You may get the sense that once I find a product I love, I get kind of obsessed with it. Just a little! Today I am going to tell you about a few of these recent obsessions and offer a chance to enter to win one of them, too.
I love, love, love when a really cool company reaches out to me to see if I want to try their products. Shyla from Kooee Snacks wrote to let me know about a new range of all-natural Jerky Trail Mix from KOOEE! Super Snacks. She offered to send me some free samples before they officially launched their Kickstarter campaign on September 30. She explained that the healthy snacks were a combo of jerky and trail mix. OMG – two total faves. Sign. Me. Up.
Here are some quick facts on KOOEE!:
- High-protein (20g per pack)
- Gluten, soy and dairy-free
- Paleo-friendly
- No added sugars, preservatives, colors and flavors
- Made using 100% grass-fed beef from Tasmania, Australia
- Each pack has a code to track our beef back to the Tasmanian farm where it was raised
- Stays fresh in unique RIP>PEEL>MIX pouches (patent pending)
- Each pack includes a wholesome blend of 100% grass-fed beef jerky, naturally dried fruit, raw nuts and seeds and nutrient rich superfoods.
The founder lived in Australia and made similar mixes of jerky and trail mix for hiking. Soon, all of his friends were asking to share them. He started working on the best mixes and a unique two part pouch to keep the mix fresh and tasty. The mixes come in two flavors:
- Lime Pepper with Mango Jerky Trail Mix – the jerky is seasoned with cracked pepper and infused with fresh lime juice, a taste that intensifies with every bite. This is combined with naturally sweet dried mango (no added sugar or sulfates), a blend of crunchy nuts and seeds, and a pinch of dried goji berries.
- Smoked Chipotle with Apple Jerky Trail Mix – the jerky offers a smoky yet subtle heat—just enough to warm up your tastebuds on a mountaintop. Each bag has a healthy blend of smoky, chipotle inspired beef jerky, naturally dried apple slices, raw nuts and seeds, and a sprinkle of antioxidant-rich cacao nibs.
These are perfect for an airplane or at your desk in addition to on a hike or at the gym. The separate pouches in the bag help to keep the stronger flavors from the jerky from changing the taste of the trail mix items. I loved the trail mixes in both of these. The jerky was tasty, too. In the spirit of full disclosure, the Lime Pepper jerky was very dry. My co-worker and I both found this. That said, I have a feeling that these guys will perfect this in production.
I was so confident that I was Kickstarter backer #2! And it was not just me, Kooee met their initial target in just a few days. Why? Awesome idea and awesome perks. Interested? There are still 8 days to support them. I promise to share my perks with readers in a giveaway when they arrive. So, get ready for that in a few months!
In the mean time, you can also keep up with Kooee! online, on Twitter and Facebook.
I saw Living Nutz on Kaila’s blog and I thought they looked amazing. I wrote to them and they asked me if I preferred savory or sweet. Um, yes, please. I like both. They offered to send me two savory and two sweet flavors of Living Nutz to try.
What are Living Nutz? They are sprouted, unpasteurized, raw nuts that are handcrafted in small batches of delicious flavors. They use a variety of organic spices, herbs and fruit. The result is delicious nuts that retain their best nutrition profile. Living Nutz are Non-GMO Certified, kosher and organic. They are also raw, vegan and gluten free. The nuts are “gently dried” and are never roasted.
The flavors are off the hook! They have 12 varieties of flavored sprouted nuts. These include Zesty Almond Bliss, I Love Vegan Cheesey Almond, Absolute Chi Teriyaki Almond, Sacred Celtic Almonds, Chocolate Walnut Divine, Tahitian Vanilla Almonds, Galactic Garlic Onion Pistachios, Apple Krisp Karma, Mayan Chili Pistachios, Celestial Cina-Pecan, Bodacious Banana Bread Walnutz, & Old World Italian Almonds. They come in 3 oz bags which are awesome for traveling. To sample, they sent me:
- Tahitian Vanilla Coco Creme Walnuts – these are so delicious plain but I imagine with some ice cream or as a topping for a pound cake they would be amazing, too. They are coco-nutty and are so delicious.
- Celestial Cina-Pecans – these taste like a “good for you” cinnamon bun. Need I say more? Again, delicious plain but would be amazing in oatmeal, on ice cream, etc.
- Mayan Chili Pistachios – I took these down on an airplane flight. They are nice and spicy, but not too spicy. The chili really gives these a delicious flavor. These would be awesome on a salad or in a quinoa dish, too.
- I Love Vegan Cheesey Almonds – these taste cheesy but they are vegan. Of all of the flavors, these are not my fave, but I would certainly eat them again.
They also make medicinal lip balms made from hemp (that is the business they started in). Out of curiosity, I bought two in Spearmint – one for me and one for my winner! Their hemp lip balms are made from organic cold pressed hemp seed oil (the first ingredient). They prepare their own infused oils with certified organic calendula in virgin olive oil, pure Maine beeswax, jojoba oil (lip balm only) and 100% pure essential oils or natural flavors.
Great news for you! I liked the Living Nutz so much that I bought a 12 pack of all of the flavors to try. I am giving away the 4 flavors that I tried already to one lucky reader. The prize is one of each of the reviewed flavors in a 3 oz bag. A $25 value. These are delicious but not cheap! Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Winner must be a US resident, 18 or over and the offer is void where prohibited. Contest ends on October 28th. A winner will be selected and notified on October 29th. Prize will be sent the week of November 3rd.
Like Living Nutz on Facebook for the first time and receive a coupon code for $6.00 off (on purchases of $36 or more). If you are already a fan, use code like6 to get the discount. Code expires 11/30/2014. The also sell bulk nuts and other treats. You can also follow on Twitter.
Please note: I was not compensated for this post. I was provided samples of both products in exchange for an honest review. I supported the Kickstarter and purchased additional products to share because I really, really like them!
PS. Don’t miss my other great giveaways.