See's Raspberry Creme

See's candy has dominated the West Coast of America by having some of the widest variety and best tasting chocolates around. People run to these chocolates for every special occasion. They have over 100 choices you can make, even plenty of options for the chocolate haters out there.

Like all quality chocolate sellers, they have their own shop. They actually have multiple shops in my own town. Don't have one near you? Too lazy to go to their shop?
Purchase them online for the same price.

This time a tried the Raspberry Creme described as: 'Heavenly dark chocolate covers a tangy, rich raspberry center to create this melt-in your mouth piece'
I must start off saying that See's chocolates actually look as perfect as they do on the pictures.



Of all the varieties they offer it may not sound like something you would add to your custom box, but it should be! The raspberry filling is so creamy, sweet, and has just the right amount of tartness. The color itself of the filling is beautiful enough to make you drool.

Try it and it just may be your favorite.

Sweet Home Farm Maple Pecan Granola

Granola was created in the late 1800s by a man named John Harvey Kellogg. At his time granola was only rolled oats baked to a crisp. It wasn't until the hippie movement that they added fruits and nuts to make the granola that we all so much enjoy today.

Back then there were two brands of granola, and the basically made the same exact thing anyway. Today, for us, we just have a myriad of options that it makes it a difficult task to choose a simple cereal. Some granola are crispier than others, some are sweeter. Some have nuts, others have fruit. Some have fortified vitamins and minerals, others are lower in calorie. There is honestly something for everyone.

On my last trip to Winco I noticed that they put the Sweet Home Farm Granola on sale. I've tried this brand months, maybe years, before and remembered being very satisfied with it. I didn't continue eating it though because a container of it was close to $5.

But on this trip I noticed the price was lowered to $2.78. My first thought was to check the expiration date to find that it wasn't going to expire until next year. They came in French Vanilla, Honey Nut, Maple Pecan, and a low fat version of granola with raisins.



I obviously chose the Maple Pecan, as you can see in the title of this post, because I have a secret crush on pecans. They add some of the most delicious flavoring to foods.

First off, this granola is great in the fact that it is 100% natural: free of preservatives, artificial flavors and colors.
Ingredients
Whole Rolled Oats, Milled Cane Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Canola and/or Safflower and/or Sunflower Oil), Rice Flour, Maple Syrup, Cornstarch, Pecans, Honey, Natural Flavor, Salt, Barley Malt Syrup.
All ingredients were produced in the USA and made without GMOs. GMOs are genetically modified organisms, which are organisms who had their DNA altered by some sort of genetic engineering. This stuff is bad for your health as well as your ecosystem.

RANDOM FUN FACT: The member of the hickory family, the Pecan tree grows over 100ft tall and bears nuts for more than 300 years. the pecan is the state nut of Alabama, the state tree of Texas and the only nut native to North America. WOW! I knew pecans were amazing.

So now to the grub. This granola smells divine, kind of like pecan pie. Taking a look inside you don't see loads of pecans but they are in there, and there are enough to flavor your cereal with delicious pecan goodness.



The taste is marvelous. I chose to pack it for an on-the- go snack, which I think granola is perfect for as well as nuts. Why? Because it doesn't mash in your bag like regular cereal and other stuff like cookies. It also doesn't take up much room. It was great by it self and very crunchy! The density of this granola is perfect, unlike the light crispy texture of the other granola I have tried. I also LOVE to eat it with almond milk. The longer it sits in the milk the better it tastes. It never gets fully soggy and slimy! I can take my time eating it as I please.

It's pretty healthy too. It is a high energy snack and does pack on some extra calories for the size, but it is well worth it.

Nutrition Information:
2/3 Cup
Calories: 250
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 40g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 5g

This product is definitely something a cereal/granola lover should try. As I said it comes in other flavors so you can pick what kind you are in to.
I give this product a 10/10

Costco Braided Apple Streudel

It's almost a crime if you hit Costco and don't pay a visit to the bakery section. Today the Braided Apple Strudel was one display. A nice sweet woman was giving two-bite samples of them. I found myself wishing she was my grandma cause she insisted on calling me "sweety" and "honey" with a wonderful grin on her face. See what not having a grandma figure around does to you?

I have seen them before. The Braided Apple Strudel look delicious and fancy. I was never into the flaky desserts, I mostly prefer the moist stuff so they never really caught true attention until they were given out. Taking a good look at them really made me crave some. Lucky for me the woman was offering them.

They were better than I expected, but still not that great. They weren't sweet enough for my liking. Although I bet they would have been better with vanilla ice cream; a popular way to serve apple strudel in this country.

The texture seemed to me as good as it could get for a flaky pastry. But for most I think it would be soggy. If that is a problem for you, you can place these in the oven for 12 minutes and they crisp up. There is a generous amount of apple filling with real apple chunks. There was also some sugar crystals sprinkled on top of it.

The smell was sort of like apple pie. Matter of fact, the taste was like an apple pie. Kind of like a portable apple pie if you can imagine.

They were a bit pricey as well. It was $6.99 for a box of 8 pastries, making each pastry just under $1. Granted they are a decent size, even for the calories.

It's one of the worse tasting Costco bakery products, but it has probably one of the best nutrition stats for the size

Nutrition Information:
1 large pastry
Calories: 390
Fat: 16g
Carbs: 58g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 5g

This wasn't bad tasting if you like puff pastry type of stuff
Since I'm not into it much I give it 4 points
Don't get me wrong, it's not disgusting at all and perfectly edible.

Chex Mix Turtle

One thing that I really dislike about Betty Crocker is her Chex Party Mix recipes. Every single one I try comes out soggier than the next. I look back countless times to make sure I got the recipe and timing correct, and I did! Not working for me. I just gave up on those because I realized it was cheaper, more efficient, and tastier to just buy the pre-made packs of General Mill's Chex Snack Mixes.

This time I chose the turtle variety. In this mix you can find pretzels, chocolate chex mix pieces, caramel popcorn, honey roasted peanuts, and little chocolate M&M like candies. It's a nice combination of sweet and salty.

When I first opened it I had no idea that there were even peanut and chocolate pieces in it because they were all stuck at the bottom. Well this stuff smelled great and tasted wonderful. They sort of had the affect that peanut butter filled pretzels have: once you start you cannot stop. Once you open the bag, before you know it you have finished it. Don't be fooled by the "50% less fat that regular potato chips" on the package. These chex mixes generally have a small serving size so if you are on a diet, stay clear from these.

But honestly, although the serving size is small, they last pretty long because they are so crunchy and take a long time to chew. I would recommend not eating them in a quiet place though. They get pretty noisy.

Everything inside the mix tasted pretty good. The best things were the caramel popcorn and the honey roasted peanuts. The chocolate cereal had an artificial taste to it and the mini chocolate candies sort of just tasted like pure sugar. The pretzels could have used a little more salt too.

Another positive thing about this product is that it is made in the USA.

I rate this a 8/10.
It has room for improvement but it is definitely delicious.

Chex Mix Caramel Crunch

I think I was genetically predisposed to like cereal and anything to do with it. Chex Mixes go along those lines. The Caramel Crunch version is the one I wanted to try this time around. It has wheat chex, corn chex, pretzels, and little swirl cookies all covered in a light invisible coating of caramel.

I decided to eat it for breakfast. The instant I open the bag I fell in love. The smell was amazing. I couldn't resist but try the little swirld first. They looked the most interesting to me. They sort of had a shortbread taste, heavy in vanilla with a light caramel twist.

All the other pieces tasted wonderful too. This was considered a "sweet and salty" snack, although I didn't feel the "salty" part. I figure that was supposed to come from the pretzels, but the pretzels had no salt on them. They were just crunchy bread, which was tasty nevertheless.



This is the best Chex Mix flavor I have ever tasted. Up till now I've thought the Honey flavored was the best, but boy was I wrong. Even though I've only tried maybe about half of their varieties, I'm pretty sure this will be my favorite all the way through.

Once you start the bag you cannot finish. That's the bad thing about these. They pack on a lot of calories and are pretty much "junk food" all the way through. Ignore the 65% less fat than potato chips sign on the front. Fat has nothing to do with calories. There are plenty of carbohydrates in the bag to add calories. It's not exactly filling either.

But it's delicious so what the hell.
9/10

Better n' Peanut Butter

Love peanut butter, but it's sabotaging your diet? Well Better n' Peanut Butter offers the best option for your problems. It provides peanut butter for half the calories. It's an all natural product by the Wonder Naturals Food Corp., and it is considered an official low fat food with only 3 grams of fat for a two tablespoon serving.

I first heard about this product from my old friend Hungry Girl. I honestly thought it was a miracle to find a replacement for peanut butter because at that time I was on my own diet to lose weight. I had to get my hands on this product, and the only place they sold it in my city was Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. So I headed over there when I had the opportunity and bought myself a jar.

It claimed to have the taste of regular peanut butter so I was excited, although I did expect a different taste. So I ran home and opened the jar to spread some on pita bread. The color was a little bit darker than regular peanut butter as well as much thicker and pastier. It's also shinier.

It did not taste like peanut butter to me at all. It had a whole different taste on its own. It had some nutty-ness to it but nothing like peanut butter. It was sweet and it didn't pair with jelly or jam too well. I ate it with honey and bananas instead.

Don't get me wrong, it was delicious in its own way and I would buy it as a good spread. I loved it! But if you are looking for a direct peanut butter swap with this product, you're not going to get it.

But you can use it anywhere that you usually use peanut butter.

I give it a 8/10. It's a great product

It also comes in a Low Sodium and Chocolate flavor.

Captain Crunch Peanut Butter

Many say it is heavenly. Some are addicted to it. Others say they live off of it. It's kid friendly, adult friendly, and it can be found in my kitchen and probably yours.

Can you guess the riddle?

CAP'N CRUNCH PEANUT BUTTER!

Of all of the Cap'n Crunch products this is obviously the most popular. Stores cannot keep it on their shelves. It also is mostly found in gigantic boxes because people love it so much. It's been around since 1967.

An abundance of people love this cereal, but thousands also dis it. They claim it is the most unhealthy cereal you can find on the store shelves. Despite the fact that this cereal is fortified with 7 essential vitamins and minerals, and the website goes on and on about how important a healthy breakfast is.

It's obviously not the best choice of cereals but I think it's going a little far to say that it is the worst cerel you can buy. It's not too high in calories and it's actually a good choice when you crave something sweet. I just wouldn't call it a nutritious breakfast if you know what I mean. It's something I would eat as a snack or dessert.

Nutritional Information:
3/4 cup
Calories: 110
Fat: 2.5g
Carbs: 21g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 2g

If you haven't ever taken a sniff of this stuff, it sort of smells like peanut butter cookies. Not exactly like peanut butter cookies off course, but it is the best simile I can think of.

The texture is highly crunchy. The product may be untruthful about the extent of it's health benefits, but not the crunch. Infact, it's so crunchy that if you don't chew it properly you may rip your mouth. The good thing about it though is that it takes a long time before it gets too soggy and slimy. Even if the outside is soggy the middle seems to retain its crunch. This way you have a bit more time to enjoy your food.

The taste is favorable. I don't think I like it as much as many others do. I adore peanut butter as much as the next guy but I would prefer Cocoa Puffs to these. I just may have a huge chocolate addiction as well. What I can't get over is the artificial taste of this cereal. The peanut taste is also a bit light for me.

I honestly just prefer to eat this stuff plain. They taste like deliciously sweet chips to me.

In the end I give it a 6/10.

I know I should be ashamed of saying that for some of you, but I'm going to openly say that I prefer a lot of other cereal to this.

Sunland Creamy Peanut Butter

There was nearly a crisis in my house the other day when I realized that the peanut butter jar was half a serving from being empty. But then super mom came to save the day and happened to buy some on her trip to the grocery story. Phew! That was a close one.

There you go, that was my attempt at being funny. Not so much huh? So you may have picked up that I love peanut butter. I truly do and I prefer creamy to crunchy, but I would be happy with both.



Whatever. She picked up some Sunland Peanut Butter from Fresh & Easy. I think they are the only one near my place that sells that stuff. They also have other nut butters and flavored peanut butters like Banana Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter.

Well I made a peanut butter jelly sandwich with pita bread for breakfast with my homemade mulberry jelly. So the peanut butter was just a bit pastier than the usual JIF or Skippy that I get, so I thought the taste would be significantly different.

It wasn't at all. It was way better than any peanut butter that I have ever tasted. It tasted just like JIF but with double the peanut taste! I fell in love. I ate it all day. I had it dipped with pretzels as a snack. I made it into a smoothie. I spread it on my grilled cheese sandwich. I was in heaven. I ignored the fact that peanut butter contains alfatoxins that could make me very sick and possibly die if I eat too much of it consecutively. It's worth the risk.

Thus, I will buy Sunland's products more often and you should too.
I give it a 10/10
Sunland peanut butter is peanut BETTER!
And this is just another day in the life of a nut butter lover.

Julie's Organic Blackberry Sorbet Bars

A recent trip to Costco gave me the chance to sample some of these Julie's Organic Ice Creams, specifically the Blackberry Sorbet bars. They are a certified organic product and they are delicious.

I honestly walked down the aisle and saw the sample and took a lick. They had a wonderful flavor to them. I didn't even know that they were only 60 calories! The texture is smooth, not like shaved ice at all. In a sense it is creamy. The flavoring was perfect as well.

I didn't buy a box from them though. I went to the WinCo next door to get a smaller box for $2.99 for 4 bars. That is still a rip off, but at least it's not like the Baskin Robbins scoop I got for the same price. At least I get to enjoy this one for 4servings.

If I were on a diet, I would say these bars are perfect. Take a look at the nutrition info.

Nutrition Information:
1 bar
Calories: 60
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 16g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 0g

The ingredients include, blackberry puree, evaporated cane juice, tapioca syrup, pectin, and some stabilizers like locust bean gum and guar gum. All organic stuff.

It's a good snack. Very impressive
I give it a 7/10

Stride 2.0 Spearmint

Gum is a must have in my life. It is truly one of the miracles of the world. You can stick it in your mouth and chew chew chew. It will get rid of your hunger, bad breath, and sugar cravings. Many gums can also clean your teeth. Most gums are sugar free and less than 5 calories per stick. What's not to love?

Stride has always been one of my favorite brands of gum. The gums is, as they say, long lasting. I like both fruity flavors and minty ones. I have no preference for either, it just depends on my mood at the moment.



So I needed to pick up some gum and I got the new Stride 2.0 Spearmint flavor. If I choose mint gum I usually get the spearmint kind because it is truly the best. Before that day I had no idea that Stride even upgraded. Apparently they were reading our feedback and they upgraded their products so we can enjoy their gum more.

Part of the upgrade included the packaging. They claim it's "cooler" without the excess "mumbo jumbo". I really didn't really care for the package upgrade, but I did like the gum wrapper upgrade idea. They switched to foil wrapping instead of paper so that our gum won't sweat or moisten in humid conditions. This is a definite plus.

They also changed the flavoring a little. It's a subtle change, but a change nonetheless. The taste of the gum is the same as the original for the Spearmint kind. It starts off with a good strong, but not too strong that it burns, spearmint taste that quickly dies down to a sweet and delicious minty-ness. But unlike the original, the flavor wanes a bit after a half an hour and the flavor seems to begin to disappear and change at the same time. The delicious sweetness is going away and leaving it to taste like plain mint. I remember the original kind not doing that.

In addition, the original kind used to pop the best bubbles in the whole wide world. This one pops okay, but I miss the old one.

Overall, the flavor at first is still the same, and it does last long in the fact that it doesn't deteriorate in your mouth. The only improvement that I liked was the gum wrapper. I say keep the gum wrapper, and bring back the original gum.

I give it a 6/10

Baskin Robbins Nutty Coconut Ice Cream (+ other flavors)

Today was one of the more exciting days of my life. I went with a friend and her daughter to the local library to check out some books. I browsed the fiction section, looking for something great to dive into. We only had about 20 minutes to look because we had to go pick up her son from summer school. I only found one good book, The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd, the bestselling author who wrote The Secret Life of Bees. It sounds like a good story.

But I am not here to review a book. I am here to review the trip we took to Baskin Robbins after we picked up her son. I have not been to Baskin Robbins ever before in my life. Amazing right; considering they are so popular here in America. To tell you the truth I have only been out to ice cream a handful of times. And I've only been to two places:: Cold Stone Creamery and Thrifty's at Rite Aid. That is going to change. I need to get a life.

Anyhow, my friend chose the Bananas ‘n Strawberries, which I took a lick of. I must say it was delicious. There was a Neapolitan-like flavor to it, but better! The banana flavor was perfect and the strawberry ice cream was fresh and delicious. There was also a hint of strawberry syrup somewhere in there. This flavor has been served since 1970. It's one of the regional flavors so you cannot find it everywhere.

Her daughter got the bubble gum flavor and her son a chocolate ice cream. I didn't have the heart to steal a lick from them so I cannot tell you how theirs tasted.



I got the best of them all! Nutty Coconut. I sampled it at first to make sure it was fresh, it was. So I happily got one scoop in a cup. It was nice, thick, and creamy. There were nut chunks everywhere. It's a flavor that was added to the Baskin Robbins menu in 1967. It contains roasted almonds, walnuts, and buttered pecans. I am a HUGE coconut fan, as well as a HUMUNGO nut eater. I love all nuts. Lucky for me I got a scoop that had nuts all over it.

The flavor was fantastic. The coconut flavor was perfect, although I wouldn't mind if it was a little stronger. But it tasted like a creamy dreamy trail mix. It definitely would go good with their Banana Walnut flavor.

Nutrition Information:
1 2.5 oz scoop
Calories: 190
Fat: 12g
Carbs: 18g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 4g

It is definitely a flavor worth trying. I will go back to try their many other flavors one day when money rolls in easier. But as of now, I am broke and I cannot go too often. They are way overpriced at Baskin Robbins. I paid $2.99 for a single scoop that I finished in 5 minutes. I could have gotten a whole bucket of ice cream for that. It's not like the ice cream was any better quality than the ones from the store.

Overall, I prefer Cold Stone Creamery. Their ice cream is exquisite! But that doesn't mean I will never go back to Baskin Robbins.

So to conclude, I give this ice cream a 7/10.
It's delicious, yet expensive. But treating myself once in a while is a good thing.