SPOTTED: Brach’s Easter Brunch Jelly Beans

No Eggs Benedict-flavored jelly beans? What kind of Easter brunch is this? (Spotted by Adam W at Target.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Breakfast Burrito

“It’s bigger than I thought it would be,” my girlfriend said, starting down at my lap. But before you get any weird ideas, we were leaving the Wendy’s drive thru, and she was referring to the new breakfast burrito I’d recently procured. And to be fair, she was right.

While Wendy’s entry into the crowded world of breakfast burritos isn’t necessarily akin to the infant-sized behemoth you might find on a working person’s local food truck, it is close to twice the size of a McDonald’s burrito, and maybe 25% larger than oh, say, Sonic’s. (I’ve never had a Burger King breakfast burrito, provided they sell one, and it’s been a decade or more since I had Hardee’s version, so I can’t speak to that one, either.)

Unlike its closest fast food competitors — and really, unlike most other breakfast burritos in general — Wendy’s sets itself apart in a few ways. First, it’s using two “fresh cracked eggs.” Think “fried” egg instead of the scrambled you typically find in most burritos. If you’re into that sort of thing, you’ll love this; personally, I found myself missing the consistent bite provided by the scrambled kind.

Second, it’s including its “seasoned breakfast potatoes” in the mix. If you haven’t had the chain’s answer to the standard hash brown, you might be pleasantly surprised. The right amount of seasoned, the right amount of externally crispy, and the right amount of internally fluffy, these wedge-like tubers fill up space within the burrito normally occupied by scrambled egg. Without them — due to the flat nature of the fried eggs — this burrito would be quite thin.

And finally, Wendy’s is setting itself apart by employing a “Swiss cheese sauce.” The idea of a Swiss cheese sauce is pretty intriguing, don’t get me wrong, but I was hard-pressed to notice it in the mix. All I really noticed from a cheese perspective was the American. It did what American cheese always does — it got melty and gooey and served its purpose well.

Same goes for the bacon. Wendy’s uses “Applewood smoked” bacon, which are oven-baked. Wendy’s bacon is pretty good, if you’ve never had it. It comes across as less genetically engineered than McDonald’s, and thicker than Burger King’s. Wendy’s claims there are six strips in the burrito, but that wasn’t my experience. Either their strips are an inch long or they’re fudging the numbers, but I don’t know that I believe mine had anything close to that number.

It’s also worth noting that Wendy’s is including a Cholula hot sauce packet with your burrito. I’m not normally a “hot/taco/picante sauce on my burrito” kinda guy, but I tried it for the sake of science, and predictably, it didn’t really do much to elevate my experience. If you’re a Cholula on your breakfast burrito person, though, this is a thoughtful inclusion.

While this burrito was fine, I’d only eat one again if I found myself requiring a fast-food breakfast and there was nary a McDonald’s in sight. It wasn’t good enough to make me seek out another one, and when it comes to a new product, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 700 calories, 40 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2210 milligrams of sodium, 53 grams of total carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 32 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: 2/16/2024

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

Hershey’s Lava Cake Kit

(Spotted by Robbie at Walgreens.)

Nutpods Cinnamon Churro Almond Coconut Creamer

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

Califia Farms Coconut Barista Blend

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

Sprouts Sweet Cream Organic Creamer

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

Rao’s Homemade Roasted Garlic Pizza

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

Rudi’s Rocky Mountain Bakery Texas Toast

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

Go Raw Everything Bagel Organic Sprouted Snacking Seeds
Go Raw Chili Lime Organic Sprouted Snacking Seeds

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

Lundberg Brown Rice & Quinoa
Lundberg Cilantro Lime Rice

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Post Limited Edition Spring Fruity Pebbles Cereal

Post Limited Edition Spring Fruity Pebbles Cereal.

Same fruity taste as original Fruity Pebbles, but with different levels of food coloring than Fruity Pebbles. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Tillamook Chocolate Collection Ice Cream

Tillamook Chocolate Collection Brownie Batter Ice Cream
Tillamook Chocolate Collection Dark Chocolate Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Tillamook Chocolate Collection German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream

Brownie Batter features dark chocolate brownie batter ice cream and brownie dough pieces. Dark Chocolate Cookies & Cream has dark chocolate ice cream with cookie pieces. German Chocolate Cake features dark chocolate ice cream, a brown sugar coconut swirl, pecans, and chocolate cake pieces. There’s also a Chocolate Hazelnut one with dark chocolate ice cream, hazelnuts, and a hazelnut butter swirl. (Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.