Friday, May 31, 2013

REVIEW: Special K Double Chocolate Protein Meal Bar

This weekend, my Dad decided to take my brother and me to see the White Sox play at Comiskey Park (Well, technically, now it's called U.S. Cellular Field, but my parents say it was originally- and always will be, Comiskey Park). Road trip! Woohoo! We stopped at a gas station as we headed out that morning, and Dad was all like, "Get what you want," to my brother and me as we walked through the doors. Score!!! I''ll takeeee... hmm... a powdered donut, this bag of chips, two bottles of soda, a pack of gum, a large hazelnut coffee, this loaf of white bread, a block of cheese, SPAM, ramen noodle cup, a package of S'Mores Pop-Tarts, teriyaki beef jerky, a granola bar, a box of cereal, a tin of canned cat food, a gallon of 1% milk... and a bunch of bananas, why not!
Well... that might be considered going a touch overboard. So keeping that in mind, I tried to narrow down my options to one drink and one food item. I got a Diet Cherry Coke, and since I'm on this new found protein bar kick, I decided to try this one from Special K: Their Double Chocolate Protein Meal Bar.


Thursday, May 30, 2013

REVIEW: PowerBar ProteinPlus Bar 20g Cookies N Cream

Cookies and cream is one awesome combination with humble beginnings, only faintly aware of how loved it would become. It started off just being the taste of a simple sandwich cookie, better known as the Oreo. But the taste quickly found its spot in ice creams, pies, cheesecakes, and plenty of other sweet desserts. And for good reason! Who doesn't like cookies and cream? It's one of my favorite sweet flavors, that's for sure. I even named my two cats- you guessed it- Cookie and Cream!
But, sadly, cookies and cream can't find its spot in everything you buy. I think we'd have a much easier time losing weight and eating healthier if apples had the crunchy, chocolately taste and the sweet, thick cream that Oreos possess. But, until science makes this physically possible, I guess us healthy eaters out there will just have to yearn for the taste of high-calorie, nutrient-belittled, yet totally addictive sandwich cookies... Sigh...
That's what I thought, however, until one day when I was walking around the supermarket and came across this in the protein bar aisle:

Dadadada! PowerBar's ProteinPlus Bar, now available in Cookies N Cream! I couldn't believe my eyes! I knew that new protein bar flavors were being released left and right, but now this?! Could I possibly enjoy the divine wonder that is a sandwich cookie and still eat healthily? 20g of protein and 4g of fiber in a bar that tastes like heaven above? How can this be??? Well, no time to ask questions- Time to rip this baby open!!!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

REVIEW: Torani Sugar Free Caramel Syrup

You know, I'll be perfectly honest here- I'm straight-up addicted to coffee. I used to hate it- It tasted terribly bitter, even when coupled with mounds of whipped cream, creamy milk, and squirt after squirt of chocolate syrup. And to make matters worse, I was taught that coffee could do no good- I heard stories of it stunting peoples growth, discoloring their teeth- I think I might've even believed it to be an agent of cancer. I never fully understood what made coffee so beloved by grown-ups everywhere.
My devotion for coffee sprouted about a year ago, when I heard that it wasn't really as bad for us as I had assumed- no, rather- It's actually a zero-calorie drink that boosts your metabolism and brain function. I didn't really like to drink it at first, I only did so for the health benefits, but I soon grew to love the dark drink. The rich, bitter taste coupled with the fragrant aroma- Soon, not a day went by where I didn't drink two cups of joe for breakfast every morning at least. But things got really bad when I started eating whole beans straight out of the bag like a pack mule to a sack of oats.
Because of this, my family signed me up for a CAA (Coffee Addicts Anonymous) Meeting to try and improve my situation. I was all like, "Hi, I'm Rianna, and I'm a coffee addict." And everyone else was all like, "Hiiii Rianna..." It was a real productive afternoon.
But everyone there seemed a bit out of it, if anything. I think they all could've used a cup of coffee. In fact, I'm feeling a bit out of it all just thinking about it. Please excuse me while I go to fill up my mug.
Despite my strong passion for black coffee, even I get to a point where I gotta put something in it. I mean, I usually will add a packet or two or sweetener- And there's nothing wrong with that, in my opinion. But sometimes, even that just isn't enough- And since I'm on a goal to gain weight and muscle now, I'm free to add as much milk as I like. It's pretty darn tasty! But then, don't you ever feel like having a fancy-schmany flavored latte from places like Starbucks, only right from the comfort of your own home? I do.
So it's nice to know that the people from Torani offer more than hundred different flavors- when you include both their regular and sugar free variations (the latter of which are sweetened with Splenda). Seriously, check out that list! There's even Bacon and Chicken N' Waffles! (Although I don't know why I'd use either in my coffee).
But then again, you don't have to use these syrups for your coffee. Otherwise, what in the Sam Hill would be Torani's reasoning for making a Coffee flavored coffee syrup? That'd be totally redundant. Yeah, you can use them for milkshakes, cocoas, teas, cocktails, mocktails, smoothies- You don't even have to use them for beverages. I like to mix some of Torani's syrup with plain Greek yogurt for a protein-packed, sweet treat. You can also add them to cakes, pies, tarts, cookies- whatever! Really, these syrups are just great ways to add some flavor to your food- and when you're talking about the sugar free syrups- for no calories whatsoever!
Like I said, I like to use Torani's syrups for zazzling up my Greek yogurt, and my coffee, obviously. I only purchase them when they're sugar free, and my supermarket doesn't offer up a whole bunch of options of those kinds. As in, the only carry the rather typical sugar free flavorings, like Hazelnut and French Vanilla. But I don't mind- I find those two super delicious! I'd make sure they were stocked in my kitchen all year round if I could. But this time, I decided to try something different and went for Torani's Sugar Free Caramel Syrup.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Happy Memorial Day!

Hey everyone: Happy Memorial Day to you all! What are you guys' plans for the day? Grilling out? Sadly, today is a rather dreary and rainy day here in K-Town. My phone says its only gonna be around 55 degrees Fahrenheit all day, and calls for at least a 30% chance of rain throughout this Memorial Day Monday. That's not gonna stop us from grilling out though, no sir! My Dad wanted to do a pork tenderloin for today, but I was like, "No, we should do burgers! Doesn't that sound more Memorial Day-ish?"
Apparently, Dad liked that idea well enough, since that's what were cooking out tonight!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

REVIEW: Edy's/Dreyer's Slow Churned German Chocolate Cake Spectacular!

You know what one of my all-time favorite cake flavors is?
From the title of this post, I'm pretty sure you can take a good guess.
Yes, I love German Chocolate Cake. My Dad introduced it to me when I was real little- maybe as young as six year- when he had picked it out as his birthday cake flavor. I'll be honest- I didn't like it at first. It was an odd taste of chocolate I had never experienced before. And the tan frosting covering the top didn't please my young, immature, six-year-old palette. But as I grew older, I grew to love German Chocolate as well, along with it's cake form. I mean, a rich, bittersweet, dark chocolate base with a caramel-y, coconut-y, pecan frosting? I thought to myself, "This cake has a little taste of everything!" It was one of those desserts I never got to have very often, but deep down I knew I really, really loved it.
Course', when I began getting wise on nutrition, I realized cake wasn't something that could be included as a daily indulgence. I mean, cake never was a daily treat for me- What I'm saying is that I now know that cake's nutritional stats can get pretty bad. An average slice of the German Chocolate variety will be about 300-400 calories, in fact. And maybe that wouldn't be so bad if cake had some real nutritional value to it, but all those calories are big, ol', empty nothings. Little protein, little fiber, makes for little reason to eat... Sigh.
So I guess it's real nice to know that Edy's/Dreyer's has recently released three new limited editions for the summer season, and one of them is -you guessed it! German Chocolate Cake (Spectacular! no less). Funny thing is, I've been dying for a German Chocolate ice cream to be produced. I was wondering why no company had thought it up yet. But now, it's finally getting the dairy makeover it deserves! I was so excited for this flavor to be stocked on shelves, and when it popped up in the freezer section at the supermarket today, I just had to snag a container! While this flavor has its place in both Edy's Grand and Slow Churned lines, I picked up a half gallon of the latter, since its lower in calories and fat.

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