Bestowed was founded by Heather Bauer, a Registered Dietician and nationally recognized nutrition expert whose mission is to teach us better eating habits. The site provides lots of tips, advice and recipes as well as being a place to shop for all sorts of healthy foods. They also have a monthly subscription service which is $19 per month or $209 per year.With the annual plan, you essentially get one month for free. Shipping is free and you can cancel at any time.
In May, Living Social had a three month subscription deal for Bestowed. At $19 per month, Bestowed is a very good buy; at $37 for three months, the deal was irresistible!
Once I signed up, I had a LONG wait...six weeks to be exact. I was supposed to receive the May box within two weeks of signing up but it took a very long route and didn't reach me until June 20th. Three days later, the June box showed up. It was frustrating to receive so much stuff at once and lose the benefit of having the boxes spaced out a month apart but I have to say, the Customer Service person who helped me track down the missing May box stayed right with me until it showed up. Communication makes all the difference when something goes wrong!
So...on to the bright orange box. Since I received two months' worth of boxes so close together, I'll just review the June box in this post.
For the price paid, I was surprised that the Bestowed box weighed almost two pounds and contained 18 items! There were duplicates of several items and even a triplicate of one.
A brochure was enclosed which contains a note from Ms. Bauer and descriptions of all the items in the box along with tips on how and when to use them.
First are two 3 oz. bottles of Wheatgrass Boost from Agro Labs. This is a superfood energy shot that provides a nutritious way to get your energy boost without any kind of crash.
Next are two packages, each containing one wet disinfectant wipe from Clean Well. These are in the lemon citrus scent and kill 99.99% of germs botanically.
There is a package of BOPS Sour Cream & Onion baked organic potato snacks from Good Boy Organics.These are baked (not fried) and have 65% less fat than regular potato chips. They are also additive and preservative free.
The triplet in my box was three packages of Hemp Pro 70 by Manitoba Harvest. There have been a lot of hemp powders arriving in healthy snack boxes lately but I had no clue how to use them. The brochure says this is a plant based protein powder that can be used as a base for a smoothie or used as a protein addition to many recipes. (In another life, I spent a couple of years at school in Boulder, CO....you'd think I'd be well schooled in all things hemp, wouldn't you?)
There are two powerful looking little 100 calorie organic live food bars by Raw Revolution. I'm wary about consuming any food that has "live" in the description but the "Chocolate Coconut Bliss" flavor eases my mind considerably.
There are only a couple of single items in this box. One of them is a small hydrating gel sample from Lotus Moon. This is a vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO facial moisturizer.
The other "single" in this box is a pouch from Smooch containing a fruit puree made of strawberries, blueberries and bananas fortified with chia seeds and acerola. This is considered another "superfood" since it is low in calories, high in fiber, delicious and convenient. This pouch is a little beat up but still completely intact.
Another cleaning product is a pair of all-natural hand sanitizing wipes, again from Clean Well. These are alcohol free and good for sensitive skin.
I have saved my two favorite products in this box for last. The first is two generous size tea bags of Mighty Leaf Iced Tea, in the delicious sounding flavor "Calypso Mango". This is a black tea that contains a blend of mangoes and tropical fruit. I love fruit flavored black teas so this is right up my alley. Each folder also contains a $1.50 coupon.
The last two items are packages of Dark Chocolate Covered Soybeans from Almost Nuts. I often don't like soybeans in other forms but the ratio of dark chocolate to bean in these is strong enough to make them really good. This is definitely a product I would consider buying in a larger size.
As you can see, there is a lot in this box. Much of it is new to me but the low price makes it painless to learn about and convenient to sample some healthy new snack options. Unlike a lot of other subscription box websites, Bestowed also has a big selection of items for individual purchase. These are arranged in categories so you can go right to the section that interests you.
If you'd like to try Bestowed's subscription box, click here and use the code FIRST for a $9.00 discount on your first box.
Bestowed boxes definitely give you high product value for the price paid. Even if you don't like a few of the things, you'll still get your money's worth!
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Cheryl