Pretty pretty please....

With a cherry on top? Yep... I gave in. I told you I would!

Nestle Cherry Raisinets

Where purchased: Target
Price: $2.89
Overall rating: 4/5


I'll be honest - I don't have much to add since the last time I posted on the Cranberry Raisinets. But, on my last trip to Target I did finally decide to give these cherry dark chocolate bites a try. As you would expect, they are delicious. More importantly, they ARE a little different from the traditional raisinets. Yes, they still have the same general flavor, but each chocolate-covered cherry is much larger, and the dark chocolate provides a slightly richer flavor. It is a very subtle difference, but it's there!

Really, when choosing any of the Raisinet flavors, you can't go wrong. I personally have a small preference for the dark chocolate varieties. And, on their own, I think I like the big cherry raisinets, but mixed into a trail mix or something I think I would prefer the smaller dark chocolate raisinets.

So, just in case you thought you were missing something exciting and unique... you really aren't. Something tasty? Of course! But I won't insist that your life is incomplete without trying them.

Don't butter me up

Ever wonder what the differences are between all the jellies, jams, fruit butters, and other spreads out there? The specifics are still a bit confusing to me, but I do know they are all yummy on some toast.

Braswell's Mango Fruit Butter

Where purchased: Meijer
Price: $3.19
Overall rating: 3/5

I found this site, which has some helpful information and links to determine the differences among the various fruit spreads. http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/fruits/a/fruitbutters.htm.  Basically, fruit butters are made by cooking whole or halved unpeeled fruit until tender, putting it through a sieve or foodmill, and adding sugar and spices and cooking it down until thick. There isn't any actual butter in it - its name comes from the fact that it is smooth and spreads like softened butter.

One of the benefits of fruit butter is that it usually has much less sugar than jams, jellies, and preserves. I think this has something to do with the sugar acting as a preservative in those methods, and also serving as a gelling agent, requiring it to be present in higher quantities. Fruit butter can also be used in baking - much like you might use applesauce - as a substitute for sugar and oil to add sweetness and moisture.

The mango butter I tried was surprisingly sweet, and I really like the way it spreads. I did find this particular flavor a little weird, though. It isn't off-putting, it just doesn't taste like mango or anything tropical at all. Maybe more like apricot. I'm really not sure, but it isn't my favorite. I think I will try fruit butter again (I have had apple butter, although I usually use that for baking), but probably a different flavor. The mango just sounded so interesting to me that I had to give it a whirl!

This product receives an overall rating of 3. It's not bad, it just isn't my favorite flavor of fruit spread. I do like that it has a bit less sugar, carbs, and calories (6g, 6g, 25) than the Smucker's Simply Fruit (8g, 10g, 40) that I usually buy, and runs pretty close in price. I am also interested  in trying it as a baking substitute... maybe some sort of mango muffins are in my future?

Wrap it up

I have been on a mission to find a delicious and preferably healthy sandwich wrap. I keep thinking that surely they must exist, but so far I have had no luck. This is my latest major fail.

La Tortilla Factory
EVOO MultiGrain SmartWrap

 








Where purchased: Meijer
Price: $3.29 on salle (regular $3.99)
Overall rating: 1/5

Don't let anything the package tells you fool you. It is neither smart nor delicious. The only thing it's got going for it is that it is healthy. The texture is terrible - really grainy and almost gritty. And it just does not taste good at all. I really thought we had made a lot of progress in whole wheat products in the past several years, but this goes back to the day of when they first came out and everyone was turned off by their taste and texture.

Overall rating is a 1. And the only reason it gets that is because it boasts a lot of nutrition in a large tortilla for  only 100 calories. But everything else about it (including the price - hefty for only 6 wraps) is disappointing.  Don't waste your money.

And so the search continues...

Savory delight

Ok, this is getting ridiculous. Should we start making a list of products with some form of "Delight" in their name?

Jimmy Dean D-lights Turkey Sausagae Whole Grain Bagel

Where purchased: Meijer
Price: $5.99
Overall rating: 3/5

I picked these up by recommendation of one of my readers. She told me about the english muffin sandwiches, but I decided to try these whole wheat bagel sandwiches instead. I was a little against the idea at first, as I'm really not into buying frozen convenience foods. They are typically overpriced and loaded with salt and preservatives, so I'd rather just make my own fresh version. But, I do think this product fills a need in the market for a quick, well-balanced, and low fat/calorie breakfast with plenty of protein. I can easily see grabbing this sandwich "to go" and eating it on the way to work, or just taking it out of the fridge or freezer and heating it up in the office microwave.

To enjoy this sandwich, you'll have to be a fan of breakfast sausage. The sausage tastes just like the real pork version - full of seasonings and flavor. The only thing you will "miss" from the full fat version is the grease. I personally like the flavor; though I would prefer a larger presence from the egg and cheese. They did not seem to contribute much to the overall taste. The bagel was good, but the microwave made it a little chewy. I imagine the english muffin would hold up a little better.

Overall, I found this product to be good, filling, convenient, and well-balanced when paired with some fruit. It is nothing special, but it definitely beats the fast food sandwich in fat and calorie content, and certainly beats an on-the-go granola bar in balance and satiety. I thought $6 was too much to pay for four sandwiches, so be on the lookout for sales and coupons if you think these might be a good option for you. And hey, maybe most of the time you are able to make a good breakfast, but you can always keep these in your freezer for those crazy mornings where you just have to grab and go!

An informal post

This is an post on my quest to find the perfect yogurt.

Stonyfield Organic is currently my favorite, but when it is not on sale it is way too pricey (.99 each). So, on my last trip to the grocery store I picked up the Meijer brand organic yogurt because it was the only one on sale. I'd recommend not trying it. It was way too runny - I bet kids would make an absolute mess of it. It was also overly sweet, especially for being an organic yogurt, which I always thought were supposed to be less sweet (no high fructose corn syrup). But upon closer inspection of the label, I found the Blueberry flavor had 160 calories and 27 grams of sugar, while the Stonyfield Organic has 120 calories and about 20 grams of sugar.

So, that's another fail. I also recently tried just mixing the plain Dannon yogurt with some Pomegranate juice and fresh raspberries. It was ok... but still had the plain yogurt bitterness. Plus, it was a little more work than I want to put into yogurt.

And so the quest continues...