MunchPak CheatPak and HealthPak

The deRosiers love to try new things, especially if those new things are edible. This is why we enjoy MunchPak so much! With past boxes, we've received fizzy candy from Poland, bacon 'crisps' from Ireland, something yummy called "sour paper" with no other English on the label, and something Asian, ring-shaped, and unidentified that was quite delicious, just to name a few. It is so much fun to try snacks from around the world!

In addition to the three sizes of traditional MunchPaks that have been available for awhile, MunchPak has recently introduced two new options for snack connoisseurs: the HealthPak and the CheatPak. I received a sample of each and am excited to tell you all about them. 

Both the HealthPak and the CheatPak include ten tasty snacks, shipped monthly. Here is what we received (CheatPak on the left and HealthPak on the right):

The HealthPak includes snacks made with only natural ingredients and are free from GMOs. Here's everything that was in our box:

We did our usual method of dividing up all the snacks so that we could each try them all. (The leftovers are portioned out to go into Trevor's lunchbox over the next week.)

While we liked most of the foods, there were two standouts that we all loved. Three actually, since we'd had the Stretch Island Raspberry Fruit Leather before and really liked it. But the two new-to-us snacks that we enjoyed the most were the caramel and sea salt Halfpops (sort of a cross between normal popcorn, Corn Nuts, and kettle corn)... 

... and these bean chips. We will definitely be buying them again.

Overall, the HealthPak was a great way for us to try a variety of healthy snacks that we otherwise wouldn't have even known about.

The CheatPak also includes ten items, half of them labeled Healthy and half labeled Indulgent. Here's what was in our box (Healthy on the left and Indulgent on the right):

At first glance, it seemed like the Healthy items were all duplicates of items in our HealthPak. But only one was actually a duplicate, the Popped Chickpeatos (yum, by the way). The other items were different flavors from the same brands. For example, this package of Beanfields Bean Chips were pico de gallo flavored, compared to the other pack that was BBQ. Both were outstanding. 

Two plates this time. One for savory...

... and one for sweet.

The star of this CheatPak, hands down, was the bag of Cannoli Chips. Oh my gosh. SO. GOOD. They make other flavors, which we WILL be trying. 

If you like snacking (and who doesn't?!), I'd definitely recommend giving MunchPak a try, whether it's the traditional pack or the new HealthPak or CheatPak. They also make a fantastic gift, particularly for college students or others who are away from home. You can purchase boxes on a one-time basis or set up a subscription. You can customize the boxes, or buy the snacks you want individually.

You can save 10% with the code MUNCH10, or $2 with the code SNACKIN. New deals pop up all the time, so keep an eye out. Happy snacking!

Prime Surprise Sweets

You know how much the deRosiers like trying new foods, so this gift we received from Jonna was absolutely perfect! 

Sadly, Amazon has discontinued their Prime Surprise Sweets since the time we received our box. I'm bummed, because this was a great gift and we loved the treats inside. 

We particularly enjoyed the Grey Ghost Bakery Molasses Spice Cookies (affiliate link here and below). Hands down, the best spice cookie I've ever had. The Oven Arts brownies were fantastic, too. 

You may be thinking, "I thought you said you were dieting." Yes, I am. My weight loss has been all about portion control, not deprivation. A small wedge of the whoopie pie was enough to taste and enjoy it without eating too many calories. Once I take the portion size I can 'afford,' Trevor and Steve take how much they want. Anything left goes in Trevor's lunchbox for him to eat and/or share with his friends. It's working well. 

MunchPak

It's no secret how much I love trying new-to-me foods. I particularly like trying foreign foods, which is why I absolutely love when a MunchPak shows up on my doorstep! Here's what came in my latest box:

As tempting as it was to tear everything open and try it immediately, I restrained myself. I restrained Trevor, too. He was SO excited! I can't tell you how awesome it is to have a kid who is an adventurous eater. Steve doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, but he was still interested in trying everything. The three of us opened and split an item or two a day over the course of a week. 

As you can see, our MunchPak contained 12 items, including a mix of sweet and savory snacks, plus a drink. There are three sizes of MunchPaks available: one with 5+ snacks (you can see a review here), one with 10+ snacks (which is what mine is), and one with 20+ snacks. You can get a one-time box, or sign up for a subscription lasting 3, 6, or 12 months. When you order from MunchPak, you can get a random mix like mine, or you can customize your order for an extra fee. I think the random is more fun.

You can also select whether you prefer foreign or American foods. I am all about the foreign foods! I am particularly excited when the packages don't have any English on them and the pictures don't offer any clues either. For example, what would you expect this snack from Poland to taste like?

If you said vanilla frosting, then you are correct! These treats had a shell of crusted frosting, with a softer (but not spreadable) frosting inside. They had a strong vanilla flavor with a tiny bit of tang to them. I have no idea why there is a sailor on the package. 

Here's another Polish treat. There's no English, but there are some clues on the package. If you look carefully, you can see a cola bottle in the bottom right and bubbles coming up from it. The character is holding a fizzing test tube. 

Sure enough, this hard candy tasted just like cola. And it had a surprise fizzy filling inside. Yum!!

The next treat was from Northern Ireland, and thus had English on the package. While I prefer the mystery of "What am I eating?!", it's nice to be able to read the ingredient list. These tasty smoky bacon 'crisps' had a delicate meaty flavor... but they were vegetarian. I would have sworn they had meat in them. 

In addition to Poland and Northern Ireland, our MunchPak had snacks from Spain, the Netherlands, China, Japan, England, and Slovakia. We had great fun snacking our way around the globe and can't wait for our next MunchPak to arrive!

MunchPak makes a great gift for anyone who would love a care package showing up in the mail. I think it'd be especially good for college students or loved ones in the military. Or pretty much anyone else.

MunchPak Product Review

Any adventurous eaters out there? These interesting snack foods showed up on my doorstep recently, and I couldn't have been more excited!

They weren't loose on my doorstep. They were in a box. Specifically, a MunchPak Mini. 

When MunchPak offered to send me a sample for review, I was all in. I LOVE trying new-to-me foods. 

Steve and Trevor were also excited to give them a try, so I made each of us a sample plate: 

First, we tried the cacahuate estilo Japonés (Japanese-style peanuts). They're not Japanese. They're Mexican. And they're yummy. They have a slightly sweet, slightly soy coating on the peanuts. My Spanish is decent, so I was able to get some clues from the wrapper about what's in them. 

Next up... well, I don't know exactly what they are. They taste similar to Pringles but are shaped like rings. Following the illustration on the package, we ate them off our fingers. Yum!

Another mystery. The only English on the wrapper says "sour paper." There are illustrations of fizzy soda. Sure enough, this tasted like a cola-flavored fruit bar with a light dusting of citric acid. It was pretty good. 

No English on this wrapper either. It's 26 cm. of something, but what? I'm not a big fan of gummy candy, so I didn't love this, but I didn't hate it either. Both flavors were pleasant if hard to identify. The brown might have been root beer. Trevor loves gummy candy and really enjoyed this. 

Finally, the only item in the box that's both familiar and written in English - the original GooGoo Cluster. Can't go wrong with that! Delicious!

All three deRosiers give a big thumbs-up to MunchPak! We love the idea of mystery snacks showing up on the doorstep. This would be such a fun gift to give or to receive. I think it would be especially awesome to send as a care package to a college student. 

MunchPaks come in three sizes - Mini (5-6 snacks), Original (10+ snacks) and Family Pak (20+ snacks). They can be delivered weekly, every two weeks, or monthly. Shipping is free within the US.

People with dietary restrictions or preferences can customize each package by clicking buttons to show their preferred and non-preferred snack types. There are 15 options, so you can avoid (or request) meat, seafood, nuts, gummies, and more. Each customization adds $1 to the price. Personally, I think the randomness of what you get adds to the fun, but it is nice that people with allergies or preferences will receive foods that are safe for them.