Author: Meghan

REVIEW: Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey Cereal

Meghan 4 Comments

Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats N Honey Cereal

What is Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey?

Debuting as the second member of the brand’s Oat Crunch family of cereals, Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey features honey-sweetened clusters of multigrain Cheerios and whole-grain oats.

How is it?

One thing’s for sure – General Mills really nailed the crunch factor here! I personally have never found regular Cheerios to be particularly lacking in the texture department, but this variation definitely has an edge in terms of crunchiness. It’s not quite on the level of Cap’n Crunch, but it’s certainly got enough heft to it that holds up well in milk.

Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats N Honey Cereal Dry

The oats are bound to the Cheerios themselves using a delicious coating of sugar and honey. This causes the formation of little cereal and oat clusters that have a striking similarity to granola, making this perfect for topping yogurt.

Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats N Honey Cereal Milk

Taste-wise, Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey isn’t much to write home about. It’s much more muted than its cinnamon sister cereal, but still not bad in its own right. It comes across as notably less sweet than Honey Nut Cheerios, which I found rather odd considering both variations have about as much sugar as one another on a gram-per-gram basis. But that’s part of what makes it a great option if you’re in the market for a hardier breakfast that’s not going to cause a 10 a.m. sugar crash.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Calorie counters should remain conscious of their portion size here since this cereal’s similarities with granola don’t end with its consistency. A single serving of this has more than twice the calories and fat than most other members of the Cheerios family, and it’s way too easy to power through two or three servings in a single bowl.

Conclusion:

If you’re in the market for a cereal to hold you over until lunch, or if you’re looking for something a little more wholesome to top off parfaits, I’d say to give Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey a shot. If nothing else, you can always use it as an excellent base for homemade trail mix.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 15.2 oz box
Purchased at: Food Lion
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 230 calories, 5 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of total carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 15 grams of total sugars, 15 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

Meghan

Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

What is Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream?

‘Twas the month before Christmas, and all through the store
No one craved ice cream, and even Dubba Scoops did not want any more;
The freezers were stocked to the brim with care
In hopes for warmer weather to soon be there;

But the folks at Breyers had all these ideas dancing through their heads
With visions of mint and frozen cocoa leading their team through winter’s dread;
Combining dark chocolate and peppermint ice creams, throwing in chocolatey chips, and everything else in sight
They thought, what more could one want to cap off a perfect Christmas night?

How is it?

Very chocolatey!

Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream Top

Alright, maybe that’s something to be expected of a treat modeled after hot cocoa, but let me be clear, this stuff is way more cocoa-forward than I was expecting. I couldn’t even see the peppermint ice cream when I lifted the lid off this sucker, and it took a few inches of hardcore chiseling with a heavy-duty spoon to even find a thin seam of peppermint buried within all the chocolate slag.

The ice cream’s flavor is similarly disproportionate. Although the chocolate ice cream is good, it covers up what little presence the peppermint has in this tub. Eating slowly and intentionally, I could barely taste it, but, I mean, who usually eats ice cream mindfully and methodically? I’ll bet most people will plow through this container without ever noticing any peppermint.

Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream Closeup

As for the chocolatey chips, they’re abundant and yummy, but I can’t help but feel as though they’re a bit misplaced. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t typically have solid chunks of chocolate in my hot cocoa. Instead of doubling down on the chocolate, Breyer’s could have brought this limited edition flavor home by mixing in miniature marshmallows or even crushed peppermint bits. Anything that could have helped the mint stand up to the chocolate’s overwhelming presence.

Is there anything else you should know?

For the Frozen Dairy Dessert haters out there, never fear, because this is actual ice cream. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, this flavor isn’t too different from Breyers’ 2017 Chocolate Mint ice cream. Oh well, at least this version has festive packaging.

Conclusion:

I wish this had had more peppermint to balance out all the chocolate, but, overall, it’s a decent ice cream. If you like your hot cocoa frozen, and you don’t mind crumbling a few candy canes on top, I’d say this is a solid choice if you’re looking for holiday-themed ice cream.

Purchased Price: $3.98
Size: 1.5-quart container
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 of a cup) 200 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 21 grams of total sugars, 16 grams of added sugars, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starburst All Pink Strawberry Drink Mix

Meghan 2 Comments

Starburst All Pink Strawberry Drink Mix

What is the Starburst All Pink Strawberry Drink Mix?

When I think of pink drinks, two notable ones come to mind – Pepto Bismol and the Starbucks Pink Drink, which I always hear people talk about but never see anybody order. Joining the ranks of these two bubblegum-hued beverages, Starburst’s new All Pink Drink Mix promises to transform this candy’s most popular flavor into a sugar-free, family-sized, and chuggable delight.

How is it?

If nothing else, the box certainly was right in describing this drink mix as “All Pink.” It’s so pink that I’d say this stuff actually gives Pepto Bismol a run for its money.

Starburst All Pink Strawberry Drink Mix Closeup

Color aside, I think we all can agree the more pressing issue at hand is how this stuff tastes. Does it adequately emulate Starburst’s fan-favorite flavor, or is it more similar to every other strawberry drink mix on the shelf?

After unearthing a pitcher big enough to mix up one of these gallon-portioned stick packs from the dark depths of my kitchen cabinets, I didn’t find this mix to be reminiscent of either of those things. It’s much too sweet to taste like actual strawberries – which is okay, I suppose, since fruit-flavored-candies hardly ever taste like real fruit either. The problem here is that I found this to be too sweet to come close to Starburst’s take on strawberry. Maybe it’s the cloying blend of artificial sweeteners at work here, but I thought this tasted closer to aspartame-sweetened cotton candy than it did to strawberry Starburst.

Is there anything else you should know?

For what it’s worth, Mars, who owns and manufactures Starburst candy, doesn’t make this mix. Instead, this drink mix is licensed and produced by Jel Sert, who seems to specialize in cooking up branded drink mixes that taste nothing like they’re supposed to.

Conclusion:

Although I’ve choked down water enhancers worse than this, I can’t imagine anyone ever wanting to buy it in a family-sized bulk box like I did to write this review. On the bright side, though, at least the internet seems to have plenty of recipes for Starburst-themed mixed drinks to give me some ideas for how to use the other seven stick packs I’m stuck with.

Purchased Price: $7.96
Size: 4.34 oz. (8 packs)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/11 of a stick pack) 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Campfire S’more Pops

Meghan 2 Comments

Campfire S more Pops

What are Campfire S’more Pops?

Move over cake pops because there’s a new sweet-on-a-stick in town! Designed to deliver a perfectly portable take on the classic treat, each pack of pops consists of Campfire’s standard-issue marshmallows enrobed in a milk chocolate and graham cracker shell.

How are they?

If you’ve ever eaten a regular s’ more, then you should know what to expect here. The milk chocolate and marshmallows both taste like any generic equivalent, and the graham cracker crumbs are identical to the dust at the bottom of a box of Honey Maid. Oddly enough, even though I suppose everything tastes more or less as they’re intended to, I can’t think of any better word to describe these pops than “adequate.”

Campfire S more Pops Size

Each component of the traditional toasted dessert is here, but what these treats lack is the messy, gooey nostalgia that makes s’ mores a special occasion kind of food. You don’t eat s’ mores on any old Tuesday night, because nobody wants to go through the work of gathering the ingredients, tending the fire, and cleaning everything up at the end if they know they have to wake up to go to work the next morning.

Campfire S more Pops Innards

Although I suppose some people might like that these s’ mores-on-a-stick are ready to eat, I think Campfire’s taken a midsummer culinary icon and removed the shared sense of cultural experience that makes it special in the first place.

Is there anything else you should know?

Campfire S more Pops Plated

Considering how lackluster these were to me in every other regard, I have to knock Campfire a little for how expensive these are. I mean, two bucks for only three pops? Seriously? Even if I’m only eating by myself, I’d want at least five of these to feel somewhat satisfied. By the time I’ve invested enough money to buy a reasonable portion, I may as well have bought a bag of Campfire’s regular roasters and cooked my own s’ mores at home in the toaster oven.

Conclusion:

Although these might look cute sitting in a candy shop, or nested in the pastry case of a chic café, I’d advise passing on these in favor of making your own s’ mores at home.

Purchased Price: $1.98
Size: 3 pops
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3 marshmallows) 190 calories, 6 grams of total fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 24 grams of total sugars, 23 grams of added sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Toasted Coconut Cheerios Cereal

Meghan 12 Comments

Limited Edition Toasted Coconut Cheerios Cereal

What is Limited Edition Toasted Coconut Cheerios Cereal?

Fall might have begun on September 23rd, but it seems like neither the weather, nor General Mills got the message that summer is said and done. Promising to pack a tropical, toasted coconut punch, and sporting an island-inspired motif, Toasted Coconut Cheerios are here for a limited time only to bring the beach to your breakfast bowl.

How is it?

Unassumingly similar to Honey Nut Cheerios in size and appearance, the main aesthetic setting these toasted oat o’s apart from their famous predecessor is the slight coconut-y aroma. Even so, it’s quite light, and I can easily imagine sleep-deprived individuals overlooking it while they devour a mound of whatever cereal falls out of their cabinet, eagerly awaiting their initial fix of freshly-brewed caffeine.

Limited Edition Toasted Coconut Cheerios Cereal 2

Falling in line with their subtle coconut scent, these Cheerios are similarly light on any kind of tropical taste. There’s a slight hint of it if I chew slowly – intentionally – and really hunt for it, but it doesn’t really jump out at me and make me recognize that I’m eating anything more unique than, say, Frosted Cheerios.

Even so, I don’t really fault General Mills for that. I imagine tackling coconut is tricky business in food science. Too little flavor and nobody will even taste it; too much and the resulting creation could become more reminiscent of a bottle of sunscreen than of the famous hard-to-crack drupe. For once, I actually applaud General Mills for exercising restraint, as I thoroughly enjoyed being able to finish a box of coconut-flavored anything without getting sick of how they taste.

Is there anything else you should know?

Eating these in a bowl of regular milk erases any and all coconut flavor to be had, but recent innovations in the non-dairy milk industry have got coconut-lovers covered. Just substitute your normal moo-juice with any one of the countless coconut milk beverages in your grocer’s dairy cooler to boost this cereal’s flavor.

Conclusion:

Even though I liked Toasted Coconut Cheerios well enough, I just can’t seem to get behind them enough to give a solid recommendation. Maybe they’re not eclectic enough to stand out against Cheerios’s other offerings, or maybe they were released after my interest in summertime seasonal flavors waned, but I think I’ll probably stick to Honey Nut Cheerios from here on out.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 10.8 oz. box
Purchased at: Food Lion
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 110 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 65 milligrams of potassium, 23 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 9 grams of total sugars, 12 grams of other carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.