When you have to eat on the go…make it GoPicnic

Product: GoPicnic Hummus and Crackers All-Natural Meal – $4.99+

It never fails.  You’re trying to save money on a road trip by not eating out every time you get hungry…and sure enough…hunger strikes.  You don’t want to stop off somewhere and pay an arm and a leg for either a snack or a meal.  And with my food allergies…that’s not exactly the best option anyway.  So…this time…I came prepared.

On a trip up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a Quarter Marathon I was running in, my roommate and I were up before the sun and on the road at 6 a.m.  That meant we downed our breakfast at 5:30 before finishing with preparations and last-minute packing before taking out the garbage and heading out with the luggage to hit the road.  Regardless…by the time 10 a.m. rolled around…we were starving.

Thankfully, I came prepared with a couple of varieties of GoPicnic meals.  I had a couple that I got for free from the Gluten-Free Expo in Birmingham, Alabama.  But they included hummus and I was unsure of whether or not my roommate would eat that as she has a love/hate relationship with hummus.  So, when they ran a 1/2-off special on GoPicnic’s Web site, I ordered two of the Peanut Butter and Crackers for her, part of their All-Natural, Healthy Meals.  For me, I was quite content with my Hummus and Crackers pack.  Hers is not gluten-free.  But the Hummus and Crackers one is.

And it is full of delicious, healthy treats.

Open the box and you are greeted with a tube of Wild Garden Hummus Dip, Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers, Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame, Sweet Perry Orchards Baja Blend Fruit & Nut Mix and an Endangered Species Dark Chocolate Square.  Every component of this meal is all-natural, gluten-free, vegan and kosher.  Gotta love that!!

The biggest decision now was where to start.  I opted to hit up the Wild Garden Hummus Dip and the Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers first.  I’ve enjoyed the delicious Cruchmaster Crackers before, but this was my first time trying Wild Garden Hummus Dip.  Let me tell you…it was absolutely delicious.  I even had my roommate try some of it and she actually liked it too.  Go figure.  It was creamy and full of flavor.  It tasted like really good refried beans…but much healthier for you.  In fact, this hummus packs a whopping 6 grams of protein.  Most store-bough hummus has maybe 1 gram.  This made me a very happy girl.  Pairing it with the Original Flavor of Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers was brilliant.  The hummus only has 60 calories and the Crunchmaster Cracker pack also has only 60 calories.  NICE!

The next component that I tore into was the Sweet Perry Orchard Baja Blend Fruit & Nut Mix.  This was a simple blend of all natural dried fruits and nuts, which includes habañera almonds, sweet and salty peanuts and mango cranberries.  It was pretty good too.  A nice mix of salty and sweet.  The flavor from the dried fruits and the salty nuts was fantastic.  The pack that comes in the GoPicnic box has 100 calories and packs 3 grams of protein.

My next indulgence in the GoPicnic box of goodies was the Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame.   This is another snack I have eaten before…but I don’t think I ever blogged about it.  I love this stuff and prefer it over chips any day.  Honestly.  These dry roasted beans are absolutely delicious.  Not too salty.  And packed with flavor.  Like eating a peanut…but better.  This pack has only 130 calories in it, but packs a protein punch of 14 grams.  NICE!

And…for dessert…my GoPicnic box had an amazing square of Endangered Species Dark Chocolate.  It was a very dark chocolate blend too, of 72% cocoa content.  It was smooth, delicious, and sinful.  But not too sinful.  The square only sets you back 50 calories.  Mmmm…that’s an indulgence worth taking.

What I loved about GoPicnic is how easy these are to travel with.  My roommate and I were satisfied after eating our meals.  And, on a whole, definitely worth every bite.  My Hummus and Crackers meal was only 400 calories for the entire thing, had 12 grams of fiber, and a powerful 25 grams of protein.  For a vegetarian who is also gluten-free…that protein is exactly what I needed.  And it was just so good too.  I absolutely appreciate the simplicity of these meals, but how filling they are without breaking a diet or the fat/carb/whatever bank.

GoPicnic offers up quite a variety of meals for the busy-body or traveler.  But only two fall into my dietary needs.  The Hummus and Crackers GoPicnic meal was fantastic and I recommend it to any vegan, regardless of gluten-free status.  It’s a delicious on-the-go treat that held me over until early afternoon.

GoPicnic…I love you.  For (deliciously) real!