SPOTTED ON SHELVES (MINTY EDITION) – 10/9/2013

Marvo 5 Comments

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.

Limited Edition Edy's Slow Churned Peppermint Wonderland

Slow churned, 1/2 the fat missing. In a 1.5 quart tub, it’s hard resisting. A delicious sight. I hope I have willpower tonight. Eating Edy’s Peppermint Wonderland. (Spotted by Maria at Target.)

Dunkin' Donuts Mocha Mint Ground Coffee

I wonder if a Dunkin’ Donuts mocha mint donut would be any good. (Spotted by Lindsay at Walmart.)

Limited Edition Nestle Toll House Winter Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels

Hey folks who give chocolate chip cookies as presents for Christmas, Nestle Toll House Limited Edition Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels are back! (Spotted by Lindsay at Walmart.)

Pillsbury Chocolate Peppermint Premium Cookie Mix

Pillsbury Chocolate Peppermint Premium Cookie Mix, I’d like you to meet Nestle Toll House Limited Edition Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels. (Spotted by Andrew at Wegmans.)

Limited Edition Trident Layers Candy Cane Gum

Call me a purist, but I prefer regular candy canes. If I suck on one correctly, I can turn it into a shiv…or replacement glasses temples that I can also use as a shiv. (Spotted by Lindsay at Target.)

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 ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

QUICK REVIEW: Jimmy Dean Delights Honey Wheat Flatbread Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

Marvo 1 Comment

Jimmy Dean Delights Honey Wheat Flatbread Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

Purchased Price: $5.99 (on sale)
Size: 4 sandwiches
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: A decent, somewhat tasty way to start your morning. Just 230 calories. Made with real eggs, real cheese, and bacon. Cheesy was melty. Bacon, egg, and cheese in every bite. Good source of fiber. Flatbread had a nice, mild sweetness.
Cons: Jimmy Dean Delights is supposed to be a healthier option, but a sandwich has 5 grams of saturated fat which is 25% of your daily recommended intake. Egg was a bit dry. Most of the bacon’s flavor gets lost within the other ingredients. They look like they’ve been run over by a car. Flatness makes them look smaller than they really are. I wish this line was called Jimmy Dean Deanlights.

Jimmy Dean Delights Honey Wheat Flatbread Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich Closeup

Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich – 230 cal, 12 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 135 milligrams of cholesterol, 480 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES (SEASONAL EDITION) – 10/8/2013

Marvo 1 Comment

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.

Breyers Blasts Oreo Cookies & Scream

The only thing that make me scream about this Breyers ice cream is that it’s just plain ol’ cookie and cream ice cream with a Halloween name. Food coloring
(Spotted by Kelly at Walmart.)

Nice! Pumpkin Peanut Brittle

Wait. They make edible jigsaw puzzle pieces now? (Spotted by Melissa at Walgreens.)

White Chocolate Candy Corn M&M's

White Chocolate Candy Corn M&Ms are back! Although I liked them, I still have half a bag from last year in my fridge. I. Am. Lazy. (Spotted by Lindsay at Walgreens.)

Yoplait Original Apple Crisp Yogurt

Oh, Yoplait! Is there any dessert you won’t turn into a yogurt flavor? (Spotted by Ryan at Target.)

Monster Size Monster Cereal

Monster Size? More like Costco Size. (Spotted by James at Walmart.)

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 ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Episode 14 The Nosh Show

Marvo

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In this episode, we talk Halloween and candy with Cybele from Candy Blog, discuss Jack in the Box Munchie Meals, and express what we think about two new M&M’s varieties we won’t be able to taste until mid-2014. We also share our Noshes of the Week, Dubba and I admit to having new addictions, Ryan apologizes to Target, and Eric gets sugar all over his hands.

Links to most of the products and reviews we mention during the episode can be found at The Nosh Show blog.

You can subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or, if you want to listen in the podcast player of your choice, subscribe to the show’s feed. If you enjoy the show and subscribe to it on iTunes, we would greatly appreciate it if you took a few minutes to rate us.

You can also download the episode or listen using the player below:

Thanks for listening!

REVIEW: McDonald’s McCafé Pumpkin Spice Latte

Stephanie 13 Comments

McDonald’s McCafe? Pumpkin Spice Latte

I love Halloween, but it stresses me out. Most people get apprehensive about Thanksgiving and all the year-end religious holidays because they often involve family and gift-giving.

I get stressed out by Halloween because it ushers in that massive three-month-long wave of seasonal goodies that are only available FOR A LIMITED TIME – so already I’m rushing around frantically trying to grab them before they’re gone.

To make matters worse, October and November specialize in one particular ingredient that can be found in just about everything you can buy: Cookies, crackers, potato chips, drinks, ice cream, nuts, pastries, popcorn, waffles, yogurt, condiments, bread, hand soap, and even air freshener. It’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, except instead of pod people, it’s pumpkin spice! I call it THE PUMPKINING. And as a sucker for seasonal gourds, I fall for it every time. (Get it? Fall? Thanks, I’ll be here all week. Tip your servers!)

McDonald’s is no stranger to THE PUMPKINING, having already introduced a most reasonable pumpkin pie a few years ago. But it never offered the second most reasonable pumpkin venture to go along with that pastry –- a pumpkin-flavored hot drink.

So that’s why I got really excited when I saw McDonald’s had introduced its own pumpkin-flavored coffee for the season — the McCafé Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Wondering what exactly constitutes “pumpkin spice?” Nutmeg? Vanilla? Cinnamon? All of the above?

In the case of McDonalds’ new McCafé Pumpkin Spice Latte, it seems to be 1) cinnamon, 2) vanilla, and 3) a metric shit-ton of sweet flavored powder. Seriously, it’s like 70 percent sugar, 20 percent milk, and 10 percent espresso. It was like getting punched in the mouth by a “pumpkin.” And yes, I used those quotation marks on purpose. This isn’t how real pumpkin tastes… and having been a connoisseur of pumpkin pie for decades, I also feel this isn’t how real pumpkin pie tastes, either.

I was unable to verify whether this latte came straight from a powder mix, but it reminded me of the flavored instant coffee I would buy from QuikTrip back in the ‘90s. And that stuff was so full of sugar it might as well have come with a free blood sugar meter and a warning label with Wilfred Brimley’s face on it.

The McCafé Pumpkin Spice Latte was so sweet that you didn’t need to add sweetener. That’s probably why it doesn’t come with whipped cream. If there had been, I’d surely be writing this review with the help of an intelligent machine transcribing my subconscious thoughts from deep within my diabetic coma.

McDonald’s McCafe? Pumpkin Spice Latte Iced

I tried both the hot and iced versions, mostly by accident. During my first visit to my local McDonald’s, I was forced to order my McCafé Pumpkin Spice Latte with ice because (quote) “The hot machine [was] out of order.” No biggie. Here in Southern California, it’s still 80 degrees and may quite possibly stay that way until January, so a frosty drink is A-OK.

Later, I got the hot version, and my taste buds were met by the familiar creamy sweetness and a thick, slightly grainy texture that was vaguely reminiscent of hot chocolate mix. It was all right. While, I can’t exactly say I hated my iced Pumpkin Spice Latte in comparison to the hot one, I would say it wasn’t really refreshing. The iced Pumpkin Spice Latte was creamy and cold and full of sweetness, but after a few minutes, the milk, the sugar, and the caffeine starting swirling together into a maelstrom of nausea, and I began to seriously reconsider my life choices.

Was all this barfy agita worth it? Well, the price is good, especially when compared to the $3.95 price tag of a 12-ounce Starbucks Pumpkin Latte. With the change I’d spare, I could afford to go full-throttle and load up on all the pumpkin English muffins, pumpkin yogurt, and pumpkin-scented shampoo that will hang around until Thanksgiving only to be swiftly replaced by Peppermint- and Snowman-flavored everything.

I’ll call that THE DECEMBERING.

(Nutrition Facts – Small size (12 fluid ounces) – With Whole Milk – 270 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein. With Nonfat Milk – 200 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.)

Item: McDonald’s McCafé Pumpkin Spice Latte
Purchased Price: $2.39
Size: Small (12 oz.)
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: THE PUMPKINING. Does not skimp on sweetness. Competitive price. Seasonal gourds.
Cons: Getting punched in the mouth. Diabeetus. Slightly grainy mixed powder texture. “Pumpkin” flavor.