*** As I continue to add more giveaways for my loyal followers I’ve added a quick link on my header so you can jump right to the Giveaways.
All future giveaways will allow you to earn extra entry points by referring friends who also enter. Each giveaway features an entry providing you a unique link. You can email this link and/or post it to social media sites. When a friend enters the giveaway, you get extra entry points. It’s that simple!
Good Luck!
I just got my June 2013 Citrus Lane box which was for a 9-month old girl. My 1st ever Citrus Lane box was last month. The May 2013 box was ok. Not great, not horrible, just ok. I decided to give them another try because I had $10 from a referral credit. So this box only cost me $15.
Citrus Lane is a subscription box company sending you items for newborn – 5 years old. They cost $25/month with free shipping. The price is reduced to $21/month with a 6-month subscription.
Here is what the box looked like. Honestly the 1st thing I thought of when I picked it up was “Wow, this is very small and very light”. It was definitely smaller than the May 2013 box and smaller than most reviews I have seen for other months. But I reserved judgement because there are a lot of light, high-quality baby items I’d be thrilled to receive. I included the 22 ounce candle so you can gauge the size of the box.
Here are the 1t look pictures:
Here is the information card that comes with each of their boxes. It has a picture of each item and a description. I will go into each item in more detail. I have used Amazon pricing for all items except when not available on Amazon.
1. iPlay Sun Protection Hat (Retail $12.99) This is my favorite item in the box. It really is cute and rated to SPF50. I haven’t had the chance to try it on my granddaughter yet but it does look big. Of course my granddaughter is 7-months and the hat is up to 18-months so I understand that. But even if she were 9-months like the box I ordered I think it would be big. O-well, I can save it for next year.
2. Haba Water Toy Set (Retail $ 10.00) My 1st thought when I saw the little (iphone size) toy boat was Dollar Store! It’s teeny which I guess is good for small hands. I know Haba is supposed to be a very high quality toy company. But to be honest I can’t tell any difference between this and something similar at the Dollar Store. Maybe Haba would last longer but if I get it at my Dollar Store and it only lasts 2 years no biggie. I’d just buy another one for a buck. I also got a small dolphin squirt toy. My granddaughter does love bath squirt toys so I will gladly use this. What disappoints me most about this “set” is the picture on the Citrus Lane card shows 5 items in the set and we only got 2. Haba does sell this as a kit, not individually. When I figured out the retail value for my review I approximated based on the full set price. The card does not state that we are only getting a few from the set. I did email Citrus Lane to see when I can get the other 3 items. I am not holding my breath ;).
3. Happy Family Stage 2 Homestyle Meals (Retail $ 1.34) I do like these food pouches so I will put it in my pantry. I was a little disappointed not to receive any Happy Family coupons. Normally Citrus Lane sends coupons for their food pouches. No biggie was just hoping to get some.
4. Episencial Sunscreen (Retail $4.44) There has been a lot of discussion on social media about the sunscreen in the June box. That is because the bottle is labeled 2.7 ounces but there is a Citrus Lane sticker over it saying 1.5 ounces. Citrus Lane came out with a post about it. They said the plan all along was to have Episencial produce a “special” trial size bottle just for Citrus Lane at 1.5 ounces. They then said that Episencial had sunscreen tubes left over after they changed their packaging and that they, and Episencial, decided it was best for the environment to print a sticker to put over the size rather than make new bottles. Personally, I am not buying that explanation especially since it took them quite some time to come out with it. I do think that Episencial had all those left over tubes and made Citrus Lane an offer they couldn’t refuse (free or nearly free) to put them in their box. I am not as upset as a lot of people are about this – I guess business is business. But I DON’T like that Citrus Lane planned, from the beginning, to supply customers with a travel size. They said they wanted to provide a travel size that easily fits in a diaper bag, purse etc. I don’t know about anyone else but the 2.7 ounce tube we got is just right for putting in those things when we are on the go. So they should have filled the tubes – plain & simple!
The total retail value of this box was $28.77. At face value was it worth the $15 I paid for it, or even the $25 normal price? Yes. But after you consider the 2 “Dollar Store” like items I do not think it was worth it. To add salt to my wounds the iPlay hats went up for sale on MamaBargains today for less than $6! Arghhhh.
I will likely keep looking at monthly reviews others do of Citrus Lane and give them another chance in the future depending on what I see.
If you’d like to try Citrus Lane and SAVE $10 OFF YOUR 1ST BOX click here.
Don’t forget to check out my OTHER GIVEAWAYS BY CLICKING HERE!
** GIVEAWAY ends July 9, 2013 @ 5pm EST **
MommiesFirst is a monthly subscription for expectant mommies, new mommies and babies. They offer different boxes depending on which of these categories best suits you. They currently ship boxes up to 12 months old but I understand they will be expanding to 18 months. I sure do hope so. The box costs $30/month with free shipping. They offer 1 month Free with a 6 month membership and 2 months free with a 12 month membership.
I ordered the May MommiesFirst box and was absolutely amazed at the quality and value. Every item in the box was appropriate for me and the age of my granddaughter. She is almost 7 months now but when I ordered the box for my daughter and her little one, I “sized up” by 3 months. I have a lot of items for her age so I am looking to stock up for the months to come. MommiesFirst has the most AMAZING customer service which, in my opinion, is sadly lacking in a lot of subscription box companies out there. It is clear that Lorena aims to make the best boxes available for moms to be and babies. In my opinion she succeeds! Aside from their amazing products and perfect boxes another thing that sets MommiesFirst ahead of others is the care they put into curating boxes just right for you and your little one. When you sign up for MommiesFirst you’re asked a series of questions so they can match the box to you, your personality, lifestyle, baby stage etc. I have not seen any other company be this thorough! In fact, every other baby box company I have seen only asks for your babies age and gender. I can’t wait to see future months and how they use all this profile information to send our goodies. MommiesFirst takes personalization to a whole new level!
Here is a list of some of the items in your profile. These are not mandatory but will allow MommiesFirst to best customize your box.
Mommy birth date
Mommy’s height
Pre pregnancy clothing size
Mommy’s bra size
Do you consider yourself a Green gal, Funky Fun, Traditional lady, or Tres Chic Chica
What matters most in a brand: Safety, Value, Effectiveness, Environmental Impact, Stewardship
Are you currently or planning to Breast Feed, Formula, combo or unsure
Mommy’s Skin characteristics – dry, sensitive, oil, combo etc.
Mommy’s Hair characteristics – dry, thin, etc.
Mommy’s Hair color
Do you have multiples? If so there’s a place to enter info on multiples
Babies name/weight
If you missed my review of the MommiesFirst May 2013 box CLICK HERE to view it.
WANT TO WIN A FREE JULY MOMMIES FIRST BOX ? CLICK HERE TO ENTER
Don’t forget to check out my OTHER GIVEAWAYS BY CLICKING HERE!
I recently did an unboxing review and 2 taste test reviews of ChefDay!
I am ecstatic that ChefDay! has given me 2 PRIZES to give to 2 of my loyal followers. One winner will RECEIVE 2 MEALS FOR 2 and the other winner will RECEIVE 3 MEALS FOR 2! Their delivery areas are listed below. If you’re unsure if they delivery to you, visit their web-site. There is a place to sign-up for free account and it will allow you to check your zip code against their delivery area. This IS NOT signing you up for their service. It is simply a way to check their delivery area. In fact, ChefDay! isn’t a subscription service. Once you create an account you can log in any time and have their ready to prepare meals shipped to you. If you do not select any recipes they do not ship to you. You can order as seldom or often as you wish.
If you missed it, click here to see my initial unboxing review.
What is Chefday! you’re asking? Chefday! delivers short, easy, ready to prepare gourmet meals requiring few utensils. They make sure that everyone can make them. All of their ingredients are 100% organic. Their menu changes weekly and will likely feature dairy-free, gluten-free and/or vegetarian recipes. Everything is pre-measured even salt and olive oil. In addition a family in need will also be enjoying a hearty dinner. Every time you cook with Chefday!, they donate a full meal to the Food Bank for NYC. (*** I want to be fair to each and every company I review. So, I need to tell you that I forgot to include information about a similar program run by the previous ready to prepare gourmet meal service I reviewed last week. They donate a pound of food to a local food bank for every week you subscribe).
Chefday! currently delivers to 19 states (in their entirety) : CT, DC, DE, IL, IN, KY,MA, ME, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV. They also deliver to some parts of these states: AL, AR, GA, IA, MI, MO, MS, NC, SC, WI. You can check to see if they deliver to you on their website. If they don’t deliver to your area yet you can sign up for a free, no obligation account and they will notify you when they do. This is in NO way signing you up for service. It is simply a way for them to notify you when they expand to your area.
Don’t forget to check out my OTHER GIVEAWAYS BY CLICKING HERE!
Several weeks ago I did an unboxing review of Tackle Grab which is a monthly subscription that sends out a box of custom bait every month based on the Angler Profile you complete.
I’m thrilled that Tackle Grab has provided 3 FREE MONTHS to give to one of my loyal followers.
Want to learn more about Tackle Grab? Click here to see my initial unboxing review.
Want to WIN? Click here to enter.
Don’t forget to check out my OTHER GIVEAWAYS BY CLICKING HERE!
Hi everyone,
I recently did an unboxing and taste test review for MistoBox which is a monthly subscription sending you a selection of supreme coffee from around the world.
For anyone who missed it, click here for my original unboxing review. You can also see my taste test review by clicking here.
I love MistoBox and am so happy that they’ve offered me a code to give 1 FREE BOX of their “Awesome” size to one of my loyal followers :).
Don’t forget to check out my OTHER GIVEAWAYS BY CLICKING HERE!
Hi everyone, I am so pleased to bring you my taste test review for the 2nd ready to prepare gourmet meal ChefDay! sent me.
For those who missed my original unboxing click here to read it.
What is Chefday! you’re asking? Chefday! delivers short, easy, ready to prepare gourmet meals requiring few utensils. They make sure that everyone can make them. All of their ingredients are 100% organic. Their menu changes weekly and will likely feature dairy-free, gluten-free and/or vegetarian recipes. Everything is pre-measured even salt and olive oil. In addition a family in need will also be enjoying a hearty dinner. Every time you cook with Chefday!, they donate a full meal to the Food Bank for NYC. (*** I want to be fair to each and every company I review. So, I need to tell you that I forgot to include information about a similar program run by the previous ready to prepare gourmet meal service I reviewed last week. They donate a pound of food to a local food bank for every week you subscribe).
Chefday! currently delivers to 19 states (in their entirety) : CT, DC, DE, IL, IN, KY,MA, ME, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV. They also deliver to some parts of these states: AL, AR, GA, IA, MI, MO, MS, NC, SC, WI. You can check to see if they deliver to you on their website. If they don’t deliver to your area yet you can sign up for a free, no obligation account and they will notify you when they do. This is in NO way signing you up for service. It is simply a way for them to notify you when they expand to your area.
*** Want to try Chefday! and receive 25% off your 1st order? Simply use this link to place your order and you will receive 25% off!. CLICK HERE TO SAVE 25% OFF YOUR 1ST CHEFDAY! ORDER.
My 2nd gourmet meal was Bombolotti Alla Gricia. Click here for the full recipe.
Ok on to my taste test:
Here is the beautiful bad and ingredients for this Yummy recipe.
After starting the boiling water it was time to slice the gricia. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like this recipe because I did not like the smell of the guanciale. It has nothing to do with what ChefDay! sent. I generally can’t stand the smell of any cured meat. As soon as I started cooking the guanciale, in the frying pan with olive oil, it took on a very smoky, nutty aroma, which I do like. It tasted even better then is smelled :). This recipe was so amazingly easy to prepare – boil pasta, slice and sautee the guanciale, mix together and add cheese. The fact that something so yummy to make could be so easy makes me wonder why I have never made a dish like this before. Then I remember – I HATE THE GROCERY STORE LOL.
Here are the pictures of the finished product. You’ll notice they look slightly different. I decided not to add chili flakes to one of the plates because my hubby doesn’t like spicy food. Then I recalled my hubby is actually in New York training at Lake Placid with a friend. He has this crazy notion to do an Iron Man Race. Any way I digress. I am so used to preparing products for review I just naturally separated the plates for him and her.
A couple things are quite obvious seeing the final meals. ChefDay! doesn’t skimp on quantity. As with the previous meal from ChefDay!, that we prepared, there is more than enough for 2 people. This could feed 4, in my opinion. They also did not skimp on the cheese. The recipe calls for mixing half of the cheese into the pasta and sprinkling the rest on top, which I did. You can clearly see all the globs of cheese in the photos and this is only ½ the quantity they sent. I LOVE cheese in my Italian dishes – never too much cheese if you ask me. This really did have the perfect amount.
So, what do I think of ChefDay? If I were to tell you that I LOVE ChefDay! I feel like that just wouldn’t do it justice. What is not to love about getting ready to prepare, gourmet meals delivered right to your door? The answer is there is nothing not to love about that. There is, however lots to love about ChefDay! like:
No or less trips to the grocery store
Perfectly measured ingredients – NO measuring and very little cutting, chopping etc.
100% organic ingredients
Very little cleanup
Supporting a NYC food bank – ChefDay! donates a meal for every ChefDay! meal ordered
Perfectly timed meals – everything is done at the exact same time
Recipes available on-line in print and video – I had to add this last one. I removed the ChefDay! bag from the refrigerator to make tonight’s meal and searched everywhere for the recipe card. I couldn’t find it and I stood there for several minutes trying to determine if I could just wing it. Then I had one of those ah-ha moments ;). ChefDay! puts all their recipes on-line. Basic recipe overviews are available to anyone but full recipe cards and how to videos are available to customers. So ChefDay! to the rescue. With a click of my mouse I had everything I needed right at my fingertips. Win-win because as the pasta was boiling and the gricia was frying I had time to check my Facebook….. perfect!
Fellow Subscription Box Fanatics – Looking for a place to find out about and enter Subscription Box Giveaways?
Fellow Subscription Box Bloggers – Looking for a place to post your Subscription Box Giveaways where other Subscription Box Fanatics will see it?
I have just the Facebook Group for you! I created a new Facebook group named Subscription Box Giveaways. Click here to visit and join the group.
We received our Chefday! box today and coudn’t wait to dive in and cook the 1st recipe. I chose to prepare the Pan Seared Chicken Breast. You can see the full recipe here: Seared Chicken Breast Recipe.
If you’d like to see my full unboxing review click here: CHEFDAY! UNBOXING REVIEW
As a recap Chefday! delivers short, easy, ready to prepare gourmet meals requiring few utensils. They make sure that everyone can make them. All of their ingredients are 100% organic. Their menu changes weekly and will likely feature dairy-free, gluten-free and/or vegetarian recipes. Everything is pre-measured even salt, pepper and olive oil. In addition a family in need will also be enjoying a hearty dinner. Every time you cook with Chefday!, they donate a full meal to a Food Bank for NYC.
Chefday! currently delivers to 19 states (in their entirety) : CT, DC, DE, IL, IN, KY,MA, ME, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV. They also deliver to some parts of these states: AL, AR, GA, IA, MI, MO, MS, NC, SC, WI. You can check to see if they deliver to you on their website. If they don’t deliver to your area yet you can sign up for a free, no obligation account and they will notify you when they do. This is in NO way signing you up for service. It is simply a way for them to notify you when they expand to your area.
*** Want to try Chefday! and receive 25% off your 1st order? Simply use this link to place your order and you will receive 25% off!. CLICK HERE TO SAVE 25% OFF YOUR 1ST CHEFDAY! ORDER.
There are SO many things to LOVE about Chefday! Where do I begin? To start:
** 100% of their ingredients are organic! – I must admit, we generally don’t purchase organic ingredients but do prefer them. We don’t have any healthy grocery stores in our rural area and theres a very limited selection at our local grocery store. That limited selection cost so much I feel like they are asking me to sign over my 1st born to purchase it ;). Chefday! to the rescue because ALL their ingredients are organic. I love that!
** Everything you need to prepare each meal is included right down to the salt, pepper and olive oil. – I love the fact that you don’t have to measure ANYTHING. All you do is follow the easy, step by step instructions emptying the pre-measured cups, bags and/or bottles when instructed to do so. It can’t get any simpler than that.
** No trip to the grocery store. – I know the inside of my local grocery store about as well as I know the surface of the moon ;). Ok, a bit of an exaggeration but my hubby is, generally, the one to do the grocery store. To me going to the grocery store is akin to hearing fingernails down a chalkboard. I look forward to preparing delicious meals without having to set foot in that awful place they call a grocery store!
** Limited chopping and NO measuring. – Preparing a meal using Chefday! could not be easier. There is limited chopping, dicing etc. The little involved is to be expected since they send fresh vegetables, spices etc. I wouldn’t want those to come pre-prepared.
** Chefday! donates a meal to a NYC food back for every meal purchased. – I really like the idea that we can give back by simply ordering a service we love!
** Limited cleanup. – What do I really need to say about this? Who wouldn’t want to prepare a meal and have only a tiny bit of cleanup? Sign me up for that 🙂
** Each recipe is planned perfectly so everything is done at the same time. – One of things I struggle most with when it comes to meal preparation is planning each phase so the meal is done all at the same time. Chefday! plans the recipe perfectly so nothing is left to cool while the rest of the meal is still cooking.
** Chefday! does not skimp on quality or quantity. We were super impressed at how much food this recipe made. It was definitely enough for 2 people in fact we had enough leftovers for another meal. Getting chicken breast rather than a less expensive chicken cut was also fabulous. Also, when I was dicing the Thyme for the chicken breast topping, I couldn’t believe the AMAZING AROMA! It was like we had our very own herb garden and picked it today.
As a reminder here is a picture of what the box looks like when you get it. Notice the 22oz candle next to it. This box is HUGE.
Here is the recipe card and EVERYTHING needed to prepare the meal. You only need to provide water, pan, pot & utensils.
And here are a few pictures of our meal. Ok it isn’t as pretty as the recipe card Chefday! sent but, remember, we’re not chefs. We’re not even cooks, really. I think we did a pretty good job for novices 😉
So, all in all, we are SUPER IMPRESSED with Chefday! I have never been one to like cooking but I loved making this meal and, definitely, plan to sign up! When you take away the trip to the grocery store, measuring and a majority of the clean up I love doing it. This service gives me all the joys of cooking without most of the hassle. Where has Chefday! been all my adult life? I have needed this service for years. I am SO GLAD I found them now! This would also be the IDEAL box for a dinner party. It would be great to prepare the perfect meal for friends. You can feel confident, with Chefday!, that the meal will come out amazing and will impress your friends!
Even though I did receive this free trial box from Chefday!, my opinions are not influenced by the free products and I would never recommend anything to anyone that I would not, myself, use or that I felt was not worth spending your money on.
I was lucky to get the chance to receive 2 ready to prepare gourmet meals from Chefday! for the purpose of a review. I’m posting an unboxing now and, as we try each recipe, I’ll post a taste test review.
Chefday! currently delivers to 19 states (in their entirety) : CT, DC, DE, IL, IN, KY,MA, ME, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV. They also deliver to some parts of these states: AL, AR, GA, IA, MI, MO, MS, NC, SC, WI. You can check to see if they deliver to you on their website. If they don’t deliver to your area yet you can sign up for a free, no obligation account and they will notify you when they do. This is in NO way signing you up for service. It is simply a way for them to notify you when they expand to your area.
What is Chefday! you’re asking? Chefday! delivers short, easy, ready to prepare gourmet meals requiring few utensils. They make sure that everyone can make them. All of their ingredients are 100% organic. Their menu changes weekly and will likely feature dairy-free, gluten-free and/or vegetarian recipes. Everything is pre-measured even salt and olive oil. In addition a family in need will also be enjoying a hearty dinner. Every time you cook with Chefday!, they donate a full meal to the Food Bank for NYC. (*** I want to be fair to each and every company I review. So, I need to tell you that I forgot to include information about a similar program run by the previous ready to prepare gourmet meal service I reviewed last week. They donate a pound of food to a local food bank for every week you subscribe).
*** Want to try Chefday! and receive 25% off your 1st order? Simply use this link to place your order and you will receive 25% off!. CLICK HERE TO SAVE 25% OFF YOUR 1ST CHEFDAY! ORDER.
Ok, now, the good stuff 🙂
Here is what the box looked like when we received it. I am including the 22oz candle so you can see how HUGE this box is.
This is well packaged with plenty of ice packs to keep the perishables fresh.
Here are the 2 recipe cards. The front features a photo of the meal along with time needed to prepare and calorie information. The back offers detailed, step by step instructions. We’ll be making Bombolotti Alla Gricia & Pan Seared Chicken Breast… Yumm 🙂 You can see the full recipe here:
CLICK HERE TO REVIEW THE SEARED CHICKEN RECIPE
CLICK HERE TO REVIEW THE BOMBOLOTTI ALLA GRICIA RECIPE
The ingredients needed for each meal are packaged separately making preparation easier as you don’t need to search for all the ingredients.
Here is the bag and ingredients for the Bombolotti Alla Gricia. We spent several weeks in Italy last year and I don’t recall trying Gricia, though I read it’s a very popular meat there and considered a delicacy. Italians have a variety of meats offered at every meal including breakfast. Perhaps I have had it without realizing it was Gricia. I’m a little disappointed that this recipe didn’t include fresh pasta and hoping they introduce it into their meals in the future. I do like that even the olive oil came in the box though I certainly don’t mind having to measure out that. It’s nice not to have to measure anything!
And here is the bag and ingredients to prepare the Pan Seared Chicken Breast. Everything looks wonderful and fresh. I wish the carrots still had the tops. I know that would mean just one more thing to chop but I think the look of the full carrots adds a nice touch and screams fresh. I love that even the salt and pepper are included. There’s absolutely nothing to measure with Chefday!
After this unboxing, I am definitely loving Chefday!. I didn’t get “hit” with the same aroma when I opened the box as my previous ready to prepare gourmet meal review. I am not certain if it’s just the way it’s packaged. I’ll definitely let you know how it all tastes :). I like that all ingredients are 100% organic and that there are options for those following dairy-fee, gluten-free and/or vegetarian diets. I also think having every ingredient needed, right down to salt, pepper and olive oil, is a great touch. There’s no measuring needed for Chefday!
If this tastes as good as it looks we will definitely be customers! My hubby has fairly finicky taste buds, he doesn’t like anything spicy or with fish/seafood. It will be nice to have Chefday! to order from. We will, absolutely, be able to get enough meals delivered that will pass the hubby test ;).
Even though I did receive this free trial box from Chefday!, my opinions are not influenced by the free products and I would never recommend anything to anyone that I would not, myself, use or that I felt was not worth spending your money on.
I have revised the Giveaway requiring no minimum # of entrants. When the giveaway ends I will select 1 winner regardless of # of entries.
Here is the link to my updated post and link to sign up: CLICK HERE TO ENTER
Don’t forget to check out my OTHER GIVEAWAYS BY CLICKING HERE!
Crazy 4 Subscription Boxes 