REVIEW: Fiber One Original Cereal

Here's another review of a product that I'm already familiar with! Yay! No hard judgements!
But in all seriousness, I think it's only fair that I "review" Fiber One Original to let you all know how it tastes in detail. I mean, I could stand here and say, "Fiber One is good! Fiber One is good!" but it wouldn't take long for somebody to say, "WHY is it good? And what if only you're the only one who thinks it's good? What if there's something about it that everyone else hates?" And while Fiber One's original cereal may contain certain qualities some people may not care for, it will also contain other qualities people will love. At least I think so. A 1 lb. 0.2 oz. box costs around $3.98.

RECIPE: Cream Cheese Sweet Potato Mash

Well, did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? Get enough food to eat? Enjoy seeing the family? Did you host the celebrations, or did somebody else? Did you make any homemade recipes? Here's one I made- my first time attempting it too. And it turned out really good! 

It might've made more sense to post this recipe before Thanksgiving, but I only created it the night before, so that would've been a little too tight a time-frame for most people, I'd imagine. And besides, I had to make sure everyone at our family's party actually liked this recipe before I sent it out to the whole world to try! Like I'd want angry letters from readers saying how they made this recipe and everybody started gagging on it or something (Don't worry- that didn't happen). But this recipe's base is mashed sweet potatoes, so if you have some leftovers, then you could make this, I bet. But then again, maybe not, unless you made your sweet potatoes plain. Either way, you could always attempt this recipe for next year's Thanksgiving, or anytime really. Like you need me to tell you when it's okay to make a sweet potato casserole. Christmas is coming up too, so you could make this mash even then.

REVIEW: Kashi Apple Cobbler Soft n' Chewy Bars

Soft n' Chewy is an awfully tantalizing subtitle, isn't it? Especially for someone like myself, who likes her cookies to be super-soft over crunchy and her bacon chewy and limp over crispy and stiff. Maybe you aren't like that, but either way, I'm reviewing these Soft n' Chewy Apple Cobbler-flavored bars from Kashi and there's nothing you can do to stop me. So there- take that, you Hard n' Crunchy crazies! A 7 oz. box containing five 1.4 oz. bars cost me $4.09.

REVIEW: Kashi Dark Mocha Almond Chewy Granola Bars

I have an affinity for almonds- they're my favorite nut, when it comes down to it. I also have an affinity for dark chocolates- they're my favorite variety of chocolate, when it comes down to it. I also have an affinity for mochas- they're my favorite coffee drink, when it comes down to it. 

At least I THINK they would be... I haven't had what my mom calls "frou-frou" coffee drinks in years. But hey, it's coffee with milk, sugar, and cocoa- what's not to like? So I decided to give these Dark Mocha Almond Bars from Kashi a chance when I was at the grocery store debating what granola bars to taste-test for the week. One 7.4 oz. box containing six 1.2 oz. bars cost $4.09.

REVIEW: Werther's Caramel Coffee, Sugar Free Caramel Apple, and Sugar Free Original Hard Candies

Ahhh... Old people. What are the signs you're turning old? Grey hair? Wrinkles? Loss of hearing? Eyesight? Muscle mass? Going to bed at 4:30 in the afternoon? Stocking your fridge to no end? Crow's feet? Grandkids?
How about buying a whole bunch of hard candy and leaving it out on the kitchen table just to let it sit fester, and hopefully wait SOMEONE comes along to eat all it. (I mean, YOU sure can't... You probably have some health complication that keeps you from eating anything remotely sugary, as an old person).
Yessir. For some reason or another, old people have an affinity for buying hard candy (and even candy in general), whether they're going to eat it or not. While over at my G-ma's and G-pa's for Sunday dinner, there was- guess what? -hard candy in clear glass dishes sitting on the table. Like always. But my grandparents are the kind of old people who aren't supposed to eat hard candy.Or they just choose not to. But yet they have it anyway. And so the omnipresent candy sits, never diminishing in size.
So I decided to take it upon myself to eat some of that ever-opposing candy. It was the least I could do, really.
And while I was at it, why not get in a decent review from these candies as well? So here you go: a three-in-one review of different varieties of Werther's Hard Candies. We got Caramel Coffee, Sugar Free Caramel Apple, and Sugar Free Original. I'm not sure how much a bag of each of these would cost, as I got these little morsels from my grandmother.

LOCAL REVIEW: The Charcoal Grill & Rotisserie of Kenosha

While going for a shopping spree with my mother and grandmother during the weekend, Mom suggested we three should hit up the Charcoal Grill in town for lunch. I'd never been there before- or to any Charcoal Grill for that matter -so I figured, "First time- makes for a good blog post!"
Charcoal Grill has more than one location, but it's not a national chain either. You'll pretty much only find these restaurants in Wisconsin. I didn't know much about this place going in, but I could tell it was gonna have a few traits of the typical "grill" restaurant that's moderately successful but not incredibly successful- Basically, these types of joints have big portions for fair prices, a diverse menu, a sports theme, family-friendly dining, a cozy atmosphere, plenty of T.V's and specials for game day, and would rather focus on crowd-pleasing food than healthy food. I guess we'll see how many of these traits Charcoal Grill exhibits.

LOCAL REVIEW: tg's of Kenosha

Hot beef sandwiches (or also sometimes called Italian beef sandwiches) are probably one of the most perfect sandwiches out there. And thankfully, my little town of Kenosha is crawling with restaurants who offer this delectable combination of succulent pot roast-esque beef, thick absorbent bread, and flavorful au jus. You can find a hot beef pretty much anywhere you go! Well- maybe not if you went out for Chinese or Mexican, but you get the picture. But in all my years of living here in town, I've never been to tg's Restaurant & Pub, self-proclaimed "Home of Kenosha's Famous Hot Beef." Not really an outrageous claim- Many Kenoshans have been to tg's to try their hot beef and even go as far as to say they make THE BEST hot beef. And today, I finally got to go and experience what everyone's been talking about.

REVIEW: McDonald's Southwest Premium McWrap (Grilled)

Just when I think I've done it and tried em' all, McDonald's goes and releases a new McWrap! So looks like I've got another review to write, eh? This Southwest McWrap is only available a limited-time too, so when we took the rare trip to MickeyD's for dinner, I keow this is what I had to order before I reviewed any of their other new products- like the Buffalo Ranch McChicken, which sounded awfully good. But I think THAT product is on the menu to stay, so it can wait. Most McDonald's offer this McWrap for $3.99.

REVIEW: Progresso's Rich & Hearty Chicken & Homestyle Noodles

It's that time of the year again! Soup time! Winter's about, so soup is out! This is my very first soup review, but don't think I'm "soup ignorant" or whatever. I mean, I've probably had about three soups so far this week, and it really beats me as to why I haven't reviewed ANY yet. Perhaps I just figured that soup reviews aren't as "cool" as cereal reviews or protein bar reviews, but I wanted to keep things interesting around on here, so here we go! A sooooup review! Ooooooh! Here it is... Progresso's Rich & Hearty Chicken & Homestyle Noodles. One 18.5 oz can will cost around $1.50.

REVIEW: Subway's Flatbread

Today, I had originally planned to write a review for Subway's Egg White, Ham, and Cheese sandwich, but I figured, "Eh, I order that ALL THE TIME. I would obviously say it's good, and it's not really a "new" or "hot" item, so what's the point?" It'd be a useless post, unless there are a FEW choice people out there who reeeeally wanna know how one of Subway's select breakfast sandwiches tastes, sans the yolk. But I'll save that post for it on another day. For now, all you need to know is that I will be reviewing the specific BREAD I ordered my sandwich on- Subway's Flatbread. This bread offers no up-charge to your sub.

REVIEW: Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks

Hot dogs seem like a no-go food when it comes to dieters, but really, JUST ONE isn't going to be detrimental to your health, as long as you stick to JUST ONE. But maybe sometimes, you feel like wolfin' down the little suckers like Takeru Kobayashi. And if that's the case, maybe a lower calorie hot dog is the solution for you. Luckily, we have Hebrew National to thank for these nearly fat-free franks. One 11 oz. package costs around $3.89.

REVIEW: Chobani Blueberry Greek Yogurt

This yogurt's got me feeling blue... Just kidding! (Wow, what a hook). But other than to the Land of Bad Puns, my Greek Yogurt escapades have led me to this blueberry-flavored variety from Chobani. It's a popular and classic flavor of theirs, and I'll admit, I've tried it before. But nothing wrong with giving my opinions on it nonetheless. One 6 oz. container is about $1.29.

REVIEW: Subway's New Garlic Bread

Subway's released a new type of bread for a limited time only: Garlic Bread (not to be confused with their Roasted Garlic Bread, which is on their website although I've certainly never seen it in stores). Anyway, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GARLIC ("Oh ho, remind me never to kiss YOU!") Yes, despite it's bad rep for smelly breath, I enjoy putting fresh garlic in and on anything: pizzas, spaghetti sauce... Well, those are pretty much the only two opportunities where I CAN use fresh garlic. But I put garlic powder on pretty much anything. Pork, steak, bread, spinach, okra, hot dogs, soup... Heck! I'll put garlic powder on the aforementioned pizza, which has fresh garlic on it already. That's just how I am.

So if you can't tell, I was honestly very excited to hear about Subway's new Garlic Bread, which is essentially  their Italian Bread with dehydrated garlic and various other spices put on top.So last time I went to Subway, I ordered an Egg White, Black Forest Ham, & Cheese Sandwich (my usual) with this new bread. Subway's Garlic Bread doesn't add any up-charge to your sandwich.

So if this bread is freshly baked, does that mean the others aren't???

REVIEW: General Mills Trix Cereal Bar

Here's another cereal bar I found to be schoolclusive (as in, school-exclusive), since I haven't seen it in stores, or anywhere else besides our cafeteria, for that matter. It's a Trix Cereal Bar, made by General Mills. Since this is a school bar, and must fit within a regular student's budget, I'm gonna use some logic here and say this bar is about 75 cents to $1 a la carte.

REVIEW: Nature Valley Cinnamon Brown Sugar Oatmeal Squares

I have to say, I like oats! They are the base ingredient for SO MANY yummy things: granola, granola bars... um... uh.
Well, that's about all I can think of.
But I like to think of myself as one who enjoys oats. Oatmeal, on the other hand, I'm a little more picky about. See, the instant stuff tastes amazing (like Maple & Brown Sugar, mmmm!) but it's really sugary for the small serving one wee packet contains. And while regular oatmeal that comes in those big ol' containers is better for you, it seems like it never gets sweet enough, no matter how much sweetener or cinnamon or stuff I put in. The conventional stuff is also really, really bland. So I'm not a big fan of having oatmeal for breakfast.
Despite all this, the sound of these oatmeal bars from Nature Valley was incredibly appealing to me. Especially the Cinnamon Brown Sugar flavor... Yum, even just typing that out makes my mouth water! One box containing six 1.24 oz bars costs around 3 to 4 dollars.

REVIEW: Fiber One Protein Peanut Butter Chewy Bar

Peanut butter seems almost like a cliche' protein bar flavor, doesn't it? I mean, what major protein bar brands DON'T have a PB-flavored product, huh? Name ONE! Yup, betcha' can't! Why is that? Is it because peanut butter is an easy flavor to incorporate into workout bars? Is it because PB is known for it's protein capacity? Or is it just because peanut butter is a popular flavor here in the West???

Well, I'm sure any of these statements could be considered the right answer. Anyway, today I'll be reviewing Fiber One's Peanut Butter Protein Bar. One box containing five 1.17 oz bars costs around 3 to 5 dollars.

REVIEW: Chobani Black Cherry Greek Yogurt

Today's another product review for Chobani. This time, I'll be trying out their non-fat, black cherry flavored yogurt. One 6 oz. container is around $1.29.

REVIEW OF RECIPE: Weight Watcher's Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

So, I'd never had tikka masala before, but I had been DYING to try it. What can I say? I love to try new foods. Having the same stuff for dinner every week can get a bit boring. So, since we had nothing planned for dinner one night, and we were just happening to go to the grocery store that same day, I saw my chance to make my very own tikka masala from the comfort of home. I wanted a recipe that was healthy, however, and I thought Weight Watcher's slow cooker rendition sounded perfect! The recipe is at the link here.

REVIEW: Torani Sugar Free Raspberry Syrup

Time for another review of Torani! This time I'm going to try out their raspberry-flavored coffee syrup... sugar-free, of course. I was a BIT wary of trying this flavor at first- I mean, raspberry-flavored coffee? That doesn't sound NEARLY as appealing as more conventional flavors, like vanilla or caramel. But when you write reviews everyday, you gotta be willing to try something new. Otherwise, you'll never have any new material!!! So, anyway, one 375 mL bottle costs around $5.19.

REVIEW: Chobani Lemon Greek Yogurt

I love Greek yogurt! It's just so thick and full of protein. And Chobani is the company my family purchases yogurt from the most often. Today I'll be reviewing their non-fat lemon flavor. One 6 oz. container costs $1.29 where I live.

REVIEW: Kashi GoLean Original Cereal

It's relatively easy to find a cereal with plenty of fiber nowadays- Fiber One (doy, it's even IN the NAME), All Bran, Shredded Wheat, Grape Nuts... Even cereals like Lucky Charms and Corn Pops are getting the "whole grain" treatment. Fiber in cereal is a pretty good deal, and I'm sure many people are aware of this by now.
But while fiber is fine and good and all, what about protein??? You expect me to eat a big bowl of carbs for breakfast (even if it contains all of my fiber for the day) and barely any protein to go along with it? No sir!!!  Well, yeah, I know there's protein in MILK, but only 8g per cup. You need MORE if you want big ol' muscles! (And who doesn't?! Unless you already HAVE THEM...... Then whoopie-doo to you!!!).
And so, that's where Kashi's GoLean Original cereal comes in. It probably has the highest protein content in cereal (13g per serving) I've ever seen so far. Due to this, I've made it a staple in my pantry. But what about the taste? I'm hear to offer an in-depth review of this protein-packed cereal today. One 13.1 oz. box costs about $5.29.

REVIEW: Wisconian Deletables' Apple of My Eye Chips

Today I bring to you a review for a local product, made here fresh in Wisconsin- Wisconian Delectables' Apple of My Eye Chips. Wisconian Delectables makes at least a dozen different chips flavors (and salsas too), but since I've always had an affinity for sweet over salty flavors (of which WD has varieties of both), I pleaded with my parents to pick this certain type of chip up when we stopped at Wisconian Delectables' stand at the Kenosha HarborMarket. One 9 oz. bag of chips costs $6.00. You can purchase Wisconian Delectable's products at the several locations listed here.

REVIEW: General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Bar

We started some statewide testing or other at school today, and since the tests were, like, to put it simplyyyy.... at a dumb-dumb level, I had some time left over between tests to squeeze in a quick review. Hooray! Today I'll be reviewing this Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Bar. I got it when my friend and I were in line for breakfast at the cafeteria. She could get one type of cereal bar, a Pop-Tart, or a canister of cereal for 10 cents more to make her breakfast of cereal and milk an official "meal," so she let me pick something out. Since I LOVE Cinnamon Toast Crunch with a passion, I thought I'd try this.Technically, this doesn't have an official price. Not only was it a gift, but I don't even think these are available outside of school cafeterias. Seriously, I even looked it up online. Isn't even a website for em'. Can't imagine one would cost more than a dollar though. You know, keep within the typical student's budget... So, if you're a high schooler/middle schooler, or even an elementary schooler reading this blog, this review's for you.

REVIEW: Fiber One Protein Coconut Almond Chewy Bars

Fiber One's recently been adding protein to their chewy snack bars, which are already full of, well... fiber. Doy.
So far, they've released three different flavors, and, so far, I've tried three. But the one I will be reviewing in depth this time is the Coconut Almond variety.
This flavor immediately caught my eye because of my affinity for coconut... and almonds. Sounds a lot like an Almond Joy bar, right? That's what I thought too.
One box, which includes five 33g bars, costs around 3-5 dollars.

REVIEW: Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal

Today's review is for Kashi's Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal. For all you health nuts, it's organic and has three antioxidants sown into it's cereal DNA (I mean, it's even made with green tea extract!!! Weeeeeeird). One box will cost you around 3 to 4 dollars. So all you skeptics who say organic foods are more expensive than non, here is one example of an exception to that way of thought.

REVIEW: Nature Valley Salted Caramel Nut Protein Bar

This is one of Nature Valley's new products from their recent protein bar line. I've tried their Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate flavor before (not as a review, but still tried it), and was not overly impressed. Perhaps this bar will taste a bit better. What can I say? I believe in second chances! And the temptation of salted caramel was calling my name! I thiiiiink a pack of five 1.42 oz bars is around $5.00. I've really got to start keeping track of prices, haven't I? Anyway, on with the review!