SPOTTED (SEASONAL EDITION): 8/30/2023

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.

Kellogg’s Zombie Jacks Cereal

(Spotted by Liz C at Sam’s Club.)

KIND Thins Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Bars
KIND Thins Caramel Apple Cinnamon

(Spotted by Allison H at Lidl.)

Great Value Limited Edition Caramel Apple Trail Mix

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart Neighborhood Market.)

Lidl Pumpkin Spice and Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Spreads
Lidl Maple Vanilla Whipped Dairy Topping
Lidl Apple Cider Cookie Thins
Lidl Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Thins

(Spotted by Allison H at Lidl.)

Edward Marc Hallow-Boo Bark

(Spotted by Robbie at Costco.)

Sour Patch Kids Apple Harvest

If you missed it, we reviewed it last week. (Spotted by Jamie G at Michael’s.)

Favorite Day Pumpkin Spice Whipped Oat Topping

(Spotted by Robbie at Target.)

OWYN Pumpkin Spice Non-Dairy Protein Shake

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)

Sweet Loren’s Pumpkin Spice Cookie Dough

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

Smash & Share Halloween Milk Chocolate Bark

(Spotted by Robbie at Sam’s Club.)

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: Limited Edition Peanut M&M’s Day of the Dead Design

I have never seen so many perfectly shaped Peanut M&M’s in one place. I’ve also never seen so many perfectly placed Ms on M&M’s in one place. (Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

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: Reese’s Peanut Butter Skeletons

Does Halloween now have the most Reese’s candy shapes? There are pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and skeletons. While Christmas has trees, bells, Santas, snowmen, and nutcrackers. Nope. Christmas still has the lead. (Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

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 Queso Fries

Every 3-4 months, I try to dig through our freezer to ensure nothing gets lost to the dread “back of the freezer.” These ventures sometimes yield gems of forgotten food, but more often than not, it’s random stuff past me thought future me would want. Wendy’s newest offering, Queso Fries, feels like someone in its research & development team found a container labeled “QUESO-2017” in the back of the freezer and decided to bring it back to restaurants.

In 2017, Wendy’s released Bacon Queso Fries as a companion side to its Bacon Queso Burger. Six years later, we now have Queso Fries as a companion to the chain’s Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger. The fast food side is a simple item with three ingredients: fries, shredded cheddar cheese, and poblano queso.

As a fan of the Baconator Fries, I had extremely high hopes. Unfortunately, they started out “pretty good,” but by the end of eating them, they were a solid “eh.” The first bite was a perfect little bit of everything: crispy fries, gooey queso, and slightly melted shredded cheese. Thanks to the mild but flavorful poblano peppers, the queso had a balanced spiciness.

The topping is a blend of various cheeses (American, cheddar, Monterey jack) that offer that savory cheese flavor without being too strong. The shredded cheddar was virtually lost to the other flavors and textures. Wendy’s fries offer a good starch base, but I would have liked to have had something else to give more texture (maybe the crunchy strips on Wendy’s Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger?). But I enjoyed my initial few bites of the fries.

However, time doesn’t stand still for any food item, and within five minutes, the queso had cooled into a thick, paste-like texture. Normally, I don’t have many issues with food texture, but something about the globbiness of the cheesy topping made me extremely uninterested in finishing the item. It had such a good flavor that this metamorphosis into cold goo was a bummer. Thankfully, my husband had no issue with the oobleck queso, so he finished the fries.

Wendy’s isn’t afraid to bring flavorful items to its menu, and I appreciate that. The Queso Fries are flavorful without being overly spicy. While they were initially quite good, they cooled down into a textural nightmare item I couldn’t finish. If you try them, just make sure to have someone around who will eat the rest when the cheese sauce turns to gak.

Purchased Price: $3.49
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 390 calories, 20 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 940 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 1 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: 8/29/2023

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.

Urban Pie Pizza Co. Mini Calzones (Sausage Ricotta and Pepperoni Rosa)
Urban Pie Pizza Co. Mini Calzones (Chicken Pesto and Spinach Mushroom)

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Sprouts.)

Kraft Singles Ultra Thick

(Spotted by Rachel J at Safeway.)

Enlightened White Creme & Dark Chocolate Coated Berries

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Sprouts.)

Good Word Chocolate Protein Cookie
Good Word Peanut Butter Protein Cookie

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

Carbone Spicy Vodka
Carbone Pizza Sauce

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

Humble The Original Potato Chips
Humble Creamy Dill Potato Chips
Humble Smokey BBQ Potato Chips
Humble Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar Potato Chips

(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)

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.