Munchies by Mail Review: Graze Box #4

So somehow I completely failed to document the existence of this week's Graze Box before throwing all the snacks into my work lunches the last couple of days... no photos for you, dear reader. Oops. Luckily, at least it wasn't a pretty new box, but the same fig design as last week's box, so go take a glance at that one if you need a refresher. Also, on the topic of refreshers... in case you'd forgotten or just plain don't know, Graze is a snack subscription service I'm test-driving. In the interest of having at least something graphic to look at for this review, here's a screencap of the box's contents, courtesy of Graze's website.

On to the eating!

• Toffee Apple: This snack was a pleasant surprise. I generally prefer the creamier texture of caramel to toffee, and I dearly love the combination of fresh apple slices dipped in some Marzetti caramel dip, so I wasn't sure that some dried apples and toffee would live up. I was wrong, though... this toffee dip is smooth and delicious, and the flavor is strong enough that a little goes a long way. The dried Granny Smith apple slices are pleasantly chewy and tart, a good contrast to the sweetness of the dip. This didn't quite earn a "love" rating, but it's a solid "like," which means that I want to receive it occasionally in the future.

• My Thai: This is one of the snacks I was really looking forward to receiving, and I wasn't disappointed. This combo features "baked soy bites" with a dipping sauce that reminds me very much of Trader Joe's Sweet Chili Sauce. (If you have not tried this sauce, get thee straight to your nearest Trader Joe's and buy a bottle or three. And perhaps some of their frozen Veggie Gyoza, and dip those bad boys in the sauce. You're welcome, in advance.) The sauce is a beautiful balance of sweetness and spice, with just the right amount of chili-infused heat to light up your tastebuds without setting them on fire. The dippers are light, crunchy little vessels that let the sweet chili sauce be the star of the show... I just wish there had been a few more of them! This snack didn't quite earn a "love" rating either, only because the sauce isn't completely unique to me, but it did earn a "like."

• Sour Cream and Onion Cashews: This is the first snack I've received that has actually stumped me in terms of a rating, because I can't decide if I like it or not! I like cashews, so that part is fine, but the sour cream and onion seasoning... I'm just not sure what I think. I like the flavor, but it's strong enough that I don't really want to eat more than a few at a time, which I guess is maybe a good thing for a snack? But because of that, I don't know if I really find them satisfying or not. I'm actually leaving these rated as "try" for now, so I can give them another whirl at some point before committing to a real rating.

• Tropical Daiquiri: The first couple of fruit-only blends I received in previous boxes were disappointing... but this one has broken the streak. A blend of dried pineapple, green mango, and lime-infused raisins, this snack won me over with its tartness. No bland sweetness here! I daresay the mango even verges on sour, but in a thoroughly refreshing way. I really like what Graze does with flavor-infused raisins; I don't know if I was just thinking it because of the snack's name, but I swear that in addition to lime, the raisins also offer up a hint of rum flavoring that enhances the overall impression of "daiquiri." Again, not *quite* a love, but a hearty "like" for this little treat.

So, overall, this was a very solid Graze Box for me. No true star of the show, but nothing got "trashed" either. As I say each time, I'm still not 100% sold on the overall value of these boxes from a price perspective, but I enjoy receiving them enough that it's worth it to me anyway. If you're interested in checking it out for yourself, please feel free to clicky-clicky here to sign up using my link. You will get your first and fifth boxes free, and I will get to either take a dollar off a future box or donate a buck to the Graze School of Farming.

Munchies by Mail Review: Graze Box #3

Another two weeks, another pretty Graze Box in my mailbox, a few flowers blooming on the sunny back porch... it's the small pleasures, my friends. A refresher: Graze is a snack subscription... for $6 a box (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly), subscribers receive four individually-packaged and customized snacks in a lovely box. It's honestly kind of ridiculous how much I enjoy Graze's presentation and the images they choose for the inside of their lids.

 Let's get down to business, shall we? This month's offerings:

•  Wholegrain Banana Caramel Dippers: These are unbelievably delicious. The dippers are tender little shortbread bites with a strong banana flavor. The caramel is a pretty standard creamy caramel dip, nothing out of the ordinary. Combine the two, however, and you have sheer, unadulterated perfection. It actually provoked a really strong sense of deja vu for me, and it took me a while to place the flavor, but finally I recognized it as being very similar to a super-decadent layered dessert my sister makes called "Banana Split Cake." (It's basically this Kraft recipe, but her version involves more butter, powdered sugar, and a crap-load of maraschino cherries.) Since this snack is a very similar taste experience without the extra gazillion calories and grams of fat, it's rocketing straight to the top of my favorite-Graze-snacks list. My only complaint is that I can't get a Graze box just full of these. This garnered a hearty "LOVE" rating from me, which tells Graze that I would like to receive this snack often. Did you hear that, Graze? OFTEN. AS OFTEN AS YOUR KITCHEN PRODUCES THEM. SEND ME ALL OF THEM.

• Bonnie Wee Oatbakes: So, we're going from the best to the worst here. Just to tell you how utterly appalling I found these, I actually had to fish them out of the trash can to take a picture because I threw them away so quickly that I neglected to even document their existence. The things I do for you (non-existent) readers. The oatbakes were the real problem with this snack; apparently they are meant to be "cheese and chive" flavored, but hand to God they taste exactly like what I imagine the flavor of dry cat food to be. They taste like my cats' Purina smells, the texture is horribly dry and hard, and they actually even kind of look like oversized cat food nuggets. (Or Scooby Snacks, which amused me for a hot minute once I realized it.) The red onion marmalade was better, an interesting blend of sweet, tart, and savory with a strong onion kick... too strong, I think, for me to eat as a dip, even if I scrounged up a more palatable dipper to use. I think this particular iteration of onion marmalade would have been good thinned out a bit and used to glaze some chicken, and I wish I would have thought of that before chucking this snack into the trash (both literally and figuratively in Graze-rating-speak).

• Garden of England: From the good, to the bad, to the meh. This snack is a blend of dried apple pieces, strawberries, and blackcurrants. Nothing wrong here... just nothing to write home about, and nothing much left to say here. If you've eaten dried fruit, you get the idea. I hadn't tried blackcurrants before, as far as I know, but didn't find anything particularly unique about them, and I was unimpressed by the relatively small size of this snack as well. This one got a "trash" rating for sheer mediocrity.

• Lightly Toasted Pistachios: another meh here. As with the Garden of England, these are just mundane. Pistachios are among my favorite nuts... and there's absolutely nothing to distinguish these lightly-salted nuts from the Wonderful brand of pistachios that I usually purchase. They are so similar, in fact, that after tasting a couple for reviewing purposes, I went ahead and dumped the package into my jar full of Wonderful pistachios. Hence, the following picture may be misleading, because I again forgot to take a picture of the Graze snack in its entirety, so instead I fished out a handful of nuts from the jar for a photo op. In theory, at least some of those pistachios should be the Graze ones. If not, sue me. Oh, and I "trashed" this snack too. Ain't nobody got time for the same ol' same ol' nuts.

So. Three boxes into this whole Graze thing, I'm finding that while I really enjoy the subscription as a whole, some of the individual snacks leave a lot to be desired. As I mentioned in my previous Graze review, one of the things I really like about Graze is the ability to "trash" snacks that you don't like. When I first signed up, I went through the entire range of Graze snacks and "trashed" all the ones that I knew wouldn't suit me, like BBQ-flavored things. Now that I know that Graze's all-fruit and all-nut offerings are perfectly adequate but bore me, I've gone through the range again and trashed most of those. In theory, this should mean that I will start getting more of the unique and interesting snacks that Graze offers, and even if they turn out to be failures for me like the Bonnie Wee Oatbakes were, at least I won't be bored! I also upped my subscription to arrive weekly, because I've found that these snacks are nice little surprises to toss into my lunch bag for work.

As always, if my ramblings about Graze have tempted you to want to try it, please feel free to clicky-clicky here to use my friend code to sign up. You will get your first and fifth boxes free, and I will get to either take $1 off a box or donate $1 to the Graze School of Farming.

Munchies by Mail Review: Graze Box #1 and #2

So I'm back after a vacation / new-blogger-slacking-fail hiatus, with a couple of reviews of the second subscription service I've chosen to try: Graze Box. (Well, technically, it's "graze box," but I can't stand that whole "lower-case = oh-so-hipster" affectation.) 

(Corner broken because I apparently can't operate boxes.)

Graze offers healthy snacks in a variety of combinations, some more unique and interesting than others; each $6 Graze Box contains four individual snack packs, which I am currently having delivered every two weeks (you can also choose to have them delivered weekly or monthly). One thing I really like about this service is that you can peruse the available snack options and rate them before even receiving your first delivery. The rating options include "Love," "Like," "Try," and "Trash," and I am a BIG fan of the "Trash" option because I can ensure that I don't receive anything I know I don't like. No BBQ or rosemary-flavored things for me, thankyouverymuch! And then after I try the snacks I do receive, I can go back and rate them accordingly.

I received my first Graze Box a couple of weeks ago, just prior to heading off on my Florida vacation (more to come on that later, once my bitterness subsides), and I realized that the individually-sealed snack packs were the perfect size to tuck into my carry-on for the flight. Huzzah! (Side note: another nice feature of Graze Box is that you can easily put your subscription "on hold" if you're going to be traveling, and set a date for deliveries to resume.)

Graze Box the First

I have recently realized that I'm a total sucker for good-lookin' packaging, and Graze Box's presentation is very appealing indeed. 

Snacks and snacks and snacks and snacks!

The contents:

• "Chocolate Orange Flapjack." This is a soft granola-bar sort of thing, so the "flapjack" name threw me off at first, because to me, flapjack = pancake, no? A quick consultation with the mighty Wikipedia, however, taught me that rolled-oat bars are indeed called flapjacks by our chums Across the Pond. (And if "GI Joe" taught me anything, it's that knowing is half the battle, dear reader.) Anyway, I rather liked this treat; I'm not a fan of hard, dry granola bars, so I appreciated the soft texture (a little crumbly and potentially messy, though). Chocolate and orange complement each other beautifully, although I thought the orange flavor could have been a little more pronounced. I rated this one a "Like," which means that I'll receive it occasionally in the future, and I look forward to trying more flapjack variations.

• "Herby Bread Basket." This mix includes little basil-flavored breadsticks, garlic crostini, and oregano-flavored rice crackers. I'm torn on this one... the crostini were DELISH, satisfyingly crunchy and perfectly seasoned, and the breadsticks were okay, but I could absolutely do without the overly dry and relatively flavorless rice crackers. I would be all over a snack pack of just the crostini, perhaps with some manner of Italian dipping sauce on the side... are you listening, Graze? I rated this one a "Like" as well.

• "Cherries & Berries." The "berries" include lingon- and cran- in dried form, as well as jumbo raisins. While I enjoy dried fruit in almost every incarnation, I found this snack underwhelming just because it's pretty pedestrian. I can buy a sack of dried berries at the gas station; I want more interesting snacks from my subscription. I initially rated this a "Like," because it was tasty enough, but revised my choice to "Trash" just to make more room for other options.

• "Cracking Black Pepper Cashews." The name is a tad misleading, as this is actually a mix including plain unsalted cashews and redskin peanuts in addition to the titular nuts. As with the dried fruit, I was unimpressed with this because there wasn't much to distinguish it from your typical jar o' nuts. I only got a slight hint of the black pepper, and I missed the saltiness I generally prefer in nut mixes. (Insert "salty nuts" joke of choice here.) I rated this one a "Trash" as well, although there was absolutely nothing wrong with it as far as nuts go.

Overall, Box #1 was a relatively successful introduction to the Graze service. Of my four snacks, two were perfectly serviceable if average, and two were good enough to make me actively want to receive them again... and as I continue to rate my snacks, I should be able to winnow down my preferences so that future boxes are more uniformly successful.

My second Graze Box arrived exactly as requested when I put my deliveries on hold for vacation. Great first impression of Graze's customer care!

Graze Box the Second

Hey, wait a minute...

You may notice a little something missing in these photographs. I would like to pretend that this is because I really wanted to show you the insert card featuring nutritional information about each snack, as well as the adorable grass pattern in the bottom of the box... but honestly, I just had a serious case of the didn't-eat-breakfast munchies, and therefore snarfed down one of my snacks before remembering to document the box in its entirety. My bad, y'all.

Box contents:

• "Summer Berry Flapjack." (Well, let's pretend it's in the picture, anyway.) This is another rolled-oat treat like the one I received in my first box. This one contained cranberries (which I honestly don't view so much as "summer" berries, but that's just a silly nit to pick) and was delicious, if again a bit too crumbly. It earned a "Like," because as with the first flapjack offering, I'd like to receive this one occasionally. (I haven't availed myself of the "Love" option on these yet, only because it indicates that I want to receive that item frequently, and there are just so many other offerings yet to be tried. I will probably go back and revise some of these flapjacks to "Love" eventually.)

• "Hot Cross Yum." Described as a "classic reinvented," this contains orange-flavored raisins, "sponge pieces," and... wait, sponge pieces? The hell? Oh, and also cinnamon-honey almonds. Verdict: the "YUM" in the name is not just for cuteness. The almonds are delightful, very reminiscent of those spiced nuts you buy in a paper cone at fairs and perhaps the mall during the holidays... they are only missing the amazing smell that comes from being served fresh and warm. I really liked the raisins as well; adding the orange flavor elevated them from "filler" status and provided a nice contrast to the cinnamon. The "sponge pieces" turned out to be, in essence, miniature and less-flavorful Nilla wafers... filler-esque, but on second thought, a third highly-flavored component might have been too much. I don't know what an actual hot cross bun is supposed to taste like, but this re-interpretation earned my first "Love" rating.

• "Fruity Mango Chutney with Black Pepper Dippers." As you might guess, this snack involves fruity mango chutney and black pepper dippers. Go figure. Also, blecccchhh. This is the first legitimate failure for me so far. The dippers are just dry, bland little sticks... between this and the black pepper cashews from my first box, I have to conclude that Graze and I have very differing views of what constitutes "black pepper." The chutney is completely overpowered by the flavors of vinegar and cumin (admittedly, not my favorite spice), with nary a hint of mango flavor. One bite, straight into the trash, and a "Trash" rating so fast it would make your head spin. Oh, well... can't win 'em all. C'est la vie. Different strokes for different folks. [Insert cliche of choice here.]

• "Jalapeno Fiesta." Apparently the guests at a pepper party include jalapeno peanuts, salsa almonds, and roasted seeds that appear to be sunflower and some other mystery seed? In any case, this gets a "meh" and a "Trash." As with the dried fruit, if I can buy something comparable at a gas station, it doesn't need to be in my subscription box.

Overall impression of my second box: as with the first box, I kept two items and trashed two. I have to say, I am a little skeptical of the overall value of the boxes, because the snacks are honestly kind of small for the price tag...

Snack pack in human hand, for scale purposes.

...but I appreciate the portion-controlled servings, the "grab-and-go" convenience (because sometimes I am too lazy to pack a real work lunch), and the variety of interesting combinations, so I'm going to give Graze a five-box trial period to convince me that it's worth it. (Side note: I definitely got a little jealous side-eye from my airplane seatmates as I busted out my snazzy treats while they were forced to settle for their Delta pretzels.)

So, if you're actually a real live person who is reading my nonsense for some mysterious reason, and these little snicky-snack boxes are piquing your curiosity, please feel free to click here to use my "Friend Code" to sign up. Your first and fifth boxes will be free, and I will get to either take a dollar off one of my boxes or donate a dollar to the Graze School of Farming. Everybody wins!

In conclusion, here is my new pet chicken.

His name is Bob. Bob the Chicken.

 After somehow deciding, while on vacation, that I wanted a pet chicken, I stumbled across this handsome fellow at the grocery store. He was in the Easter aisle, because what better way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus than by purchasing a plastic wind-up chicken that craps gumball "eggs," amirite?

Happy Easter, everyone!