Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Mac & Cheese Bites

Marvo 6 Comments

Jack in the Box Mac Cheese Bites Boxed

What are Jack in the Box Mini Munchies Mac & Cheese Bites?

The fast food chain with a mascot that regularly ends up in my dreams and nightmares has a new limited time only side that features mac and cheese that’s been battered and then deep fried.

Jack’s Mac & Cheese Bites are available in a Mini Munchies size with six pieces, a Mega Munchies pack with 12 pieces, and a Mini Munchies Variety option that comes with an oily potpourri of three Mac & Cheese Bites, curly fries, and regular fries.

How are they?

The exterior has a decent crunchiness. I would’ve recorded audio of it to give you an idea, but then you’d have to listen to me chew, and I don’t think you’d want to hear that no matter how much of an ASMR eating fan you are. But what really matters is what’s inside that golden brown shell.

Jack in the Box Mac Cheese Bites Innards

The macaroni that swims in the orange goo is tender. The goo itself is a combination of American, Romano, and a Cheddar & Blue Cheese blend, but it all tastes as if it’s sharp cheddar. While it has a pleasant flavor, it congealed a bit during the five minute trip home, so the interior texture wasn’t as gooey as I was expecting. But there isn’t anything here taste-wise that makes these stand out from something in the freezer aisle.

Anything else you need to know?

An order comes with a buttermilk ranch dip cup (sorry, I forgot to take an Instagrammable photo of a bite being dipped into the herbaceous white sauce), but you can get it with any sauce Jack offers. Maybe I’ve had too many Mac & Cheese bites in my lifetime, but the buttermilk ranch’s tang adds a welcomed flavor. They also bring back some creaminess that gets lost when the cheese congeals. If I wasn’t so lazy, I’d go to Burger King to try these with its Zesty Sauce.

Oh, this is not the first time Jack in the Box has had mac and cheese bites. Back in 2008, it offered wedge-shaped Cheesy Macaroni Bites, which, I’ll be honest, looks easier to dip into the sauce containers than these 2021 versions.

Conclusion:

Jack in the Box’s Mac & Cheese Bites are a decent addition to the chain’s sides menu. At their advertised three dollar price for a half dozen, they’re worth a try. But if you decide to order them, get some kind of sauce to enhance their flavor.

Purchased Price: $4.00*
Size: 6 pieces
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 330 calories, 19 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 1170 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. Most of you will probably pay three dollars.

REVIEW: Gatorade Zero with Protein

Marvo 5 Comments

Gatorade Zero with Protein Bottles

As someone who gets thirsty, doesn’t consume the daily recommended amount of protein, and likes to drink things with names that describe how I’m feeling, I think I can get behind Gatorade Zero with Protein.

The no-sugar thirst quencher is available in three flavors, and if you’ve explored the Gatorade rainbow, your taste buds have probably come across them before in other lines the sports drink brand offers. There’s Fruit Punch (a classic G flavor), Glacier Cherry (a flavor that I always want to add red food coloring to), and Cool Blue (a blue raspberry variety with a name that could also be a cologne or aftershave product).

Because these are part of Gatorade’s sugar-free Zero line, there are artificial sweeteners, which in this case are acesulfame potassium and sucralose. As someone who regularly drinks zero sugar beverages, I’m okay with the sweetener combination here.

I would also like to note, and this is going to make you wonder if my taste buds are broken, they taste fine at room temperature. With almost every other sugar-free beverage I’ve consumed that was not chilled or was out for too long, the artificial sweeteners overwhelm the flavor. But that wasn’t the case with these. Of course, your taste buds may vary.

The cloudy drinks get their 10 grams of protein in every bottle from whey protein isolate, which makes these thirst quenchers slightly gritty. Although having had other protein beverages, I did expect that. What I didn’t expect was that the additive makes my mouth feel quenched one moment and then parched the next. It’s definitely weird. I imagine this will be a deal-breaker for some. It isn’t for me.

Look, I don’t have a physiology lab with dozens of scientists to test the recovery efforts of Gatorade Zero with Protein. But I have a tongue and thousands of taste buds to determine if these sugar-free sports drinks taste good. I think for zero sugar protein beverages, these are surprisingly good, and I enjoyed them all equally.

Purchased Price: $19.99 (3 flavor variety pack)
Size: 16.9 fl oz/12 pack
Purchased at: Amazon
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) Cool Blue – 50 calories, 0 grams of fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein. Fruit Punch – 60 calories, 0 grams of fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein. Glacier Cherry – 50 calories, 0 grams of fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Rise Energy

Marvo 6 Comments

MtnDewRiseCans1

MtnDewRiseCans2

Update 2/11/22: We tried the Cherry Lime Lift flavor! Click here to read our review.

Remember when Mtn Dew Kickstart debuted back in 2013? I do because there was a little hubbub about it being marketed as a morning soda, causing, I imagine, nutritionists across the country to roll their eyes. Oh, I also remember because I reviewed the first two flavors.

Although they had around 80 milligrams of caffeine, they weren’t considered energy drinks because, according to Mtn Dew, they didn’t have the same ingredients, like guarana and taurine.

Well, Mtn Dew Kickstart is getting some inter-brand competition from new Mtn Dew Rise, which ARE energy drinks marketed to be consumed, as you can guess from its name and some of the flavors available, in the morning. While they’re energy drinks, they also don’t contain guarana and taurine. But they do have zinc and vitamin C to help support immune function, and citicoline, which, combined with caffeine, helps improve concentration.

Speaking of stimulants, a can of Rise has 180 milligrams of caffeine, which, I believe, is the most in a single-serve Mtn Dew product. As someone who likes Monster and Rockstar energy drinks with triple-digit caffeine levels, I appreciate all that sweet, sweet caffeine.

The line has SIX varieties —- Tropical Sunrise, Peach Mango Dawn, Berry Blitz, Pomegranate Blue Burst, Orange Breeze, and Strawberry Melon Spark. While these names sound exciting, I should mention that if you’re a consumer of all Dew, or a conDEWmer, if you will, many of these will taste familiar to you.

MtnDewRiseTropical

Let’s start with my favorite, the pineapple-flavored Tropical Sunrise. I prefer it over another pineapple energy drink introduced this year — Monster Energy’s Ultra Gold. While the Monster offering has 15 fewer calories and no sugar, Tropical Sunrise has just 25 calories, 4 grams of sugar, a more robust fruitiness, and 30 more milligrams of caffeine. This also brings up memories of one of my favorite Dew varieties — Maui Burst.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) – 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

MtnDewRisePeachMango

Two flavors I like equally, but not as much as Tropical Sunrise, are Peach Mango Dawn and Strawberry Melon Spark. The former has a pleasant, but artificial peach aroma and flavor with mango lingering in the background. I’ve never had a peach mango beverage before, but now that I’ve had one, I need to try more.

MtnDewRiseStrawMelon

Strawberry Melon Spark is a combination of strawberry and watermelon. It tastes familiar to me, not only because of the delicious, recently released Mtn Dew Major Melon, but because of SuperNova, the strawberry melon-flavored Dew that came out in 2008 as part of the DEWmocracy campaign to determine the next permanent variety. It was my favorite of the three flavors participating, but it didn’t win. That honor went to Voltage.

Rating: 8 out of 10 (Peach Mango Dawn), 8 out of 10 (Strawberry Melon Spark)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) Peach Mango Dawn – 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Strawberry Melon Spark – 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

MtnDewRisePomBlue

MtnDewRiseBerryBlitz

Speaking of Voltage, I swear the Pomegranate Blue Burst one tastes like it. I was expected a bit more tartness from the pomegranate, but the sweet blueberry flavor tempers it. Berry Blitz tastes like it has blue raspberry with maybe a bit of blueberry. It has an almost cotton candy-like aroma and taste, which is also what I wrote when I reviewed Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Berry Blast. Samesies?

Rating: 7 out of 10 (Pomegranate Blue Burst), 7 out of 10 (Berry Blitz)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) – 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

MtnDewRiseOrange

Orange Breeze, as you can guess from its name, is orange-flavored. It’s the only Rise variety that has juice concentrate from the fruit it’s supposed to taste like. (The others get their juice from white grape juice concentrate.) The orange flavor is decent and has a slight sourness. This is the only one that tastes morning-appropriate, so I guess you can replace your OJ with OB as part of your balanced breakfast.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 180 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar, 0 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

All six varieties use acesulfame potassium and sucralose as sweeteners to bring down the total sugar levels. Even though there’s not much of it (5 percent), the juice does help these from completely tasting like diet drinks. Also, because they’re not overly sweet or syrupy, they’re easy to drink.

With the caffeine content hitting triple digits and decent to good flavors, Mtn Dew Rise might be a better way to kickstart your day than Mtn Dew Kickstart.

Purchased Price: $24.99
Size: 12-count, 6-flavor sampler pack
Purchased at: Amazon

REVIEW: Cheez-It Grooves Scorchin’ Hot Cheddar Crackers

Marvo

Cheez It Grooves Scorchin Hot Cheddar Box

“Scorchin’ Hot” sounds like a store brand attempt at a flavor that’s supposed to taste and burn like Frito-Lay’s Flamin’ Hot. Oh wait, it turns out Walmart used it. I guess it’s going to be super awkward when Walmart comes out with a Great Value version of Cheez-It’s new Grooves Scorchin’ Hot Cheddar Crackers that uses the same flavor name.

For those of you who don’t follow crunch snack crackers, Grooves are an offshoot of the Cheez-It line that debuted several years ago. The cheesy flavors that I’ve tried have been decent to good. Although I haven’t tried the Hot & Spicy variety, so I don’t know how “extra hot” these are. When it comes to the crunch, Grooves are somewhere between regular Cheez-It crackers and Wheat Thins.

Cheez It Grooves Scorchin Hot Cheddar Red

This Scorchin’ Hot Cheddar flavor is as light on the cheesiness as any Flamin’ Hot product. It’s not the first thing your mouth will notice when you start eating it. That honor goes to the heat. It’s not Flamin’ Hot-spicy, but it’s more like two or three levels below that.

With products that have the spicy Frito-Lay seasoning, there’s a point where I have to stop because my mouth gets a bit too hot. But with these Cheez-It Grooves, I ate them at a scorching pace without the need for something to soothe my mouth. Of course, your eating speed may vary based on your mouth’s heat tolerance.

But it’s not only hot spices and cheese that I taste. There’s also hints of garlic and onion powder, which are also in Flamin’ Hot seasoning but are much more noticeable with these crackers. While these aren’t as spicy as Flamin’ Hot, they have a more well-rounded flavor. Although I’ve made fun of its name, I do enjoy these crackers.

Cheez It Grooves Scorchin Hot Cheddar Pale

As much as I like this Cheez-It Grooves flavor, I do find the underlying cracker’s paleness to be a bit odd. They are made with rice flour, so I understand why they might be that way, but I don’t remember any other Grooves flavors being so pale. It also doesn’t help that the crackers aren’t entirely coated with seasoning and that its dark red color makes the paleness stands out even more.

Purchased Price: $2.89
Size: 9 oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (18 crackers) 130 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 3 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 1 gram of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 270 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers

Marvo 24 Comments

Reese s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Wrapper

I’m someone who slightly prefers seasonal holiday item-shaped Reese’s products over regular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

These non-cup shapes that I pick up at 50 percent off the day after the holiday include Trees, Pumpkins, Ghosts, Eggs, Bats, Hearts, Bunnies, Holiday Lights, Stockings, Santas, Carrots, and probably sometime in the future, witch hats and cats. Just throwing those out there, Hershey’s.

I think I enjoy the shaped ones more because they seem to have a different peanut butter to chocolate ratio than the cups. Or perhaps getting them at 50 percent off is the reason they taste extra special.

Anyhoo, I do love that unique sweet and salty Reese’s nutty filling, which I believe my taste buds notice more with the seasonal Reese’s. That’s why Reese’s new Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Cups that are entirely coated in a peanut butter-flavored candy intrigue me.

Oh, um, don’t get this confused with Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers that have been on and off shelves over the past few years (currently on, I believe). The non-monogamous shell on those is part-chocolate and part-peanut butter candy-flavored.

Reese s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Shell

Nibbling the top of the ridged edges of these reveals the tan shell with faint brown specks has a mild nutty flavor similar to the gritty filling within it. Because they taste alike, the peanut butter flavor is taken to another level. It creates a delectable treat for Reese’s peanut butter fans. Also, at times, it reminds me of a White Reese’s, but one with a less sweet shell. Because of my previously mentioned Reese’s peanut butter adoration, I do love these light brown cups.

Reese s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Filling

However, I will admit the chocolate and PB combination that make up the original Reese’s (and all holiday shapes) is hard to beat. The whole reason why we love Reese’s is because of the two ingredients. But it’s nice to be able to experience a product that’s as close as we’ll get to having a shell-less peanut butter cup.

Reese’s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers is the “ultimate” Reese’s product for peanut butter fans. Well, again, unless The Hershey Company discovers a way to make its popular candy shell-less.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from The Hershey Company. Doing so did not influence my review.

Reese’s Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers Cups will be rolled out in standard (1.4oz, SRP $1.09), king size (2.8oz, SRP $1.79) and miniatures (9.3oz, SRP $4.09) at retailers nationwide beginning in early April 2021 for a limited time.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1.4 oz/2 cups
Purchased at: Received from Reese’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pieces) 210 calories, 13 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 156 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, 13 grams of added sugar, and 7 grams of protein.