Blog POP!: Mantry: The Modern Man's Pantry Curated Box #Giveaway #bpopevents

**I received a complimentary Mantry crate at launch, in hopes I would share my honest thoughts here on Momma Told Me Blog 2014. All photos and thoughts below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2014.

Momma Told Me: Men aren't complicated. They simply want to be fed.

They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach; for me, there's nothing more attractive than a man who can cook. And I'm not talking about laying out a platter of Cheez Wiz on Ritz crackers- I mean a spatula wielding, sauce basting, meat grilling kind of guy. There's a reason every Hallmark mom is portrayed by a woman in bed with a freshly prepared platter of food. Beyond the desire to reverse roles, or feel pampered, there is something sexy about a man with a palette; just look at the business Gordon Ramsay has devised with his likeness and name alone! And now, more than ever, the modern man is becoming more and more discerning about what they put on their plate.

Finally there is a subscription box for the Man's Man the man with a stomach that has a voice of it's own; the man that considers baby carrots a garnish rather than food, the man who picks his coffee for the aromatic notes rather than the licensed picture on the side of the bag. The Mantry box truly is the modern man's pantry, a carefully curated monthly collection of fine flavors and epicurean indulgences sampled and picked from hidden gems across the country. It's a gathering of authentic flavors that represent regions and lifestyles; independent and artisan brands that, in most cases, deal exclusively with  specific product (brittle, sausage, rubs) to hone it's perfection. And, most importantly, a frills free guide to these products and how to put them to work to ignite taste buds.

Considered 'Food For Men,' the Campfire Cookout themed monthly box I received from Mantry was certainly the ideal curation for any man in my life. Packed with coffee rub, bourbon nib toffee, summer sausage, heat infused salsa, beer bread mix, and hickory smoked bacon, this was a cookout begging to happen. With full size 'products,' most individual indulgences or highlighting ingredients, the value of the Mantry was evident from the get-go. This was not your ordinary box, there were no fluffy crumpled paper or tissue fillers, it was 100% Mantry. Pure, delicious, artisan sourced foods with a beautifully illustrated preparation and pairing booklet.

There are few men one couldn't win over with a slab of Broadbent's Hickory Smoked dry cured bacon- a shelf stable perfection for any camp out or lazy afternoon skillet. I was happy to indulge my creative side when pairing the Just Cook Herbed Coffee Rub as a crisp cure to the bacon's edges. Crafted in San Francisco, Just Cook is a hearty blend of herbs and flavors that, in this case, pairs ground coffee for a slightly acidic rub base to compliment the inclusion of chipolte and cumin. Yes, it smells as delicious as it looks, and a little goes a long way to flavor town!

It wouldn't be the modern man's pantry without a little chocolate and bourbon, so The Campfire Cookout collection included something a little sweet with a box of Olive + Sinclair Bourbon Nib Brittle. From Nashville, TN, this delicacy features stone ground single-origin cacao beans cured in local bourbon barrels and melted into the golden river that is brittle toffee. These generous chunks of chocolate topped brittle were hearty in portion and a decadent indulgence as the rich semisweet coating melted with each crumbling bite. As a red-blooded chocolate loving woman, this spoke to my very core.

Hailing from New York, and made with traditional techniques by a Mexico City expat, the small batch handcrafted La Fundidora Fuego salsa brought a manly sense of heat to the collection. Perfect for a rustic morning omelet, or over a slice of the collection's Soberdough Green Cheddar Chili Brew Bread, the easy spread texture of this mellow heat salsa was full of tomatillo and arbor chile flavor. In general, all of the savory flavors of the Mantry box lent themselves to pairing with one-another; particularly in a hearty skillet or breakfast style meal.

Which lead me to create the above breakfast skillet featuring Mantry's Campfire Cookout Vermont Smoke + Cure Summer Sausage. Scratch made in small batches, using local Vermont meats, this Summer sausage has refined the flavors of rustic and made a classic 'man meat' staple even better. With a few slices grilled in a skillet, some fried hasbrowns, a sunny side up egg, and bagel core topped with Fuego salsa, I created the perfect breakfast surprise and secured my amazing girlfriend status for yet another month. Best of all, where some 'boxes' disappear quickly, we were enjoying the provisions of our Mantry box for weeks in cooking endeavors and midnight brittle samplings.

What Daughter Says: Ditch the garnishes and get down to flavor. You don't have to be a man to eat like one.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a MANTRY crate! Enter below and click the banner above to be taken to the official event Giveaway LINKY!

May @OrangeGladBox Review + Girl Meets S'mookie

Momma Told Me: You don't need dessert.

What is the purpose of dessert? Its the commencement of a meal, the end of a day, the last flirt with flavor before falling asleep. Dessert should not be mandatory, but earned. Sugar is not meant to be consumed for the simple sake of sweet, but the enhancement of flavors it creates when paired with indulgent notes such as vanilla bean, cocoa, and even rum. If you wander into the kitchen cabinets a quarter past ten o'clock and unwrap the first foil encased snack cake you come across you are not doing dessert justice my friends!

Sweets have long been regarded as a delicacy, a reward; confectioners have dedicated lives towards perfecting textures and flavor blends. They pair flaky with sweet and sticky, or bitter with melty and crunchy. I believe no sweet treat should ever be the same. And Orange Glad believes the same, my friend. They exist solely to curate the very best independent and handcrafted sweetness in a monthly box of U.S. made goodies. You may recall my first encounter with this sweet subscription service last October when I faced down the giant krispie.

I've been invited back, by the company, to try the following three months of specially dessert gift curated boxes in hopes I will share my opinions once more with you, my readers. You might be surprised but no one had to twist my arm in that agreement, I was on board faster than you can spell s-u-g-a-r r-u-s-h! So a beautiful square parcel landed on my doorstep in the middle of 95F Southern California Summer heat, and  was immediately concerned for the certain chocolate contained within. I was happy to find that Orange Glad has smartly stayed away from highly meltable confections, and, instead, opted to pack two award winning Baking Bettys cookies on ice. The jumbo S'more Cookie (or Smorkie as I affectionately call it) was soft and chewy, and packed with gooey marshmallow bits and chocolate chunks. It didn't last long.

One of my favorite things about the Orange Glad subscription boxes is the variety of types of sweets included. I am always certain to try at least one, if not multiple, new treat I'd never considered or even heard of. There were two such delights in the May 2014 box, the first being the playfully cinnamon sugar coated Italian Butterhorns. Not only have I been so inspired to consume these hand -rolled Italian butter cookies, I promptly went online to research recipes and learn how to make my own. (Expect a recipe post soon.)

Continuing my unintentional trip around the globe were the 'hand griddled' authentic Welsh Cakes in Cranberry Orange. These boasted that they were best served warm, and most reminded me of a sweet breakfast biscuit. As it turned out they were much more dense, and sweet, than I'd envisioned; more like a condensed muffin. These European cakes had fresh cranberry bits and a very vibrant orange zest flavor that was quite powerful throughout.

Ironically, what grabbed me the most about this collection of sweets were just how many of them were locally sourced and made. Fine Sconehenge Baking Company, which provided a Gluten-Free Ultimate Brownie is actually based out of a city that neighbors mine, and the Welsh Cakes are made in the town adjacent to my Aunt! While the product packaging was a little underwhelming, on the vendor's parts, Orange Glad always provides a complete ingredients list, and storage or care (shelf life) guidelines. Customers who find a new favorite brand or product are encouraged to log onto the website where they can buy directly from vendors and interact with the companies. My only criticism? I wish Orange Glad would bring back the colorful and fun boxes- it's always nice to see that orange box show up once a month!

What Daughter Says: If you're not experiencing new sweets, then you're not doing dessert right.

Blog POP! Nibblr Snacks Delivered- 1 Year Subscription Giveaway~ 4/27

 Hop along to all of the great Blog POP! Spring Fling giveaway on the official LINKY here!

Momma Told Me: You're not yourself when you're hungry.

It's no secret I've slimmed down quite a bit over the past year and a half. Most of that was due to the elimination of sugared beverages in my diet. In fact, I now drink nearly 95% water throughout the week. Water is great for curbing an appetite and maintaining optimal digestion but there are also a few other things that help too. Exercise; which is why I recently began a part-time job at Goodwill (it's better to get paid to be active than to pay a gym, right?) And metabolic managing- a.k.a snacking. Since I've begun improving my lifestyle and eating small portions, more regularly, throughout the day I've been much easier to get along with.

It's no joke that hunger pangs can make us act completely out of character. When I was a little girl my mother used to call it the 'hunger monster.' If I went more than four hours without eating something small I'd begin to get fussy, experience a loss of motivation, and even start throwing tantrums. Today, not much has changed. I rarely get breakfast in, and if I don't have a snack on hand by 10 am, I'm not making it to lunchtime without a meltdown. Enter Nibblr- quite literally my latest addiction. These snack subscription boxes are a whole new breed of snacking. Each box contains 4 unique packages of awesome, delivered as often as once a week, bi-weekly, or monthly to your door in a beautifully artistic sleeve.

But what exactly is Nibblr? It's not just another foodie subscription service. Nibblr is full of variety and quality ingredients that put you in control- you'll never receive an ingredient or snack mix you don't like, guaranteed! When you first sign up you'll be asked to rate up to 59 unique snack mix blends as either love it, like it, interested, or no thanks. Whatever you mark as 'no thanks' is automatically our of your subscription rotation. And the selecting process is a treat in itself with beautiful photos of the snack mix and detailed descriptions of ingredients and flavors. Not all mixes are necessarily 'healthy,' some are quite indulgent, but all are made with high quality ingredients and portioned perfectly for an individual snack.

There are many reasons I've made Nibblr my new B.F.F.- the easy to grab and go pre-portioned packets inside each box, the thoughtful combinations of ingredients that make snack-time fun and exciting again, and the insanely low price of around $6 a box (which includes shipping.) Choose from snack blends such as Apple of My Pie, Gorilla-A-Go-Go, PB and J, and Queen Bee. Most snack blends feature 3-4 unique ingredients to vary textures and flavors for a harmonious snacking experience that often mimics something much less healthy for you. And with each package hovering between 120 and 200 calories, you don't have to feel guilty!

The company has thought of nearly every necessity when it comes to packaging and convenient presentation. Each of your four snack potions will ship in a beautiful container that stores your snack packs throughout the week. Each portion is sealed with a peel-back see through sleeve, so you can always see the deliciousness inside. On the front of the snack pack is a description of the ingredients inside (no fancy preservatives or words,) and the back contains a complete nutritional break-down. The snacks are broken into categories such as fruit (purely dried or candied fruit), nut blends, and feel good sweets, so you can get a general idea of the 'food group' when planning your attack.

One of the best things about Nibblr is that it is always improving. Not only are new and seasonal snack blends constantly being released, but you can always go back and update your flavor profile to tailor your boxes. If you take a chance on a blend that isn't quite you, simply move it the 'no thanks' column the next time you log in. You'll always receive a blend of different types of snacks, and at least one of your 'love it' picks- so you're sure to never be disappointed.

Like most subscription services, you can shave a few pennies off your 'per box' price if you buy multiple boxes at a time. You'll pay as little as $5.50 a box when you buy12 at a time, and you can choose to have those delivered weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly over the course of a year. That makes a year of Nibblr potentially $66, and one great, affordable, gift for that special someone in your life (perhaps even you!) Whatever your lifestyle if like, crafting, blogging, or running after the kids, you're sure to be much happier with these thoughtfully crafted snack packs by your side. I am!

Receive your first Nibblr box free with exclusive code: TOLDME!

What Daughter Says: Take the trouble out of snacking and try a specially crafted snack plan from Nibblr.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a 12 Box Nibblr Subscription, with 4 custom snack packs in each!

Hop along to all of the great Blog POP! Spring Fling giveaway on the official LINKY here!

Spring Floral Nail Inspiration + Julep Maven Monthly Introductory Offer

*** I am a paying subscriber of the Julep Maven  program. All opinions below are genuine, and all images below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 204..

*** Want to try Julep Maven for yourself? Get your first box free with code PENNY or FREEBOX. Just fill out the style profile here, and you're on your way! Not working? Try code FREECOLOR for your first box free!
Momma Told Me: A good service is confident customers will return on their own.

It's no secret that I love getting mail; I've tried over 40 monthly subscription box services, but I've only kept two of them as a regular paid subscriber. The best beauty subscription boxes are the ones that allow customers to easily customize their monthly selection either through a style profile, or direct browsing 'click and pick' method. They also enable the subscriber to easily opt in or out from one month to the next, and never auto-charge a consumer's account without their monthly selection. Services like this make it easy to browse seasonal styles and trends and skip the ones that don't quite fit, or save a few pennies when vacation rolls around, or money is tight. It's important to pamper ones-self, but you shouldn't have to feel like such a commitment is an obligation every month.

Julep Maven monthly beauty subscription boxes are all of the above and more. For just $19.99 a month I subscribe to a box full of over $40 in quality beauty products by the Julep brand. While the service started with the salon brand Julep Nail Vernis (polish), it has rapidly expanded to include everything from liquid eyeliner and charcoal face masques to quick dry polish drops and premium skincare. They've even recently added a monthly beauty box option that features exclusively beauty products, and no polish- just in case your collection is getting a little big, or none of the month's hues pop!

There are several beauty profiles you will automatically be placed into after taking the Style Profile Quiz, I'm Classic With A Twist. Each month, on the 20th, you'll receive an email showcasing your month's hand picked selections, based on your profile. Then it's as simple as logging in and browsing the complete collection for the style that fits you best- just in case you like a different style better this month, you're always welcome to swap boxes. Julep Maven members get amazing discounts on polish and beauty ad-ons, when they purchase the month's box, and enjoy exclusive limited edition products as well. The average monthly box includes 3 salon quality lacquers, and the monthly featured beauty product, as well as an inspiring quote card and styling tips.

This February the featured Beauty product was a Smokey Liquid Liner and Applicator Brush. Since I have a pretty large stockpile of liquid liners, I decided to go for a custom box that featured 4 hues from the exclusive Dramatic Collection. I don't normally gravitate towards Gold, but I am a sucker for a high shimmer clear lacquer, and It Girl's February Diamond Theory was a rich golden glitter that I know would be great for accenting any equally rich color. I used a primary base coat of one of my favorite Julep Nail Vernis hues, Bette (Bombshell profile), and did some detailing with a forest green lining polish to create stems. Using a stipple technique I dotted some white to create flowers, and topped with a french of Diamond Theory for some shimmer that made my flowers remind me of Spring Dandelions.

I've been with Julep Maven since it first began taking memberships almost a year and a half ago. I haven't bought a box every month, in fact, I say I've bought about half, but I keep returning because it is so easy to be a subscriber without the obligation of buying. The products are high quality, and the box is a wonderful deal- but I don't feel guilty when I decide to take a month off, and that is a truly great customer experience. And the inspiration I find in their seasonal collections and styling ideas is all the ammunition I need to pull out my polish and play with something new. The inspiration alone, is priceless. If you need a little extra nail inspiration, try your first month of Julep for a penny (Code: PENNY) or free (Code: FREEBOX), when you sign up here.


What Daughter Says: I try a lot of services, but few keep me coming back like Julep Maven.

@MyCottonBunny: Monthly Boxes For That Unwanted Visitor Giveaway~ 7/1

***I was provided one complimentary month of My Cotton Bunny service for the purpose of this feature. Regardless, all photos and opinions contained there in are property of Momma Told Me Blog 2013.

Momma Told Me: Don't bother to run, you can't escape.

I still recall the first time I met my Aunt. I was 11, entering the sixth grade, and one of the first of my friends to make this special introduction. Momma had warned me about Flow for years, so I was prepared physically, but hardly ready for the emotional and mental challenges of tackling this unwanted family member. In the beginning we got along fine enough; as fine as one can with a relative that moves in, uninvited, for a week and throws raging parties inside your personal space at all hours. Then, at 12, Flow went through a mid-life crisis. Her visits became more erratic, and longer. Her wild parties kept me up all night, and even left me with hangovers that forced Momma to pull me from school. Like most unstable relatives we're forced to live with, I was given pills (or rather, the pill) to help me cope with the side effects. Still, for years, Flow and I hardly spoke; I learned to tolerate her visits, and little more.

As a grown women my period have evened out; in part due to my hormone based birth control, but also due to the maturing of my reproductive system. Where I once had periods that kept me bed bound for days, and ran near two weeks in length, I can appreciate the 3 day stints I now pull today. However, I suppose, no woman ever quite becomes friends with this uninvited foe. I've made it a point of pride to try my best not to let this visitor interfere with the men in my life. That is to say I reserve my raw emotions and nagging cramps for a pint of ice cream and Pillow Pet. I suck it up each month because I am a woman, and I am strong. But there are still some aspects of this 40 year curse that I find hard to swallow. I mean, if I manage to get through the week without ripping Jay's head off, I think that deserves an award? And then there's the insult of having to make the trip of shame down then special women's aisle and shell out $5-8 for a box of tampons. Not only do I have to suffer with this, I have to pay for it too?

I pride myself on hunting down the newest products and services before they blow up and make it 'big'. I'm also a hopeless monthly subscription box addict. When I stumbled upon My Cotton Bunny, on accident, I had a clear "Now, why didn't I think of that?" moment. Here was a company offering a custom tailored Feminine Hygiene care bundle with hand picked edible treats and physical indulgences to put period back where they belong (at the end of a sentence). A little iffy as to whether this box is right for you? My Cotton Bunny offers the hottest feminine hygiene brands ( U by Kotex, o.b., Tampax, etc) in pads and tampons for the perfect fit to your personal cycle. Boxes ship once a month, or within days of ordering, so you can set it up to arrive just in the knick of time to soothe and take the hassle out of monthly preparation. My Cotton Bunny is also impressively affordable, featuring a 16 count of premium brand tampons (or chosen pads), an edible treat, and physical indulgence, for just under $14 a month, shipped.

I received one month of My Cotton Bunny for the purpose of this post and must admit I am officially hooked. This month's specially curated box included a 16ct box of my chosen cotton (Tampax Radiant, Super), Original Gourmet Lollipop, and Nail Spa Bundle including Glass Nail File and Nail Wraps by Scratch. And you thought this was all about the period! My Cotton Bunny has a personal mission to kick the period to the side and indulge the women who deserve it. Not only did I get to indulge myself, and boost my confidence during this challenging week, with my Scratch Nail wraps, but I enjoyed the much needed bite of sugar as well. The brand also runs monthly incentives to spread the My Cotton Bunny mission socially, and issues a 'challenge' to subscribers in exchange for a bonus in their box the following month. This month we were asked to take a picture of our freshly wrapped nails and tag @mycottonbunny for an extra treat in next month's box.

Not only is the My Cotton Bunny concept a fresh and original one, it's a subscription service well worth buying into, in this humble blogger's opinion. There are countless subscription box services hitting the net these days, and many of them are much more than the My Cotton bunny Service. With this particular plan you can take advantage of always having your favorite period protection on hand, and indulge in the small surprises of treats and trinkets selected specifically to empower and soothe. As of right now there is no allergen specification for new subscribers, though I do want to note last month's box included a preservative free gourmet marshmallow treat; the brand is conscious of selecting quality treats and snacks. There is, however, an incentive to subscribe to multiple months at a time, a six month subscription will save you 10% overall, and shipping is always included. The mailing box itself is a bit on the large side, so subscribers should expect doorstep delivery; this is done intentionally to accommodate for goodies of varying sizes.

A My Cotton Bunny subscription would make a wonderful graduation gift for any young woman going off to college; it's the modern care package. It would also be the perfect treat for tweens getting used to their changes, or for a boyfriend who'd like a little less madness in his life each month (it's the gift that gives for everyone). I know I'll be talking Jay into buying a subscription for me; $14 is a small price to pay for a little extra breathing room one week a month! I'm really excited to see where this subscription brand goes; and hope as many of my readers are equally excited by the unique service as I. Follow My Cotton Bunny on Facebook for a sneak peek at next month's box, and head on over to the site today to order the box featured above!

What Daughter Says: Misery may love company, but I'd rather find bliss. My Cotton Bunny offers fuss free solutions to monthly woes, in a pretty package.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a month of My Cotton Bunny service!