GrubGrade

The more I think about it the more I’m convinced that Pop Tarts represent the ultimate manifestation of the proverbial “impulsive buy”. I mean really. We all have these early 1990s flashbacks of kicking back to the tune of One Saturday Morning with a gooey, way-to-sugary Pop Tart stuffed in our face, and it leads us to just “have” to buy the latest and greatest flavor that Kellogg’s turns out in the line of the most popular toaster pastry brand ever.

Mmmm. Recess

Wait, I’m the only one?

I’m not trying to excuse my latest impulsive grocery store purchase of the new Pop Tarts Ice Creme Sandwich flavor, but it does give you some perspective from where I was coming from when I slapped down a cool $1.66 for the box of eight pastries and said “take me back to simpler days and Recess reruns” to the cashier at the store. Plus, given the recent debate of Serious Eats with regards to toasting Pop Tarts (yes, always, for me) I figured this was as timely a purchase as any.

First, the description. This is the fourth flavor in the new “Ice Cream Shoppe” line of Pop-Tarts, and promises “25% less sugar” than the usual run-of-the-mill toaster pastry (11 grams of sugar per pastry in these bad boys). The propaganda campaign is based on the following:

A creamy, white, ice cream-flavored filling in a dark chocolate crust, topped with white frosting and chocolate sprinkles for a fun ice cream-like treat.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Sure does, except for the fact that if I’m in the mood for an ice cream sandwich, why don’t I just buy an ice cream sandwich? (more…)

Summer grocery shopping makes me giddy with excitement. Not only does the season reveal a bounty of fresh and tasty produce, but the release of new products is in full swing. You may have noticed a number of new goodies on shelves as of late, including the latest in Quaker’s kid-friendly line of Chewy Granola Bars. Seeing the plump ‘ol Quaker farmer guy is just too tough for the kid inside of me to resist, so I had to pick up a box of the new Chewy Chocolate Swirl flavored bars when I saw them the other day.

The picture on the box looked good enough. Touted as being made with “real cocoa,” these bars feature the familiar chewy granola mix that has been covered in a cocoa flavored coating broken up only by small pieces of semisweet and white chocolate that resemble miniature Hershey Kisses. With only 90 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 6 grams of sugar (not to mention 8 grams of whole grains) they have an impressive nutritional profile as well. But do they deliver in taste? (more…)

Low fat ice cream can be a dicey proposition on a hot summer day.

Loaded with stabilizers, often masked by excessive sweetness, and in no way carrying the creamy and decadent texture of the genuine article, enjoying two scoops of the good stuff on a late May afternoon is sometimes best surmised as an exercise in perspective.

And that’s the low fat stuff. So what hope could there be for the non-fat stuff?

Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Vanilla promises to “set your taste buds free with smooth, creamy vanilla and 0 fat grams!” At just 90 calories per 1/2 cup serving it’s about as healthy as ice creams come, but does it taste good? (more…)

So I’m walking through the Utah State University student center the other day and I spot a crowd of people gathered by the bookstore. Thinking it was one of those fight circles that you only ever see in movies, I immediately rushed over, anxiously awaiting the prospect of some dude getting jacked up. Alas, I should have known better. After all, what can draw a crowd of college students into a frenzy more than free food? (Hmmmm, come to think of it, don’t answer that question) The particular culprit in this case?  A strange and never-before-seen snack called Spud Crunch.

Seneca Farms is probably better known for their Apple Chips, but the Spud Crunch Line is among several other “healthier” and alternative style snacks the Marion, New York company produces. (more…)

Joey D’s Jerky is freaking awesome.

I don’t know how else to put it. Yes, I may be prone to using hyperbole with the frequency of a 13-year old girl at a Jonas Brothers Concert, but let me set the record straight right now and tell you that this is some of the best jerky I have ever tasted. (more…)

Good Health Natural Products was kind enough to send me a package of their snacks to sample.  Lucky for me, this company really knows how to create some healthy snacks that do not skimp on taste whatsoever.  Established in 1992 by a French entrepreneur, the Good Health Natural Products company has been a great example of a smaller company that can definitely make an impact on the snacking world.  They are currently headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Let’s take a peak of some of the products they have to offer.

(more…)

Who doesn’t remember Sydney the adorable kangaroo and his famous jingle?

My name is Sydney, I’m an Aussie hunk
Got a wacky snacky ya don’t just eat ya dunk
Cookies on one side, frosting on the other
The creamy taste will drive you wiiiiiild
Let’s HAVE ANOTHER
Dunkaroos, Dunkaroos, you don’t just eat your Dunkaroos
Frostings like chocolate, vanilla, yummy ’cause he’s two
Tastes so good with a glass of….”moo”
Dunkaroos, Dunkaroos…..Dunkaroos cookie and frosting snack
You don’t just eat ya Dunkaroos!

I always liked kangaroos…Kanga & Roo from Winnie the Pooh. Why were they so cool? Was it because they could hop around day to night looking all goofy or was it the fact that they weren’t in need of my oft laughed at pink and black Disneyland fanny pack? They had their own forward storage compartment….the better to keep their Dunkaroos out of sight from the tubby kid pilfering the high calorie content of the Kindergartener’s lunch pails.

This was one of the best snacks….cookie, yes please…frosting…yes please….sprinkles, yes please. Not only was it sugary and delicious but you got to play with it too. Matter of fact you had to play with it practically. These were much cooler than a plain old Handi-Snack (although I gotta admit those were amazing too).

What’s your favorite thing to dunk/dip?

Ryan will probably kill me for getting this song stuck in his head again, just when he had finally got it out after 15 years. Here is the original Dunkaroos ad:

If last month’s throwdown told us anything, it is that I remain very much a potato chip addict. And while we here at GrubGrade already have another potato chip throwdown in the works for the coming weeks, I thought I’d spend today highlighting a chip from a company that wasn’t featured in last month’s taste test.

Ok, so a lighthouse in the Northeast does not exactly scream BBQ, but...

That’s right Sox fans, I’m heading up to Massachusetts and checking in with the seaside chip makers at Cape Cod in an effort to broaden my potato chip horizons past the usual (but always awesome) suspects of Herr’s and Utz. Actually, the chip makers at Cape Code are coming down to me, as the company graciously agreed to let me sample some of their products, including the brand spankin’ new Sweet Mesquite Barbeque flavor.

Let’s start with the basis; texture and taste. These are kettle cooked chips, and I found the texture of the chips to be simply outstanding. There is definitely a solid crunch in each bite, but not to the point where it seems like you’re biting down on something old and stale. Likewise, they seem more moist than oily, a definite plus when in stage two of “finger lickage” goodness. Meanwhile – over in the flavor department – let’s just say I was completely blown away. The first flavor I get when I bite in is the sweetness. I guess they weren’t lying when they labeled it as a “sweet mesquite” chip, and I do in fact catch a hint of mesquite in the seasoning. It’s definitely a “traditional” barbeque seasoning blend, but at the same time it comes across as deeper and bolder than most barbeque chips. There’s also an element of sweet tomato flavor that most chips don’t include in their seasoning. There is a great balance in the ratio of sweet to salty, and unlike many barbeque flavored chips the salt doesn’t overwhelm the sweetness here. Rather, it’s complimentary, and adds to the overall tasting experience. The thing I really like about these chips (outside of the complex barbeque flavor) is the “back flavor,” which unlike a lot of chips still manages to retain the flavor of the actual potato used in the cooking process. There is, in fact, a progression of taste with these chips, and it’s by far one of the best I’ve ever experienced in my entire life as a snacker!

The distribution of sweet spice is just right.  At only 140 calories and 6 grams of fat (0.5g saturated) per 18 chip serving, these are actually some of the healthiest potato chips you can find on the market.  Cooked in “100% Canola Oil,” the chips not only retain the delicious flavor of the actual potato, but they apparently provide a good source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (at least, you know, according to the package label).  My only regret is that I’ve been unable to find a local grocer that carries these chips, although their website does show that Cape Cod chips are available in numerous states across the country. Unfortunately for our good friend Bear, they aren’t available in California, once again confirming that the West Coast is painfully out of touch when it comes to the world of snackage.  Oh well, more for me I guess.

• Pros: I think I already said it all. These were outstanding, and by far the best kettle-cooked barbeque potato chips I’ve ever had in my life.
• Cons: Admitting I like love something that was made in the state of Massachusetts, and the sad realization that I may be dangerously close to selling out on my beloved Mid-Atlantic roots.Great texture.

GrubGrade: 9.25/10 (Exceptional)

Price: $3.49 per 8 oz bag

CapeCodChips.com

Nutrition Facts: Cape Cod Sweet Mesquite Barbeque Chips

Serving Size:  1oz (Approximately 18 Chips)

Calories:  140

Calories from Fat:  60

Total Fat: 6 g

Saturated Fat: 0.5g

Trans Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 150 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 18 g

Dietary Fiber: 2 g

Sugars: 1 g

Protein: 2 g

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Touch of Honey is what I like to call a “training wheels” cereal. That is to say it’s the kind of cereal that the fat cats running the cereal factories dream up to get us sugarholic young adults transitioned away from Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes before we go totally cold turkey with the good stuff and instead head for a life of bran twigs and plain oatmeal. In other words it’s your typical “healthy” adult cereal kicked up with a little sugar and a totally kid friendly mascot. Those sly, sly, marketing people I tell ya…

Four years of high school spanish and two years of college spanish and it took a damn cereal box to teach me the word "honey"? Sad...

Anyways, I should preface this by saying that I could never handle the original cornflakes.  I think they may be my most despised cereal nemesis ever, which is saying a lot considering I’ve even survived an encounter with plain Shredded Wheat a time or two.  Thing is, I can handle a bowl of plain ‘ol cheerios, provided it come mixed up with some yogurt or a few slices of banana.  Not the case with regular old cornflakes, which if you asked me are better for making oven “fried” chicken than actually eating for breakfast.  With that being said, I figured that an attempt to “sweeten the deal” couldn’t hurt, and considering these were on sale for $2.00 a box at Weis I decided to give them the old college try.

Yes. I do in fact have a "thing" against milk. Hence the NEED for Azucar!

For starters, I can say with legitimate cereal eating authority that these are MUCH better than regular old Corn Flakes. I really liked the sweetness of Corn Flakes Touch of Honey, and dug the fact that they nevertheless remained “corny,” if that indeed makes any sense at all. This former point probably has something to do with the fact that four of the first seven ingredients listed are sweeteners (Sugar, Honey, HFCS, Molasses) but whatever, the more the merrier. Thing is, I like a certain depth of sweetness in my cereal, and I definitely got that from these. It’s almost like a somewhat “airier” version of Frosted Flakes Gold, except not with the ridiculously overbearing honey taste.  At 120 calories and 6 grams of sugar this is definitely a cereal even “healthy” cereal eaters can enjoy, but at the same time it does well to not taste like crap. Along with Honey Kix and Frosted Mini-Wheats Little Bites, I actually rank this among my top newcomers in the cereal market for this year, and a definite “must buy” for those of us who want to try to eat a little healthier without having to go the sugarless route in our morning cereal box.

Giving new meaning to the idea of "educational" info on the back of cereal boxes

• Pros: Depth of sweetness is not overbearing nor underwhelming, and has a complexity which ends with the aptly titled “touch” of honey. Only 120 calories and 6 grams of sugar per cup. No fat. Cheap.
• Cons: Doesn’t have a ton of vitamins or minerals. Half the box is written in Spanish. Only 120 calories and 6 grams of sugar a serving means I am much more enticed to just eat the whole dang box.

GrubGrade: 8.50/10  (Very Good)

Price: $2.00  (On sale at Weis)

Kellogs.com

Nutrition Facts – Kellogg’s Corn Flakes® Touch of Honey

Serving Size: 1 Cup

Calories: 120

Total Fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 220mg

Potassium: 50mg

Total Carbohydrates: 27g

Fiber: Less than 1 g

Sugars: 6g

Other Carbohydrates: 20g

Protein: 2g

The Impulsive Buy’s First Thoughts…

When you see the following, what do you think?

• 50% Less Fat
• All Natural
• Wheat and Gluten Free
• No Trans Fat
• No Preservatives
• No Artificial Colors/Flavors

Ok, had some time to mull it over?  So what comes to mind?  For some, it probably conjures up images of people who scoff at Cheetos and drink wheat grass smoothies for breakfast.  I’ll be honest, a bag of Cheetos or Doritos is usually my move if I want a cheesy, crunchy snack.  Never did I imagine a company that boasts “Feel Good Snacking” would deliver on a taste that now reigns supreme with me as tops among the cheesy/crunchy genre.  No hesitation to recommend this delicious snack from the Midwest.  My new favorite, (deep breath), Natural Gourmet Hot Chili Pepper Baked Cheese Curls from Michael Season’s Feel Good Snacking.

I’ve never been the kind of person to say “Hey, look at me eat this habanero pepper!”.  I’ll admit it, I can’t even take the heat from a jalapeno usually.  I always go for the mild salsas with my tortilla chips, I will never put a fireball near my mouth and I approach Indian food with a fire extinguisher close by.  I guess after earning my stripes with the Taco Bell Volcano Box, I’ve become a little cocky.  I know there is some snickering out there, but remember, I’m admitting I’m a wimp.  Anyways, with my newfound bravery for spicier foods, I dove into these Hot Chili Pepper Curls head first.

Upon opening the bag, I was hit with an awesome scent of Cheddar cheese.  On first look, they are pretty reminiscent of Cheetos but not as fiery orange.  With the first bite I’m hit with a delicious taste of real cheddar cheese.  Yeah it says “Made with Real Cheese” on the bag, but I’ve seen a lot of packaging say stuff like that and they never delivered like these did.  It really does have an awesome, cheddary taste that has no hint of fake. When it comes to the heat, I’ll describe it like this…Give an unsuspecting friend a few of these cheese curls to munch on, watch closely (I did this with 4 unsuspecting subjects), all four had the same reaction…about 5 seconds of “Wow, these are really good.”…then you see their eyes widen slightly and their mouths start to part open, stay open and the hunt is on for a cool beverage.  There’s the heat.  I think the heat is so-so tolerable if you are a wimp and also respectable if you are a spicy pro. The taste is so good that I just want to demolish the bag in one sitting, but the heat helped me pace myself.  I guess that’s a positive.

Look closely and you can see the peppery seasoning.

For those out there that won’t even consider this product because you are afraid of the heat, there is a regular Cheddar version.  The Hot Chili Pepper just really adds an extra element to the snack that makes you appreciate that the great cheesy taste wasn’t sacrificed.  Trust me, although some may feel a little pain from the heat, it’s a tasty pain. Yeah, I said tasty pain.  Oh and the fact that these are all natural, preservative free and 50% less fat doesn’t hurt either.  I would’ve never guessed.  Hunt these down folks and be a believer in Feel Good Snacking.

• Pros – Real Cheddar cheese taste.  Great mix of flavor and heat.  Great for spicy food lovers.  Tasty pain.  Heat prevented me from shoving the entire bag down my gullet at once.
• Cons – Spicy snack wimps beware.  Pricier (at some retailers) and harder to find than the big boys like Cheetos snacks.

Taste: 9.50/10

Value: 7.25/10

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GrubGrade: 9.50/10  (GrubGrade Hall of Famer)

(Overall GrubGrade is not an average)

Price: $2.59 for a 5.5 ounce bag.  (their Online Store)

SeasonsSnacks.com (for a more in depth look at the ingredients/nutrition… Click Here)

Nutrition Facts - Hot Chili Pepper Baked Cheese Curls (5.5oz bag)

Serving Size – 1 cup

Servings Per Bag – 6

Calories – 130

Fat – 4.5 grams

Saturated Fat – 0.5 grams

Cholesterol – 0 milligrams

Sodium – 190 milligrams

Total Carbs – 20 grams

Sugars – 1 gram

Dietary Fiber – 2 grams

Protein – 2 grams