REVIEW: Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll Little Bites

Kellogg's Cinnamon Roll Frosted Mini Wheats Little Bites

The Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll Little Bites is like a sexy librarian.

The wholesome shredded wheat on the outside is like its conservative dress and tight hair bun, and the frosting is like its cute black rimmed Lisa Loeb glasses. But behind the frosting and within the shredded wheat is its sexy cinnamon ready to be unleashed so that it can rock my tongue and punish me for talking in the library, turning in books overdue, or not knowing how the Dewey Decimal System works.

Also, just like with a sexy librarian, I would totally read L. Ron Hubbard’s ten-volume Mission Earth science fiction novel series and scan through dozens of old newspapers on microfiche just so I could be with the Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll Little Bites.

Opening the bag released an aroma that made me wonder who’s baking cinnamon rolls and why aren’t they offering some to me. According to the side of the box, cinnamon makes up less than two percent of the ingredients, but this cereal has a pleasant, almost potent cinnamon flavor that makes it taste like the person who complied the ingredients list has horrible math skills. Two percent? Bitch, please. Tastes more like 22 percent.

Combined with the frosting on the outside, the cereal comes close to tasting like a cinnamon roll, albeit a crunchy cinnamon roll. I have to say that the Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats Cinnamon Roll Little Bites is now one of my favorite ways to get 25 percent of my daily recommended intake of dietary fiber in one sitting.

Kellogg's Cinnamon Roll Frosted Mini Wheats Little Bites Closeup

However, it has a slight flaw that may prevent me from eating too much of it.

A serving provides 90 percent of our daily recommended intake of iron. That’s fine for people who suffer from anemia and menstruating women, but not fine for a virile man, like myself, who likes to put meat into his mouth. I’m no doctor, I just play one when I land on it in the Game of Life, but I’ve read on the internet, and maybe in an old Reader’s Digest in a dentist’s office, that too much iron can be bad for men.

If that’s really the case, a part of me wishes I bled on the monthly basis so that I can enjoy the Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll Little Bites without any fear. Seriously, this cereal is as addictive as the chocolate version of Frosted Mini-Wheats Little Bites, and just like the Chocolate Little Bites, it’s great with or without milk. Although, with milk, it gets soggy quickly, just like all other Frosted Mini-Wheats varieties.

I thought the cereal had a high iron content because cinnamon is a good source of iron, which I also read on the internet or in a Sunday Parade Magazine. But, after scanning the Kellogg’s website, it turns out all Frosted Mini-Wheats varieties provide 90 percent of our daily value of iron, even my beloved Chocolate Little Bites. Sad panda.

Nevertheless, I think Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll Little Bites crushes every other cinnamon flavored cereal I’ve ever had. Apple Cinnamon Cheerios? Pfff. Simply Cinnamon Corn Flakes? Simply no. Cinnamon Burst Cheerios? Yeah, right. Chex Cinnamon? More like cinNOTmon. Cinnamon Toast Crunch? (farting sound)

(Nutrition Facts – 47 biscuits (cereal only) – 190 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 200 milligrams of potassium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, 5 grams of protein, and a bunch of vitamins and minerals.)

Item: Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats Little Bites Cinnamon Roll
Price: $2.99 (on sale)
Size: 15.8 ounces
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Damn tasty. Best cinnamon flavored cereal I’ve had. It’s great dry or wet. Pleasant and strong cinnamon flavor. Great source of dietary fiber. Low fat. Addictive. Being a doctor in the Game of Life.
Cons: High iron content might be bad for some. Gets soggy in milk quickly. Doctor’s offices with old magazines. Getting hit in the face with microfiche.

NEWS: Subway Trying Out a Chipotle Beef Teriyaki & Cheese in Alaska…and Maybe Other Places

Chipotle Beef Teriyaki & Cheese Sign

The other day, Impulsive Buy reader Michelle from Alaska let me know about a new Subway sandwich she saw a commercial for — the Chipotle Beef Teriyaki & Cheese.

The combination of chipotle and teriyaki sounded really weird, so I thought she might be going crazy due to the extreme lack of daylight this time of year in Alaska, but she later emailed me with written and visual proof that this limited time only sandwich exists. So it’s Subway that might be crazy.

Here’s what Michelle thought of the sandwich:

So…just meat, cheese, sauces, and lettuce & tomato on flatbread. I think it looked pretty close to the sign sandwich. Since you get to watch the creative process (S.A. layering meat & cheese onto bread), I can tell you it went like this: bread, meat, teriyaki sauce, shredded cheese (yellow & white, so I’m assuming cheddar-jack), toaster oven, chipotle sauce, and finally, lettuce & tomato. That’s a wrap!

It tasted like what I thought: two very different sauces on a toasted steak & cheese (I’m from Philly and cannot in good conscience call this a true cheese steak). The sandwich is advertised with the phrase “sweet heat” and someone thought teriyaki & chipotle sauces were the answer here. The teriyaki does provide an underlying sweetness, and the chipotle yields the back-end kick, but the basic flavors of soy and cumin just do not make sense to me. You know, where there is soy sauce, cheese is not. Finally, it strikes me as the sandwich you’d create in college, on a dare, or while impaired…the “using every condiment in the fridge” sort of thing. Eh, maybe it was like two young lovers trying to make it work when they clearly come from two different worlds. Is there a “West Side Story” angle?

Subway Chipotle Beef Teriyaki & Cheese

I haven’t seen the Chipotle Beef Teriyaki & Cheese being offered at Subway restaurants here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, so it might only be available in certain regions. However, the sandwich appears to made with ingredients that every Subway has, so it should be easy to reproduce. If you’ve seen it being offered at a Subway in your area, let us know in the comments.

Images provided by Michelle

NEWS: If You Got Your Glutton On This Holiday Season, Jamba’s New Fit ‘n Fruitful Smoothies May Help You

I’m afraid to step on a scale or look at myself naked in the mirror after being a food whore for the past few weeks. During that time there have been holiday dinners, quarts of egg nog, dozens of cookies, pieces of cakes, slices of pies, and people giving me candy as if I’m a bank teller but the only currency I accept are chocolate Santas and Hershey’s Kisses.

After all that I probably need to lose weight and convince my friends and family to give $5 gift cards instead of enough candy to make my kitchen counter look like I’m preparing for Halloween. Well, Jamba Juice recently introduced their new line of Fit ‘n Fruitful Smoothies to help people lose weight.

The Fit ‘n Fruitful Smoothies are being promoted as a meal substitute and come in three flavors: Berry Blend, Strawberry Raspberry Banana, and Peach Mango. Each smoothie has 14 essential vitamins and minerals, are a great source of protein and fiber, contains two or more servings of fruit, and are made with a Weight Burner Boost.

According to the Jamba Juice website, the Weight Burner Boost is made with conjugated linoleic acid, or “CLA,” which is derived from safflower oil. CLA is a naturally occurring fatty acid that…ARRRGGGGHHH! TOO MUCH BORING SCIENCE TALK!

An Original size Berry Blend has 390 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 74 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, 54 grams of sugar, 13 grams of protein. A Peach Mango in an Original size cup has 400 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, 79 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 61 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein. Finally, an Original size Strawberry Raspberry Banana has 390 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 75 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of fiber, 59 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal

McDonald’s Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal

I own this amazing pair of sleek, light-as-a-feather pants that changed my attitude about what pants could be. I knew that I had to buy them when the changing room attendant began to wax poetic about her own pair that was waiting for her at home after a long day at work. These pants had it all: comfort, good taste, and style. I would not be embarrassed to be seen wearing them in public, unlike other “comfortable pants” I happen to own (I’m looking at you faded high school gym sweatpants). The price was a little steep, but I knew I was making a good investment on these heavenly pants.

I recently discovered that the same could be said for McDonald’s new Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal. Since it’s the latest in a long line of fast food establishment oatmeal initiatives, it’s certainly fashionable, and since it is only available in a few markets right now, it’s something you can brag about to friends (if you’re in the habit of bragging about what you ate… which is pretty ridiculous, so please don’t.)

The Apple Cinnamon Walnut oatmeal also costs more than you’d want to pay for instant oatmeal, but you knew what you were getting into when you pulled your car into a McDonald’s drive-through for breakfast, instead of boiling some water and tearing open a packet of Quaker Instant, so shut your mouth.

McDonald's Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal Walnuts

The oatmeal itself is pretty hearty. When you receive it, it’s already filled with generous chunks of apples (different types of apples, I may add) and thickened with light cream. In fact, if it weren’t for the delicious cinnamon flavor of the rolled oats and the accompanying packet of chopped walnuts you have to add in yourself, this oatmeal would be almost the same as the Fruit & Maple version, minus the dried cranberries and raisins. Even the McDonald’s where I bought my Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal got confused and handed me the older variety without so much as a blink! I mean, I understand the two oatmeal varieties look sort of the same, but you’d think there would be safeguards in place! Oh, wait, never mind, this is McDonald’s during the breakfast rush, not NASA. If someone’s headed for a burst O-Ring it would probably be the dudes in the headsets who don’t make eighty grand.

McDonald's Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal Closeup

The Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal is warm, filling and tasty, but the only thing that keeps it from getting a higher rating from me is the presentation. Seriously, it looks very unappetizing. When they first give it to you, the cream hasn’t really seeped into the oats, so it leaves a thin, cloudy layer of liquid at the top. Not cute. You really have to stir it up a bit to give it a more natural-looking (and non-disgusting) appearance. It’s confusing to the senses.

The oatmeal smells wonderful, and the container is hot and inviting, but it looks like baby food … after the baby has eaten it and spit it back up. As we’ve already seen with the Fruit & Maple Oatmeal, it’s not guaranteed that every McDonald’s location will serve its oatmeal in this horrible fashion. Just be prepared to be a little frightened by the oatmeal straight off, give it a good stir and enjoy. Hopefully in some comfortable and stylish pants.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 bowl – 270 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.)

Other McDonald’s Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal reviews:
Brand Eating
Serious Eats

Item: McDonald’s Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal
Price: $2.19
Size: 1 bowl
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Oatmeal initiatives. Generous amount of apple chunks. Delicious cinnamon flavor. NASA. Heavenly pants.
Cons: Can be easily mistaken for the Fruit & Maple version by non-NASA employees. Only available in limited markets. Must mix in the chopped walnuts on your own. Oatmeal’s presentation can be likened to baby vomit.

NEWS: New Savannah Smiles Girl Scout Cookie Celebrates the Organization’s 100th Anniversary, So Make a Girl Scout Smile By Buying A Box From Them

Office Supplies - 41/365

The new Savannah Smiles Girl Scout Cookie might just convince me to buy Girl Scout Cookies instead of having to awkwardly explain to a 10-year-old girl why I’m not buying them, which usually involves me saying too much, like telling the little girl that my rejection will prepare her for her future boyfriend breakups and explaining that I don’t have a checkbook on me because this is the 21st century and the only person who writes checks is my grandma when she sends me money on my birthday.

The newest Girl Scout treat is a lemon-flavored cookie that’s dusted with powdered sugar. The cookie’s shape makes it look like a smile, hence the name, Savannah Smiles. Of course, if you flip the cookie upside down, it turns into a frown, which I guess if you wanted to give it a name, you could call it Fayetteville Frowns.

Savannah Smiles were added to the Girl Scout cookie line up to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, which began in Savannah, Georgia by Juliette Gordon Low.

Booyah! History lesson! You’ll thank me when it comes up in Jeopardy.

A serving of five Savannah Smiles cookies has 140 calories, 45 calories from fat, 5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Source: Foodbeast

Image via flickr user Jamiesrabbits / CC BY 2.0

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