I have a confession to make: My biggest hurdle to home cooking is making it over to the store and actually getting my hands on some groceries. Which is why, over the years, I’ve become no stranger to delivery services like Fresh Direct. So when I had the chance to give NatureBox–a subscription service for healthy snacks–a try, it’s not surprising that I was both intrigued and hopeful.
Here’s how it works: Each month, a box ships with five different snacks in resealable pouches. With some certified organic, gluten-free, and vegan options, these snacks are often nut- or fruit-based. More importantly, they don’t contain any high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, or artificial sweeteners, flavors, and colors. There are 15-20 servings in each box, and they snacks generally have a shelf-life of a few months–good for out of sight, out of mind eaters like myself.
One thing that sets this subscription service apart is that you can customize your future boxes to your liking, save for the first starter box. Each box also contains a card with a recipe and suggestions for how to enjoy the snacks–like using the included pistachios, for example, in lieu of breadcrumbs after pulsing in the processor. Plus, those who love food with a cause will also be happy to know that the company is now partnering with WhyHunger, which provides various health-minded food relief for the community.
While I like that each snack is nutritionist-approved, I do wish I knew who these nutritionists are. Plus, it’d be great to have more specific info about each snack’s health benefits. I have no doubt that the snacks are relatively good for you, and we have Google at our fingertips, but parents are so busy and the extra reassurance is always nice. That said, if you ever do have any questions, it looks like NatureBox has an extremely responsive customer team, simply judging by the activity on their Facebook page–always a great sign for online retailers.
Without further ado, here’s how everything stood up to the taste test:
Peanut Butter Nom Noms: These cookies were coconut-y, chewy, dense, and moist. There wasn’t as strong of a peanut butter taste as I was expecting, but it was delicious and filling considering the amount of healthy ingredients (think oats, honey, unsweetened chocolate, and pumpkin seeds).
Citrus Kick Almonds: This was my favorite of the bunch. Lime juice, ginger, and garlic gave these nuts a kick indeed. They’re good in with yogurt for an easy breakfast, but they’re also flavorful enough to munch on their own.
Mexicana Mango: I always love a good pouch of dried mango. At 130 calories per serving, there are certainly worse snacks, but dried mangoes still contain a considerable amount of sugar. Everything in moderation, right?
Lemon Pucker Pistachio: I’m a huge fan of using lemon to add low-calorie, low-sodium flavor, but I just didn’t think it paired well with pistachio, which has a strong flavor of its own. The combination created a weird taste for me, and it was the only snack from the box that I didn’t love.
Organic Mighty Mix: This was a trail mix with raisins, sunflower seeds, dates, peanuts, apricots, almonds, apples, walnuts–whew! It’s not too sweet as some trail mix can be, which I truly appreciate. There was a good balance of nuts and dried fruit, which, again, can still have pretty high sugar content.
