Review: Taco Bell Chicken Flatbread and Taco Bell Limeade Sparkler

 

So today's review is for Taco Bell's newish products, the chicken flatbread and the limeade sparkler.

My husband is definitely not excitable about much.  But he's especially not excitable about food.  He's one of those strange people who views food as hardly more than sustenance.  I could cook him the best meal in the world and the best I will ever get is a "That's pretty good."  He works on the road and survives mainly on take out food.  Saturday he called me and said "Hey, you should go to Taco Bell."  Hmm.  He went on to semi-excitably tell me that he had just eaten their new chicken flatbread and that it was pretty good (which apparently in his language means AWESOME) and I should not only try it but review it for this site.  He may not be excited about food but he is definitely helpful.  So, I didn't have time to go to Taco Bell until yesterday.  

My daughter had a short day of school for back to school night and I had to work (I also work on the road and am able to take my kids with me most of the time) so I decided to treat them to fast food.  I haven't been there in forever and noticed that they have a bunch of newish things to eat and to drink.  I settled on the flatbread and a cherry limeade sparkler.  Here is the nutrition info for anyone who is interested.

Flatbread
Calories - 290
Calories from Fat -  140
Saturated Fat - 3.5g
Total Fat - 15g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 35mg
Sodium - 720mg
Carbohydrates - 23g
Dietary Fiber - 2g
Sugars - 5g
Protein - 15g


Cherry Limeade Sparkler (20 oz.)
Calories - 270
Calories from Fat - 0g
Saturated Fat - 0g
Total Fat - 0g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 160mg
Carbohydrates - 66g
Dietary Fiber - 0g
Sugars - 65g
Protein - 0g

OK, so let's start with the limeade sparkler.  Cherry limeades are pretty much my fave drink ever.  We don't have a Sonic anywhere near us but any time we travel and see one I make my husband stop to get me one.  I had really high expectations for this one from Taco Bell.  So, because it's in a clear cup you can see that it wasn't mixed very well.  The cherry syrup was kind of just hanging out on the bottom.  After stirring it vigorously for a few seconds, I took a sip.  I don't want to say that I didn't like it but I was kind of just underwhelmed.  I can't exactly put my finger on why.  I guess the best I can come up with is that the cherry syrup was just very fake tasting and there wasn't enough lime.  I would probably order it again if I went to Taco Bell if only because I heart limeades so much.

Now, the chicken flatbread was another story.  I was kind of skeptical because it's only $.99 but I was actually pleasantly surprised.  The flatbread was a little bit mushy for my taste with no crunchy edges whatsoever but the chicken was surprisingly realistic tasting and the sauce they put on the whole thing was awesome.  It's kind of spicy but not overwhelmingly so.  The cheese was nice and melty and blended well with the chicken and the sauce.  There wasn't enough filling but that's to be expected for a dollar.  I would definitely order one of these when I go back to Taco Bell.  I might actually ask my husband to bring one home for me when he goes there.

It looks kind of gross in the pictures I took but this was an extra one my husband brought home for me to take pictures of (I forgot again) and it was only warmish and an hour or so old.  

All in all, for really cheap fast food I was pretty content.  If they would come out with more stuff like this I might be more inclined to go there more.  I'm usually kind of grossed out by Taco Bell food, especially the meat but if they keep adding things like this I'd definitely feel less skeeved by their food products.  

*Again, if there's anything you guys want me to review, let me know.  Also, if you want me to skip the nutrition information, let me know.  It's a pain in the ass to find sometimes and I don't know if anyone actually cares or wants to know how many calories are in their junk food.  

Review: Cinnabon Frozen Cinna Poppers

Here's today's review.

I was on one of our frequent shopping trips to Costco with my husband early last week and came across these Cinnabon frozen Cinna Poppers.  I wasn't actually going to get them (because who needs a Costco sized box of Cinnabons?) but my husband talked me into getting them.  I figured I could give some of them to a friend of mine who is also super excited about trying fun, new products.  Anyway, we took them home and I promptly forgot about them because they became buried under a ginormous amount of ground beef from said Costco trip.  Anyway, I rediscovered them a couple of days ago and got excited about trying them all over again.  The box says they're new but I can't find too much information on them online.  They may not actually be new but they're new to me.  Here are the nutrition specs.  This information is only for three of them and there are ten in each tray thing.  You guys can do the math since that's not exactly my specialty.

Cinnapoppers

Calories - 220

Total Fat - 11g

Saturated Fat - 6g

Trans Fat - 0g

Cholesterol - 15mg

Sodium - 90mg

Total Carbohydrate - 27g

Dietary Fiber - 1g

Sugars - 18g

Protein - 2g

Cream Cheese Frosting

Calories - 20

Total Fat - 0g

Saturated Fat - 0g

Trans Fat - 0g

Cholesterol - 0mg

Sodium - 0mg

Total Carbohydrate - 4g

Dietary Fiber - 4g

Sugars - 4g

Protein - 0g

So, basically the box says you can microwave these for 45 seconds and they'll be ready to eat.  I found that 45 seconds wasn't quite enough so I opted to microwave them for 15 extra seconds.  Each little tray comes with a tube of cream cheese icing which I found to be just enough icing to give them that authentic Cinnabon gooey quality.  Here is what each tray looks like out of the box.

I forgot to take a picture of them after putting the icing on because frankly I was too excited to try them to remember my camera.  So after icing them to perfection I popped one in my mouth to taste.  The top cinnamon part has kind of a crunchy texture to it.  I'm not sure if that was a product of me microwaving them for the extra 15 seconds or if that's how they were supposed to be but I actually liked them like that.  The dough is a little bit undercooked but I also liked it like that.  It gives it that "middle of a Cinnabon" feel to it.  The taste is not exactly like a real Cinnabon but is decently close.  The 10 that come in a tray are a bit much for one person without feeling like you might explode or throw up but to share with your spouse or one of your kids would probably be just right.  Overall, I thought these were pretty awesome.  I'd almost definitely buy these again, preferably not in a supersized box though.  If I could find them in a regular grocery store they'd definitely come home with me again.  

Now, I should probably add a few disclaimers.

• No one is paying me for reviewing these products.  I'm just a regular person with a penchant for new food products.
• I realize the first three reviews have been of pre-packaged, over-processed food.  I have a huge sweet tooth and have been using these items as dessert for myself and my husband or myself and a friend of mine.  So far my kids have eaten exactly none of this food.  I try not to give them sugar very often and have been hiding all of this stuff so they don't see it.  I am going to try to review other types of food, however, local vegetables, cheeses, etc. are just that: local to me.  I don't want to review too many things that anyone reading would probably not be able to find by them. 
• Again, please let me know if there's something you'd like for me to review and I'll try to find it in a store by me. 

Review: Dunkin' Donuts Monkey See Monkey Donut

So, let's get started on today's review.

A few days ago, I was out driving and I noticed my tire was going flat.  I was nowhere near home and didn't know the area at all so I drove around for a few more minutes to find a parking lot to pull into.  I had my 3 year old son with me and wanted to find somewhere we could sit and eat a snack while waiting for AAA to arrive.  Luckily, I found a strip mall that had a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins combo.  We went in and ordered snacks (cheddar cheese bagel twist and tomato basil cheddar bagel twist) and drinks.  While we were waiting for the drinks I spotted a donut I had never seen before.  It's called a Monkey See Monkey Donut.  I ordered two of those as well.  The store was filling up so I didn't want to hold up the line asking questions about it like what filling was in it, etc.  I waited until we got home before trying it, plus I wanted to see what was in it and on top of it first.  According to a Dunkin' Donuts press release it is "a bananas foster-filled donut topped with chocolate icing and chopped Reese's peanut butter chips".  Here is the nutritional information from their site:

Calories - 340
Calories from fat - 150
Total fat - 17g
Saturated fat - 8g
Trans fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 360mg
Total carbohydrates - 43g
Dietary fiber - 2g
Sugar - 22g
Protein - 5g

I should mention here that I don't like bananas at all but am going to be as impartial as I can be despite that.  So, the doughnut itself surprisingly looked a lot like the picture at the top of the post, except the chopped peanut butter chips were a lot more clumped together than the picture shows.  I bit into it and noticed right away that there was a ton of filling in the doughnut.  So much so that the filling was squeezing out the bottom.  Immediately all I could taste was bananas.  I think even if I was a banana lover, the taste would have been overwhelming in relation to the rest of the flavors.  After the bananas the only other thing I could really taste was the chocolate frosting.  The peanut butter chips got almost completely lost to me.  Overall, the doughnut would probably have been really good if not for the excessive amount of filling.  Later on that day, a good friend of mine came over for our weekly Sunday dinners and I gave her the extra one I had purchased.  When she bit into it, she noticed basically the same thing with the filling and ended up squeezing some of the excess out into the garbage.  She also thought it was pretty good except for the issue with the filling.

So to wrap it up, I personally would not purchase this doughnut again because I detest bananas.  But for someone who likes bananas, it would be a good choice.  Just make sure to grab extra napkins.

*Please leave me comments about things you might want to see reviewed and I'll try to find them in my area.

Review: Entemann's Pancake Pockets - Chocolate and Maple Flavors

So, for my first post, let's jump right into a review.

Yesterday, as I was browsing around my local Shop Rite, I came across a new product by the good folks at Entenmann's.  They're called Pancake Pockets.  The package called out to me from an end display shelf and I found myself reaching for them, both curious and appalled.  They come in three flavors: strawberry, chocolate, and maple.  I decided to try the maple, since it's one of my favorite flavors on the planet, and the chocolate, because who doesn't love chocolate?  Each box contains six pockets.  Here are the basic product specs for those of you who are interested:
Chocolate
Calories - 170
Calories from Fat - 30
Total Fat - 3.5g
Saturated Fat - 1g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 40mg
Sodium - 220mg
Carbohydrate - 33g
Dietary Fiber - 1g
Sugars - 19g
Protein - 2g

Maple
Calories - 170
Calories from Fat - 30
Total Fat - 3.5g
Saturated Fat - 0.5g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 40mg
Sodium - 210mg
Total Carbohydrate - 33g
Dietary Fiber - less than 1g
Sugars - 19g
Protein - 2g

I dropped my daughter off at school this morning and came home, eager to try my new breakfast treat.  The package instructs you to heat them up for 10 seconds each in the plastic wrapper.  Since I had two pockets to try, I opted to heat them up for 15 seconds together.  They came out lukewarm to the touch.  This is where things get interesting.  I decided to try the chocolate flavor first.  I bit into the pancake and I guess I expected the filling to be somewhat solid, like the chocolate in a chocolate croissant or fudge but what I got was an oddly flavored hot fudge sundae topping.  It wasn't quite as runny as chocolate syrup but definitely wasn't as solid as I was expecting.  The chocolate also didn't taste like it was actually chocolate, more like chocolate flavored  filling.  The pancake itself tasted more like an over processed pancake flavored cake than an actual pancake.  It didn't even taste as "real" as the frozen pancakes you can get in the supermarket.  I couldn't even bring myself to finish the entire thing, which is roughly the width of a soda can.

I was more optimistic for the maple, however.  Since it's one of my favorite flavors, I figured it couldn't be too bad.  Wrong.  The pancake itself obviously tasted the same, but the filling had that same weird consistency.  It was much thicker and gooier than maple syrup.  It resembled the taste of maple syrup but while the box claimed it was made with real maple syrup, I can't quite figure out where they might have hidden it.  I didn't finish this one either and opted to let my dog participate in the taste test also.  He enjoyed it but that's not saying too much.  He eats poop too and seems to enjoy that. 

So here are my final comments.  I would definitely not purchase these again nor would I recommend these to anyone.  I guess they might be good for busy moms trying to get their kids to eat something before school.  I might keep the two boxes I have just for the purpose but other than that, I really can't imagine someone genuinely liking the flavors or consistencies of these things.

*Please leave me comments about things you might like to see reviewed and I'll try to find them in my area.