REVIEW: Outshine Simply Indulgent Bars

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Outshine Simply Indulgent Bars Boxes

If you have somehow managed to maintain your New Year’s healthy eating or weight loss resolutions until March – kudos to you! And an even bigger kudos because you have managed to maintain your goals while visiting this website daily – I guess exposure therapy works?

This is the time that most people’s resolutions slowly disappear as the temptations of Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, and life gets to us all. So why am I even talking about New Year’s resolutions now? Because as I was sampling these Outshine Simply Indulgent Bars and reading the nutrition label, I thought, “Hey, these are relatively healthy and taste pretty decent too!” Of course, healthy is definitely relative. Outshine markets their products as “feel-good” and “wholesome,” but these are different topics for another time.

Let’s focus on the indulgent part of these bars instead. For me, indulgent would be a triple-layer cake with lots of frosting and extra goodies on top and shoved inside. However, this version of indulgent probably conflicts with the simple part of these bars. So while I would not say that these bars are indulgent, they were tasty.

Outshine Simply Indulgent Bars in Wrappers

I opened the box, and like other Outshine products, the bars were all orderly placed inside. When taken out, they do not look very exciting and look like all other frozen bars. Similar to their appearance, there was no alluring smell to stimulate my senses either. However, upon the first bite, I immediately could tell that these indeed contained milk – they were actually creamy in flavor!

Outshine Simply Indulgent Bars Strawberry Closeup

I started with the mango bar, which also appeared to be softening first. It had a very light mango taste, and I would have appreciated a stronger flavor presence. I decided to move on to the strawberry bar. Again, a light fruit taste. But this one also had some strawberry bits, which I appreciated because of the texture contrast and small flavor bursts. It reminded me of eating a Yoplait yogurt, except in frozen dairy bar form.

Outshine Simply Indulgent Bars Chocolate Closeup

Next, I was eager to move to the non-fruit flavors: chocolate and coffee. These are the first two non-fruit flavored products from Outshine, although they have dabbled with chocolate before with its Half Dipped Bars. The chocolate bar reminded me of chocolate milk, where there’s a satisfying chocolate presence, but you aren’t eating a chunk of fudge.

Lastly, there’s the coffee one. I was most excited about this bar because it contains 20 milligrams of caffeine. The coffee taste was definitely present, but still light like the others. This could work well for an afternoon treat with a little buzz.

If you really want to enjoy these bars like you would with ice cream, I recommend you wait until they start to soften or just bite in and let them slowly melt in your mouth. I prefer the texture profile of the first option, though.

In summary, if you are still sticking to your New Year’s health-kick but want a hint of an ice cream treat, these will suffice. To be clear, these are not a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream substitute, but an alternative if you have a small craving to satisfy. They also have five grams of protein per bar. The flavor profiles are not strong or indulgent, but present (with the mango and coffee having a slightly lighter presence for me). But the milky creaminess help deliver a general contentment.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 14.7 oz (1 box of 6 bars)
Purchased at: Received from Nestlé
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Mango), 7 out of 10 (Strawberry), 7 out of 10 (Chocolate), 6 out of 10 (Coffee)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) Mango – 100 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 13 grams of sugar, 10 grams of added sugars, and 5 grams of protein. Strawberry – 100 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 13 grams of sugar, 10 grams of added sugars, and 5 grams of protein. Chocolate – 90 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 11 grams of sugar, 8 grams of added sugars, and 5 grams of protein. Coffee – 80 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 10 grams of sugar, 7 grams of added sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk

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Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk Bottle

As a Cinnamon Toast Crunch fan, I feel a personal obligation to try new foods that utilize its flavor. I have previously reviewed two Cinnamon Toast Crunch-themed items here. The ice cream was spot-on, but the creamer was a major let-down.

With the release of the new Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk, I wondered which end of the spectrum it would land on. The concept seems straightforward: a drink that should taste like the milk from a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk Out of Bottle

I poured some of it into a glass and was immediately disheartened. It seemed quite thick. There are no visible cinnamon specks in the drink. I gave it a quick whiff and was able to detect faint traces of the spice.

I took a swig of it and found the consistency to be immediately off-putting. It was considerably thicker than expected. It is akin to the texture of nutritional drinks, like Ensure. If you have ever been lucky enough to try one of those, you know that it is not the most pleasant experience.

Nestle Sensations Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamilk Top

The cinnamon flavoring is quite underwhelming. It was much milder than the milk from a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. There was another underlying flavor that I could not quite put my finger on. Nestle may have been going for a “cereal” taste in the milk. Unfortunately, because I thought of nutritional drinks, I kept perceiving that flavor. It is not necessarily offensive, but it screams artificiality.

My initial plan for this review was to pour Cinnamilk over a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and double-up on the cinnamon-y goodness. It isn’t good enough to do that, though. I did not want to waste a bowl of cereal.

I am not a food scientist, clearly. However, I cannot understand why Nestle did not use real cinnamon in this beverage. This was the same problem that plagued the coffee creamer. If this had actual cinnamon or even a more prevalent cinnamon flavor, I could have overlooked the unpleasant consistency. For me, Cinnamilk completely missed the mark. Store-bought horchata tastes more like Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk, and that does not even contain dairy.

Purchased Price: $1.68
Size: 14 fl. oz. bottle
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 260 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dr Pepper Zero Sugar

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Dr Pepper Zero Sugar Bottle

What is Dr Pepper Zero Sugar?

Keurig Dr Pepper has released a new sugar-free formulation of its iconic soft drink. Using a combination of aspartame and acesulfame potassium, Dr Pepper Zero Sugar is being described as an addition to the aspartame-only Diet Dr Pepper, rather than a replacement.

How is it?

Dr Pepper famously has 23 unique flavors, and you can find lists on the internet that purport to reveal them all. I don’t know how accurate these are (carrot, really?), but as a frequent Diet Dr Pepper drinker, I’m very familiar with what they create.

Dr Pepper Zero Sugar Closeup

I pour Dr Pepper Zero Sugar into a glass and take a sip. It tastes like the Diet Dr Pepper that I’m familiar with. Yet, I think a more direct comparison will be fruitful.

One result of spending way too much thinking about junk food is that I’ve realized how susceptible to marketing I am. I prefer Coca-Cola over Pepsi partially because of its comfortable, timeless-seeming aesthetic, as opposed to Pepsi’s aggressively cool Generation Next campaign from my childhood. I still think of a Subway sandwich as a healthy option.

Dr Pepper Zero Sugar Compare

I choose Diet Dr Pepper from the work vending machine because it tastes more like regular Dr Pepper. But does it, really? To test this, I grabbed the original, diet, and zero sugar versions to try them side-by-side. It’s a Dr Pepper Challenge, if you will.

I haven’t had a regular Dr Pepper or any full-sugar soda in years, so I taste it first to establish a baseline. It’s very similar to the Zero Sugar version, with a more syrupy consistency and more intense sweetness. I move onto the diet one and am surprised by the difference. The mouthfeel is thinner and the sweetness has a flatness with a slightly chemical flavor that I’ve never noticed before. It does not taste like regular Dr Pepper. This is very concerning to me. Are my opinions so subject to media influence? Am I captive to corporate forces larger than I can conceive? I resample Dr Pepper Zero Sugar to confirm that it tastes more like regular Dr Pepper, and am convinced that it more faithfully replicates the original.

Conclusion:

Dr Pepper Zero Sugar has opened my eyes to the truth. Diet Dr Pepper does not taste more like regular Dr Pepper, but this version does. Well played, Doctor, though you can still expect a malpractice lawsuit for all the quarters I’ve fed into the cafeteria soda machine.

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 2 Liter
Purchased at: Piggly Wiggly
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 fl oz) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Tostitos Habanero Tortilla Chips

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Tostitos Habanero Tortilla Chips Bag

What are Tostitos Habanero?

Following up on last year’s super delicious Hint of Spicy Queso and the just-okay Hint of Guacamole, the latest crispy circle from Tostitos drops the “Hint” and brings the heat with habanero-flavored bite-size rounds.

How are they?

Tostitos Habanero Tortilla Chips Closeup

Continuing along the path of Spicy Queso’s cheesy footsteps, these Habanero rounds are excellent. The immediate comparison that jumped at me is Salsa Verde Doritos. They have the same authentic and richly deep pepper taste as that Doritos variety, but with a sweeter and more tomato-y flavor that gives them their own unique presence in the Frito-Lay spicy chip hierarchy. It’s that extra layer of acidity, like the difference between white rice and orange Mexican rice, that really makes the flavor stand out.

Anything else you need to know?

For a chip claiming to be habanero-flavored, they aren’t nearly as hot as I was expecting, but that doesn’t take away from how delicious they are. Their heat is a far cry from the brand’s Flamin’ Hot staple, but I find it even more impressive that they taste great and peppery in a way that isn’t just heat.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking to set your mouth on fire in the way eating a raw habanero would, this may let you down, but I’m hooked. I’ll take flavor over fire any day and these still have just enough heat to make my tongue tingle with an authentic peppery sweetness that makes them undeniable.

Purchased Price: $3.50 (on sale)
Size: 11 oz bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (20 chips/28 grams) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Honey Oatmilk Latte

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Starbucks Honey Oatmilk Latte Cup

What is the Starbucks Honey Oatmilk Latte?

Now that Starbucks recently introduced oatmilk, I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll see a lot more featured drinks with it added to the menu. The new Honey Oatmilk Latte is blonde espresso, oatmilk, and honey with a toasted honey topping.

How is it?

Honey lovers, run to your nearest Starbucks – you won’t be disappointed. The honey flavor is super prevalent here, something I didn’t find with the Almondmilk Honey Flat White from early 2020. You’ll taste it at first sip, but it was the aftertaste that really knocked my socks off. Smooth, sweet, and comforting – and most important, a very natural taste since it’s real honey and not a flavored syrup or sauce.

Starbucks Honey Oatmilk Latte Top

I think the oatmilk adds a nice thickness to the latte that I don’t always feel with dairy milk. I’ll waver between talls and grandes for hot drinks, and I was very satisfied with a tall here. And with 85 milligrams of caffeine in the tall, I’d recommend it as an afternoon treat to power you through.

Lastly, as I typically note with hot drinks and toppings – the toasted honey topping melts in too quick with the drink and doesn’t provide the added taste it truly could.

Anything else you need to know?

This really felt like a cool weather beverage for me – perfect for sitting around the fire in the fall. I’ll definitely be remembering that in the future… but hey, I’m not wishing away the summer!

Conclusion:

If your go-to Starbucks beverage is a latte and/or you really like honey, add this to your rotation for a delightful flavor profile.

Purchased Price: $4.95
Size: Tall
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 7 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 21 grams of total sugars, 3 grams of protein and 85 milligrams of caffeine.

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