August 2013 Naturebox

Time for another round of tasty snacks from Naturebox.  This month's theme is "back to school."

A quick recap of what Naturebox is:

Naturebox is a monthly box that sends you 5 healthy, nutritionist approved snacks for $19.95 monthly.  Each snack has 4-5 servings.  While it's impossible to price out the value of each snack, I feel like the price is a great deal when you compare similar items at a grocery store like Wholefoods.

Now on to the snacks!

First we have the "Santa Fe Corn Stix."  These are tomato, green pepper, and onion flavored corn crisps (sort of like Fritos).  I haven't tried them yet, but we've gotten guacamole flavored corn crisps in the past and they were one of our favorite items.

Next we have some "Sweet Blueberry Almonds."  At first the concept seemed strange but after tasting them I can confirm they are delicious.  The blueberry flavor isn't too sweet or overpowering, but is a very complimentary seasoning with the almonds.  These will probably go fast around here.

Our third snack are some "Teriyaki Twists."  These are crunchy rice crackers flavored with soy and paprika.  Another very tasty, crunchy snack.  This definitely will satisfy any chip/pretzel cravings that come up.

The next snack pack contains "Cocoa Waffle Wafers."  This is another snack I haven't tried yet, but we had the lemon version previously and I was a fan.  They nicely complimented a cup of tea and also went great with ice cream. 

Last but not least we have the "Cherry Berry Bonanza."  This snack includes dried cranberries, cherries, and blueberries.  I LOVE dried cherries and cranberries.  This version is amazingly delicious but not overly sweet like dried fruit sometimes is. 

It looks like we have another batch of great treats.  If anyone is interested in giving Naturebox a try, feel free to contact me for more info.

Summer Corn & Vegetable Chowder

Wow!  This was definitely the best dish we've made in a while!  Actually, D made this one - not only was the chopping done but the chowder was all ready to enjoy when I came home from work.  The apartment smelled great!

Summer Corn & Vegetable Chowder

And continuing to be even more amazing, D took pictures along the way!

The final result was deliciously creamy and popped with fresh summer flavors.  This is a dish we definitely plan to make again and hopefully share with friends!

Score: 8/10

Another weekend update - Papillote and Rocksbox #3

As this blog continues to take shape, I've decided to condense anything I would write about over the weekend into a a single entry.  I guess this also means the posts on a given recipe or box might be a little bit shorter.  

Here are the blogger highlights from the weekend!

1.  We gave our second vegetarian meal this week a try for lunch on Saturday.  

Quinoa with Wild Mushrooms, Wax Beans & Broccoli en Papillote

It was an interesting concept cooking everything in the wax paper pouch, but we just didn't love the recipe too much.  It was very earthy tasting with all the mushrooms.  Usually I like mushrooms (D is not a huge fan), but this recipe tasted like it needed something else to cut the strong mushroom flavor a bit.

Score: 3/10

2.  My 3rd Rocksbox arrived!  I was quite excited to see what was in store for me this time, but unfortunately was overwhelmed by 2/3 of the items.  My box included:

Gold Jaali Filigree Band Ring By Isharya (Retail $58, Member's Price $46.40)

Anchor Necklace in Silver by Gorjana (Retail $50, Members price $40)

Druzy Studs in Light Blue by Margaret Elizabeth (Retail $88, Member's price $70.40)

While I was excited to finally see inclusion of silver jewelry (which is usually what I own and wear), I was not a fan of the ring or the necklace.  I'm willing to give the anchor necklace a try, the ring is totally not my style at all.  It reminds me of a giant guy's high school ring.  There is no way I'm going to change my mind on it.  :-( 

I am however in love with the blue earrings!  If it weren't for the earrings, I would be returning this box asap.  The light blue color will nicely compliment the blue scrubs I wear at work every day, so I'm excited to try them out for a bit.  :-)

3.  D and I decided to investigate the "cronut" craze this morning by heading down to Soho when we woke up.  We were silly to think we were the only ones who had this idea.  And even sillier to think that when we got there at 7:30 that the there wouldn't be a line completely around the block for when the bakery opened at 9am.  At least now we know not to wake up every weekend and debate if we want to go try to get cronuts.  Maybe in a couple of months

July 2013 Fancy Box

And now for another first time review for the blog: Fancy Box!

Fancy.com is sort of like pinterest for things you can buy.  They have a whole bunch of fun items in a variety of categories.  Their "Fancy Box" selects some items of their site supposedly catered to you based on the categories you are interested in and sends them your way for $39.  They also have monthly celebrity curated boxes, but I've only tried the regular one.  The categories I have checked are  "Women's", "Home", "Gadgets", "Media", and "Sports and Outdoors."  Other categories I could have chosen from are "Men's", "Kids", "Pets", and "Workspace."

This box is actually pretty large.  The items inside are usually pretty random but it can produce fun items to potentially gift later on.

First up we have the Aqua Pouch Speaker for iPhones (retail price $20).  It's an interesting idea but I don't really think we will ever actually use this - especially since we both own waterproof iPhone cases.        The item is basically a fancy waterproof bag with a speaker attached.  This goes in the gift pile.  

The next item I was definitely intrigued by - the Chef'n Veggichop (retail price $19.99).  It's a little hand held food processor AND is in my favorite color green.  This will be perfect for making fresh salsa/guacamole!

Another item from Chef'n was included this month - the Burger Machine (retail price $14.07).  A cute idea, but I don't think this is something we need either.  I like the non-uniform shape of homemade patties.  ;-)  Another item for the gift pile.

Next up is a pair of sunglasses from the Fancy Wayfarer (retail price $30).  I wouldn't purchase these for $30 on their own, but they are actually pretty cute.  These will be perfect for outdoor adventures when I'm concerned about potentially loosing/damaging my good pair of sunglasses. 

Finally I received a Shark Tooth Necklace by Sophie Sparrow (retail price $40).  I'm still debating if I like this or not.  The dentist in me likes all things tooth related, but I don't really know if this is my style.  I'm going to think about it for a few days and then decide if it's something I will actually wear or if it makes it's way to the gift pile. 

Overall some interesting items this month even though not a lot we will necessarily be using.  In terms of being introduced to interesting products I wasn't familiar with, the box was definitely successful.  The overall value of the box is also definitely a bargin ($124).  I think Fancy Box has one more month to wow me and if not, I think I'll take a break from this one.

Interested in trying Fancy Box?  Please use my link!  http://fancy.to/hm8qk2

Crostata - aka fancy pizza

Tonight was another night of coming home from work to delicious smells in our apt.  D started had started cooking!

Caramelized Onion & Heirloom Tomato Crostata with Feta Cheese & Arugula

The prep for this recipe wasn't too bad - but making the crust was a little challenging to get the consistency right.  We ended up having to add more flour to be able to press it out.  

We also used a little bit less of the onions an arugula.  

Here is our Crostata!  It was quite tasty, but the underside of the crust was a little soggy.  We aren't sure if this is an issue with the oven or the dough.  The filling inside made up for it though. 

Score: 6/10 

Blue Apron Vegetarian 7/23

Looks like an interesting week ahead with some unique recipes!

Summer Corn & Vegetable Chowder
Caramelized Onion & Heirloom Tomato Crostata with Feta Cheese & Arugula
Quinoa with Wild Mushrooms, Wax Beans & Broccoli en Papillote

Check back this week for reviews of each.

Watermelon Cupcake

Baked Melissa is one of the many cupcake stores in NYC.  The thing that really makes them unique is that each of their treats is bite sized.  

Each month they do a specialty flavor.  I feel like investigating and tasting what is new each month is truly beneficial and important information for readers of this blog. ;-) 

For July, the flavor is Watermelon.  

The little pink cake is watermelon flavored with white cream cheese icing and green drizzle. 

The watermelon taste wasn't too overpowering but the cake did have a sweet taste like a jolly rancher.  It wasn't really my favorite cupcake but a fun summer flavor.  

Score: 5/10

Cannellini Bean and Escarole Salad with Crispy Potatoes

Finally a winning salad!  Our final Blue Apron meal was definitely our favorite of the week.

Cannellini Bean and Escarole Salad with Crispy Potatoes

It was pretty easy to prepare, but the potatoes definitely took some time since they had to be boiled for 10 minutes and then baked for 25 minutes.  I also sautéed the onions a bit instead of incorporating them raw.

Overall a delicious, easy salad that we BOTH loved!  This was another recipe that incorporated pretty basic ingredients.  It also would have been great with a little grilled chicken.  The dressing was also quite tasty.  Learning how to make a variety of homemade salad dressings has been one of the many perks of this subscription

Score: 7/10

Weekend Update

It was way too hot this weekend to do much, but we did prepare our second Blue Apron meal for lunch yesterday.  Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the amount of prep time this one required, maybe we just weren't in the mood, but for whatever the reason, this isn't a recipe either of us loved.

French Lentils with Fennel, Grapefruit, and Avocado

After all the usual amount of veggie prepping, the step that took the most time was peeling all the grapefruit membranes.  I don't think I fully did an ideal job, but I tried.

There were a lot of flavors in this that I guess were interesting together (fennel, avocado, lentils, grapefruit), but it was hard to get excited about this as a main meal.  Again, the husband and I disagreed on the score for this one (he's not usually a fan of the salads).

Score: 3/10

Another update from Friday is about my 2nd Rocksbox.  Unfortunately when I went to put on the earrings, this happened....   :-(

The good news was that customer service was very helpful.  They are giving me $10 off my box for next month.  The only minor disappointing news was that the box had to be returned as a set.  After wearing the purple necklace I loved a few more times, I returned the box on Friday.  Now I can get excited to see what is going to come next!

Tabbouleh with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Manchego Cheese, and Champagne Vinegar

It's still ridiculously hot here. Good think the first meal of the week seems refreshing.  

Tabbouleh with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Manchego Cheese, and Champagne Vinegar 

Not too much prep for this one - only some chopping and boiling two small pots of water. 

Peeling tomatoes was a little time consuming, but I admit they were quite tasty and the texture mad te dish more interesting.  

My husband, D, is not a fan of raw onions, but I don't think they overpowered the dish.  

I tend to like these grain salad dishes better than D does (his main complaint was the onions).  Therefor we disagreed on the score a little bit so I decided to average it out.  

Score: 5.5

Blue Apron Vegetarian 7/16/13

Another box of vegetarian culinary fun arrived today.  Since we are in the middle of this terrible heat wave, I'm excited to see a menu that seems light and refreshing this week. 

Tabbouleh with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Manchego Cheese, and Champagne Vinegar 
Cannellini Bean and Escarole Salad with Crispy Potatoes
French Lentils with Fennel, Grapefruit, and Avocado

Check back throughout the week to see how each turned out!

July 2013 Birchbox

Time for the July Boxes to start arriving!  First up is Birchbox....

Just in case you aren't familiar with Birchbox - it's a beauty/lifestyle company that sends out 4-5 "deluxe samples" monthly.  The cost is $10 (or $110 for a yearly subscription).  You are then able to review each item on their website for points that can be redeemed for full-sized products.  Naturally some months are better than others, but it's always fun to try out a variety of products.  

Anyway, the theme for the July box is "Power Play" to help me "Take control of any situation."  I'm not really sure what that is supposed to mean, but supposedly the characters of the TV show "Suits" were the inspiration for some of these items.  I've never seen the show, nor do I really know how characters inspired these items, but I guess I'll give them points for creativity.

First up we have Mistral Patchouli Cologne Absolue by Atelier Cologne (full size: $70-$125, sample value: $1.25).  Usually I don't really have a strong opinion of perfume samples.  I enjoy having them for travel weekends or to take with me in my purse.  This cologne is quite masculine - not a fan.  It's so masculine I even checked on the website to see if it's a men's item.  Since it's listed under both the women's and men's fragrance areas, I guess it's unisex?  Definitely too strong for me.  Maybe my husband will like it....

Next we have an Acne Control Treatment by DDF (Full size: $44, sample value $12.94).  It seems like this product has good reviews, but I don't use salicylic acid products anymore.  Hopefully I can find someone who has use for it.

The Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk by Klorane (Full size: $18, sample value $6) is my favorite item in the box.  I've recently discovered how great dry shampoos are (especially in the summer heat).  This is a great size to go in my gym bag or purse for  little quick freshening up on a hot day. 

Now for my "Suits pick" - InStain Long-Wearing Powder Staining Blush by theBalm cosmetics (Full size $22, sample value: $4.40).  I'm not much of a blush wearer, but the color is nice (swiss dot (dark peachy shade).  Not sure how much I'll end up using this, but again I guess a little light color is always good to have.  Especially if it will help me "take control of any situation" (haha).

Finally we have my "birchbox extra" which is two very cute bobby pins (set of six: $5, sample value: $0.83).  These are pretty cute - I will definitely use them to accessorize my boring pony tail days.

The overall value of my July box was $25.42.  It's a great value, but always a little disappointing when the main item is something I know I won't use.  Of course, getting to try different things is the point of birchbox, so it makes sense that there are going to be occasional items that just aren't for me.

Interested in trying Birchbox?  Please use my link!  :-)

http://birch.ly/13uUfhH