InnovAsian Chicken & Broccoli

Wow! As you may know, the quest for nut-free Chinese food is among my most difficult and desired. So whenever I go to a new grocery store, I check to see if there is anything which might fulfill this craving. Enter Wal-Mart, and enter this delicious meal which is also so easy to prepare. You microwave the chicken and broccoli and pour some sauce over it. I thought "this is probably going to be gross" and then when I smelled the sauce, which was gingery and sweet, I thought "oh no...". But I was wrong! I was very wrong! This is filling and delicious and actually tastes pretty similar to (not great) takeout Chinese!! It IS a little bit sweet and spicy, kind of like General Tso's, and the chicken is breaded, but it's really good tasting chicken and the sauce is really nice. The broccoli is fine; nothing to rave about, but the chicken is really good. I only used about half of the sauce and this seemed to be the right amount. Glory hallelujah!

Overall
Cost: 4/10 (I don't remember but I think it was about 7$ -- not so great for 1 nice meal)
Taste: 9/10 !

Listerine Pocketpaks - Cool Mint

I got to sample a pa(c)k of these thanks to CrowdTap, which is great because I always wanted to try them out. Obviously, there are no nuts or nut products in such a product. What IS there is a thin strip of germ-killing mintiness. At least in this flavor, the mint flavor is really really strong, but not unpleasantly so. I think that it is a peppermint flavor here. I'm interested in the other flavors for curiousity's sake, but this is probably my favorite, since it feels refreshing and not like a sweet treat, which is presumably bad for the teeth.

Anyway, the package is tiny tiny (maybe 2x1 inches) and that's awesomely convenient. The little strips pack plenty of refreshment, so it's the perfect size in my opinion. It also seems fairly long lasting - I ate ("ate"?) one about an hour ago, and I still feel a little vestige of freshness. Overall I think these are a great idea and adorable and functional, and they might replace my car mints if I can find them in-store! :o

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Johnsonville Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage (Original Recipe)

So, I got to sample these brekkie sausages free from CrowdTap, which is pretty great because I'm poor. But I was a little anxious because a lot (a lot!) of precooked sausages make me feel itchy and have swollen lips, I guess because I'm allergic to some sort of soy they put in there. However, I had absolutely no bad reaction to these! No lie! They taste really similar to other sausage, but I wasn't itchy at all. Just for that fact alone I was really happy.

Other good facts: These are precooked and only take 30 seconds (or 50 if you eat 6 at once, as I did) to cook in the microwave, and they come out perfectly heated, which is pretty amazing. So convenient. The taste is good, pretty much all you could want out of a breakfast sausage. And the package is resealable! I am being honest when I say I don't know how you could improve on this product. Nice work, Johnsonville! :D

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 8/10

BIC Soleil Glow Razors

OK, I know, this isn't a food, but I just got a free pack of these razors from BIC & BzzAgent in exchange for an honest review. And you know I love to give an honest review! :) And it is worth noting that even though these razors come with a gel strip for smooth shaving, there's no nut oils or butters in it. Safety first!

Alright, so at the age of 26 I'm pretty set in my shaving ways. Same razor, same shaving cream - why mess with perfection? But given the opportunity to try out a new razor (BIC Soleil Glow, keep up!) I realised there was room for improvement in my current razor situation. The main benefit, as ridiculous as it might sound, is that the caps on these razors slide on from the side, and they aren't super easy to take off. Therefore the cap always stays on! No more "Where's the cap? Oh well, I'll just let it rust" or "Where's the cap? Oh, I stepped on it and cut my foot, ha ha" situations. Really good stuff. Otherwise, these look like your typical lady razor: pretty colors (pink, blue, purple), curvy handle, 3 blades, easy to hold. I applied my typical shaving gel (Gillette, if you're curious) and shaved it up. The razor feels really, really smooth. Disconcertingly so, almost, like I wasn't getting the hair at all. It was effective though, and I got into the smooth feeling after a while. Kind of like rubbing a dinner plate over my body but somehow there were secret blades in there. So that was cool.

The razor lasts a while, or at least as long as any other disposable razor. However, I did get more razor burn than usual after I used this, so maybe that's the tradeoff - smooth, close shave, bound to come with a little irritation. If you get a good deal on these, I recommend trying them out, although I'll need a few more weeks to decide if I want to make the switch permentantly myself. I'll keep ya posted!

Overall
Cost: 10/10 (thanks, BIC) but in general, 6/10
Shave: 8/10

Australian Gold Lotion Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30

I know, this isn't a food, but it IS peanut-free! I got a sample of this sunscreen free from @Influenster, and boy, did it come just in time for the wild rays of summer. I didn't expect this, but it smells a little bit like a fruit overlay on regular sunscreen. It's a good smell, very summery. Plus the koala logo is freakin' adorbs.

Anyway, how does it actually work? It works well! It says it's basically waterproof, which seems to be true. I only reapplied once in an 8-hour day and I didn't get sunburnt at all, which is nothing short of a miracle. This is a great product and it's definitely gonna get used up in no time.


Overall
Cost: 7/10
Smell: 8/10

Bahlsen Choco Leibniz Cookies (Milk)

Cookies? Biscuits? Who knows. These are German, or British, or something not American, but they are in my local Pathmark grocery store, so I decided to try them out. They do make almond and hazelnut products, but these specific cookies don't have an allergy warning for any nuts. Lucky for me, they are also pretty delicious. The base is a nice buttery wafer, and it is covered with good milk chocolate. Not the type which covers your Nestle + Nabisco cookies, and not even the Pepperidge Farm Milano chocolate. This is better, creamier. It's also a substantially thick layer. So, all in all, this tastes like a high-quality snack, and it's really good. A rare gem for nut allergy people! Check it out! :9

Overall
Cost: 7/10 (On sale for 2.50)
Taste: 9/10

Ben & Jerry's Milk and Cookies Ice Cream

I thought I reviewed this already, but I didn't! Anyway, this sounds amazing, but it isn't amazing, it's just OK. It tastes a lot like cookies and cream ice cream, which was never my favorite. However, if you like that, then you will like this. The cookies are mainly oreo-type cookies, and there is very little dough. I love that dough! What I need is like, DOUBLE-BLASTED COOKIE DOUGH or something. But I digress. This is cookies and cream with a few more fudge cookie stripes, which is nice, and a few cookie dough stripes, which I love, but it mostly tastes like cookies and cream. Drunken aside: does B+Js even make a mint choc chip flavor? That's my favorite, but I feel like they don't! Hmm.

Anyway,

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Ben & Jerry's Spectacular Speculoos Cookie Core Ice Cream

I always get excited about new Ben and Jerry's flavors, and they finally showed up in my store today! I chose this one because I like caramel ice cream. The thing about B+J's is, the mix-ins really make or break the flavor. And I guess I didn't know what "Speculoos" was, so I made a small mistake here. Apparently it's a cinnamon graham crackery flavor of cookie. So, this has tasty vanilla and somehow less tasty caramel ice creams with these balls of cinnamon cookie and then a mass of milder cookie butter in the middle. If only it were like sugar cookie dough instead, it would be so good! But I didn't really love this flavor, because the cinnamon flavor just tasted like a subpar snack. And, to make matters worse, even though there was no allergy statement, the fact that they make a peanut butter version and the fact that the cookie butter LOOKS like peanut butter (to an allergy-haver's eye, anyway), I just felt too itchy to enjoy it. So, I have higher hopes for the chocolate cookie flavor! That said, if you LIKE speculoos(?) then I bet you'd like this - it has a lot of "bits" and a good mix of soft and crunchy and chewy. Good texture times.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 (like 5.50, not on sale ;P)
Taste: 6/10

Dean's Sweets - Truffles, Buttercreams, and Bars (Assorted)

So, I heard about this nut-free choco operation (running out of Portland, ME) after my disappointing experience with those tofu-filled chocos. I picked a variety of flavors, and got a variety of tastes! Overall it seems like a good quality place (though pricey, of course).

Milk Chocolate Truffle: Great. Basically what you'd want, what you'd expect. Milky, firm outside, and smooth creamy inside. 8/10.

Blueberry Truffle: Sounded interesting, but this wasn't for me. Dark choco exterior, with a very ... tangy? bitter? blueberry inside. Reminds me of the blueberry Seth Ellis truffle, which is good quality but also wasn't for me. I think these bitter fruit flavor truffles are just not my bag, but it seemed to be along the lines of a standard blueberry truffle, so if you like them then you'd like this. For me, 4/10.

Salted Caramel: I think it's my favorite, possibly just because I really like caramel. It's quite good. A lot of salt flavor, and a thick caramel which is very sweet. Dense stuff! 8/10

Brandy Truffle: This one was just average. It wasn't too bitter like the blueberry, but it wasn't amazingly smooth either. If you really like brandy, maybe it is a good choice. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't get it again since there are much better flavors. Actually, the more I eat them, the more I like it, so I might need to rethink this. It's pretty good. 7/10

Champagne Truffle: I think I like this flavor extra much because the inside ganache is based on white choco, not dark choco. The outside is a nice dark choco, the inside is a sweet, mild white choco. It's not really fizzy or particularly champagney - maybe more like an Irish Creme? - but I'm a fan! 8/10

Coffee Truffle: Though I adore coffee and truffle, this wasn't my favorite. The inside is very strong, but not necessarily in a coffee tasting way. A lot of dark chocolate kind of flavor. 5/10

Dark & Stormy Truffle: Wow! Unlike Champagne/Coffee, this really did taste like its namesake drink.   A strong gingery flavor and I guess a bit of rum too. A fun experience, mid tier for me. 7/10

Maple Truffle: This is dark chocolate with....what looks like peanut butter inside?! Egads! I know it isn't, but it has that color, which is creepy. Unlike the other buttercreams, it doesn't really have a white chocolate taste; just what I'd call "creamy maple". I really love the texture of it, but I don't know if maple is a flavor I like very much in general. 6/10

Vanilla Buttercream – Milk : Dude, this was so good! Milk chocolate with little white sprinkles on top, with an eggy/marshmallowy textured "buttercream" inside which was just generic fluffy sweet mash. I only figured it was a vanilla one by process of elimination! But I love it! 8/10

Nog Truffle – Dark : "Nog" because there's no egg, apparently! This is a limited edition, but I'm OK with that. The inside was white...choco? Don't know, but it basically just tasted like alcohol -- too strong alcohol! It seems good but alcohol actually doesn't taste that good, you know? Like pure tequila. Interesting, but not for me I think. 6/10

Nog Truffle – White : Similar to the dark choco version, I love white choco but the inside is just too strong alc for me! I got a mild cinnamon flavor on this one, too, but still not my favorite. 7/10

Raspberry Truffle – Dark: As promised, this is "simple, smooth, and delicious"! Great raspberry and dark chocolate flavors. I think I even got some raspberry seeds in there (?!). Tastes very good. 7/10

Espresso Buttercream – Dark : OK, buttercreams are lit. This is super duper coffee-y, I shouldn't have eaten the little espresso bean topper on its own because it was a lot of coffee, lol. Great flavor though, the inside is fluffy but the flavor notes are really just coffee and dark choco. 7/10

Double Dark Truffle: I don't know if I really WANT unadulterated dark choco. Just very dark flavor. Definitely smooth inside for sure, but a bit much for this girl. 6/10.

Coconut Truffle: This was a fun one! It has real coconut in it, covered in dark choco, so it's kind of like a Mounds Bar (which I sadly can't eat due to allergy labels). Yum. 8/10

Orange Truffle: I was a little scared I mixed this one up with the chai (which I avoid due to anise), because it tasted a lot like chai. I guess I was expecting "orange" to be a little sweeter somehow, especially with dark choco outsides. Maybe too liquour-y for my preference, if that makes sense. OK but not my #1. 6/10

Stout Truffle: I love beeer! But, I didn't really taste any beer here, sadly. Just tasted like Dark Choco to me. 6/10

London Fog Truffle – Dark: Was not sure how I'd feel about a tea flavored truffle, but you know, I think I like it! I definitely get the Earl Grey (which is black tea, my top tea) flavor, but the strong dark choco helps to balance that out. The inside has a layer of white (butter)cream on top, which is super stylin' and I guess is like the milk for your tea -- just adds a little sweetness but overall I basically get strong tea+choco flavors. Very unique and definitely better than I thought, so if you love tea you'd probably love it. 7/10

London Fog Truffle – White: This one had the white part on the bottom, not the top! Wild. The tea part was still very Tea, a little grittier (is there real leaf in it?). I love white choco, and it's great here too, but it allows the tea to shine through more, which I think I disprefer. Still good. 6/10 

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Truffle: aka Cinnamon Brown Sugar (on the website) -- I'm assuming the order doesn't matter, especially since I mainly got cinnamon flavor myself. These are dark-choco coated, and the inside ganache is also fairly dark. And it smells (and, kinda tastes) like a cinnamon raisin bagel, which is wild. I guess the cinnamon is more prominent than the brown sugar, but it also has this bready flavor, for real. I like it, it's fun, but I don't love it. (Would rather have a Bagel and then a plain choco, separately!) 6/10

Peppermint Truffle: This tasted basically like a York Peppermint Patty - strong mint and dark choco, refreshing. It took me a while to get into it (I think the tea flavors infused it a little bit nearby lol) but it was tasty once I did! 7/10

Vanilla Buttercream – Dark: Just like the milk choco, this was really good! Creamy, sweet, nice, like a special choco treat. 8/10 

Maine Moonshine Truffle: This is dark choco coated, and the inside, while creamy, basically tasted like generic alcohol filling. Not a super standout for me, 6/10.

Tequila Lime Truffle: Now this is a boozy truffle I can get behind. Also dark choco coated, and the inside was a nice really bright lime flavor, and also super creamy filling especially for a dark choco. I enjoyed it more than the Dark and Stormy even, really nice. 8/10.

Single-Malt Scotch Truffle: Oh no, this is literally the worst tasting truffle I've ever had. At least I am not allergic to it, but that's really all I have to say in its favor. The outside is normal dark choco, but the inside tastes like Very Strong Burnt Rubber. What on earth? To be fair, I don't love scotch, but this seemed much worse than even a shot of scotch would be. I literally could not finish it and had to spit it out. If you don't love scotch, stay far far away! 2/10

Chai Truffle: Holy heck, I ate this fully by accident because it had a coconut piece on top so I thought it was the coconut one, all the while thinking "this sure tastes like chai". But I didn't die, and was like "wow! why not?" until I googled and found that star anise (which is in this truffle) is NOT the same, or even close to, anise (which I am allergic to). So it was a lot of excitement for nothing. Anyway, this was OK, and it didn't kill me, so I like that. Spicy and tasted like the Aztec hocho. 6/10?

Raspberry Buttercream: As is typical of buttercreams, I liked this. I think it was actually dark choco although the description said milk choco, but that's OK because the inside is sweet and creamy enough to make up for it. Plus the cream was a bright pink, which is fun! 7/10
~

Chocolate Bars and Squares (not truffles):

Brandied Orange Bar: The choco bars were all good (though small!!). This one tastes just like a chocolate orange.

Mocha Latte Bar: Very coffee-y! Pretty, too.

Maine Chip Bar: Could have used more chips, actually, but this was sweet and smooth and salty; probably my favorite bar so far.

Lemon Ginger in White Chocolate: I thought this was really amazing! It had bits of lemon fruit mixed in to lovely white choco, with ginger powder on top. Good strong flavors and I love white choco. 8/10

Blueberries and Cranberries in White Chocolate: This was also good, but mostly just tasted like white chocolate to me; no strong berry flavor came through. Still good though. 8/10

English Breakfast with Puffed Rice in Milk Chocolate: OK, this was also really good. It made me nervous 'cause it looks like there could be allergens inside, but it mostly tasted like creamy milk chocolate with rice crisps in it. No strong tea flavor. But really good! 8/10

Overall
Cost: 3/10 (the shipping is the kicker)
Taste: 7/10