I was recently introduced to The Green Polka Dot Box, a GMO-free membership club which delivers natural and organic groceries straight to your door, and was very impressed with what they have to offer.
And I was also excited to be able to share it with you because although I have access to a Whole Foods grocery store to buy organic groceries, not everyone does.
Why Is Buying Organic So Important?
If you follow my website, you know I always recommend organic ingredients in my recipes. It’s not because I’m trying to be “Miss Fancy Pants” or think I am too good to shop at a grocery store other than Whole Foods. In fact, not at all! The reason is because my number one priority is to feed my family the healthiest, cleanest and most nutritious foods possible. And buying organic is how I do this. Organic foods and ingredients avoid the following which are detrimental to your health:
Pesticides – it may not seem bad to eat one piece of non-organic produce sprayed with pesticides, but think if every piece of food you ate everyday all day long is sprayed with pesticides. And you do this day after day after day. Year after year after year. Every little bit adds up.
GMO’s (genetically modified ingredients) – organic ingredients, produce and foods are free from GMO’s
And because I do buy everything I possibly can organic or non-GMO verified, I ~know~ it can be expensive. Very expensive. Believe me, I know! Because of this, I am always looking for the best way to stretch my organic dollar and get the best prices I can when shopping for organic foods. That’s why I’m really excited to share with you a service that can not only help you get more organic food for your money, but deliver it straight to your door.
What is “The Green Polka Dot Box”?
“More and more people are becoming aware of the health benefits of eating a diet of natural and organic foods. Unfortunately, they may find that the high cost and scarcity of these foods put such a diet somewhere between difficult and impossible.
Enter the Green PolkaDot Box. Don’t have an organic food store or farmer’s market in your city? Not a problem. Can’t afford the high price of natural, non-GMO foods? We’ve got you covered.
The Green PolkaDot Box sells natural and organic, non-GMO foods at wholesale prices, and delivers them directly to your doorstep. We carry hundreds of your favorite brands, and we even offer fresh meat and dairy products*. We offer a lowest price guarantee on all the items in our inventory, and free shipping on orders over $75.
You can have a look around the store, and see what you think. If you’re pleased with what you find, for a small annual Club membership fee, you can have access to our fantastic prices and service all year long.
*currently frozen and refrigerated products are only available for shipping to zip codes within 2-day delivery of Utah via FedEx Ground.” source: www.greenpolkadotbox.com
And, here’s a really good video explaining in more detail how it works. (Note: The video will start as soon as you click on the link…I couldn’t figure out how to stop the video from auto-playing but I really wanted you to see it…sorry!
Membership Features:
save up to 60% off retail – no middleman and guaranteed low prices
an annual membership fee of $49.95 (which comes to about $4.00 a month)…you will easily make that up in price savings (I did on my first order!)
use a special coupon code to save 15% off your first order with a club membership
free shipping for club members with orders over $75 (orders under $75 pay regular shipping charge of $9.95 / trial members pay standard FED EX Ground shipping fees)
auto-ship orders receive a 5% discount and free shipping over $50 – change, cancel or suspend at anytime
occasional additional savings, offers and samples (I received 2 full-sized product samples with my order!)
opportunity to earn referral points
Website Features:
the website offers easy product look up by price, dietary needs (example: BPA-free, nut-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, vegan, etc) and brand name.
each product has a “dietary badge” (example: organic, wheat-free, no sugar added, no soy, gluten-free, etc)
each product has a detailed description
each product has a “market price comparison”
Sample of brands featured: There are many, many more brands they carry, but here is a sampling of some of their organic/non-GMO brands:
Amy’s
Annies
Artisana
Beanitos
Bragg
Eden
Enjoy Life
Field Roast
Food for Life
Go Raw
Late July
Navitas Naturals
Nutiva
Once Again
Organicville
Pacific
Rudi’s Organic Bakery
SunWarrior
Wholesome Sweeteners
And, there are many categories to choose from. Here are the main categories, with each having numerous sub-categories:
Cold Food (available to limited areas)
Food
Personal Care
Household
Baby
Pets
Supplements
Natural Remedy
Closeout Closet
Promotions
Who could benefit from The Green Polka Dot Box service:
This service is perfect for those who don’t have access to healthy foods or who want the convenience of having healthy food delivered straight to your door.
There are lots of people who don’t have access to big warehouse type clubs, a Whole Foods, a Trader Joe’s or other healthy grocery stores, but want to purchase organic foods.
And even if you do live near a Whole Foods like I do, you know the prices on non-365 Brand foods are high.
Buying online is always an option, but the prices might not always be the best.
There are many, many things I don’t buy at Whole Foods because their prices are much higher than if I shopped around online.
The Green Polka Dot Box has already done that for you.
And, I did a comparison of the 11 items I received in my Green Polka Dot Box to compare for myself.
What did I choose in my Green Polka Dot Box?
Here’s the products I received and price comparisons of each:
Earthpaste
I have looked, and looked and looked for a toothpaste that I would be happy with. I’ve gone through many non-fluoride toothpastes, but they always had either carrageenan or glycerin in them. When I went through the toothpaste section, I was so excited to find this brand did not contain glycerin (which prevents your teeth from naturally remineralizing). I think this was the first item I added to my box!
Ingredients: Purified Water, Food Grade Redmond Clay, Xylitol (non-GMO), Redmond Real Salt, Lemon Essential Oil, Lemon Verbena Essential Oil, Tangerine Essential Oil, Lime Essential Oil.
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $5.08
Whole Foods Price: $7.99
Vitacost Price: $4.59
Bionaturae Organic Tomato Paste
When I make a recipe that calls for “tomatoes’ or “diced tomatoes”, I always use fresh. Buying tomato products in cans is not good because the acid in the tomatoes reacts with the BPA-lining in the cans. So on the rare occasion that I do buy a tomato product other than fresh, I never buy it in a can. That’s why I love the Bionaturae tomato products that come in a glass container. They are organic and the only ingredient is tomatoes, with no salt added. This is important because when products have salt added, it’s usually refined white table salt. I usually use this item when make this recipe: Eggplant, Onion and Tomato Stew.
Ingredients: Organic Tomato Paste
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $2.12
Whole Foods Price: $2.99
Vitacost Price: $1.79
Bionaturae Organic Strained Tomatoes:
When I make a recipe that calls for “tomatoes’ or “diced tomatoes”, I ~always~ use fresh. Buying tomato products in cans is not good because the acid in the tomatoes reacts with the BPA-lining in the cans, so if do buy a tomato product, I ~never~ buy it in a can. That’s why I love the Bionaturae tomato products that come in a glass container. They are organic and the only ingredient is tomatoes, with no salt added. This is important because when products have salt added, it’s usually refined white table salt. My favorite recipe to use it with is my Creamy Red Lentil and Kale Soup.
Ingredients: Organic Strained Tomatoes
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $2.89
Whole Foods Price: $3.39
Vitacost Price: $3.79
Raw Organic Almond Flour:
When I saw this one product, I thought I had won the lottery. I use a lot of almonds (homemade almond milk, homemade almond butter, etc.) and if you’ve read any of my posts that contain almonds, I always recommend buying raw, unpasteurized, organic almonds. Non-organic almonds can have up to 9 different pesticides on them so it’s very important to buy organic and some of the popular almond flour brands like Honeyville and Bob’s Red Mill may be non-GMO, but are not organic. But even more important, is buying unpasteurized almonds. Almonds in the U.S. are required by law to be pasteurized (heated over 115 degrees) and can still be labeled raw. When you buy unpasteurized almonds, they are truly raw. Almonds purchased outside the U.S. are unpasteurized and I verified with a representative of Green Polka Dot box (who verified with Divine Organics) that “The flour is from Spanish almond and quickly blanched in control temperature attaining a raw state within the kernel”. This was very important to me and I wanted to make sure before I shared it with you. The price per pound is slightly higher (about 0.30 cents more per ounce) than pasteurized almond flour, but I’m willing to pay a little bit more to get organic, raw, unpasteurized I use almond flour in a lot of my raw recipes and vegan-paleo recipes and my favorite is Lemon Meltaway Balls.
Ingredients: Peeled Organic Almonds
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $5.92 / 6 ounce bag (raw, unpasteurized, organic)
Whole Foods Price: $12.99 + tax / 16 ounce (different brand/non-organic)
Vitacost Price: $9.59 (different brand/non-organic)
Bragg Raw Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar:
Apple Cider Vinegar is one of the “must haves” in my kitchen. I add it to my water daily and use it in a lot of raw recipes. It is very alkalizing to the body and there are so many health benefits from it, Bragg has even written an entire book covering them. It was used by Hippocrates (Father of Medicine) back in 400 B.C. for it’s “amazing cleansing, healing and energizing health qualities”. It’s very important that you use organic, raw and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar with the “mother” (strand-like chains of protein enzyme molecules) to get the health benefits. One of my favorite recipes to use it in is my Clean Eating Watermelon Vinaigrette.
Ingredients: Certified Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Purified Water
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $4.19
Whole Foods Price: $5.99 + tax
Vitacost Price: $4.69
Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin:
At the first sign of Fall (and sometimes even before then!) the pumpkin recipes start showing up on the internet and Pinterest like wildfire. I have to admit, I love to bring out the pumpkin to welcome Fall and get on the pumpkin wagon myself. I usually stock up on it in bulk early because the shelves are usually empty the closer it gets to Thanksgiving. I like this Farmer’s Market brand because it doesn’t come in a can and the only ingredient in it is “organic pumpkin”. Yes, this is an item you can easily make at home, but it’s a packaged ingredient I do splurge on to save time. One of my favorite recipes to make with it is Pumpkin Mini-Cheesecakes.
Ingredients: Certified Organic Pumpkin
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $2.35
Whole Foods Price: didn’t have boxed variety
Vitacost Price: $2.44
Navitas Naturals Coconut Water Powder:
Summer brings outdoor sports, yard work, exercise and also the heat. Mainstream sports drinks with artificial colors and flavors are just not an option. I like to add either 100% coconut water to our distilled/filtered water to replace lost electrolytes during summer activities, but it can be really expensive. So I recently started using the organic powdered coconut water and add this to not only our water, but smoothies and fresh juice as well.
Ingredients: Certified Organic Coconut Water, Certified Organic Tapioca Dextrose
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $12.68
Whole Foods Price: pending
Vitacost Price: $13.59
Handy Pantry Hard Red Wheat Sprout Seed:
I only use organic, raw wheat berries when I grow my own wheatgrass to make my own homemade wheatgrass juice and it’s really easy to do with a soil-free grower. I usually buy wheat berries in bulk, but the prices are so low at Green Polka Dot Box, I’ll just get a couple of bags at a time. Vitacost offers “organic wheat berries” but the description doesn’t say if they are “sprout seeds”, if they are microbial tested, give the purity percentage or their germination rate and the Handy Pantry brand does.
Ingredients: Hard Red Wheatberries
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $1.92 / 8 ounces
Whole Foods Price: not available
Vitacost Price: $8.09 / 2 pounds
Handy Pantry Organic 5-Part Sprouting Salad Mix:
Spouts are a living food that contain enormous amounts of nutrition and living energy and are a very inexpensive way to add quality nutrients to your meals. You can very easily grow your own sprouts at home and I do this with my Easy Sprout. And, you only need to use about 2 tablespoons at a time to grow an entire container of sprouts.
Ingredients: Organic Alfalfa Germ, Organic Radish Germ, Organic Broccoli Germ, Organic Mung Germ, Organic Lentil Germ, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Mung, Organic Lentil, Organic Radish, Organic Broccoli, Other Crop, Inert Matter, Weed
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $5.33 / 8 ounce
Whole Foods Price: product not available
Vitacost Price: $11.49 / 16 ounce
Living Nutz Organic Raw Walnuts:
These are truly raw, unpasteurized walnuts. When I buy my walnuts at Whole Foods they are labeled “organic” but I don’t know it they are truly raw. Walnuts are a staple in my kitchen and I use them in a lot of raw recipes and to sprinkle over salads. One of my favorite recipes to use them in is Gluten-Free Walnut and Oat Brownies.
Ingredients: Organic Raw Walnuts
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $10.92 / 16 ounces
Whole Foods Price: $12.99 + tax / 16 ounces
Vitacost Price: $8.49 / 12 ounces
Living Nutz Organic Raw Pecan Halves:
These are truly raw, unpasteurized pecans. When I buy my pecans at Whole Foods, they are labeled “organic”, but not raw, so I don’t know if they are truly raw. Pecans are another staple ingredient in my kitchen and I mostly use these for raw dessert crusts for cheesecakes and other raw treats. One of my favorite recipes to use them in is my Flourless Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies.
Ingredients: Organic Raw Pecans
The Green Polka Dot Box Price: $12.65 / 16 ounces
Whole Foods Price: $13.99 + tax / 16 ounces
Vitacost Price: $14.79 / 10 ounces
Total Savings:
Some of the items were not “apples to apples” in comparison (quality and size) and some were not even available at Whole Foods or Vitacost. But overall, I saved over the monthly membership fee (annual fee broken down over 12 months) just with the walnuts, pecans and coconut water.
Some things to keep in mind:
Availability – you know how when you shop at the big warehouse club type stores and on one shopping trip they will have something you really like and need and the next time you go back they don’t carry it anymore or it’s not in stock? The Green Polka Dot Box works the same way. If you see something you really, really like or really, really need…just order double or triple in case it’s not available the next time you place an order.
Shipping – at this time The Green Polka Dot Box can only ship within the United States (Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico will take longer).
What if I find prices lower somewhere else?
Don’t worry…they have a price match guarantee!
Why a membership fee?
It’s the same as the big warehouse club type stores, you have to pay an annual membership fee to become a member and take advantage of the bulk purchasing power and low prices. The regular annual Club Membership fee is $49.95, or a little over $4 per month. You can easily see I saved well over $4 just on this one order. The membership will pay for itself!
I’m not sure this is right for me…can I try it out first?
Yes! Green Polka Dot box offers a FREE “Trial Membership” for your first order to give you a chance to try it out (standard FED EX Ground shipping rates apply). If you receive your Green Polka Dot box and decide you want to continue receiving products and savings, you can upgrade to a regular “Club Membership” for only $49.95.
I want organic and non-GMO food delivered to my doorstep at 60% off retail…where can I sign up?
You can sign up for a trial membership or purchase an annual membership by visiting The Green Polka Dot Box website or clicking the photo below:
Use coupon code: GPDB15 to receive $15 off your first order (with paid club membership)
Disclaimer #1: I received a complimentary box of products of my choice and an annual membership to be able to review The Green Polka Dot Box services. I was under no obligation to give a positive review and was not paid for this review or endorsement. All thoughts, opinions and comments are my own.
Disclaimer #2: I was very pleased with the service and products I received and feel they would be beneficial to many of my readers, so I have partnered with The Green Polka Dot Box to become an official affiliate! This means if you purchase any products from The Green Polka Dot Box or purchase a membership, I will receive a small commission which helps support The Healthy Family and Home website.
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