Time to bust my own rut

Ok readers - yes, I'm talking to all 8 of you :)

I'm struggling here. When I started my blog, I figured there were plenty of products out there to keep me busy. But the sad truth is... I live in Champaign-Urbana. Even when I read about new products online or get suggestions from readers in larger areas, I often have a hard time finding them in my local grocery stores. Also, I figured new products would be easy to spot due to a clear "New!" burst on the packaging. But, I am starting to wonder whether some companies don't bother putting a burst on their packages. Or, if the companies have simply eliminated the burst by the time the products reach our area. It seems I find plenty of products that I have never seen before, yet see no indication that they are "new."

I need your help! I think it is necessary to to open up my blog a bit, by coming up with more relaxed rules about what I should review. Here are a few ideas I have tossed around:

1. New to me products. Any products that I have not tried before would be fair game. I, of course, would try to choose products that aren't incredibly mainstream either. 
2. New to you products. I would get a weekly "shopping list" from readers (and maybe solicit suggestions from Facebook friends if needed) on which products they wanted me to try. These would not have to be new, they could simply be something they have been curious about but haven't yet purchased.
3. Expand the rut-buster scope. This would allow me to talk about new recipes, new ways of preparing food, etc. For example, tonight we tried pre-made turkey garden burgers from the fresh meat counter. Last week I clipped out a few recipes from Cooking Light that I want to make. Edy's makes a fantastic Butterfinger ice cream that even blizzard-enthusiasts would enjoy. All of these topics would be fair game for the blog.

What ideas do you like? What wouldn't you want to read about? What other suggestions do you have?

Old dog, new tricks

Just when you thought M&Ms had exhausted its ability to stay new and fresh...

Pretzel M&Ms

Price: 1.05 oz single size: $0.79; 9.9 oz medium bag: $3.49; 15.4 oz large bag: $4.99
Where purchased: No purchase. Sampled from Heather's office (Thanks Heather!)
Overall rating: 4.5/5

So I try to keep the foods that I review fairly nutritious, but let's face it - sometimes we just need some candy. When my friend Heather told me about these new pretzel M&Ms, I just couldn't resist a sample (or two or three...). I have always loved the salty/sweet combination that chocolate-covered pretzels provide, and here you get that same idea in the little M&Ms we all love. Somewhere between a peanut M&M and crispy M&M (whatever happened to those anyway?), these pretzel M&Ms hit the spot as a perfect movie treat, candy dish filler, or post-lunch sweet.

I am always intrigued by the ways traditional candies try to stay fresh for consumers (3 Musketeers Mint, Crispy Reeses, Dark Chocolate Milky Way, etc.) but this may be my favorite one in a long time!

I certainly don't want to get in the habit of trying every new candy out there, so instead I ask my readers: What new twists on old favorites have you tried? 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp, Limited Edition Snickers Fudge, Limited Edition Coconut M&Ms, Starburst Summer Fun Fruits, others??

Leave it to Yoplait - UPDATE

Rather than creating an entirely new blog about this yogurt (because really, which one of my readers is NOT sick of reading about yogurt?!) I figured I'd just give this one a bit of an update...

So, I tried the Creme Carmel flavor of these Yoplait Delights... DELICIOUS. As I was gobbling it up and mentally composing its blog entry with the 4.5 rating, I came across an unexpected phrase on the label. "Contains sucrulose and other artificial flavors." What?! I had totally missed that the first time around. I hate artificial sweeteners. I think they are garbage, and I don't like putting them into my body. Yet this delicious product that did not taste artificial at all cheated and added some stupid splenda in with the regular sugar.

So, I now have mixed feelings about this product, but for those of you who could care less about a tiny bit of sucrulose...enjoy!! It really does taste like creamy carmel pudding, and makes a great snack or after-meal treat.

Remember this post? What did I tell you about the word "delight?" It's a food marketer's dream come true.

Yoplait Delights - Chocolate Raspberry

Price: $2.55/4 pack
Where purchased: St. Joseph IGA
Overall rating: 4/5

Does it feel like I've been overdoing it with the yogurt reviews lately? I'll admit I have done a few, but I can't help that there are about a million different kinds of yogurt out there. I can hardly stop trying them when so many exciting new varieties keep popping up.

I try not to get caught up in the "100 calorie" hype, as typically it seems like a way to get you to overpay for special packaging, or sell nearly the same product to a new market segment. But, I'd have to say that this 100-calorie snack is a great addition to the current offerings out there. To me, this product fulfills exactly what I had been hoping for from the less-than-stellar Breyers yogurt I reviewed earlier this month. It provides a sweet, creamy, and satisfying snack, with 5 grams of protein and only 1.5 grams of fat and 100 calories. I particularly enjoyed the raspberry and chocolate flavor because it makes you think you are eating something dessert-like. In fact, I don't think I'd even want to eat this as a breakfast food, but as a mid-morning or afternoon snack it is perfect. The chocolate flavor is pretty mild, but I didn't think it tasted artificial, which is usually the problem I have with lower-calorie yogurts.

This product receives a 4 out of 5 rating because it is a tasty treat, but a little pricey for only a 4 oz cup. Watch out for coupons though - Yoplait is handing out a lot of them right now (did you see the one on the product page?) I actually have 2 of them and forgot to use either when I was at the store, of course. That's ok, I still have other flavors to try. That Creme Carmel is calling my name.

April recap

Thought it might be fun to do a little recap of this month (and March since I started halfway through)...

Top picks:
1. Blue Bunny Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
2. Kraft Sandwich Shop Chipotle Flavored Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
3. Hillshire Farms Smoked Chicken Sausage

Still a huge fan of the ice cream sandwiches. They have become one of my favorite week night desserts. The chipotle mayo has brought a whole new level to my sandwiches. I was definitely getting in a rut with those, but this mayo really helped bring my sandwiches to a new level of great taste again for me. And the smoked chicken sausage just makes a great easy, quick meal. Can't wait to try them in some new recipes.

Top flops:
1. Breyers Inspirations Yogurt - Chocolate Chip
2. Jif Natural Peanut Butter
3. Kraft Deli Deluxe Bacon Cheddar Cheese Slices

Please don't waste your money. I've already done it for you.

New products coming in May! Don't forget to e-mail me with suggestions!