QUICK REVIEW: Kit Kat Snack Mix

Kit Kat Snack Mix

What is the Kit Kat Snack Mix?

The latest in the lineup of snack mixes from The Hershey Company; the Kit Kit Snack Mix contains pretzel balls, chocolate wafer bites, honey roasted almonds and of course, Kit Kat minis.

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How is it?

Quite tasty! I’ve tried just about all the snack mixes in the Hershey’s family, including M&M’s, Reese’s, Almond Joy, and regular Hershey’s (and there’s also a Take 5 version). Those all contain plain peanuts or plain almonds, but this one features honey roasted almonds, which makes it feel a little extra special and adds a more complex flavor to the entire sweet and salty mix.

At first, I thought the inclusion of chocolate wafer bites was a bit redundant because that’s basically what Kit Kats are, but the two chocolate varieties here worked well together.

Kit Kat Snack Mix 4

The Kit Kat minis have a fair amount of wafer, while the chocolate wafer bites seemed to be mostly chocolate, as you can see in the cross-sections. That gave them each a different texture and taste, so both were tasty on their own or in combination with the rest of the mix.

Is there anything else I need to know?

If I had to guess, I’d say almonds are the priciest of the ingredients in here, so it’s no surprise that there appear to be more pretzels than nuts in the mix. So if you want an almond or two in every bite, you might have to do a little digging and not get greedy with any three almond mouthfuls.

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In my particular canister, I found a pair of almonds and a pair of pretzels apparently making an attempt to procreate, so perhaps the pretzel couple was more successful and that explains the population disparity inside.

Conclusion:

None of these snack mix products are going to blow your mind, and with a price that works out to nearly $10 per pound, it would be much more economical to buy the components separately and mix it yourself. Of course, I’m too lazy to do that — and I trust you are too. So if you are looking to mix up your snacking, the Kit Kat Snack Mix is one of the best options out there.

Purchased Price: $3.58
Size: 5.7 oz. canister
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz. serving) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 129 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Monster Pacific Punch Energy Juice

Monster Pacific Punch Energy Juice

What is the Monster Pacific Punch Energy Juice?

It’s a tropical fruit punch-flavored Monster Energy Juice that comes in a can that looks like the textbook margins of that person in the back of the class who’s great at drawing, but not good at paying attention in class.

It has more fruit than a Carmen Miranda hat (Google her). There’s orange juice concentrate, apple juice concentrate, raspberry juice concentrate, guava puree, cherry juice concentrate, pineapple juice concentrate, and passionfruit juice concentrate.

How is it?

I wondered how similar this would taste to Monster’s Pipeline Punch – one of my favorite Monster Energy flavors – because they both are tropical fruit punch. After drinking both, Pacific Punch leans more towards what most taste buds would associate with fruit punch. Think of it as carbonated Hawaiian Punch that’ll punch your heart with 160 milligrams of sweet, sweet caffeine per can.

Monster Pacific Punch Energy Juice 2

Pipeline Punch tastes more “tropical” to me than Pacific Punch, but I enjoy both equally. I don’t know if this is a permanent addition to the Monster Juice lineup, but I hope it is because it’s really tasty.

Is there anything else I need to know?

It smells like a red popsicle.

I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Energy drink companies are getting really good at making their energy drinks not taste like energy drinks. And Pacific Punch is no exception. It was super easy to drink.

Conclusion:

Another great job by Monster Energy. If you want a fruit punch with a caffeinated kick, Monster Pacific Punch is what you should be drinking.

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 16 oz. can
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (16 oz.) 220 calories, 0 grams of fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, 54 grams of carbohydrates, 52 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Limited Edition Celebrate Mickey Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies

Limited Edition Celebrate Mickey Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies

What is the Limited Edition Celebrate Mickey Birthday Cake Oreo?

Mickey Mouse is a nonagenarian! And much like my nonagenarian mother, he’s still going strong. To celebrate, Oreo has taken its chocolate Birthday Cake cookies – which have been on shelves since 2012 – and stamped birthday images on them in honor of the world’s most famous mouse.

We’ve got a party horn with tiny Mickeys bursting forth, Mickey in a party hat, and the number 90 with floating Mickeys. The other side is the traditional Oreo pattern.

Limited Edition Celebrate Mickey Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies 2

How is it?

If you like Oreo’s chocolate Birthday Cake flavor, you’ll like these. The only difference is the patterns on the top.

Limited Edition Celebrate Mickey Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies 3

If you haven’t had Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies before, they’re a slight twist on the original. Identical chocolate wafers. Softer crème filling with that comforting cake batter aroma and flavor – almond, butter, and vanilla. Brightly-colored confetti speckles make them festive.

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Personally, I love Birthday Cake Oreo, so the Mickey iterations were fine by me. I wanted to ding them points-wise for not bringing anything new to the table other than the visuals, but I couldn’t do it. They’re just too tasty.

Limited Edition Celebrate Mickey Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies 5

Is there anything else I need to know?

Nonagenarian means a very, very rich mouse in his 90s. Or an elderly woman full of advice I didn’t ask for.

Conclusion:

Good (if familiar) cookie. Cute Mickey Mouse. What’s not to love here?

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 15.25 oz. bag
Purchased at: Key Food
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 13 grams of total sugars, 13 grams of added sugars and less than 1 gram of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Mtn Dew Ice Cherry

Mtn Dew Ice Cherry

What is Mtn Dew Ice Cherry?

The latest concoction from Mountain Dew’s burgeoning “Ice” line, Ice Cherry takes everything you love about cherry soda, mixes it with a little of that Mountain Dew magic and then turns up the ice, I suppose. Oh, and it’s clear too, which is a bit weird. Kinda makes you wonder what its larger gameplan is with all this Ice stuff, doesn’t it?

How is it?

Like a cherry Laffy Taffy that’s been your pocket for way too long or an illegal helping of pure ICEE white cherry syrup, Mtn Dew Ice Cherry tastes like a bottle full of melted fake cherries. But that’s not a bad thing, just something you have to take in small doses due to its incredible sweetness.

Mtn Dew Ice Cherry 2

With its strong cherry flavor and light carbonation, it might remind some of cherry-flavored Alka-Seltzer. Those people, like me, who’ve been known to drop about five or six tablets in their glass at a time, will love this.

Is there anything else I need to know?

I thought the sugar would be through the roof, but 41 grams doesn’t seem all that bad, does it? This Ice variant contains high fructose corn syrup, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose and no real sugar per se, but all that fake sugar can’t be good for you, can it? Oh well. 41 grams collectively doesn’t seem all that bad.

Conclusion:

Mtn Dew Ice Cherry 3

While not as mind-numbingly delicious as Pitch Black but way better than that DEW.S.A. dreck, Mtn Dew Ice Cherry falls somewhere in-between, leaning a little more on the plus side of the bracket.

Purchased Price: $1.29
Size: 20 oz. bottle
Purchased at: Buy for Less Supermercado
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (20 oz.) 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 41 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 91 milligrams of caffeine.

QUICK REVIEW: Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk

Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk

What is Suja’s Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk?

It’s a dairy-free, plant-based chocolate milk that made using flax seeds, peas, and sunflowers. A cup provides 8 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, 30 percent of your daily calcium.

Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk 2

How is it?

Whenever there’s a new chocolate milk on the market — dairy or non-dairy — I like to give it a try, because chocolate milk makes me smile, and I want every one to reach that standard. But Suja’s Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk doesn’t. All I can think about is how I want to scratch out the word “chocolate” on the bottle and replace it with “chalkolate.”

As you can probably guess, it’s chalky.

Look, I get it. It probably has to be that way since it’s made with sunflower and flax seeds, which also helps give it four grams of fiber (16 percent of your daily recommended intake) per serving. But its chalkiness makes it seem more like chocolate-flavored medicine than milk.

As for its flavor, it’s okay. It’s similar to other non-dairy chocolate milks. Cacao powder is used to give it its chocolatiness and it’s sweetened with cane sugar and monk fruit. But I’m so used to non-dairy milks being creamy, that its texture takes away from its flavor.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk  Version 2

Is it just me or does the leaf in Suja’s logo look like an angry face or the face of someone who doesn’t like the chalkiness of this non-dairy chocolate milk?

Conclusion:

Suja Chocolate Organic Plant Protein Milk 3

If you’re looking for a non-dairy, nut-free, soy-free, gluten-free, GMO-free, carrageenan-free, and vegan chocolate milk, then the Suja Chocolate Milk is a great option. But, again, I’m looking for chocolate milk that makes me smile, and this doesn’t do it for me.

Purchased Price: $6.79 (on sale – $8.49 reg.)
Size: 48 oz. bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (8 ounces) 120 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.