My friends at GoPicnic sent me a few of their offerings knowing that I am often on the go and looking for highly portable gluten-free options. Well, it doesn’t get much more portable than a picnic in a box. I sampled their Hummus + Crackers, Steak Nuggets + Cheese, and Tuna + Crackers. They also sent a non-gluten-free option that my non-Celiac other half enjoyed.
I am all about portability but don’t like to sacrifice quality or taste. What’s nice about GoPicnic is that their boxes are mixes of their branded products and other great wholesome products from a range of manufacturers. They also cater to a wide variety of dietary needs from Kosher to Gluten-Free.
First up was the Hummus + Crackers which contained: Wild Garden Hummus Dip; Crunchmaster Multi-seed Crackers; Sweet Perry Orchards Baja Blend Fruit & Nut Mix; Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame; and a Terra Nostra Organic Dark Chocolate Square. I am a huge hummus fan and this hummus was really very good. You can never go wrong with Crunchmaster crackers and the Baja fruit mix was a great combination of sweet and savory – quite unexpected. The dry roasted edamame was quite unique with just the right amount of saltiness and packed ton of flavor. For dessert the chocolate square provided a small treat to round out the meal.
The Steak Nuggets + Cheese seemed intriguing to say the least. I was actually pleasantly surprised as I was not sure what to expect. Think tender beef jerky on this one. This picnic contained: Jack Link’s Premium Cuts Original Beef Steak Nuggets; Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers; Copper Cowbell Parmesan Peppercorn Gourmet Cheese Spread; Sweet Perry Orchards Ginger Zip Fruit & Nut Mix; and a Brown & Haley Almond Roca Buttercrunch Toffee Candy. The steak nuggets were surprisingly good and when paired with the cheese spread and crackers made for a great tasting combo. The fruit and nut mix lived up to it name and was wonderfully zippy making for an nice contradiction of sweet and spicy. I love almond roca so this pack’s dessert was a homerun.
The final picnic was the Tuna + Crackers. This pack contained: GoPicnic Lemon Pepper Tuna Spread; Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers; Sweet Perry Orchards Trek Trio Fruit & Nut Mix; Sweet Perry Orchards Natural Applesauce; and a Terra Nostra Dark Chocolate Square. Given my shellfish allergy I do not eat any type of packaged fish product – shell or otherwise – just my personal preference. So my other half sampled the tuna and though it was pretty good. The applesauce made for a nice sweet addition and was not overly sweet. The fruit and nut mix was another winner and the chocolate square rounded out the pack.
My other half enjoyed the included GoPicnic Salami + Cheese pack that was not gluten-free and it looked pretty good to me.
Now I am sure many of you are thinking How on Earth is a little box going to fill me up? Well, I thought the same but had each of the boxes for lunch and they actually did fill me up. These would be great to throw in your bag and take to the office or on the road. Their prices at $4.99 or less are a steal and save you from having to run around and compile the items yourself. I can totally see these boxes appearing as an in-flight option on some airlines and know that I would surely pay a premium mark-up to have a safe option on a shoret flight — JetBlue and Continental take note You can check out their full product line and order online at their Web site.
