Carmel Coffee & Co. Chocolate Honey Nut Bar

For my little summer vacation I headed over to Carmel with my aunt and my mother. It truly is a beautiful place if you have never been. The weather is always cool which was a plus because it's boiling where I usually am. We walked around he shops, went window shopping, ate at this restaurant called Portabella. It was a great experience.

Around the late afternoon we needed a little snack from all that walking so we hit the coffee shop. Carmel Coffee & Co. is what they called it. I got a coffee, but I honestly have to say it didn't taste very good. Their 100% Arabica coffee did not taste very fresh, and it has bizarre flavoring to it. I did not like it. I usually drink my coffee black, but even after cream and sugar this stuff didn't taste good at all.

But I did get this Chocolate Honey Nut Bar thing that they had in the little baked goods section. I'm not sure of the exact name of it, and the girl who worked there had no idea herself. All I thought was that it looked pretty damn good.



I'm pretty sure the bottom was an oatmeal cookie base, topped with a thick layer of rich chocolate mixed with coconut and walnuts, topped with another layer of cookie and drizzled with chocolate. My mouth is still watering.

This was about the best dessert I've eaten in a long time. It beats brownies in my book. Up till this bar, brownies were my favorite. This bar surpasses any granola bar that I've ever tasted. It has everything that I can possibly want in there.

The bar itself was so sweet. The texture was moist and chewy. You felt the delicious coconut pieces crunch under your teeth and melt with the chocolate flavoring. The walnut pieces were a perfect compliment to it all. The cookie was so moist, fresh, and delicious.

I can't stop raving about this bar. I wish Starbucks had something like this. I am seriously thinking about driving out to Carmel to get a barrel of these or something.

M&M Coconut

By now everybody has heard of these coconut M&M's, which have come out years before for a limited time only. Once again they were to be a limited time offer a couple months ago, but people liked it so much that M&M's have made it part of their permanent collection.

I was excited about these because I knew how much I loved coconut and chocolate.

They come in a nice white package with Ms. Green reclining in the front and Mr. Yellow Peanut hanging off a coconut palm in the back.

They only come in nice 1.5 oz individual packages, with only 210 calories per pack. There are specifically 23 M&M's in each package, making each M&M about 10 calories. This is a good deal and perfect portion. 23 may sound like only a little bit, but actually you'll feel very satisfied after finishing the pack. The size of each M&M is between a regular M&M and a peanut M&M. They come in brown, green, and white; also containing some little tropical pictures on each M&M.

It's sort of disappointing that they don't have little coconut flakes floating around these because that would have just made these so much better, in my opinion at least. The coconut flavor basically comes from the sugar coating that covers a pure milk chocolate center. It's not a heavy coconut flavor at all. To me it tastes just like coconut extract. I think they put too much of it though because there is a slight bitterness to this candy that does not come from the chocolate.

I expected more out of these, but they were delicious nevertheless. I feel like they tasted much better halfway through each package. They different, but I prefer peanut M&Ms.

Stride Mega Mystery

Stride is not the first brand that came out with this "guess the flavor" type thing and it won't be the last. It has been around for a while now, but I barely got my hands on a pack a week ago.

Although Stride has updated some of their main flavors, that update does not apply to this product in particular. I'm honestly only bummed out about the fact that the gum is not wrapped in foil so that it won't get damaged in humid conditions.

By just smelling this gum you know that it has a fruity flavor. As you masticate, the flavor that will most pop out is this citrus flavor, pineapple is what it reminded me of specifically but others say orange. I also tasted strawberry somewhere in there and possibly some mango. It's basically like some fruit punch mix in a stick of gum. So this stuff is not necessarily Mega Mystery. But overall, it does taste pretty good.

The texture of this stuff is perfect for popping bubbles, but unfortunately, it's flavor does not last as long as other Stride varieties.

I think it's a good product. I'm pretty sure it has become one of Stride's permanent collections because it has been around for a while. I would give it a go because it does have an interesting flavor.

Gloria Jean's Pomegranate Berry Fusion Tea

My mother was the one who showed me what the Keurig was. It honestly looks like an amazing product. No matter what you want to drink you can have it fresh instantly. I don't actually own one but my friend bought one. I took a visit to her house and she made me some Pomegranate Berry Fusion Tea, claiming it to be one of the best teas she have ever drank.

I reluctantly accepted her offer and asked for it to be iced. The moment it came out it released a wonderful aroma that filled the room with a strong berry scent mixed with fresh brewed black tea.

The tea itself was very smooth and was a nice deep black tea color with a reddish tint. It was a bit light for me, but my friend said she thought it was perfect. You definitely taste the berries and pomegranates in this, making it almost like a unique fruit juice without the calories. I did add a packet of Splenda to this for taste. No doubt the keurig did make this tea taste fresh.

This is no where near my personal favorite tea. I myself prefer "chai" spiced tea. I put quotes around that because in my mother language, and most of the neighboring languages, "chai" means tea in general; not just the spiced American version. But the spiced American version is my favorite.

Tuttimelon Red Velvet Cake & Cookies n' Cream

On another trip to the mall we hit the fro-yo shop, called Tuttimelon. They serve gelato there as well, which I have yet to try. My mom and I enjoy the sweet flavors so I got red velvet cake and she got cookies and cream. But we shared of course.


So the red velvet cake was better than I would have guessed it would be. The flavor was amazing, kind of like Betty Crocker's red velvet cake mix. It's as if I was licking the whisk while baking it. I enjoyed it plain better than with any topping. The toppings would definitely overpower this thing. Coconut would match well on this though.


I can't decide if I enjoyed the red velvet more or the cookies n' cream. They both had their own delicious taste. The cookies and cream tasted just as good as the cookies n' cream ice cream that you buy at the store.

Both flavors were very creamy and fresh, better than the old Tutti Frutti that was near my house. I didn't detect a single ice crystal.

The store's environment is actually pretty cool too. It's a great place to hang out.

Over all, I enjoyed this place. Sorry I don't have real pictures but maybe that will motivate you to go to Tuttimelon yourself.

See's Vanilla Nut Cream

See's offers so many flavors that it is impossible to try all of them. Why is it impossible? Because once you try one you feel the need to buy that one multiple times because you find that you love it so much. I don't think that I would ever get tired of any flavor of their chocolates.

This time I ended up trying the Vanilla Nut Cream. It's filled with vanilla butter cream and English walnuts surrounded by a nice milk chocolate coating.

Yes, it is just as delicious as it sounds. It sort of reminded me of the Maple Walnut kind, but it did have a different flavor to it. The nuts were fresh and crunchy. There was a perfect balance of flavor between the chocolate and the filling. The filling may be too sweet for some, but I have no complaints. It is absolutely excellent!

Starbucks Zucchini Walnut Muffin

Coming from our neighbor Mexico, zucchinis are wonderful vegetables that have a lot going for them. You can eat them in almost any possible way. My personal favorite is in these veggie patties that I make at home.

Zucchinis are a very low calorie vegetable. 100 grams of this stuff is only about 35 calories. Low in calories, yet high in fiber. These squash are also high in potassium which is known to reduce blood pressure and heart rate by counteracting the affects of salt on your body. Not to mention that zucchinis are chocked full of antioxidants that can get rid of those nasty free radicals that cause aging, cancer, and other diseases in your body. Not to mention the excellent source of vitamin C and magnesium that it has.

So naturally after hearing all that you gotta love this stuff.

Since my oven is broken I've been feasting off sweets from places other than my home for months. I think I would die without baked goods so I have to get them from another source. This time it was Starbucks. I chose the Zucchini Walnut Muffin, never trying the one at Starbucks before. I've never thought of vegetables in sweets as weird truthfully. When I was little my mother would make carrot cakes and zucchini cakes that were irresistibly delicious. When I visit my uncle in Turkey, he made us an olive loaf (which actually wasn't that fantastic, but kudos for being just good).



The muffin was about the size of my fist, which is a decent size but it could be bigger. There was a couple walnut pieces stuck on the top and it smelled lightly spiced. I heard from somewhere that it tastes like their banana bread, which I have yet to try. This just proved to me more that Starbucks reuses the same batter for a couple of their desserts. For instance, their Blueberry Muffin and Very Berry Coffee Cake have the same exact cake batter. This is not a complaint, just an observation. Their cake batter is one of the best I've ever tried.

The muffin tasted delicious. The texture was very fluffy, as the description of he muffin claims. It was a little lest poundier than their Blueberry Muffin, yet still has thicker-than-cake feel to it. The description also doesn't lie when it claims this cake is "delicate". It was moist and fresh. If you examine the muffin you notice the little green zucchini pieces floating around. Mine didn't have very many walnut pieces though, which was a little disappointing. The spice was perfect and the batter tasted homemade.

I actually chose to eat this for lunch. Granted it is not the healthiest option, but I was in the mood for something sweet. Actually, it would be better for you metabolism to eat the "lunch" foods for breakfast and the "breakfast" foods for lunch anyways.

It's all natural with no artificial flavoring or preservatives. You'd think the low-cal zucchini would lower the stats on this, but you would be dead wrong. Just like how salads are not something you want to order at a restaurant.

Each muffin has 490 calories, 28 grams of fat, 52 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and 7 grams of protein. You may be better off with one of Uncle Harry's Bagels or a soft pretzel, but nothing would compare to the wonderful taste of these muffins. So I say eat less of other things for a day and taste one of these muffins.

See's Cashew Brittle

See's Cashew Brittle is one of the most exciting chocolates to try for me personally. It has cashews in it for one, which is one of the top greatest nuts on my list. It also had the magnificent coconut hinted in there, which you can never go wrong with coconut.

The moment I stuck this in my mouth part of me felt joy and happiness, while the pessimistic part of me felt bitter dissapointment.

If no one had told me I would have no idea that there was coconut hiding in this candy. The cashews were at least visible in their famous, delicious, perfectly-crafted toffee; but I couldn't really taste them with the toffee over powering their flavor. Unlike the California Brittle, whose almonds had a significant effect on the taste of the chocolate.

This honestly just tasted like a sweeter version of California Brittle, due to the white chocolate on top, but without the almond flavoring. I do prefer California Brittle to this though because it has a heavier chocolate and nut flavor to it.

But there is no doubt that I love this stuff too. I could eat it all day to tell you the truth. I would definitly include one of these in a custom mix box.

Trident Vitality Vigorate

On a trip to get my next gum fix I choose Trident Vitality this time. Hearing all about it I decided to give it a taste. I expected it to be great because my favorite gum is made by Trident.

I should start off by saying the package is the coolest thing ever. It has a cool flap thing that you can slip the gum package from.

The new thing about this gum is that it is fortified with vitamin C. It offers a nice 10% of your daily value. That's NOTHING. You can get much vitamin C off of half a leaf of lettuce. Eat a nice orange and get over 100% easily. But I guess it offers more than other gums. Chew the whole pack in a day and you get 90% of your daily value.

This stuff is said to be "a burst of citrus and strawberry with vitamin C", as you can read on the package.

I popped a first piece in my mouth and was amazed at the second bit. The first chew wasn't so great cause of that sugar-like coating that you find on M&M's and Skittles, but you did get an amazing burst of flavor from the second bite. It tasted heavy on the citrus and light on the strawberry. These flavors are a mixture of nature and artificial (I wonder how that works out?).

There is a refreshingly cool feeling to the gum at first but that eventually dies out off course. None of the Trident flavors seem to last as long as the Tropical Trident sticks.

Overall it is a good product, but it is over priced compared to other gums. But I might get them again for a change of scenery.

Fresh&Easy Peanut Butter Pretzels

On my trip to Fresh and Easy I decided to hit the snack aisle to find some portable snacks to take with my on the go. I saw that they had some peanut butter pretzels, knowing how much I liked Anderson's peanut butter pretzels, I picked up a bag of these. Fresh and Easy has some great products, so I figured they would taste just as good as Anderson's.

But I was wrong. For some reason the pretzel coating on top tasted a bit stale to me. I was so happy with the previous products that I bought from Fresh and Easy I really had high hopes for these because they were pretty cheap.

Their formula sucked. There wasn't even a decent amound of peanut butter filling. The only thing nice I can say about these are that they have no preservatives, artificial coloring, or flavoring. Other than that I wasn't satisfied.

Yes, I did check the expiration date and it was fine, I didn't pass it. Maybe I got an unlucky bag, but I'm not purchasing these again. I'll stick with the Honey Wheat Pretzels.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Almond Horns

There is only one Trader Joe's in my city and it's a bit far from my house, so I don't go there often. Plus the place is a bit expensive. But Trader Joe's and Whole Food's Market has some stuff that other stores don't offer, so sometimes I take my butt over there to have a look.

I take advantage of spending my gas on that trip to pick up some other things that look interesting. This time around I picked up a box of Chocolate Almond Horns. I've never seen almond horns in my life and had no idea what they were at first. But taking a look in the box they look like delicious cookies in a horse shoe form. But I have no clue why they are cold almond horns.

My body is a magnet to the bakery sections of grocery stores. So off course my visit to Trader Joe's had me over there looking at their sweet delights. They had much to offer but my eyes caught the almond horns. The top of the box said that these were "soft almond cookies dipped in dark chocolate". They sounded fantastic to me so I picked up a box.



The chocolate, only covering about a third of the cookie, was delicious, rich, and bittersweet. They really used the quality stuff. It was delicious. I loved it so much I left the rest of the chocolate part for my last bite. The cookie part was just at great. Topped with almond slivers, the outside was crispy and sort of tough, but the inside was nice and moist. Kind of like how churros are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, but not like the texture of a churro.

The flavor was amazing. It had a heavy almond extract taste to it that lingered in your mouth after you swallowed. If you don't know what that tastes like think of marzipan. In other words, it had a heavy marzipan taste. Basically, the cookie part was great, especially with the black tea I had it with.

The best part of the cookie was the chocolate covered piece which balanced well with the flavors in the cookie. Neither over powered the other. They were a match made in heaven when put together. They sort of reminded me of a cookie form of See's Dark Chocolate covered Marzipan truffles.

Definitely worth getting. They are wonderful, delicious, and will definitely not sabotage your diet, if you eat only one of course.