CONTEST CLOSED: KalorieBox Giveaway

I was recently contacted by a new start-up company called KalorieBox, asking if I would like to review their product. I don’t do a ton of reviews, but I was intrigued by the idea so I accepted. KalorieBox is a subscription service that sends their customers a box of different low(er) calorie products to sample each month. The theory is that you may discover some tasty new brands/food items that allow you to make simple swaps for the higher calorie counterparts you may already be purchasing.

As a vigilant nutrition label reader who already purchases a lot of healthy products, I was interested to see if they could surprise me with anything I hadn’t tried.

Here’s what came in my KalorieBox:

Plentils – Margherita Pizza flavor (0.8 oz snack bag): 100 Calories/4.5g Fat/14g Carbs/1g Fiber/2g Protein
I’ve had lentil chips before, though not this brand. I don’t buy them a lot because the texture is a bit Styrofoam-y and there are other chip substitutes that I prefer. These were satisfyingly crunchy though and I liked the zesty flavor better than the seasonings I’ve tried on other lentil chips in the past. The box also came with a coupon for 75 cents off a larger bag.

FitFrappe Protein Drink Mix – Mocha and Vanilla flavors (NI for ½ packet of the mocha): 60 Calories/1.5g Fat/11g Carbs/3g Fiber/10g Protein
This was a pleasant surprise. My first thought when I saw these packets was “Hm, I don’t drink protein shakes.” Then I noticed they were made by Big Train which makes a really delicious chai mix that I love, and I was instantly more optimistic about giving them a shot. You can drink these hot, cold or blended with ice. I decided to drink them hot because it’s starting to get chillier here and bundling up on my couch with a hot mocha drink sounded perfect. You know what? It actually was. The flavor was better than drinking a “light” packet of hot chocolate and it had the added benefit of 10g protein, 3g fiber and 0g sugar in half a packet (recommended mix in quantity for 8 oz of water). The best part was that even though it was sugar free it did not have an artificial sweetener taste. I plan to try the other packet as a shake.

Simply Snackin’ Jerky – Teriyaki Beef w/Pineapple and Teriyaki Chicken with Mangoes & Papayas (NI for the Beef, 1 oz): 60 Calories/0.5g Fat/3g Carbs/0g Fiber/8g Protein
Beef jerky is usually quite lean and a good source of protein, so I already buy it for snacks fairly often. I generally prefer the moister, juicier jerky to the completely dried out, rough kind, and these are definitely of the moist variety. These were slightly lighter than the jerky I had in by cupboard but what really makes these different is that there are bits of dried fruit throughout the meat.  I only have one food allergy and it’s mangoes, so I could only taste the beef version of the jerky. I thought it was okay. I love teriyaki meats and generally I’m a big fan of teriyaki and pineapple together, but for some reason the addition of fruit to my jerky didn’t thrill me.

Hint Water – Mango-Grapefruit (16 oz): 0 Calories/0g Fat/0 Carbs/0g Fiber/0g Protein
As I mentioned above, my one food allergy is mango, so I wasn’t able to try this. I love grapefruit, so that’s a bummer. This water is unsweetened so evidently there is just a faint hint of the natural flavors of grapefruit and mango, which allows for zero calories and no artificial sweeteners. I would definitely try this in a different flavor.

Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce (NI for 2T serving): 30 Calories/0g Fat/6 Carbs/0g Fiber/0g Protein
At first when I got the box I thought “They sent me barbecue sauce? How random.” but after trying it I was really glad. I usually already seek out low calorie, low carb sauces, so the nutrition information (though quite a bit lighter than many sauces out there) wasn’t very different than the brand I already had in my fridge (see comparison photo below). However, I liked the flavor of the Stubb's sauce much better than the one I’d been using. I even used it in my recipe for Slow Cooker Apple Bacon BBQ Chicken! I will definitely buy Stubb’s sauce again. It’s sweet and tangy but with a little kick, and I like that. I found my new go-to barbecue sauce!

Stubb's is on the right, the kind already in my fridge on the left

Altogether it was fun to try some new brands and products and I did find a couple new things I’d buy in the future (like Stubb’s).

KalorieBox offers subscriptions starting at $17/month including shipping and for every box you order they donate a meal to a child in need (which is a nice bonus).

Want to try KalorieBox for free? One lucky winner will win a free KalorieBox, just like I did! I’m giving you FIVE possible entries to win:

Entry: Leave a comment below sharing your favorite healthy swap for a traditionally higher calorie product
Bonus Entry: Become a fan of Emily Bites on Facebook and leave a second comment below (here, not on Facebook) letting me know you did. If you are already a fan, you can say that instead!
Extra Bonus Entry: Follow @emilybitesblog on Twitter and leave a third comment below letting me know you did.
Double Extra Bonus Entry: Follow emilybitesblog on Pinterest to have access to my top picks of the web and leave a post below letting me know you did.
Top Secret Triple Extra Bonus Entry: “Like” the KalorieBox Facebook Page and leave a comment there telling them you’re entering the KalorieBox giveaway on emilybites.com (feel free to tag my Facebook page in the post). Then post a comment below (on this post) to let me know you did.

Note: Please make sure you enter your name and email address when commenting so I will have a way to contact you if you win! Also, be sure to leave a separate comment below for each entry to maximize your chances of winning!

That’s five potential chances for each of you to win! Winners will be selected by random.org on Saturday, December 1st at 10:00 AM EST. Enter below and it could be you – good luck!

Congratulations to April Wilson for winning the KalorieBox giveaway!