Author: Holly

REVIEW: Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal

Holly 6 Comments

Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal Box

What is Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal?

As we gear up for New Year Resolution season, General Mills is coming in hot with a new version of the popular Multi Grain Cheerios. This variety of the 5 grain, lightly sweetened cereal includes bits of real (freeze-dried) strawberries.

Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal Back of Box

How is it?

As a larger person who grew up in the 90s, I am no stranger to the boom that happened in the category of “diet cereal.” I vaguely remember when General Mills introduced Multi Grain Cheerios, but we weren’t a cereal family, so I don’t recall ever having it. That being said, I was interested in trying this variety. I’m a fan of Special K with Red Berries (strawberries) and was curious how this would stand up to that.

Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal Bowl

Upon the first sniff, it smelled like…well, really nothing. However, the overall taste was quite good. The oat and grain flavor of the cereal itself is perfectly serviceable (albeit a little bland), but the added fruity sweetness of the strawberry pieces made the flavor far less boring.

Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal Pieces

Speaking of the strawberry pieces, they were small enough to blend well with the familiar O-shaped cereal that allowed for an even distribution of flavor in each spoonful. Oftentimes with cereals that have extra elements, the ratio tends to be off. But in this case, they were perfectly balanced; just enough strawberry in every bite.

Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal Milk

My only real complaint would be that, by the time the strawberries rehydrated, the cereal itself was far soggier than I personally care for. Letting the strawberries rehydrate in the milk certainly makes their flavor much more pronounced, so it was almost worth the trade-off.

Anything else you need to know?

According to the General Mills website, these are a permanent addition to the Multi Grain Cheerios line. The nutritional stats of this and the original Multi Grain Cheerios are almost exactly the same.

Conclusion:

Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal Spoon

If you are looking for a new cereal to add to your morning rotation or possibly to get a kick start on those resolutions, this feels like a good option. It’s nice to see a little variety with this line. If this sells well, it could potentially lead to more Multi Grain Cheerios flavors. Fingers crossed for the return of the Berry Burst Triple Berry Cheerios under the Multi Grain brand.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 11.5 oz box
Purchased at: Winn-Dixie
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/3 cup) 140 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Veggie Nachos Party Pack

Holly 11 Comments

Taco Bell Veggie Nachos Party Pack 18 inches

As someone who lived through the early 2000s when most fast food vegetarian options were a side salad, freezer-burnt black bean burger, or being told to “just pick off the meat,” I can say with great enthusiasm: it’s a great time to be a vegetarian.

While I am no longer strictly following the vegetarian diet, I will still happily get things marked “Vegetarian.” So, naturally, when Taco Bell advertised the Veggie Nachos Party Pack as part of its new Veggie Cravings menu, I was intrigued.

While the Party Pack Nachos aren’t a new item for Taco Bell, this version seems to be specifically branded as a vegetarian item to help push the new menu. It consists of tortilla chips topped with refried beans, warm nacho cheese sauce, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, guacamole, and reduced-fat sour cream. That’s it. I was surprised by how simple the ingredient list seemed. But I looked at the meat option too, and it came with both beef and refried beans. So why wouldn’t this one have refried AND black beans? All the other items on the Veggie Cravings menu have black beans.

Taco Bell Veggie Nachos Party Pack Guac and Jalapeno Closeup

I cannot understate how much food it is. I measured the length of the box, and it was around 18 inches. Unfortunately, the large quantity of food didn’t quite make up for the lack of quality. The initial shock of “wow, that’s a LOT of food” wore off quickly as I started to eat. It became very clear that the amount of toppings was not proportional to the amount of chips. In fact, after removing the top layer of chips and toppings, the bottom of the box was littered with the tiny broken tortilla chip bits.

Taco Bell Veggie Nachos Party Pack Too Many Chips on the Dance Floor

When getting bites with all the toppings and chips together, the item was fine. While I feel most of us are familiar with the flavors of Taco Bell, this item really showcased how they are not meant to be eaten separately. When all layered into a taco/burrito/Crunchwrap, you get the experience of all the flavors in one bite. In a nacho situation, you are often eating a chip with just some cheese or refried beans and it highlights how they don’t really stand out on their own. The occasional jalapeno or tomato piece was welcome, but didn’t do much to move the flavor needle. Maybe I expect too much from Taco Bell, but the overall salty blandness of the item was disappointing.

Taco Bell Veggie Nachos Party Pack Plated

When ordering, you are given multiple options to add other toppings to the nachos. I think, if I were to do this again, I’d add rice and black beans (which should have been there in the first place). However, when you start adding up the cost of additional items, I’m inclined to just pay the extra $2 and go to Chipotle. The only “additions” I included were three specialty sauces on the side to use as dips. I am glad we got them as we were able to eat some of the untopped chips before tapping out.

Overall, it’s not a bad item, just not as good as I felt it could have been. If you are not a strict vegetarian, I’d at least go with the Nachos Party Pack with meat. It costs the same, and (hopefully) you’d get a little more food.

Purchased Price: $10.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 box) 1770 calories, 93 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 2510 milligrams of sodium, 206 grams of carbohydrates, 34 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 28 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich

Holly 13 Comments

Dunkin Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich Split

What is the Dunkin’ Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich

Introduced as part of the winter seasonal menu, the sandwich consists of two eggs, five half-slices of bacon, and white cheddar on sourdough toast. ?

How is it?

I find immense joy in all types of breakfast sandwiches, but with this one, I walked away and found myself saying, “I’m not mad. I’m just disappointed.”

Dunkin Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich Whole

Unwrapping the massive sandwich, I was immediately greeted with a patchy toast pattern outside the sourdough bread. They aren’t toasting the bread and then putting the sandwich together. They assemble it and throw it in an oven to heat, which essentially acts like a broiler: the top is toasted, but the rest isn’t.

Dunkin Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich Eggs

The two eggs give the illusion of freshly cracked eggs, but ultimately fall into the category of “egg-like” discs. The bacon, while plentiful, reminded me of the thin precooked kind you’d get at the store. However, the cheese was a nice change from the normal processed “cheese product” you’d find on most sandwiches. ?
Dunkin Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich Bacon

The bread not being toasted evenly and thoroughly really took away from what could have been a fairly successful sandwich. Sourdough, in my opinion, is at its best when toasted. It is very chewy and doesn’t necessarily lend itself to being a good sandwich when it’s untoasted. This leads to uneven bites of bread without the middle ingredients. That said, the bread itself is high quality and has that rich, unmistakable sourdough flavor.

Anything else you need to know?

Right now, Dunkin’ is offering 2x Dunkin’ points on this item if you use the app until 12/01.

Conclusion:

While I applaud Dunkin’ for taking a big swing, this one didn’t really pay off as well as I had hoped it would. While not the worst, it’s definitely not something I’d get again. It could probably be halfway decent if you get home and throw it in your air fryer or toaster oven. But let’s be real: most of us are just looking for something to shove in our faces between sips of coffee.

Purchased Price: $4.19
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 serving) 650 calories, 32 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 365 milligrams of cholesterol, 1360 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 31 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Chai Oatmilk Latte

Holly 5 Comments

Dunkin Chai Oatmilk Latte Cup

Much like that dramatic period piece movie that comes out in the 11th hour for Oscar consideration, oatmilk has come to win over all our hearts in the tail end of this year.

While I was familiar with it from the wall of milk substitutes in my local stores, it really grabbed my attention when Dunkin’ started to advertise it heavily. The chain has gone through an extensive rebrand over the last year. Even my closest store just reopened from a lengthy remodel. So I was excited to give the new drink and Dunkin’ a chance.

The siren call of oatmilk was too loud to ignore when I saw they were offering a Chai Oatmilk Latte. According to Dunkin’, it’s a lightly sweetened blend of chai spices, including cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg, combined with oatmilk. You can get the tea drink hot or cold, but since we’re going into full fall/winter cozy mode, I opted for hot.

Upon first getting the drink, I took a moment to take a whiff of it. The blend of spices was strong. Don’t mistake my saying “strong” with overpowering. Chai is successful to me when it has a bold scent and flavor that is enjoyable without feeling like I walked into a Bath & Body Works. Oftentimes when you are getting drinks poured from premixed concentrates, the chai flavors don’t balance and can be completely overpowering or completely overpowered and bland from too much sugar. In this case, the drink exceeded my expectations for a fast food chai. I think this is also due, in part, to the oatmilk.

When I tried oatmilk on its own recently, I found it to have a sweet and earthy flavor. It is almost the perfect companion for coffee/tea drinks in that way. Most creamers (particularly flavored ones) add a sweetness that overshadows the coffee or tea. Oatmilk, on the other hand, seems to make the beverage better while not taking over the show.

Dunkin Chai Oatmilk Latte Foam

Each sip of this Chai Oatmilk Latte was smooth and rich without being heavy. I really appreciate how well the oatmilk in this drink foamed! Many milk substitutes don’t get as foamy or don’t manage to last longer than the first sip, but here the oatmilk foam hung in there through the whole drink. Even giving me just a little of that “bottom of the cup” foam.

My only real criticism was that it wasn’t piping hot. I don’t think it was sitting long (I used mobile ordering), but the store was cranking out orders, so it’s possible.

Dunkin Chai Oatmilk Latte Sign

Also, and this is a minor annoyance, my husband’s iced gingerbread latte came in the cute holiday cup, but mine was in the everyday Dunkin’ cup. So much for getting those super cute pics for “the ‘gram.” Lastly, I opted for a medium even though the app defaulted to a large. I’m glad I did as I think (especially since the temp was a little off) by the end of a large, I would have experienced major diminishing returns of my enjoyment of the item.

Dunkin’s Chai Oatmilk Latte was excellent, and I’m excited to add this item to my rotation of special seasonal drinks.

Purchased Price: $3.89
Size: Medium (14 oz)
Purchased at: Dunkin’ Donuts
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 250 calories, 4 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 53 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 33 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Click here for our previous fast food reviews.

REVIEW: Birthday Party Edition Planters and Natural Light Beer Flavored Peanuts

Holly 7 Comments

Birthday Party Edition Planters and Natural Light Beer Flavored Peanuts Can

What are Planters Natty Light Peanuts?

In celebration of Mr. Peanut turning 21, Planters has teamed up with the maker of Natural Light Beer (Anheuser-Busch) to release beer-flavored peanuts. Even though the brand has expanded into some unique flavors the past few years, this is certainly the most unique it has done.

How is it?

Birthday Party Edition Planters and Natural Light Beer Flavored Peanuts Closeup

Ooof. Admittedly, I had some pretty high hopes for these. I enjoy the taste of beer and was imagining the yeasty flavor mixing with the salted peanuts. What I was expecting and what I got were two entirely different things. They didn’t have a strong smell upon opening the container outside of the normal peanut smell you expect. Examining the nuts up close, I noticed what appeared to be a hard sugar glaze similar to those of the sugared nuts you’d get at a fair.

Upon eating one, the immediate flavor was SUGAR. Like, I checked to see if it was the first ingredient (it’s not, by the way) because it was such an overwhelming flavor. As for the beer/yeast flavor, it is sadly non-existent. It’s been a minute since I had a Natural Light, but you don’t forget that taste and it’s nowhere to be found with this snack.

Birthday Party Edition Planters and Natural Light Beer Flavored Peanuts

There is an odd aftertaste that seems like it could be beer-flavored if someone from the other room screams “BEER FLAVORED” at you. Considering “Beer” is listed as the last ingredient under the “Less than 2%,” it’s not a shock that it’s not predominant.

Anything else you need to know?

They make sure to let you know they are non-alcoholic on the packaging. Which is a shame because I think they might taste better the more intoxicated you’d get eating them.

Conclusion:

Birthday Party Edition Planters and Natural Light Beer Flavored Peanuts Closeup Can

If you like roasted, sugary peanuts with the occasional odd aftertaste, these are for you. They might even be a good option if someone in your family turns 21 because the packaging’s novelty will amuse them. But if you are looking for a fancy new addition to your charcuterie board, skip these and get something better.

Purchased Price: $4.48
Size: 10 oz can
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/ about 47 pieces) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.