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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

GoPicnic Ready-to-Eat Meals Review

Are you on the look out for easy to prepare meals for yourself or your children?  Meals that are easy to take with you?
These days it seems like so many people are always on the go and find themselves stopping at fast food restaurants when they need something to eat. Not the healthiest places to eat. Or maybe you send your child to school or day care with quick to fix meals which are full of undesirable ingredients. I used to work in a day care and a Montessori, and some of the meals the children brought in were far from nutritious. I have purchased those little boxed lunches for my girls when we were out and about before, figuring they were better than stopping at the local fast food restaurant. But then I wondered, are they really better? 

I recently discovered some Ready-to-Eat boxed lunches that are better than stopping at those fast food places. These meals contain no trans fats, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or flavors and no MSG. They can be taken with you without fear of them spoiling as they need no refrigeration. 

I actually was fortunate enough to win 2 of these meals and then I received 2 more to review. 

I won the Hummus and Crackers All Natural Meal


and the Turkey Stick and Crunch Classic Deli Meal. 
I then received another one of these Turkey Stick meals to review.


Along with the Peanut butter and Crackers All Natural Meal. 


When we started co-op I was unaware that I was supposed to bring lunch for the two younger girls who would be in preschool. It ended up being perfect timing because the girls were able to take these meals with them for a healthy lunch. 


They enjoyed the little boxes the meals came in. I love the way everything is individually wrapped, so if you can't eat it all at once the remainder of the food is not going to go bad or get stale.



The girls shared the meals and mommy had a bite of everything so I could see how they tasted. 

Here is what we thought of the Turkey Stick and Crunch Meal.

The flavor was very good, and even though the Baja Blend Fruit and Nut mix had a bit of a spicy kick to them it was not overpowering. The turkey sticks themselves were very tasty. This meal includes Popchips, which I have never heard of. These are not fried or baked. These chips are popped with heat and pressure. Though there was a bit of an aftertaste, I really enjoyed them, as did the children. Also included were Simply Fruit Tropical Bites, a very tasty, healthy alternative to regular gummies and an Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunchy Cookie. Definitely a hit with the girls and not bad tasting I have to say. 
The above meal was also gluten free.

Here is what we thought about the Peanut Butter and Cracker Meal.

I figured this one would be a hit with the girls because they love peanut butter and crackers. The peanut butter comes in a little squeeze pouch which was easy to open. You don't even need a knife to apply it, because you can just squeeze it on the crackers. The whole grain honey wheat crackers were very tasty. I did think it was a little overboard to have cheddar bunny crackers, though the girls thought it was great! They love cheese crackers, and these were made with organic wheat and contained 0 grams trans fat. These Annie's Homegrown Cheddar Bunnies also have no artificial preservatives or ingredients! The girls also got to enjoy some more gummies, Professor Zim Zam's Extraordinary Sweets' Jelly Jets and some Sweet Perry Orchards' Unsweetened Applesauce. 
The above meal was NOT gluten free.

I think it is great that GoPicnic offers a variety of meals for different dietary concerns. As mentioned above, they have gluten free meals, however, not all of the meals are gluten free. If you require a gluten free diet, please make sure to review each products' packaging. You can also check out the list of Gluten Free meals on the GoPicnic site.  

In addition to gluten free meals, you could also find meals to fit your diet if you require vegetarian, vegan or Kosher meals.

Disclosure: I received 2 Ready-to-Eat meals from GoPicnic for free in order to review them. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be good products for my readers.

21 comments:

  1. I have never tried these but they look like a fantastic option for little peeps on the go!

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  2. This looks like a great snack! Thanks for the review!

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  3. Sounds like a great healthy alternative snack for teens too! Thanks for an honest review on a new product for me! Can these be purchased in stores?

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    1. Thanks for the question. I should have included the info in the review. I have read that they can be found in Target. Not sure. However, the site has a store locator.

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  4. These sound wonderful and how doesn't love just how easy it is to have these for something like a trip to the park!

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  5. Sound like a great, healthy alternative for using on the road, taking to the park, etc.!

    soudersjenn@gmail.com

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  6. I can't wait to try these! Great review :)

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  7. I'm a firm believer in "No fast food is the best food." There's so much crap in that stuff and so many people don't think twice about feeding it to their kids. Ugh. Get them started on good habits young so they are healthy! I love that these are convienent AND healthy. There's also a nice variety for picky eaters.

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  8. This is such a great idea for a product. I know they sell them at the airport.

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  9. I think Go Picnic is a fantastic idea. These are great as a snack for kids while on a road trip or even to add to a stock pile. I would definitely like to add a few to our bug out bags.

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  10. we are always on the go and I find it difficult to find quick and easy and HEALTHY things to take with us. These would be great!

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  11. I've never heard of this company, but it sounds interesting. My kids think Lunchables are a fun treat but they're not very healthy. I'd love to try these out!

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  12. I would really love to try these. If my children liked them it would make me so happy they would be eating healthier.

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  13. I love this idea and wish I had thought of it. These would be great to keep around the house for times when you need a quick meal that's healthy.

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  14. Nice review - these look about perfect for quick to go

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  15. These look like fun little lunches that would be easy to pack up on the go.

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  16. This would be perfect for after school, on the way to run errands and head to sports practice.

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  17. your review was great. Hope I win these and get to try them!

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  18. I love the GoPicnic meals! I really like that they include a Sudoku puzzle on the box I can do during my work at lunchtime. :) My favorites are the hummus and crackers and the sunflower butter and crackers. I'm not gluten free, but I like that some of them are for people who require that option.

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  19. i like the ideas of these for emergency rations in the car for emergencies. i REALLY like that they are low on the things we need to avoid

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  20. GoPicnic meals look very tasty. Thanks for the interesting and informative review!

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