Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Bulu box review and an awesome recipe!


How fun and motivating is the box? All my favorite mantras--well, at least some of them, right there. I couldn't wait to open it up!
I was pretty excited to receive a Bulu box to review. It seems like everyone is talking boxes these days...snack boxes, fitness boxes, clothing boxes...I was happy to be included in this fun trend! Bulu box is a monthly subscription box that comes with 4-5 samples of health related products chosen specifically for you. If you like the products, you can order the full sized items on the Bulu box website. Bulu works all the top brands to bring subscribers top products!

Disclaimer: I received my Bulu Box free in exchange for my review. All opinions are, of course, my own!


The enclosed card described all the products to me. There were 2 packs of Quest protein powder in peanut butter flavor, Yerba Prima Daily Fiber Formula, Movit Energy Gummies, and Earth's Care Anti-Itch Cream. See that empty space in the box above? The card also listed a Mediterra Bar, but there was none in the box. Ruh roh. I was a little disappointed about the missing bar, because I do love my nutrition bars. I like to snack on them at work when I feel my energy dipping in the middle of a busy clinic day.

Anyhoo, I was really excited to try the Quest Protein Powder. I've seen a lot of bloggers posting recipes about Quest bars and powder. When I saw that I had the peanut butter flavor, I combed the internet for recipes. I had my heart set on peanut butter cookies. Overall, I couldn't find a lot of recipes using the peanut butter protein powder, so I decided to do some research on baking with protein powder and develop my own recipe. I'm not a food blogger but I do like to cook--something you might not have known about me--and I have boys who like to eat. I learned that in a higher fat recipe, such as peanut butter cookies, you can completely substitute the protein powder for flour. And that's what I did. I threw in some chocolate chips because, well, chocolate.

Here are the results:


My youngest son gave me the thumbs up. Even my oldest son, Mr. Cynical, told me they were "really good". He wouldn't pose for a picture, though. Still, I puffed out my chest a little bit.
You can find the recipe for the cookies at the bottom of this post.

What else was in the Bulu Box?

I have to admit that I was a little hesitant to try the Yerba Prima fiber powder. I have IBS, or as I like to call it, "I'll Be Stopping", and my GI tract has not been behaving well during this marathon training cycle. Not sure if I wanted to throw something new in there, I went to the manufacturer's website to learn more. The product contains soluble and insoluble fiber, and is completely vegan. The main ingredient is psyllium. Reviews on multiple websites were overwhelmingly positive. Since most reviewers commented on the "rapid effectiveness" of this product, I put this one aside for another time when I don't have to worry about stopping on the run. As if my GI tract needs any more encouragement to move it, move it. And speaking of moving it....

These Movit Energy Gummies are the happiest gummies I've ever seen!
Movit Energy Gummies are purported to combat fatigue and help athletes move at the optimum level. The gummies contain less sugar than conventional energy chews. They also contain caffeine, taurine, CoQ-10, and B vitamins which are thought to enhance athletic performance. For me, I thought they were the tastiest chews I've ever had. They were also the cutest--the smiley face is sure to turn a frown upside down! The size was perfect--I was able to chew them one at a time, very quickly. And my dental work stayed intact while I tested them. Which is a plus, because who wants to pull off a crown during a race?

Earth's Care Anti-itch cream could not have come at a better time. The mosquitos have been just terrible this summer. I imagine that you could also use the cream for other itchy conditions, as well as for skin irritations like sunburn and HELLO! chafing. The main ingredient is camphor, which is an external analgesic. Meaning it numbs the pain. I don't know about you, but there is something comforting about that smell. And the camphor feels cool on the skin, which is very soothing.

Overall, I thought the Bulu box was fun. I like the idea of trying samples of a product before you commit to buying. I really hate being stuck with a product that was hyped and I didn't like it. For sure, I'd buy the Quest protein powder! It was fun baking with it, and I love the idea of high protein cookies.

So what do you think of the Bulu box? Would you want to try it? If you do, there's a special discount code! Use the words SWEATPINK to get a discount of 50% for a 3 month subscription! Go to BuluBox to check it out!

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
And here's the recipe. You could probably substitute any protein powder for the peanut butter flavor. But boy, were these cookies good! I'm going to apologize in advance that I don't have the recipe in printable format, but I crashed the blog trying to do that...I'll keep working on it, but in the meantime, feel free to cut and paste! You won't be sorry...

Better than Your Mom's Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 scoops Quest Peanut Butter Protein powder
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • sugar for rolling the cookies
Cooking Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
  2. Beat all the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. The mixture should be somewhat crumbly, but should stick together.
  3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Form the dough into 1-2" balls depending on preference.
  5. Roll the dough balls in the sugar to coat. Place on the cookie sheets.\ about 1/2" apart.
  6. Press the cookies down with a fork in a criss cross pattern.
  7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned.
  8. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes
  9. Enjoy!
Have you ever tried BuluBox? Any other boxes? What kind of items would you want to receive via box?

63 comments :

  1. IBS...I'll Be Stopping :-) You are a gem :-)

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  2. Bummer the bar went AWOL! I think you may have a future as a food blogger. ; )

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    1. Haha! I did like the cookies, tho! I was pretty impressed with myself... :p

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  3. Love that you made cookies with the powder- those look delicious! Boo to the missing bar, that would have made me sad too!

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    1. I was pleasantly surprised at how delish they were. What a great way to get some protein in!

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  4. I've gotten a few Bulu Boxes and found them to be very hit or miss. My last one was GREAT though. It was the last box of my subscription, so I think they did that on purpose haha. Those cookies look great!

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  5. I did a 3-month subscription of Bulu awhile back and wasn't thrilled with it. I happened to get some weird products that I would never use, like a nasal health package and some hangover prevention pills. It sounds like your selection was much better than mine. That sucks that the energy bar was missing, though!

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  6. Haha I have IBS too and I've never thought of that acronym!!

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  7. I tried that for a bit before but that's a good discount - I may have to renew my subscription.

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  8. As soon as Bulu ships to Canada, I'll be all over it!
    I really enjoy trying out different subscription box.
    Those PB cookies sound awsome - PB is my fave :)

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  9. Ahh, I hope I get the quest protein powder in mine too! I wanna try making those cookies! :]

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    1. Even if you don't get the PB protein powder, you could use vanilla in its place.

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  10. Too back your box was shorted! But fun to get one to try anyway. I must be the last person left on Earth who has never had anything QUEST! Will try to change that soon.

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    1. I thought I was the last person on earth who never had Quest! Not anymore...

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  11. I got the MoveIt gummies too. I thought the flavor was great, but a bit chewy! :) Loved the pic of your youngest!

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    1. I thought they tasted great. But I can't chew and run at the same time.

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  12. Your Peanut Butter Protein Cookies look AMAZING!!!

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  13. Yum those cookies look amazing! I have IBS as well, so can empathize. I've never tried these boxes, but have heard great things about them!

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  14. OOOH those cookies look awesome! So many yummy things!

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  15. I have those Move It gummies in mine as well but haven't tried them yet. Those smiley faces are super cute :)

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    1. I think the smiley faces would be great to see, especially on a tough run!

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  16. I have tried Bulu Box before, but was not impressed; I have a tendency to stick with what I know and love, but I'm glad that you got a good one! I love baking with protein powder; one of the best tricks yet! It works like a charm!

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    1. I loved the protein powder...I'm thinking of branching out to chocolate chips--with all the butter, I should have similar results, right?

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  17. I would definitely eat those cookies. You have my mouth watering now. Peanut butter protein sounds great! I think I would have skipped the fiber too if I had IBS ;)

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    1. Oh, those cookies hit the spot! And my boys were thrilled, they love when I bake.

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  18. love "i'll be stopping" - don't love that you suffer from it, of course. you know, sometimes i wonder how these box companies make money because they seem to give away so many! i'm curious how many folks who try them out stick w/it. are you going to keep your subscription?

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    1. I just got one box to try. Bulu Box reached out to me, they're sending me the missing bar and some other goodies! So we'll see...

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  19. I am reviewing the box this week too. I got a couple of different things than you did. I had the vanilla quest and really was surprised that I like it so much. Fun To review.

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    1. I'm anxious to see what you do with your protein powder!! Game on!

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  20. You had me at Peanut Butter Cookies. I have to give them a try.
    I heard great things about Yerba Fiber Powders, never tried them myself though.

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  21. I've never tried one of these box delivery services....whether in sports category or otherwise....but I'm tempted to. I do love trying different things, particularly health foods and bars

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  22. We don't get Quest bars in India. Will try your recipe with almond flour.

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    1. Oh, let me know how you like them! Coconut flour would be good too.

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  23. Great review Wendy! I like Quest bars, didn't realize they offered protein powder. Those peanut butter cookies are something I could get behind (and so awesome your sons gave it the stamp of approval)

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    1. I'm thinking of trying the vanilla flavor in chocolate chip cookies. Same concept, right?

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  24. Oh I was just looking at these! That protein powder and those cookies look too good!

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    1. Oh trust me when I tell you they were delish. And they are all gone.

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  25. Very nice review, those PB cookies look so very good! Glad you got a thumbs up!

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  26. I love cookies! I so will be trying this :) I received the BULU box too and got a couple different products to try out. I love me a subscription box!

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  27. I've never tried a Bulu box. I"m dying to try the Quest protein powder though!! Those cookies look delicious!

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    1. Oh, yes, I"m going to buy some Quest powder. I really liked it!

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  28. It's funny, I just heard of the Bulubox tonight for the first time, I saw it on another blogger's site, and here it is a second time. I think the chews are probably an item I would like the best out of the whole box. I will however, give your recipe a try since my husband always keeps some protein powder around. I didn't know you could actually bake with it! I love the idea!

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    1. I didn't know you could bake with it either. This was whey protein, btw. Not sure if other proteins would make a difference. You'll have to let me know how they turn out!

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  29. Yum. Now I want peanut butter cookies :)

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  30. I had a similar subscription to StrideBox but cannot remember why I cancelled it. So, I signed up for BuluBox. Great deal with the disocunt code!! My first box ships on October 15 and I cannot wait.

    I am very interested in the Quest Protein Powder because yes almost every blogger raves about it.

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    1. Glad to hear that. I am more inclined to believe you then a blogger that basically shills for every company and swears it is the best thing in this world.

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    2. I'm not that blogger. Must be why I don't get a lot of campaigns... :P

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    3. Oops, I might have used the wrong word but I meant to say that I am more likely to believe you.

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