The Keto Box Review | October 2020
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What is this WEATHER?! It's freakin' amazing!
If you live in Minnesota specifically, you know what I'm talking about. It's November, yet somehow it's been getting up to the 70's! Like... what?! I can't remember the last time that was a thing. And trust me—us Minnesotans are looooving it.
The funny part is that Thomas & I just got back from Florida recently, and it was almost the same temperature back home in MN as it was on vacation in FL. Crazy!
Anywho, this month’s shipment was a special one because it marked our three-month testiversary of reviewing The Keto Box! My mom and I told ourselves at the beginning of this that we would give ourselves three boxes to test before formulating an ultimate opinion on this subscription service and deciding whether or not to continue.
So here we are! In this post, I will do the ushe: review the individual products in this month’s box, tell you our opinion of this month’s box as a whole, and then tell you our opinion of The Keto Box subscription service as a whole—and whether we are gonna keep it going.
Sound good? Let’s get to it!
1. ChocZero's Dark Chocolate Pumpkins
These were yummy! They didn’t taste sugar-free—just like regular dark chocolate. The packaging was the cutest ever. Perfect for Halloween. Also, the chocolates were individually pre-packaged, so you can carry a few in your purse or put them out in a candy dish without them going bad/stale. (Also perfect for Covid). Mom liked these enough to go on the website and order some of her own!
Retail Value: $5.99
2. Kalifornia Keto's Pumpkin Spice Cookies
I enjoyed these! I didn’t get to eat them all because I must've made them a little too big, and they therefore didn’t cook thoroughly enough. Even after cooling, they stayed VERY soft—almost too soft. But taste-wise, they were delicious! I would eat them again for sure. Mom said they were good, but maybe something you could make at home. I liked these better than the pecan bites by Kalifornia Keto from the first month.
Retail Value: $9.49
3. Lillie's Q's Carolina Barbeque Sauce
This is one we still have yet to try. This product was small—definitely sample size. It reminded me of something you would get as a hand-out at a grocery store. Mom said it didn’t really count as a product, but oh well. I was still happy to receive this because it showed variety, something other than keto snacks.
Retail Value: $10.13 / 20 oz.
We received a smaller sample size than in the photo.
4. Shrewd Food's Sour Cream and Onion Protein Puffs
I was so disappointed in these puffs. :( I love sour cream & onion flavored snacks, so I had high hopes for these. However, they were NOT good. They tasted like old books. Mom said they had a cheesy taste but that they were weird. She didn’t hate it as much as I did, but she certainly didn’t enjoy them. I wouldn’t happily eat a bag… ever.
Retail Value: $1.87
5. Palmini's Hearts of Palm Lasagna Sheets
This was probably the best product we received. Items like these make The Keto Box seem well worth it. This was a full-size, heavy, substantial product that we were able to use to make a whole (very tasty!) lasagna. To me, this is what a dietary subscription box should really focus on: alternative products to replace “typical” ones that the diet restricts against. In this instance, the palm sheets were a great substitute for pasta lasagna sheets, and even Thomas who is picky as all heck barely noticed the difference. There may have been a slight textural difference, but nothing obvious that detracted away from the lasagna. This is a healthy & creative solution for a no- or low-carb diet. Would highly recommend!!
Retail Value: $4.17
6. SlimFast's Fat Bomb Real Cheddar Cheese Crisps
This one reminded me of some of the cheesy snacks from last month. I love a good “cooked” cheese flavor (if that makes sense).
Retail Value: $1.67
7. Laguna Salt Company's Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
Even though Mom already had pink Himalayan salt, I was very happy to receive this product because it can be used multiple times, as opposed to a snack or bar of chocolate that can be consumed in one sitting. Another product that makes The Keto Box seem well worth it!
Retail Value: $6.49/2 oz.
We received a larger 3 oz. bottle.
8. FattBar's Coconut and Macadamia Bar
Mom likes the high fat count in these. They were not bad, but they did have that taste you get when something is old—not rotten but more-so expired. It maybe had something to do with the coconut, or the coconut oil?
Retail Value: $2.44
Converted, originally sold in Euros.
9. Ketofit's Chocolate Nutrition Bar
My thoughts on this nutrition bar was that it was tasty, but the sweetness in it came through as somewhat artificial (although, should that really be surprising?). Also, although the chocolate component did shine through, it was otherwise a little absent in taste, in complexity.
Mom disagreed. She really liked this!
Retail Value: $3.33
10. Think Jerky's Grass-Fed Original Beef Stick
ANOTHER BEEF STICK?! You guys, there has been one every month so far. Gets very repetitive. This one was rather yummy and well-seasoned—better than the first month’s—but to me, it still had nothing on Costco’s.
Retail Value: $2.25
11. Pyure's Organic Chocolate Drink Mix
This wasn’t very rich, but it was tasty! One of the biggest issues with a product like this, though, is that while it itself may be keto, it is meant to be stirred into milk, which isn’t keto-friendly. I suppose you could find a dairy substitute though—or use heavy cream mixed with water? It also didn’t mix well together. The powder partially clumped up. So overall, not perfect… but good enough.
Retail Value: $5.48
12. Love Good Fats's Chewy-Nutty Salted Caramel Nut Bar
This bar reminded me of the nut bars you can buy at ALDI. I love both this style of “granola” bar (even though there's no granola in it) and this specific brand’s bar. It was tasty, had good textural variety, and is something I would definitely throw in my purse to snack on. Thumbs up from me!
Retail Value: $2.33
13. Professor Nutz's Peanut Butter
This was a fun product to end off with because we had a LOT of thoughts regarding it. At first we wondered what was even in it… No carbs? Okay good. But no fat? What?? Why’s it even in a keto box then? And how? Peanuts have fat? Do they separate the fat from the protein? Somehow this peanut butter is basically just made up of protein and fiber.
Now taste… It’s goooood. Creamy, smooth, more liquidy than regular peanut butter but also richer. It also sticks to your palette more, which can make your mouth feel even drier than with regular PB.
Overall, this was a success in our book! Again, it’s relatively substantial and can be used more than once, it’s delicious, AND it’s something unique we haven’t seen before. Love it!
Retail Value: $5.99
Pros of this box:
13 items… WHAT?! Heck yeah.
Good variety this time.
Good sizes, substantial products.
Cons of this box:
Too many bars.
More than one item was either just ehh or even bad.
Pros of The Keto Box as a whole:
The exposure to new products and brands is wonderful. Helps you figure out what’s worth ordering again and what to steer clear from. Products you can’t always find in store.
Usually comes with coupons.
Really fun getting to unbox with someone and compare opinions on taste.
Very timely. Arrives early in the month.
Cons of The Keto Box as a whole:
$40 still seems pricey just to try mostly snacks. $30-$35 would seem more fair, especially since the retail value of the items in the box usually adds up to around $40. Some subscription services double, triple, even quadruple the value you get compared to what you spend.
Sometimes the variety is crappy. Lots of snacks, repeated pork rinds and beef sticks, etc. Wasn’t overly impressed with the first two boxes but the third was great.
Wish the sizes of the products were bigger, more substantial—that the box itself was bigger.
Sometimes the taste just isn’t there, but that’s always a risk with dietary items and substitutes.
Are we continuing our subscription?
If we were to summarize our overall takeaway of the box, we would say that while the products aren’t always overly impressive—whether that be due to taste, size, or type—the experience of getting to try new products and share our thoughts on them together is the reason why my mom and I like the box.
Now... Will we be continuing our subscription? Drumroll, please?
YES!! At least for a little while.
We will play it by ear, see what kind of upcoming boxes we get.
Here’s the thing: if I were to be buying this box for myself—not just to test it for From Farrah—I would NOT continue my subscription. $40 just seems too expensive of a monthly amount for what the box contains.
However, my mom and I split it and each pay $20. To us, the actual activity of getting to sit down together and open this mystery box, oo’ing and ahh’ing over what’s inside and getting to taste each item and compare our opinions, is what makes the $20 worth it. It’s like paying $20 to go out for a meal or to go play laser tag. It's the experience.
So, should you subscribe? This is what I think on that...
If you are not following the keto diet and have no one to share this with, I wouldn’t say it’s worth it.
If you are not following the keto diet but DO have someone to share it with (like me!), I would say it’s worth trying at least a couple times!
If you ARE following the ketogenic diet and need exposure to new, healthy products, I would also try it at least once or twice, just to learn about the types of keto foods out there.
I am curious about how The Keto Box compares to other keto boxes (confusing, huh?). From what I originally researched, The Keto Box was one of the—if not the—best keto subscription boxes out there. But things evolve over time… maybe there’s another one worth checking out??
Honestly, The Keto Box would have my full support if they just made the boxes a little bigger with more substantial products. You can go to the store and buy a decent amount of food for $40… As a customer, I want to feel like I’m really getting my money’s worth, you know?
But hey, at the end of the day, it’s still fun. :)
RELATED POST: The Keto Box Review | September 2020
Alrighty guys… what do you think?
Have you tried The Keto Box? Would you try The Keto Box?
If not, are there any other subscription services you’ve tried? And loved?
I may take a break for a while from writing unboxing posts about The Keto Box, but maybe I’ll be trying something new? Who knows!
Take care, lovelies.
Until next time…
