Peckboard Review

If you’ve ever been to my house for dinner or for a party, there’s a really good chance there was a charcutier board. I’m pretty obsessed with them! We love tasting all the different cheeses, crackers, spreads, fruit, mustards and much more goodies that go into them.  Peckboard is the perfect solution if you are a charcutier newbie or a pro that is looking for some inspiration. They give you all the material you need to create a fabulous looking board!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THEM

Making a good board involves more than throwing some cheese out…it’s an artform.  Peckboard includes a guide to making a beautiful board. It also is a wonderful way for you to learn what different pairings you can do on a board.  I would have never thought to add a fig loaf.

It also teaches you different tips.  For example, I learned that you should take your cheese out of the fridge an hour before you’re serving it.

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Eattiamo Review

One of the best ways to experience a country is through their food.  We basically ate our way through Italy because everything we ordered ended up being delicious.  Every time I see Bolognese sauce on a menu, I think back to that small restaurant in Sienna we went to after attending the horse race of Palio.  Eattiamo, an Italian food subscription box, is the perfect way to bring Italy right to your kitchen.  Take a peek at this amazing box and see how we “traveled” to Italy without leaving our home.

WHY TRAVELERS WILL LOVE THEM

I loved getting the whole family in the kitchen together to make a meal.  We opened a bottle of chianti, put on some Italian music, and gave everyone a task of chopping, stirring, measuring, and tasting.  I love that it brought up many memories of Italy for my husband and I and it made Italy number one on my girls’ Travel Bucket List.

Although the box gives you ingredients to make an entire meal (including an appetizer and something sweet for the end) it also gives you the leeway to show your creativity.  We added some things to the menu and removed some to make it a better fit for our family. It was the perfect way to spend a Friday night together.

WHAT PRODUCTS DID WE GET?

ITALIAN DETOX FOOD BASKET ($79)

This box was perfect because I was just finishing a 10-day health shred, which focused on the importance of eating well. We loved preparing this Italian feast when we got to the lake. It was the perfect way to spend the night in the kitchen together. Fireplace was lit and a bottle of chianti was opened. What else could we need?

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15 Cookbooks that Inspire Travel

One of the best things about travel is the FOOD! Eating local cuisine can tell you a lot about the culture.  Being Portuguese, I know that lots of love goes into our food and that the best memories are made around a dining room table.  Since we’re not using our passports right now, a great way to “travel” is to discover new places through their food.  I love to gather my family in the kitchen, put on some music, and start giving everyone a task of chopping, measuring, stirring, and tasting.  Here are a few of my favorite cookbooks.

Here are 15 cookbooks that will inspire you to travel the world:

PORTUGAL: Taste Portugal 101 Easy Portuguese Recipes (Volume 1)

(I can’t wait to buy her second book!)

by Maria Dias

SPAIN: Catalan Food: Culture and Flavors from the Mediterranean

by Clarkson Potter

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Match Made Coffee Review

Whenever I travel, I love to drink a cup of local coffee to start my day.  Coffee tells you a lot about the culture and there are endless ways to enjoy it.  What is the perfect treat to go with coffee?  How about a delicious cookie to pair with it? Match Made Coffee subscription box came up with the brilliant idea to do just that…coffee and a cookie chosen just for you!

What do I love about this box?

Match Made Coffee pairs organic coffees that are roasted and ground fresh with gourmet cookies that are baked fresh, packaged, and delivered right to your doorstep.  I love that these are small-batch coffee roasts that are cultivated from around the world. The only downside is they currently we do not offer decaf options. I don’t personally drink decaf coffee, but I have friends that do.

What does the company say is the best way to pair the coffee and cookies together to taste them?

Smell is a big part of taste, so smell your coffee first, then take a sip. Chewing activates your flavor receptors too, so chew your coffee a few times.

Slowly swallow your coffee so that it hits the taste buds all over your tongue and down your throat.

As you swallow, smell the cookie and take a nibble and chew a few times and swallow.

Then sandwich the cookie with the smell and nibble process on the coffee one more time.

Keep this up and enjoy!

What comes in each box?

2 bags of coffee grind and 2 cookies.

What did we get?

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Sun Basket Review

I love cooking for my family, but sometimes it’s a hassle finding a healthy recipe, going grocery shopping, getting all the ingredients prepped, and figuring out how to make it.  That is why subscription boxes like Sun Basket are a wonderful idea for people who would like to spend more time out having adventures and still being able to put an amazing meal on the table.

What do I love about this box?

I love that this box allows you to choose specific diets such as:

Paleo, Vegetarian, Lean & Clean, Gluten-Free, Pescatarian, Mediterranean.

I also love that they use hand–selected seasonal ingredients from the country’s top farmers, ranchers and seafood purveyors.  They also use organic produce, responsibly raised meats free of antibiotics and added hormones, and sustainably sourced, and wild-caught seafood.

The recipes were easy to understand and the ingredients were all fresh.  I also appreciate that these meals all took less than 30 minutes to prepare.

What comes in each box?

Everything you need to complete some delicious meals!

Paired with easy-to-follow directions.

What did we get?

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Splendid Spoon Review

At the start of this pandemic, we were eating junk food left and right.  Sugar and carbs were acceptable since they were comfort foods.  But as it went on we realized we were starting to feel as gross as the food we were putting into our mouths.  So, we changed our mindset and started only eating clean, non-processed food.  I’ve been shopping at places like farmers markets and farm-to-table stores, but there are times when I just don’t feel like cooking and that can lead to bad choices.  It is times like these where Splendid Spoon can save the day.  Splendid Spoon is a plant-based food delivery service that serves up wellness shots, smoothies, and bowls.  It is the perfect solution to eating well, fast, and easy!

What do I love about this box?

I love that all of their meals are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and low in sugar and sodium.  I don’t normally eat plant-based food…in fact, I LOVE to eat meat.  But lunches and breakfasts are great meat-free meals.

How do they ship it?

They ship their Grain and Soup Bowls frozen and their smoothies refrigerated with recyclable insulation and dry ice to ensure that your meals arrive chilled.  I love that if you choose not to eat them right away, you can throw them in the freezer for 1-3 months.

What did we get?

So…So…So much yummy stuff!!!

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Whisk Takers Review…Baking Subscription Box

Since this pandemic started, my family has been on a sugar overload.  We all agreed to have no sugar Sunday through Friday and then reward ourselves with a tasty sweet treat on Saturdays.  Since it’s only once a week, we make sure it is really good.  Whisk Takers made this week’s sweet a cinch to make and we devoured it! Whisk Takers is a baking subscription box that includes almost everything you need to make a fabulous dessert.

What do I love about this box?

I love that this baking subscription box gave simple, easy-to-follow directions so the kids could take control of our project.  The ingredients were all pre-measured so it was impossible to make a mistake.  Since everything was measured out, there was almost no mess when they were done…and I was extremely grateful for that!

What comes in each box?

Whisk Takers supplies step-by-step recipe cards & pre-measured ingredients.  These pre-measured ingredients are individually numbered and designed to make your baking experience fun, easy and mess-less!

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Review of Atlas Coffee Club

One of my favorite things about travel is experiencing the different cultures, and a great way to do that is through local food and drinks.  One thing I always try to do is start my day with a cup of local coffee.  It’s amazing how different they can all taste.  Since we are practicing social isolation, it is sad to think that our adventures abroad are on hold.  With Atlas Coffee Club, you can experience delicious coffee from countries all around the world while learning all about what makes that country unique.   Their coffee is curated and procured from all around the globe, so you can take lots of adventures without leaving your kitchen.

What do I love about Atlas Coffee Club?

When you subscribe, you get to choose the amount you get each month, how often you receive it, your roast preference, and your grind type (ground or whole bean). All of the coffee they source use sustainable farming practices. I also love how fresh their coffee it.  Their team roasts every morning, with each batch of coffee being roasted often within hours, if not minutes, of being shipped out.

What comes in each box?

A curation of the world’s best single origin coffee.

 Coffee & postcard from a new country each month.

 Tasting notes & brewing tips for each batch.

 Your personalized preferences, on your schedule.

What coffee did we get?

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Review of Eat2explore

Like many of you, our family is so upset about having to put a hold on all of our travel plans.  I’ve been spending this time ‘virtually traveling’ by experimenting with new meals and cocktails from different countries. Eat2Explore, a cooking subscription box, is the perfect way to do this.  Since we are all at home practicing social isolation, it’s a great time to try new activities and create lifelong memories with your family.

I love that the creators of this box have the same beliefs as I do.  They feel mealtime should be an experience and cooking are life-skills everyone should have.  They also feel hands-on cooking and culture explorations is even more important in today’s world.  My daughters and I had so much fun cooking with this box.  I even played French music while we were cooking.

What do I love about this box?

I love that there are three different exploration options.  The first choice is to explore a country (1 or 3 countries).  You could also choose to explore a continent (4 countries).  Finally, you could choose to explore the world (12 countries). With every package, you will receive a new country box each month.

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Little Sous: Cooking Subscription Box

My girls have been in the kitchen with me since they were young, and they love to help create delicious meals.  During social isolation, they have been loving cooking and we are always looking for new recipes.  We were so excited to get our box from Little Sous Kitchen Academy, a cooking subscription box for kids.  We couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen.

What do I love about Little Sous Kitchen Academy?

I love that this box encourages kids to be curious about cooking and teaches them a life skill.  When cooking together it’s the perfect time to talk about healthy eating habits and nutrition.  It also helps them broaden their palate, so it’s great for picky eaters.

What comes in each box?

Step-by-step cooking lesson with kid-friendly recipes

Activity cards

Ready-to-color poster filled with games and puzzles

Fun stickers

High-quality cooking tool or a non-perishable ingredient

The box has a classy look but the quote “Messes will be made,” reminds you that it is for kids.

What did we get in our cooking subscription box?

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