When the nondescript white USPS mailer landed on my front porch, I wasn’t expecting much. It was relatively small, so I assumed it was one of the many items I occasionally order or receive from companies related to my blog.
When I opened it, though, I saw a red box. It wasn’t any ordinary box. It was a red box that I had been pining after, anticipating, and counting the days until it would arrive (my countdown wasn’t exactly an accurate one, which is why I didn’t recognize the white package immediately).
The box wasn’t particularly large (compared to other boxes I receive), but I knew it would be packed with some amazing stuff.
Love With Food is relatively new to the subscription commerce world. There are so many hundreds of different boxes that it’s often hard to keep up. I did get the opportunity to try out Love With Food at a very low price, and decided it was worth taking that risk one month and seeing if it was a box I liked.
I never realized when I spent that small amount on the box (the price is already low anyway– at $12 including shipping, it’s not exactly a huge financial burden– but the price I scored it at was perfect for trying it out), how impressed with the company I would be.
I already loved the company’s idea: Every purchase helped Love With Food donate food to someone in need. One box=one person helped.
When I signed up, I was thrilled about the concept… I got something, someone in need got something, and it was totally win-win. Not long before my order shipped, the East coast got hit with a superstorm, Sandy, that destroyed homes, destroyed businesses, and for some, destroyed lives.
Love with Food could have decided to just give the food they donate to the East Coast. But instead, they went one step further.
My box purchase for the month meant that not only were they going to make their usual donation, but on top of that, they would donate an additional portion of food to relief efforts in the East Coast region. This meant that twice as many people would be blessed by their company, a company I helped support by ordering a box.
But the big question was… even if it’s helping others, was the box personally worth it to me? Because truly, I can do the work of donating food myself and helping families in need, but when it comes to the box, is it worth it to spend the money on the box itself? And the bigger question: If I had paid full price for this box, would it have been worth it?
The answer is a resounding “Yes.”
This month’s box was guest-curated by Amy Roloff of TLC’s “Little People, Big World.” She’s just recently released a cookbook called “Short and Simple Family Recipes.”
Amy has lovingly prepared meals many times on the show Little People, Big World, and now you’re able to prepare those recipes, too. While the box didn’t come with a copy of her book, autographed copies are actually available at a discount in the Love With Food shop.
It’s true, Amy knows good food. In this box, she took time to tell Love With Food about her fall favorites, perfect for a November box.
The first couple of items I saw in my box were the Stash Pumpkin Spice Tea and the Mulling Spices Blend from the Aspen Mulling company.
The Stash Tea Company produces amazing teas that I already have experience with (I’m a huge fan!), but I had not had the chance to try Pumpkin Spice before. It’s a naturally decaffeinated black tea, and they’ve added nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, which are some of my favorite spices. While the taste is absolutely incredible, nothing beats the smell of this tea. If I could purchase the scent of that tea bag to freshen up my car or my linens, I absolutely would.
I have not tried the mulling spices from Aspen Mulling Co. While I could use it in hot or cold cider, I’m actually considering mixing it into pancakes for a fall favorite! I’m just waiting for pancake night to try it out!
When I saw the Mini Crunch from Mrs. May’s, I was thrilled. I am a huge fan of blueberries… in fact, I even blogged about my love for blueberries back when I was pregnant, having eaten nearly 3 pints of blueberries each week during the season’s peak. I even have my own blueberry plant because I’m so in love with blueberries. I had hoped to wait and try these crunchy little bits on a salad or on top of yogurt, but I simply couldn’t wait… I ended up eating the entire packet straight out of the bag. They’re a great snack that way, but I still want to order more to top some yogurt with!
As for Skeeter Snacks cookies, I had never heard of them before. It’s a surprise to me that I hadn’t, because I love finding nut-free options in snacks. My cousin has a severe nut allergy, and I work very hard to double-check for nut-free varieties so there’s always a snack on hand for him, or for my son’s nut-free friends. I was that girl in college who would always double-check that she had nut-free selections for Halloween when our dorm opened up trick-or-treating, just so all of the kids could have fun with it. These cookies are a great option. I wasn’t a fan of how overly crunchy they were (I like my cookies super soft), but overall, they tasted good… my brother ended up stealing the whole second cookie! Just days later, I found a coupon for Skeeter Snacks in my newspaper, so I’ll be on the lookout for them soon.
I wish I could tell you what I thought of the Mango Pear Pineapple from Fruit.o, but because Zach is used to having his own snacks in a similar pouch, he pretty much immediately comandeered the pouch for himself. I have to think it must have been good, because it was gone in about 30 seconds. I like that it’s 100% organic and has no added sugar, making it a great snack for him. Next time, I may order extra so I can try some, too!
The Inka Corn corn nuts are actually harvested from non-GMO crops. It’s a roasted giant corn that is perfect for snacking on. I made the mistake of sharing my Love With Food box with so many members of the family, because it was everyone’s favorite. I went to order more from the Love With Food shop, only to find that it was totally sold out. I’m excited to look for it elsewhere because it had the perfect crunchy flavor with just the right amount of nutty, salty taste in the corn. I think it may quickly become my go-to snack (as soon as I can track more down). Like I said, it was the absolute favorite of everyone, including me.
As for the Truffle Pig from Hagensborg Chocolates, I honestly laughed when I opened the little blue wrapper. I knew that the packaging called it a “truffle pig” but I didn’t realize that when I opened it, the chocolate would actually be shaped like a little chocolate pig! It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen (at least in terms of food). I would have shared, but it honestly didn’t last long, because it was truly delicious. I loved the flavor, perfect and creamy milk chocolate that really had just the right texture and flavor. As a chocoholic, it was the perfect bite-sized treat to end my day with. For a long time, I’ve had this little tradition of enjoying a truffle at the end of the day, before bed, as a nightly indulgence. After trying a Truffle Pig, it’s now been added to my list of truffles I love, and I plan to order it again soon.
The Turkey Bak Kwa from Little Red Dot Kitchen was arguably the strangest treat in the box. I had anticipated something like the dry jerky of my childhood, but this was moist. Like really moist. Like almost juicy moist. This Bak Kwa was featured in Food and Wine magazine, and for good reason! It’s delicious. The texture did throw everyone off at first, but it is something I would eat again. The Asian twist on it made it a hit with me, and I seriously thought this would be good chopped up and mixed with Asian noodles and broccoli.
Finally, the boxes came with some gift certificates– $10 off at EcoMom (a favorite store of mine as it is) and a $5 credit at PicPlum (a shop that was brand new to me).
I saved the EcoMom gift certificate for later, because I neglected to read the fine print and spent about an hour deciding on which of Zach’s favorite snacks to use it on, only to find out that the fine print said I couldn’t buy food with it… oops! I’m still deciding how I want to use the certificate. The funny thing about the EcoMom gift voucher is that with every purchase, EcoMom donates one day of food to a child in need. By purchasing this Love With Food box, I fed three people (in addition to myself) because Love With Food feeds one, and then they fed an additional one due to Superstorm Sandy, and then one more by using this Gift Voucher to order from EcoMom, who donates food to those in need. Oh, and funny story. I recently did place an order to EcoMom (unrelated to my Love With Food voucher) and when it arrived, it had a card with a coupon code for new customers to get $5 off a Love With Food subscription. Looks like these two have created a very good partnership.
PicPlum is a company that does photo prints, including square prints (perfect for Instagram photos!) You can even send them anywhere in the world! I love this because I have family in many countries worldwide, and I love the idea of being able to send a photo to my siblings in Germany, Brazil, or Sweden. This time, I had them sent to myself. I had been meaning to order an 8×10 of a picture I took of Zach at the park recently, so I took this opportunity to order that, along with three 4×6 photos. While PicPlum made me reel a little bit at the sticker shock at first, when I compared print prices from them to other premium photo printers, I found out that they printed at more affordable pricing and had better size options, as well as better shipping options (having the choice to send the photos anywhere with an attached message was cool). The quality was very good, too, and I love the way the 8×10 of my son printed– very true-to-screen when I was working on the photo.
So now, it’s your turn to try Love With Food. If you like what I’ve had to say about it, try it out and order a December box! Not only will you be getting a curated box of treats you’ll love, but you’ll also be helping someone in need. And, for December, Love With Food will still be donating food to Sandy relief efforts, so you’ll actually be helping two people.
Click the button below to head over to their site and order if you’re interested in Love With Food. I really hope you’ll give it a shot… it’s a great company and it’s doing a service I’m very passionate about– giving food to those in need.
When googling coupon codes for Love With Food, I did find one for $5 off a box, but it’s not valid for long, so hurry and use it. Enter HOLIDAY12 at checkout (valid until tomorrow!) so if you want to try it out, now is a great time to make the leap and test it, at least for one month.
One more thing… when you order boxes, review the products inside, or refer friends, you earn points. Those points can be put towards items in the Love With Food shop. The shop not only has full-sized versions of the items that came in the box, but it also has items that complement the products that you received (for example, this month, in addition to items in the box, I saw autographed copies of Amy Roloff’s book, Bhakti Chai, and items featured in previous boxes.
All opinions are my own, and Love With Food, Amy Roloff, TLC, or any of the companies mentioned above have not reimbursed me in any way for my post with my honest opinion. The Love With Food badge above does link to my unique referral link. Other than that, I have received no reward for this honest post.
