Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Subscription Review – January 2016

Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Subscription Review and Giveaway – January 2016

I have a confession – when I started this blog I was not the most knowledgeable about the gluten-free world. In the past year and change I have learned so much about gluten, why gluten is bad and why it could enter life threatening levels for Celiacs. This has been an invaluable education and one that while I did not necessarily choose at first it is one that I am thankful for learning about. I have a new appreciation for the gluten-sensitive community, as luck would have it I am also now a sufferer of gluten sensitivities.

It is also nice to know that in combination with the learning, I have been given the opportunity to sample different gluten-free foods and drink products. I am happy to know that somebody is curating a box with gluten consciousness in mind. Send Me Gluten Free’s monthly box is doing just that for the Gluten-Free community. Each month Send Me Gluten Free (SMGF) includes 8-12 full size items to include in their monthly box, which allow’s for greater sampling of the available offerings for those with gluten sensitivity.

Send Me Gluten Free were generous enough to send me the January 2016 box to sample and review and included in the box were the following products.

Included in this months box –

Banza – Pasta made with ChickPeas: When I opened the box and saw the Banza pasta, I was excited. I had seen Banza on the show “Restaurant Startup” and had some interest in trying them. This is a startup that is based in Detroit, Michigan and is changing pasta one chickpea at a time. Banza created a pasta made out of chickpeas that has two times as much protein and four times as much fiber as traditional pasta. As an added bonus Banza has half as many carbohydrates as traditional pasta.

Glutino Pretzel: I will start by telling you that I have yet to run into a Glutino product that I do not really enjoy – everything is good! These pretzels are crunchy, a little salty and best of all, they do not have that grainy taste that is normally synonymous with gluten-free products. Glutino Pretzel’s will satisfy even picky pretzel eaters and they will never know they are gluten-free. Jason loved these as well, and they will now be added to the lunch time rotation to go with his daily sandwich.

Enjoy Life – Cocoa Loco Baked Chewy Bar: The best way is imagine this bar as a compressed brownie batter, with a little un-mixed batter graininess. It was so good I was sad to see it gone. This is a gluten-free, dairy, nut, wheat, tree-nuts, egg soy, fish, shellfish free! They also contain no trans-fats, no cholesterol, is certified kosher and are all natural. The best part is despite what they are missing they do not lack in flavor, they are so good. This is going be also added into the daily lunch rotation as a nice desert treat.

Better off Red Tea: This is an organic red roobios tea with a vanilla citrus blush tea. I am a huge fan of tea, especially when I have a sore throat. There is a mild citrus flavor and the tea seeps in about 3 to 4 minutes. I mixed some honey in this and I think that it really added to the overall flavor, but I could also be partial to honey in my tea.

Nature’s Path Homestyle Oatmeal: I am a fan of oatmeal, I find that it is a filling and most of the time a tasty treat. I like to add blueberries for a fresh and slightly sweet treat. Nature’s Path was not grainy and it still retained the gluten-free, wheat-free, vegan, Non-GMO status while also staying all natural and most importantly flavorful.

Detour SMART Bar – Coconut Almond: The first thing I smelled was coconut, lots of coconut. I am generally not a fan of coconut but I do try each thing I get, despite the inclusion of coconut. This has a drizzle of white sweet glaze, and coconut, lots of coconut. These Detour SMART Bar’s come in 3 additional flavors including Blueberry, Apple-Cinnamon and Peanut Butter Chocolate. Due to my natural aversion of coconut I would have liked to try the either the blueberry or the apple-cinnamon (I love apple-cinnamon oatmeal). That being said, I could see that in another flavor this could be a very tasty treat.

Next By Nature – Dark Chocolate Goji Berries: I was not sure what to expect, and these reminded me a lot of little dark chocolate nuggets and I really liked them. Jason on the other hand had a more bitter taste come through from the Dark Chocolate Goji Berries and did not like them at all. I am planning on freezing them, and having them as a treat through out my passes by the freezer. I noticed that Next By Nature makes a whole variety of dark chocolate covered fruits including bananas, apricots, strawberries, and cherries to name a few. I plan to buy a bag of the bananas and blueberries to have available frozen to snack on.

truEnergy Supplements: This is made by Redd Remedies and is stimulant free and non-habit forming. I have not used this yet, but plan to one day when my energy flags a little. This combine the power of herbs to bring balance to the body. I will let you know how it works when I decide to use it. They make many varieties to target different ailments such as cough, joint and nerve support to name a few.

Volo Vitamins: This is a powdered mix, which I usually am skeptical of. I would first recommend you not adding ice to this, just water and mix. The positive is that it was not nearly as grainy as it could have been, but I would not call it tasty. If you are looking for the benefits and care little about overall flavor, I would recommend this.

Smarty Pants Vitamins: The first thing I noticed about these is that they seem they would be much chewier than they are. I expected a gummy bear consistency and instead got more of a gum drop consistency. I also noticed that they had a strange taste that did not resemble any of the orange, strawberry-banana or lemon flavoring that they were. When I inspected the package I immediately saw that these have no sugar added, which accounted for the taste that I tasted. These are non-GMO and full of multivitamins, Omega-3’s, Vitamins D3 and B12 as well as fiber.

Glutagest: I love that there is something on the market that can help people process gluten properly. These non-dairy digestive supplements are meant to be taken 5 minutes before gluten consumption as well as after your meal. Glutagest is made in the USA and are Non-GMO, non-dairy, no animals and of course, gluten-free! I plan to give these a try, and see if they help my tummy issues.

Also included was an orange envelope that included some additional information on the items that were included in the box as well as a couple of leaflets on items not included in the box. I really enjoyed being able to read more on the included products, and also learning about other products I may now have known about.

I really enjoy this box and it is always an adventure to discover something new that is good for not only me, but the gluten-free world.

I encourage you to give this box a try!

Monthly subscriptions: $19.85/month, $18.85/month – 3 month membership, $16.85/month – 6 month membership, $14.85/month – 12 months membership with an additional $5.00 shipping each month.

They currently ship to United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada for an additional $3.99.

Enter BLOG20 at checkout and get 20% off your monthly membership!

Click here to learn more about Send Me Gluten Free or to subscribe, click here

Visit Send Me Gluten Free on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Gluten Free Media Group. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

GIVEAWAY: Gluten Free Media Group/Send Me Gluten Free is offering a box to my readers! One reader will receive a one (1) month subscription to Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Subscription Box.Please be aware that the box contents may vary from photo shown, and this is representative of the type box you will receive. Open to residents in the US only. I will be randomly choosing 1 person on February 11th (2/11/2016) to receive one Send Me Gluten Free Box!!  To enter complete the entries below! Winner will be notified by DealsAmongUs by email and prize will be fulfilled by Gluten Free Media Group/Send Me Gluten Free! Remember you have 48 hours to claim prize, or I will chose another winner. GOOD LUCK!!!

Win 1 month of Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Subscription Box!