Go Picnic, Anyone Try Them Yet?

[BethM55]

Has anyone eaten the Go Picnic Gluten Free meals?  I'm thinking about getting a few for our vacation in June. They have a buy one get one free special on until tomorrow at midnight.   I'd love to read a review!

 

Thanks.

 

Beth.

[mamaw]

They are  popular  for a  quick  fix  when nothing else  is available.. I  thought  when they first  came  out  the  food  had  little  nutritional  value  more like  quick gluten-free  junk  food, lots of  processed  stuff....so  I haven't  had  any  of these  since  I avoid  that  kind  of  stuff now...I  would  hope  by now  they have added  healthier  ingredients....

Many  now make their own  little lunchables &  vacuum  pack  them  to suit  their own tastes..using  gluten-free  jerky , trail mix,  dried  fruits  & veggies... crackers....

[LauraTX]

They are okay and can help in a pinch.  For me, it is just easier to buy things individually.  To make a meal I have to eat two gopicnics and most of the things in them you can buy separately.  Locate some gluten-free beef jerky (old Wisconsin has some, not sure if it is all gluten-free but the turkey bites are good).  Get some trail mix/nut mix/nuts/dried fruit.  Fruit leather- lots of name brand fruit twist things are gluten-free.   And then whatever packaged gluten-free sweet you can pick up, like cookies/bars.  It will cost half as much for the items and you won't have the bulky boxes to deal with.

 

With that being said, I used the gopicnics on my last big vacation, and they were helpful.  To save space I dumped all the contents into a bag and tossed the boxes, and that is when I realized how small the portions are, so I decided to make my own after that.  For kids they are a good size (if the kids will eat what is in them) and they can be a good grab and go item if you want to avoid the fuss of getting individual things yourself.  Also, they sell the individual items on their website in large quantities, if you really like a particular item. Some of the things only they sell, others like the Enjoy Life nut packets, old wisconson jerky and pepperoni, and crunchmaster crackers, you can find easily in a larger quantity.  Lucy's cookies and pop chips are sold all over in individual sizes, too.

 

Looking at the ones that are on sale, one isn't gluten-free, and two I have tried and did not like- the bean dip and the plantain one.  But that is a personal preference thing.  The turkey stick and crunch, and the turkey pepperoni and cheese ones are my favorites.  That asiago cheese dip is really good.

 

They have a few that aren't gluten-free as well, so double check when you buy.

[BethM55]

Thank you for your input.  I was wondering if the portions were adequate.  The packages do seem expensive for what's in them.  It's probably just as easy and more cost effective to put my own packets together.  I can make a meal out of a handful of almonds, a banana, and a Kind bar if I have to.  I tend to stay away from processed, prepackaged foods (except for the Kind bars and the Kit's Organic Bars by Clif), anyway.  

[gilligan]

I like the convenience of them.  I keep one in ea vehicle, and they have come in handy a few times.  There's enough in them to hold off hunger.  I think there about 300-400 calories in each one.  They are salty, but most packaged food is.

[chocominties]

The pros, I suppose, of the Go Picnic meals is that they're good in a pinch.  If you're in an unfamiliar town for a rest stop or, god forbid, an airport, they present an option that isn't Lays or a Snickers.  I get tired of chips and candy pretty quickly.

 

The cons is that they aren't a lot of food for the price, some of them aren't much better than eating chips and candy, and if you don't like ONE of the items in the box, it feels like such a waste.  For example, I stopped buying the pepperoni meal after they started packing it with the caramel lollipop, because I didn't really like the caramel lollipop (and I was working somewhere where I didn't have time to be eating a lollipop).  I also don't care for the type of crackers they use (both the Mary's and Little Bread Hen are those toasty brown rice types of crackers).

 

That said, they've more or less been edible.  I've had the pepperoni, turkey stick, bean dip with plantains, and hummus.  I've also had the veggie dip "breakfast" set.  Those little packets of spreadable cheese product are very good, even if the crackers aren't.  I also seem to recall the pepperoni being SUPER greasy, which was pretty gross, but solved with a napkin or two.

 

In the future I would probably buy a handful of the individual elements I like (the cheese spread, Baja blend, etc.) and make my own travel meals.  I also like to bring plain bread and Jiff To Go or Justin's individual nut butters, and make my own sandwich.