Simply Chex Mix Strawberry Yogurt

I LOVE cereal. I love it dry, I love it wet, I love it mixed with other stuff.
I usually make portable snacks by mixing a bunch of cereals, pretzels, and nuts that I have at home to make a wonderful trail mix.
I don't usually put dried fruit though because it tends to make the mix soggy.



Anyways, today I am reviewing Strawberry Yogurt flavored Chex Mix. Don't be alarmed if you haven't heard of this variety before because it's not easily found in your local area. It's one of those things that you have to order online or something.

It's called Simple Chex because, unlike the other Chex Mixes that contain pretzels/nuts and other things, this only has flavored chex cereal pieces.

Taking a look inside the bag you notice some chex pieces are lighter than others. You can also spot some chex pieces dipped in strawberry yogurt, hence the name of the flavor. You really do get the smell of very tart, but very sweet strawberry flavoring.




The chex pieces are very crunchy. You do not want to eat these in a place that other people can hear you crunch. I mean they are OBNOXIOUS! It's like someone put a microphone to you mouth so you yourself can announce to the world that you are eating Chex Mix.

One the bright side they are flavorful. There is a sort of unpleasant tartness to it that could definitely be improved. It's not a disgusting mix, but it is the worst of all the Chex Mixes that I have tried. If you know what I am getting at.

It is a decent size for the calories though. The calories can vary per package. I know that they most commonly come in 100 calorie packs. Mine was 120 calories for some reason.

I give this product a 5/10.
It wasn't that great.

Quaker Life Soft Baked Banana Walnut Bread Bar

Another trip down the snack aisle brought me to these bars. I have a thing for Banana Walnut Bread, so I grabbed them. They were on sale =).

They look exactly like a smaller version of Quaker's oatmeal-on-the-go. They are meant to be for adults; possibly because they have more fiber and protein in them.

The bar smelled good, looked good, and tasted good. The only thing was that the sweetness came as an aftertaste. Nevertheless, they were delicious and I would buy them once again.

I hope they still make them because I cannot find them on the Quaker website.

I give them an 80%.
8/10

Diet Dr. Pepper

I am not a big soda fan. I think it is because my dad refused to get me soda as a child. I guess I can thank him for that. I still to this day don't buy soda. If I were to buy soda though, it would only be Diet Dr. Pepper.

Dr. Pepper is the only tasty soda.
I love all the flavors I have tried so far:
Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper
Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper
Diet Berries n' Creme Dr. Pepper
Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper

Costco Cheese Pizza

Just the other day I was watching an episode of Desperate Housewives from their third season when Tom Scavo pursued his dream of opening is very own pizzeria. That episode and the ones following repeatedly brought to my mind the idea that I have not had pizza in months. Whereas most Americans eat pizza multiple times a week, I eat it a couple times a year.

Well after some light shopping at Costco, I decided to buy their single serving 2 slices of pizza. I chose the cheese kind because I am in love with cheese and I saw them freshly take it out of the oven. I happened to be the first one to get my hands on the pizza. Now usually if I come accross a pizza, I eat 4 slices. Costco's slices are so big that 2 slices = 4 normal pizza slices.

Anyways, there was more cheese on the pizza than bread. This is not a bad thing, granted that I loved cheese. All you could really taste was cheesy bread. I tasted no sauce, and I slightly tasted the bread.

It was fantastic as far as most pizza chains go. It wasn't the best pizza I ever ate, but it was pretty damn good. I will be getting it again.

Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownies

The Palmer House Hilton, a famous historical hotel in Downtown Chicago, held a contest at a fair to find the perfect dessert to take in boxed lunches. The brownie won, although it was not the same brownie that many of us think of today

A woman in Bangor, Maine shifted the recipe to the brownies that we are more familiar with, and it took on the name Bangor Brownies in 1907. This brownie has become one of contemporary America's favorite desserts.

What makes a brownie fantastic? Well the obvious answer is the rich chocolaty taste and the density. But who really knows the best recipe to make the brownie not too cakey, or not too fudgy. I think Betty Crocker's Dark Chocolate Brownie mix got pretty darn close. As for Pillsbury, nuh uh.

I was excited about making these brownies, especially because the mix was twice the price of other brownie mixes at Target. Yes, I know perfectly well that just because things cost more doesn't mean they don't necessarily taste better; I lived off of off-brand food for most of my life. But mostly, if the price is higher, the flavor is as well.

I cannot explain how disappointed I was with these stupid brownies. I followed the box recipe exactly and put it in the oven. I baked it for the minimum time that they gave me and when I checked it with a toothpick, the edges came out clean, as if I didn't even stick the toothpick in. I immediately took it out. There was this giant UFO circle in the middle of the tray. The top wasn't flaky like traditional brownies either. At that moment I wasn't too worried about anything because usually the dry parts of the brownies are just chewier and more cookie-like, which is fine with me.

I waited an hour for them too cool and cut myself a slice. I couldn't get it out of the tray properly. That was the first downer of these brownies: they were way too fragile. Well I took a bite from the middle-side and it was too much like fudge to be considered a brownie. It was too moist. I am a lover of moist cakes but this was overly moist. Too much of anything is bad. I went to the corner piece and, granted it was chewy in the middle, but the outside felt like layers of hard sugar crystal. Even in the middle part of the cake the top layer felt like sugar crystals overpowered by watery moistness.

It did taste good while it was in your mouth. It tasted more sweet than flavorful. I prefer the rich chocolaty taste of the brownie rather than the sugary-ness. After you swallowed it didn't leave a wonderful brownie-aftertaste in your mouth like it should. It didn't even smell that wonderful.

I am a perfectionist, and these brownies were not perfect. I did everything in my power to make these brownies nice and they weren't!
I give this a 1/10, for effort.

Don Francisco

Coffee has been a staple in my daily diet since I was in the 5th grade. No lie, I really did start drinking it every morning since then. Even as a little girl, I would bring my plastic tea set to my mom and dad and ask them to fill coffee inside of it so I could sip it from there. Many people joke that coffee is what stunted my growth; but that's no doubt my short parents fault. =p



Well anyways, I usually drink the coffee from the bulk aisle at Winco because it's the cheapest that I could find for decent taste. But I was visiting my cousin and she had the courtesy to get me some coffee. Knowing that my favorite is the hazelnut blend she decided to buy me Don Francisco's Hawaiian Hazelnut Blend.

I've never tried Don Francisco's coffee before, nor have a tried a Hawaiian Hazelnut brand. I was very curious of the taste. I brewed it the moment I got to her house. It released one of the most wonderful smells in the world. The smell of coffee is something I and many other people enjoy very much. I wouldn't mind if more air fresheners and perfumes smelled like coffee. It's an idea somebody should pursue.

The taste was fantastic. She got me medium roast, which was a little light but still had lots of flavor, which was the key to this coffee. It has the most exotic taste and smell. I got sort of a coconut taste in there as well, even there is no evidence of coconut flavoring.

It's just a wonderful coffee. I give it a 9/10.
It's a must try for coffee lovers.

Trader Joe's Dried Fruit Chile Spiced Mango

Known worldwide as the 'king of fruit', mango is a fruit with origins in India. It was first brought to California in 1880. Mangoes can actually be very sacred. For instance, the Hindu culture hanging fresh mango leaves outside the front door during Hindu New Year and Deepavali is considered a blessing to the house. In India it can also be a symbol of love, and the tree is believed to grant wishes.

Don't feed your mango leaves to cattle or livestock because it is poison to them. Distant relatives of mango plants include the cashew, pistachio, Jamaica plum, poison ivy and poison oak. Mangoes are high in vitamin C and vitamin A; but they also contain other health benefits.

Most dieters say that you should stay away from mangoes and bananas to lose weight; I disagree. An average whole mango that I buy is 100 calories for the whole thing. It tastes better than candy and it is a very healthy dessert.



On my last trip to Trader Joe's, I hit the fruit and nut section on my visit because dried fruit and nuts are the perfect on the go snacks. I like to pick up different things each time I go, and this time I chose the Chile Spiced Mango. Putting spices on fruit is a popular tradition started in Mexico. One of the best fruits to spice is mango; fresh or dry. These particular mango slices were covered in paprika, sugar salt, and cayenne pepper.

The mango pieces were very fresh and generously covered in spices. I love spicy food but hey could have put a little less; the spices overpowered the fruit. Nevertheless it still tasted good. It wasn't as hot as Hot Cheetos, but still spicy for those who don't like spicy food.


Nutrition Facts:
¼ cup (30g)
Calories: 110
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 27g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 0g

So taking a look at the nutrition facts, it's not exactly the healthiest dried fruit option, but the spices did keep you full. It is a great pre-workout snack; which is usually when I would consume these.

Overall, they were pretty good. They could cut back on the spices a little. In the end I would prefer the plain dried mango (actually I would prefer fresh overall). But I would consider trying them out because trying new things is fun. It adds spice to life.

I give these a 5/10. They weren't anything memorable. A little overpriced too, but good.

Newtons Fruit Thins: Cranberry Citrus Oat

Last week I was on a trip to Walmart, minding my own business, when I crazy Walmart lady thrust a Newtons Fruit thins half -cookie sample along with some nuts toward me. Being a food lover that I am, how could I say no to the poor woman? She had a stack of coupons next to her for the products she was sample so I just grabbed a couple because you can never have too many coupons. I tasted the samples and moved along with my life. I've heard of the Newtons Fruit Thins before and honestly, that half cookie wasn't very memorable.

Later I got home and looked at the coupon, which would give me $1 off these cookies. I decided to buy a pack. All I remembered from the sample was that it was good. So I bought a Cranberry and Citrus Oat pack first. I put it in my pantry and didn't think twice about it until yesterday when I opened it while watching some old Desperate Housewives episodes.



If you glance at it, it look just like a cracker. I didn't think they would be that great. I love all cookies, but the soft chewy ones are the BEST! So I didn't think these thin crunchy things would be that good. You can see the grans and cranberry pieces in it, claimed to be real. They were about 2.5 inches in diameter.

But you can't really appreciate these cookies until you stick them in your mouth. They weren't crunchy, but crispy is the exact word for it; kind of like the texture of graham crackers. The cranberry pieces are chewy in your mouth which satisfies that chewy craving. They were perfectly sweet enough and there was a wonderful, light orange zest taste that went perfect with the slight tartness of the cranberries. They tasted great with a mug of coffee next to them. They even tasted great with peanut butter. My favorite way to eat them was to suck on them for 3 seconds till they softened in your mouth and then chewed them.

They aren't exactly nutritious, but they do have 8 grams of whole grains in them at least. They are a great snack. Very satisfying for only 3 cookies (although I ate way more than that, even though I can see myself stopping for 3). On another positive note, the ingredients were ALL reckognizable. I can tell exactly what goes inside my body.

Nutrition Facts:
3 cookies
Calories: 140
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 22g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 2g

I give these cookies a strong 9/10
I will purchase more.

Lauching Cow Cheese Wedges

Toward the end of 2007, after got my act together with food, I started researching a lot on dieting and nutrition. I came across the Hungry Girl website, before she became very popular. I loved everything she posted because she gave me the boost to find low calorie foods at the store to help me lose weight.

One of the things she introduced to my life was those Laughing Cow cheese wedges. This is a product made by a French company. Coming in wheels of 8 individually foil wrapped wedges, these cheeses are delicious. They have a consistency similar to cream cheese, but slightly softer and creamier.

I first spread them on pita bread along with some homemade rose jelly. But now I realize that the best way to eat these cheeses is as a snack on bread or crackers. The package also suggests to eat them with apple slices, which I guess is a good idea; although I prefer my apples plain.

They are pretty nutritious and great as a low calorie snack. For those who have trouble with portion control, these are the answer since they are individually wrapped. If you can't stop at one, your diet still won't be sabotaged.



The only bad thing about them is that they are overpriced.
I give these wonderful wedges a 9/10.

Nature Valley Maple and Brown Sugar

Before going on a diet I almost NEVER purchased granola bars. I honestly did not really know that so many of them existed. I ate the more dense stuff like Snicker's or Twix. But boy were they a positive slap in the face when I had to cut down on calories.

The honest reason why I bought these granola bars at the store was because they were on sale for $1. You can't beat that considering how expensive granola bars are. If you honestly look at what's in the stuff you're buying, you'll realize how much you are being ripped off.

For those of you who may not know, these bars are crunchy. I prefer the soft and chewy bars, but the crunchy ones seem to last better during the warmer seasons. If you don't know what I am getting at, the crunchy bars stay nice crisp and fresh no matter what's going on with the temperature. On the other hand, the chewy bars tend "sweat" or "melt" and disfigure themselves through minor temperature fluctuations.

When this bar first hit my tongue, it didn't taste like much until it sat there and sogged for a while. Then the maple and sugar flavor hit with a fantastic burst. They tasted pretty good.Nevertheless, I was disappointed for the first second that they were in my mouth. I happily finished the package and craved a little more.

So we can say that these bars tasted good. Are they really healthy? Well nothing packaged really is, even though these bars claim that they are 100% natural.
IngredientsWhole Grain Rolled Oats, Sugar, Canola Oil, Crisp Rice With Soy Protein (Rice Flour, Soy Protein Concentrate, Sugar, Malt, Salt), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar Syrup, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Baking Soda, Natural Flavor, Peanut Flour, Almond Flour, Hazelnut Flour, Walnut Flour, Pecan Flour.
It's not to say that they are all bad; you will get SOME health benefit out of this (like some instant energy and some whole grains). But that high fructose corn syrup doesn't look too good to me. The rest of the stuff looks fine though, at least I can pronounce it.

Overall, these bars aren't fantastic. They are just a good snack that's not too sugary. They aren't anything memorable. They are pretty low on the stats as well, with only 190 calories per bar.
I would give them a 6/10.

Barefoot Contessa Blueberry Crumb Cake

For Streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

For Cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3.4 a stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1.25 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
confectioner's sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake, cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4-5 mins, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatual to be sure that the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and seve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.


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How was this cake overall?
I think this is probably the best blueberry cake recipe that I have ever tasted!
The topping, for one, was fantastic! It was sweet, buttery, and delicious.
It tasted just as good as a Starbucks Blueberry Streusel Muffin.
One tip though, it comes out best if you use the sizes of the pan and ingredients given in the recipe.
I think the Contessa has some good stuff.

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