought about it.

Teashop Premium Blend:  I can't seem to find anything about this brand.  It's certainly the least pretty tea that they included, but I know you can't judge a book by its cover.

Oatfield Irish Butter Toffee:  Soooo good.  The only downside to these is that they quite chewy and not for the faint of jaw.

Oatfield Chocolate Peppermint: ($.59)  These are kind of similar to the orange chocolates.  The peppermint is refreshing without being extremely overwhelming, and the chocolate is subtle.

Goezte's Mini Cow Tales: ($.36) I love Cow Tales. If you've never had one, they're basically caramel ropes with cream in the middle.

Bewley's Cafe Biscuits: ($0.43)  These are sort of similar to a graham cracker but...better.  They're light and just...tasty.

Goetze's Caramel Creams: ($.56)  I'm pretty sure these are the same thing as Cow Tails but bigger.

Adam's Chiclets: ($.10/ea) I used to love the tiny Chiclets when I was a kid, but I'm not sure I'd ever had the mint ones until now.

Charleston Chews: ($.25/ea) I ADORE Charleston Chews, but I never really think about them unless I happen upon them - usually while perusing CVS.

Radical Works Soap Samples: ($5)  All of these scents are actually nice.  Cola is probably the most unique scent, but Sweet Lemon is my favorite.

Dickinson's Witch Hazel On the Go Towelettes: ($.44)  J and I occasionally go hiking and geocaching, which involves me slathering on sunscreen and bug spray and then getting hot and sweaty.  These will be great to clean my face of all that grossness afterwards. 

Basic Earth Botanicals Massage Bar Soap: ($.31) I know I've used this at a hotel before, but I can't remember which one.  It's not the fanciest soap, I do like the massage aspect.

Tulip Body Lotion: ($.25) This lotion is a bit too strong for me, but J likes it for some reason.  He's already stolen one of the little tubes for himself.

Blarney Stone Farm Castile Soap: ($2) This soap has no added perfumes, but it actually smells delicious!  

Cotton Candy Bath Salts: ($1) It actually smells just like cotton candy.  I kind of feel obligated to use this while drinking some sort of frou frou girly drink and reading chick lit. :)

Silver Shamrock Bracelet: ($14) It's not something I'd wear every day, but maybe it will make a cute accessory for St. Patrick's Day.

Bronze Key Necklace: ($10)  I have a thing for keys, so this necklace is a total win.

Total Value: ~$40

Well, it took me a while to get this review up but...better late than never, right?  I think they do these mystery box sales once or twice a year.  Most, if not all, of these were sent out in previous Bonjour Jolie boxes.  It kind of makes me miss my subscription!