Bestowed Subscription Box Review + Coupon – October 2016

Bestowed is a monthly subscription box that focuses on healthy foods and snacks curated by celebrity nutritionist Heather Bauer. Each box is filled with healthy tips and treats to try. Bestowed offers a Home Box, a Gift Box, and an Office Box.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

This review is of the Home, $20 a month, box. 

The Subscription Box: Bestowed

The Cost: $20 a month, or choose from three other subscription levels: 3 Months ($18/month), 6 months ($17/month), or 12 months ($16/month). Shipping is free!

ACTIVE DEAL: Get your first box for just $9.99 when you sign up for a new one-month recurring membership. Or get your first box FREE when you sign up for a new 3, 6, or 12 month membership!
CODE: TRIAL92

The Products: Healthy snacks and food items selected by nutritionist Heather Bauer.

Ships to: U.S. only, delivered via USPS

Check out all of our Bestowed Box reviews and the Food Subscription Box Directory!

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There's a note from the founder, Heather, in each Bestowed Box. I like that she includes tips for living well to complement the healthy snacks. This month, (surprise, surprise) Heather focuses on healthy options for Halloween!

All of the items in the box are listed out on the back of that card, along with details about why Bestowed chose each one.

Two Tea Temples from teapigs (Liquorice & Peppermint and English Breakfast) - Total Value $0.76 ($0.38 each)

The more I researched teapigs (yep, all lowercase), the more I loved about them. They use biodegradable bags (they call them "tea temples" because of their pyramid shape), are committed to giving back to their communities, and even have a "Mood-o-Meter" on their site to help you pick the right tea for you. Cute! The flavors were lovely and robust. I really liked the liquorice and peppermint one, which was surprising, as liquorice usually isn't my thing. But paired with peppermint it tasted delightfully refreshing and desserty.

Pranayums Daily Super Spice Shot, 1.5 g - Value $1.43

This packet contains organic turmeric, organic black pepper, organic cardamom, organic ginger, organic cinnamon, organic licorice root, and more. Basically, every magical spice out there that helps with inflammation, your immune system, and wellness. I mixed this into a smoothie, but the card that comes with the packet tells you how to brew it into a kind of tea, too. Even when mixed with bananas and berries and such, I could taste the turmeric and a bit of the ginger. It added a bit of heat to the usual flavor of my smoothie, but not in an overpowering way.

Growing Naturals Organic Rice Protein in Strawberry Burst, 1.09 oz. - Value $2.26

I like the strawberry flavor of this powder (it reminded me of the kind of strawberry milk you'd find at the grocery store) and stirred into almond milk, I only barely picked up on that kind of weird aftertaste I find in so many protein powders. How could I describe it... it's a watery, almost plastic-y sort of flavor... anyway, I didn't notice it very much here, though I'll still stick to mixing this into other things, rather than having it blended into plain water or ice. Just in case.

Love Grown Apple Cinnamon Super Oats, 1.51 oz. - Value $0.87

It's been a minute since I've had oatmeal in a little brown packet like this, despite it being one of my favorite comfort foods. So, right off the bat, I was excited about this little pouch. It cooks up right away and has the same gooey deliciousness of the classic stuff I loved as a kid. It also made my kitchen smell DELICIOUS, like I had just made apple crisp. Because of the chia seeds (I suspect) it's a bit more bouncy to chew than traditional oatmeal (I know that sounds weird, but try it and you'll get it), but I was pleased to find that it had every bit as much sweet cinnamony flavor as I had hoped. I ate this after a cold bike ride home from the gym, and between the healthfulness of the ingredients and the warm coziness of the experience, these grains couldn't have left me feeling any better.

Curate Harmonious Blend Bar, 1.59 oz. - Value $1.28

When I took a bite of this bar, I thought, "Mm, good, good. Almonds. A little sweet. Wait, what is that flavor?" There was something so different and zesty about this bar that I really liked, but couldn't put my finger on. Then I saw on the package that there's balsamic vinegar in the recipe—imagine that! Who would think to put balsamic vinegar in a granola bar? But I love it! Along with the lemon, it adds this interesting, tangy sweetness to the rest of the ingredients that wakes the whole thing up. So tasty! And with all of the protein in here, it's very filling, too.

Lundberg Sriracha Rice Chips, 1.5 oz - Value $1.20

These are great chips for spice lovers! They're vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, and absolutely packed with flavor. I really liked that the brown rice chips have a very subtle, almost wonton-like taste to them. They're also a sturdier chip with a great crunch. I plowed through this bag of chips since they were so delicious. But a word of warning, they're also SUPER spicy! My mouth was burning a good bit, but I persevered because the taste was so good!

ProTings Protein Chips in Tangy Southern BBQ, 1.0 oz. - Value $2.46

These are pricey chips! They definitely tide you over, though. The secret to these chips is pea protein, which filled me up and got me past my peckish mood faster than I expected. The barbecue flavor is sweet and smoky, which is my favorite way for any chips to be. My only qualms (apart from the price), are 1) that after a few crunches, they have the same kind of gritty, mealy texture you'd get munching on crunchy edamame or chickpeas, and 2) that they leave a weird sort of bitter aftertaste behind. I recommend enjoying these tasty chips, but doing so with something to wash them down with close by.

Natralia Anti-Itch Soothing Cream, 0.10 oz - Value $0.40

Bestowed usually includes a non-snack item in their box. This time it was this sample of anti-itch cream for dry or irritated skin. I didn't have any itches to attend to, but my feet were awfully dry after I showered, so I slathered some of this thick white cream on them to try it out. The cream is buttery thick and absorbed rather luxuriously into my skin. One of its soothing aspects is menthol, which left my feet feeling fresh and pampered. The menthol also gives the cream a very light minty scent.

Somersaults in Sea Salt, 1 oz. - Value $0.87

I was a little confused about these snacks, because they look like a cookie, but the label suggests something savory. When I actually tried one... well the experience was the same. They almost have the texture of a tiny pecan cookie (each one is about the size of a quarter), and they're very mildly sweet, but after a few bites you realize you're eating salted sunflower seeds. That's not a bad thing, of course, but I think, looking at the package, and then the cookie-like treat in my hand, my brain wanted something (and expected something) totally different than what it got, haha! That said, these would make handy, protein-filled snacks to keep in my purse. And like most protein snacks, they're really satisfying!

Verdict: I really liked this month's Bestowed Home Box! Sometimes I get skittish when products are too unconventional—in this case, I appreciated trying all of the healthy, fresh twists on familiar flavors and snacks. Especially the ones that added a bit of warmth to the chillier season. The only downside is that the value I got for the box was only $11.53 this time around, which is low compared to the $20.00 price of the box. That's a bigger difference than this box tends to have, so I wouldn't write it off. But especially since some of those prices were stereotypical-health-food high ($2.46 for a little bag of chips?), I wish there was something more to help the value and price even out.

Which Bestowed box snacks are you most curious about?