SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 6/24/2015

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

Minions Freezer Bars

It feels as if we’ve covered dozens of Minions products, but so far it’s been only eight. (Spotted by Robbie at Kmart.)

Kashi Cherry, Cinnamon & Cardamon Overnight Muesli

Do I have to wait overnight to eat this? Where is my instant gratification? I want muesli and I want it now. (Spotted by Eilish at Target.)

Nature Valley Toasted Oats Muesli (Original and Blueberry)

Looks like I don’t have to wait overnight to get some muesli. Sorry, Kashi. If you’re going to make me snooze, you’re gonna lose. (Spotted by Eilish at Target.)

Chobani Mixed Berry Blended and Coffee Blended Greek Yogurt

Thank you, yogurt companies for constantly coming out with new flavors that get lost among the dozens of other flavors you offer. (Spotted by Chris at Pathmark.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

Also, if you’re wondering if we’ve already covered something, search our Flickr photos or use the Google Search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Donuts Chips Ahoy! Crunch Donut

Dunkin' Donuts Chips Ahoy! Crunch Donut

Ever eaten a food that doesn’t live up to the only descriptor in its title? Like a spicy dish that was not spicy at all? If you have, you know it’s a frustrating experience. It’s kind of like a broken promise.

This was the case with Dunkin’ Donuts’ new Chips Ahoy! Crunch Donut. See the word crunch there? I saw it too, and like a sad mindless sheep I gave DD my unconditional trust. Yet not one time did I hear something that even slightly resembled a crunching sound in my mouth whilst eating the donut. It was a more irksome experience than reading the children’s poem “Five Little Ducks” as a grown up.

So here’s the gist of the poem: Five little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away. Mother duck said, “quack, quack, quack,” but only four little ducks came back.”

The trend continues until one little duck remains, and that little duck doesn’t come back either. And it isn’t until the last duck is gone that the mother duck shows any sign of worry. What kind of irresponsible parenting is that!? Don’t you think she would’ve called the duck authorities to put out a duck Amber Alert after her first kid disappeared? No, she waits until they’re all gone.

At the end she says, “quack, quack, quack,” and all the little ducks come back, but there’s no telling what kind of traumatic event they went through. They’ve probably been brainwashed by a duck cult, or a group of duck terrorists. Either way, the mother’s awful brand of parenting has assured these kids are going to live some ducked up lives.

Dunkin' Donuts Chips Ahoy! Crunch Donut Closeup

Oh yeah, the donut. So it’s basically a fluffy donut with chocolate frosting on top, which is then sprinkled with crumbled Chips Ahoy! Cookies. Sounds good, and it was good, but the big problem is that the cookie crumbles aren’t big enough and they are not crunchy in the slightest.

The donut was almost like a cruller, not in looks or taste but in how light it was. It wasn’t totally filled with cake the whole way through, as there were air pockets in the middle of the donut. Because of this, it’s not a meal like some donuts, but more of a snack. The chocolate frosting was rather rich, and not having had a donut from DD in a hot minute, I forgot how good frosted donuts were. Hope this doesn’t put me back on the wagon…

Back to those cookie crumbles. They were more of a tease than anything else. Mine did not have big enough chunks to get a true Chips Ahoy! cookie taste, and again, there was a total absence of the promised crunch. The cookies were kind of soft. Maybe the crunch is supposed to come when I slam my fist down on the table in anger after eating it and realizing I’ve been lied to?

I almost went for the Chips Ahoy! Crème donut, but I’m a crunch guy so I went with my gut. I noticed that one also had crumbled cookies on top, and If I were you I would go that route. Again, this donut does not taste bad, but it’s a horrible lie. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… you won’t fool me twice, Dunkin’ Donuts, this is the last time! I’ll not subscribe to your tomfoolery any longer! FREEEEEDDOOOOMMMMM!!!

(Nutrition Facts – 310 calories, 150 calories from fat, 17 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 360 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugars, and 4 grams of protein.)

Item: Dunkin’ Donuts Chips Ahoy! Crunch Donut
Purchased Price: $1.07
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Dunkin’ Donuts
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Tasty donut. Rich chocolate frosting is great. FREEEEEDDOOOOMMMMM!!!
Cons: Absence of crunch. Cookie pieces aren’t big enough and aren’t present enough. Irresponsible mother duck.

FAST FOOD NEWS: Denny’s Slamtastic 4 Menu

The Thing Burger

There hasn’t been much cross-promotion with the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, which opens on August 7. I haven’t seen a General Mills Basic 4 Fantastic Four cereal or a Fantastik Four Superhero Strength All Purpose Cleaner. But Denny’s is now offering their new Slamtastic 4 Menu.

It features several breakfast entrees, a burger, a dessert, and a smoothie.

The Thing Burger has a beef patty topped with hash browns, an egg cooked to order, cheddar cheese, two bacon strips and a Thing sauce. It’s served on a cheddar bun with wavy-cut French fries.

Just the burger has 1920 calories, 131 grams of fat, 36 grams of saturated fat, 3 grams of trans fat, 365 milligrams of sodium, 2310 milligrams of sodium, 121 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of fiber, and 63 grams of protein.

Human Torch Skillet

The Human Torch Skillet features a hearty breakfast sausage with seasoned red-skinned potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, fire-roasted bell peppers and onions, jalapeños, and pico de gallo served on a sizzling skillet. It’s also topped spicy five pepper sauce, Pepper Jack queso, and two eggs cooked to order.

It has 1130 calories 87 grams of fat, 22 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 465 milligrams of cholesterol, 3010 milligrams of sodium, 54 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, and 40 grams of protein.

Invisible Woman Slam

The Invisible Woman Slam is made up of two buttermilk blueberry pancakes topped with strawberries, banana, and drizzled with a citrus glaze. It served with two eggs, hash browns, and either two bacon strips or two sausage links.

The meal with bacon has 830 calories, 38 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 410 milligrams of cholesterol, 1980 milligrams of sodium, 90 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, and 33 grams of protein.

There’s also the Fantastic Four Cheese Omelette. It’s a three-egg omelette stuffed with cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, fresh spinach, diced bacon, onions and mushrooms tossed in a blend of sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. It’s topped with diced tomatoes and served with hash browns and your choice of bread. With toast it has 1080 calories, 71 grams of fat, 25 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 710 milligrams of cholesterol, 1330 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, and 52 grams of protein.

Dr Doom Lava Cake

The dessert on the Slamtastic 4 Menu is the Doom Lava Cake which feature warm chocolate cake filled with molten chocolate and topped with mini chocolate and white chocolate chips, powdered sugar, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. It has 820 calories, 40 grams of fat, 23 grams of saturated fat, 81 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.

Finally, there’s the Fantastic Four Fruit Smoothie. It’s made with fresh banana, raspberries, blueberries, pomegranate, nonfat yogurt, and juice. It has significantly lower nutrition facts than everything else I’ve previously mentioned.

If you’ve tried anything from the menu, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

(Images via Denny’s)

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 6/23/2015

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

Fiber One Sugar Crunchy Cookies

Fiber One Sugar Crunchy Cookies

If I made ice cream sandwiches with these I could get 40 percent of my daily value of fiber! (Spotted by Summer at Publix.)

Nature Valley Roasted Peanut & Honey Simple Nut Bar

Nature Valley Roasted Peanut & Honey Simple Nut Bar

Nature Valley Almond, Cashew & Sea Salt Simple Nut Bar

Nature Valley Almond, Cashew & Sea Salt Simple Nut Bar

Nature Valley has been putting out a lot of nut products recently. I guess they’ve done all they can do with granola. (Spotted by Adam at Tops Friendly Markets.)

Nature Valled Protein Soft Baked Granola Bites (Blueberry Almond and Honey Almond)

Nature Valled Protein Soft Baked Granola Bites (Blueberry Almond and Honey Almond)

Oh, I guess not. (Spotted by Eilish at Target.)

Velveeta Bold (Chipotle and Jalapeno)

Velveeta Bold (Chipotle and Jalapeno)

A fitting name because I’ve considered eating Velveeta as bold. (Spotted by Adam at Tops Friendly Markets.)

Pepperidge Farm Bakery Classics Top Sliced Sweet & Soft Hot Dog Buns

Pepperidge Farm Bakery Classics Top Sliced Sweet & Soft Hot Dog Buns

Did some research and learned Pepperidge Farm has a number of different hot dogs buns. I also learned side sliced hot dog buns are a thing. (Spotted by Emily at ShopRite.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

Also, if you’re wondering if we’ve already covered something, search our Flickr photos or use the Google Search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Jif Bars Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Creamy Peanut Butter Jif Bars

Crunchy Peanut Butter Jif Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Jif Bars

You know what they say, Jif things come in threes. Oh wait. I’m sorry, that’s bad things come in threes. (Spotted by Adam at Tops Friendly Markets.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you’re wondering if we’ve already covered something, search our Flickr photos or use the Google Search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.