Love With Food Deluxe Box Review, December 2015 + 40% First Box Discount!

How has it been a year and a half since I last reviewed Love With Food?  They were one of the earliest subscription boxes to feature organic and all natural snacks. They also have the admirable philanthropic mission of donating a meal to various food banks for every box sold.  I remember loving the concept but getting distracted by newly emerging boxes with food that just tasted better.  Turns out I want more than virtue when it comes to my stomach!

Despite my juvenile reaction to this box, the rave reviews for Love With Food poured in. Although a lot of the early healthy eating boxes folded quickly, it became obvious that Love With Food had staying power.  My Grinch-y heart began to melt and when they ran a terrific Cyber Monday deal, I decided to give them a second chance.

This time around, I chose the Deluxe box which is their medium sized box.  It contains 16 to 20 snacks and costs as little as $16.50 a month if you sign up for the annual plan.  The Cyber Monday deal made it even lower at just $14.03 a month.  If you buy many healthy or organic snacks, you can see why I jumped on the annual plan despite my general suspicion about healthy snacks.  It may be a fluke but wow!...did I ever pick the right month to re-start a Love With Food subscription. December's theme is "Chocolate Makes the World Go Round" which coincidentally, is also my personal mantra!  

The red logo box has not changed although this one is twice the size of the ones I used to receive.

A color brochure pictures each item, tells a little about it and gives an ingredients list. They use a colored bar system to indicate the various snack virtues:  gluten free, non-GMO, Dairy-free, vegan and/or organic.  As you might have guessed, such criteria are of little interest to me.  (I am NOT one of those annoying reviewers who dismiss any item that is not vegan.) What matters to me is:  How much chocolate is involved?

Now here's a reason to get up in the morning.....barkThins Snacking Chocolate!  This was the reason I photographed everything in the box as soon as I opened it....so I could get at these ASAP!  They are absolutely divine slivers of dark chocolate with almond bits and sea salt. Snacking just doesn't get any better than these.  You better believe I'll be taking a close look at the barkThins website; those mint flavored ones are calling my name!!!

  

Speaking of chocolate mint....there are two Luna Minis in Chocolate Peppermint Stick, my favorite flavor, natch!

A card advertising Numi Organic Teas contains two tea samples inside.  One is a Turmeric Tea called Amber Sun and the other is an Indulgent Tea called Chocolate Earl Grey.  Guess which one interests me the most?  (One track mind.....)

There is a small package containing a sample of Lazy Susan's fresh baked granola in Cranberry Almond flavor, a nice balance of sweet and tart.

One product I've never seen before are these Chee Cha Potato Puffs in Sea Salt & Spiced Pepper.  They are a potato based snack in the shape of little wheels with a cross in the center.

I haven't even tasted these and I already love them; they are dark chocolate candies with a creamy coffee filling from Cafe Britt.  Even better, there is a 25% discount code for Britt in the box.  Did I mention this month's box is amazing?

To come down off my chocolate high for a minute, I wasn't surprised to see these Beanitos.  I remember them from my first Love With Food box.  I know some people really like these but I couldn't stop thinking they are beans made into chips. They taste like beans and are high in fat and calories.  So, what's the point?

The only other product I'm lukewarm about in this box are these Crispy Crunchy Chickpeas from The Good Bean.  I know chickpeas are good for you.  But they've always seemed like a passionless food to me....boring and tasteless.  The redeeming feature here is that these have a light cinnamon and vanilla covering.  I still don't love the chickpeas but the cinnamon makes them go down painlessly.

  

The strangest item in the box is this pair of Powdered Peanut Butter packages from PB2.  The label says this has 85% less fat and oil than regular peanut butter.  Since peanut butter is one of my lifelong vices, I'm curious to see how this reconstitutes and especially, how it tastes.

More chocolate goodness...these little dark chocolate shells have melt-in-your-mouth caramel centers.  

The one fruity break from all the chocolate are these two handmade fruit leathers in Mango from You Love Fruit.  Low in calories and zero fat....what's not to love?

I have had a "Go-Pak" of these Midnight Brownie cookies from Goodie Girl before. They aren't quite as good as some of the other chocolate items in this box (probably because they are gluten-free) but they certainly fit the theme and are welcome in my mouth any time.

This package contains chocolate in an unexpected form...crispy little bites that are chocolaty tasting but not too sweet.  They are called "I Bet You've Never Tasted This" (no, I certainly have not) and are made by The Best Time of Day.  These are good; the only thing I can compare them to flavor and texture-wise is cocoa-flavored Rice Krispy treats.  Another website worth a visit!

There is one non-food item in this box, a freebie Love With Food Chapstick.  It has no flavor or scent; it's just a good basic lip emollient.  I use these constantly in the winter months so am never sorry they appear in so many sub boxes.

There are three coupons included, one for Beanitos (I won't be using that one), one for CheeCha Puffs and one for Britt Chocolates.  I'll be on the Britt site and the barkThins site the minute this post is finished!

To be brutally honest, I wasn't expecting much from this box.  My experience with Love With Food in their early days was pretty lackluster.  The snacks were good for you but just not very tasty or appealing.  I don't know if this spectacular December box is just a one time holiday thing or if they can deliver like this consistently.  The curation this month tells me that these people are seriously good at sourcing.  It will be interesting to see what the box looks like when the theme is NOT chocolate!

If you would like to try Love With food, click here to get 40% off your first box.  In addition to the Deluxe box reviewed above, you can get their Tasting Box (8+ snacks) for as little as $7.99 a month or their gluten-free box (10-15 snacks) for as little as $19.99 a month.  If the December box is typical, I have a feeling Love With Food is here to stay!

Thanks for reading,

Cheryl

Disclosure:  Views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my own.  Product discussed in this post was purchased by Lone Star Shopper. Post may contain referral or affiliate links.