Saturday, March 23, 2013

First VoxBox Review: BelVita Breakfast Biscuit

It's Saturday morning and the perfect time to test out one of the promotional items from the Influenster Sugar & Spice VoxBox: Nabisco's BelVita Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Breakfast Biscuits.

There are four Cinnamon and Brown Sugar biscuits to a package. When I first sat at the kitchen table with my family -- kids and Mr. B with cheesy scrambled eggs, toast and turkey sausage -- I thought, how is this going to be breakfast?! I read up on the product and the BelVita website lists some food pairings that complement the biscuits and create a healthy, well-balanced breakfast. So, I pulled out a Greek yogurt from the fridge, sliced up a juicy pear and poured a cup of tea and tore open the package of BelVita breakfast biscuits.


It was definitely a change-up of a breakfast for me. I don't eat eggs so I wasn't wishing I could trade plates with anyone else at the table, but the amount of food in front of me looked pitiful. The biscuits are tasty but dry. Thankfully I had tea and the juicy pears to get the crumbly bites down into my tummy. Breakfast was over in no time flat and I worried that this wouldn't be enough to get me through my busy morning of fruit and veggie shopping at the Farmer's Market (in the rain, blah!) Anyhow, to keep it short and sweet, I made in through the morning without any hunger pains and lasted until I arrived home with bags full of produce, just in time for lunch.

Nutritionally the BelVita Breakfast Biscuits look like vitamin-rich cookies. There is a very high amount of carbs (obviously) and 10grams of sugar seems like a lot for something that is only part of a breakfast. On the plus side, when reading the ingredients, I can understand what every component is. No HFCS, no weird sugar-substitutes (aside: one of my pet-peeves is sorbitol hidden in everyday items. YUCK!) and lots of whole grains and fiber. Overall first impression? The BelVita Breakfast Biscuit is a handy breakfast alternative to keep in the pantry but definitely not part of my everyday breakfast menu.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Preview of the Influenster Sugar and Spice VoxBox

Well, it finally arrived: my very first VoxBox from Influenster!

After a bit of a wait and a do-over on the email tracking number (no, I don't live in Oklahoma, guys!) I opened up my mailbox and there was my sparkly orange VoxBox. I immediately brought it home and cracked that baby open.

Here is what I discovered inside:
Sugar 'N Spice, indeed!
Now that it is here, I have a busy few weeks of testing everything out and documenting my experiences with each brand. I am trying hard to contain my excitement and not rip into everything willy-nilly; there has to be a method to my madness, right? I will admit that I did try out the Vaseline Spray & Go that afternoon after taking a shower. It has been hella dry here in a Florida and my skin is not used to this insane lack of humidity. Sure, we don't have any yucky snow but that doesn't mean I should settle with an ashy complexion!

Check back later for reviews and links to video demos of the products in this awesome VoxBox.