The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Ghostbusters Afterlife Cereal

Marvo / May 25, 2021 / Reviews / 9 Comments

I’m 100 percent sure I ate the original Ghostbusters cereal because, despite the nightmares I got from watching the movie, I loved it and took in everything Ghostbusters related. That included watching the 80s cartoon and regularly doing in school that weird walking Dr. Venkman did in the movie to get the attention of Dana Barrett.

Like the original version, Ghostbusters Afterlife Cereal features fruity-flavored puffs with marshmallows. Although, I will admit the original is so much better because of the puffs’ shape. Spheres seem lame compared to the pieces in the 80s cereal that look like the red “no” symbol in the Ghostbusters logo. To be honest, I don’t remember the original’s taste. I do know I was definitely enamored with the marshmallows.

Speaking of marshmallows, this 2021 cereal features two different ones — a ghost-shaped white one and a blue one that’s shaped like, um, a ghost fart? Your guess is as good as mine.

Now, this is the part of the review where I’d usually complain about how cereals with movie tie-ins almost always seem to include marshmallows. But since this one appears to be an homage to the original, I’ll save my rant for the next Star Wars or Pixar-related cereal I review, which I guarantee will have marbits.

The reddish puffs have a berry-like flavor that doesn’t wow me, but it’s something that I don’t mind eating. It’s not overly sweet, even with the marshmallows. And, I know I say this a lot, but its flavor is familiar to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if this tastes EXACTLY like another cereal with a movie tie-in that I’ve had.

Ghostbusters Afterlife isn’t a memorable-tasting part of a complete breakfast. It’s one with an adequate flavor. Although, if the blue marbits are really ghost farts, I will never ever forget this cereal.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from General Mills. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10.2 oz box
Purchased at: Received from General Mills
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup w/o milk) 150 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, 12 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

SPOTTED (TRADER JOE’S EDITION) – 5/24/2021

Marvo / May 24, 2021 / Spotted on Shelves / 8 Comments

Here are some new Trader Joe’s products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Trader Joe s Ube Tea Cookies — *Trader Joe’s Ube Tea Cookies*

Trader Joe s Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt Pretzels — *Trader Joe’s Strawberry & Vanilla Yogurt Pretzels*

Trader Joe s Dark Chocolate Watermelon Sticks — *Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Watermelon Sticks*

Trader Joe s Dill Pickle Mustard — *Trader Joe’s Dill Pickle Mustard*

Trader Joe s Tangy Turtles Tart Sweet Gummy Candy — *Trader Joe’s Tangy Turtles Tart & Sweet Gummy Candy*

Trader Joe s This Peach Walks Into a Bar Cereal Bars — *Trader Joe’s This “Peach Walks Into a Bar…”Cereal Bars*

(Spotted by Rachel C at Trader Joe’s.)

REVIEW: Starbucks Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino

Tiffany / May 24, 2021 / Reviews / 11 Comments

Starbucks not only dictates when fall starts (on PSL day, of course), but now also when summer starts with its drink drops. The latest seasonal lineup, cleverly dubbed “A.S.A.P.” (As Summer As Possible), comprises mainly of repeat/returning items, but there’s one new beverage: the Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino!

This signature blended beverage touts funnel-cake flavor syrup blended with coffee, milk, and ice with layers of strawberry puree, whipped cream, and powered sugar funnel cake pieces.

Visually, the first descriptor that came to mind was “stunning,” which may sound exaggerated. So, I’ll settle down and simply say it was a pretty drink! It brought back summer nostalgia as it fondly reminded me of strawberry ice cream sundae cups – the ones with the little wooden spoon. As a kid, I used to eat those daily during summer school.

This Frap was definitely a glow up from those frozen dessert cups. Consistent with all Starbucks’ fruit inclusions/flavoring, the strawberry puree had the nuanced sweet and tartness of real fruit. In contrast, though, the funnel cake-flavored syrup tasted a little bit artificial. It had a distinct vanilla-esque note that even coffee couldn’t hide.

To be fair, though, the drink overall was not very coffee-forward. I was about halfway through when I did a double take and asked aloud, “Is there even coffee in this?!” The nutrition facts in the handy app confirmed the caffeine presence of about 85 milligrams, which is a fraction of my usual nitro cold brew. Regardless, I’m going to say it was by design because it would be easy to overwhelm the fruit flavor with bold, acidic coffee.

I chose not to mix it to maintain the layered drinking experience. My favorite sips started with the whipped cream and strawberry puree part for a strawberries & cream-like flavor. Then it was followed by a slurp of the blended coffee as there were the fun bits of the funnel cake pieces. Said pieces had a graham cracker-like texture instead of fluffy funnel cake. This deviation was fine by me because I hate the idea of soggy pieces. Rinse and repeat (or more like sip and sip some more in this case)!

Is it a color-changing, Insta-worthy mermaid unicorn beverage? No.

Is it a classic that I could see returning summer after summer? Heckin’ yes!

Purchased Price: $5.25
Size: Grande (16 oz)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (16 oz) 410 calories, 20 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 53 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 51 grams of sugar, 4 grams of added sugar, 4 grams of protein, and 85 milligrams of caffeine.

Fast Food Starbucks

REVIEW: Blue Bell Chocolate Sheet Cake Ice Cream

Denis / May 21, 2021 / Reviews / 15 Comments

What is Blue Bell Chocolate Sheet Cake Ice Cream?

Blue Bell’s newest flavor features milk chocolate ice cream with chocolate sheet cake pieces, chopped pecans, and chocolate icing swirl.

How is it?

As one might expect from an ice cream with the word “chocolate” appearing three times in the description, this is pretty chocolatey but not to the extreme or to its detriment. I thought this might be a choco overload situation, however, the different types and textures of chocolate really work well together.

The ice cream base is smooth and creamy, and the chocolate swirl actually did taste more like a fudgy icing than the generic chocolate swirl in many ice creams. As for the cake pieces, they were denser and richer than I was expecting, almost like a brownie, so it was an excellent complement to the ice cream.

The only thing that did not bring much to the table was the pecans. The pieces were quite small and not very plentiful, so you might be a little disappointed if you are a pecan lover. Overall, this flavor was quite delightful, and that’s coming from someone who is not a chocoholic.

Anything else you need to know?

Blue Bell claims this is “inspired by a favorite Texas dessert.” That befuddled me a bit, as I happen to live in Texas and have never heard of the Lone Star State taking credit for the sheet cake.

It turns out that it is not just marketing spin and that a chocolate cake with pecans in sheet form is sometimes called a Texas sheet cake. But I doubt anyone in Wisconsin, or in Texas for that matter, walks into their local Walmart and asks for a Texas sheet cake.

Although I live in Texas, I was not born here, and I do not own a Don’t Mess with Texas T-shirt or belt buckle, so whether or not Texas gets credit for a dessert matters little to me. That’s probably why I gave up on my research after a few minutes upon discovering there seems to be disagreement on both how the “Texas” and “sheet” parts of the name came into being. So the mystery will endure.

Conclusion:

Blue Bell is not breaking new ground here by mixing chocolate ice cream with cake, pecans, and some swirl, but if you are in the mood for a good chocolate treat with a bit of depth to it, then this should hit the spot.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 260 calories, 14 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

Blue Bell Ice Cream

SPOTTED – 5/20/2021

Marvo / May 20, 2021 / Spotted on Shelves / 14 Comments

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.