*Note-This post is not  sponsored by Thrive Market in any way. All purchases and opinions are my own. If you click on any links within this post and choose to sign up with Thrive Market, I may get referral credit on my account. Thank you!

So, we all know about Facebook ads, right? They always seem to pop up with that one thing you’d casually mentioned or thought about in passing and BOOM, suddenly it’s right there every time you open Facebook or Instagram. So generally, I don’t pay the ads too much mind, but I had noticed a few for Thrive Market. It always piqued my interest, but since I didn’t know anyone who was actually using it at the time, and wasn’t looking for anything specific diet-wise, I didn’t really look into it.

Then a few of the people I follow on Instagram started posting about using the service. It’s not like I go to these people’s houses or know them personally, but they seemed to be finding the site useful. So after seeing the 89th story about shopping with Thrive, I went ahead and looked it up. They had a free trial period, so I signed up for that thinking I would place an order and if I liked it and found it to be worthwhile, I’d keep my membership, which is about $60 a year. I have recently gone gluten-free, and the sticker shock on some of the various products is a little hard to swallow at times, plus the fact that the grocery store that is local to me (ie-10 minutes from home) has exactly ONE aisle with gluten-free products. And while I love going to Whole Foods, it’s about a 40-minute trip one way. Plus, even though they have the 365 brand, flour alternatives are still double-digit prices.

But, as with most things, I signed up and then promptly forgot about placing an order. So my trial membership expired and I figured instead of wasting the $60, I’d actually look at the site and place an order. It was so nice to see such an amazing selection of brands and products! Another way to make shopping easier is that you can sort products by diet, so if you want to shop things that are specifically GF or paleo it makes finding what you need or want pretty easy! And the prices were pretty comparable to or less than what I would find on these items in the grocery store, so I saved about half my membership fee on my first order!

Check out the below for what I bought and how I’m liking it!

1. Thrive Organic Coconut Flour-I haven’t cooked with this yet, but I am looking forward to using it next time I need to bread something!
2. Molly’s Suds All Sport Laundry Detergent-I’ve been using this on my activewear and the smell is great! It also doesn’t irritate my skin like some other “natural” detergents.
3. Thrive Organic Basil-used this in my pasta sauce a few nights ago and it packed a ton of flavor in just a little pinch.
4. Thrive Organic Arrowroot Powder-I use this to thicken sauces without changing the flavor
5. Califa Farms Non-Dairy Creamer-the first time I used this I wasn’t too impressed but I’ve started really shaking it before pouring and it’s delicious!
6. Jovial GF Pasta-Thrive Market is the only place that I’ve found the fettuccine cut pasta, but this is a great alternative to regular noodles because it cooks up and holds together very nicely. It’s also not too bad when reheated, which is an additional plus.
7. Schar GF Ciabatta Rolls-these were so soft and actually really tasty! I sliced, buttered, and toasted them up in the oven and was not very happy when I came home the next day and my husband had eaten them. I’ve found them at my local Deirberg’s, and the price isn’t really that different, however, Deirberg’s is generally sold out of them.
8. Thrive Organic Ghee-this was actually a free product, and I’ve been using it when I want to sautee something.
9. King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour-I’ve used this for breading some chicken tenders, and while it was ok, I’m thinking this is more along the lines for baking. I’ll be attempting to make my favorite Chocolate Caramel Chip Cookies with these soon, so stay tuned! Also, I’ve not seen this in any store, and King Arthur’s is one of my favorite flours to use.
10. Thrive Organic Almond Flour-one good thing is that macaroons are gluten-free, so I’m glad I was able to find a cheaper source for almond flour.
11. Schar Honeygrams-these GF graham crackers make for great s’ mores, but on their own can be pretty crumbly and dry.

So that’s my wrap up on my first purchase from Thrive Market! Now that I am getting back into menu planning, I’ll probably be utilizing it more often, since it takes about two days to get your order. I like how quickly it arrives, but sometimes there are things that you just need right then, so heading to the actual store is unavoidable!