Wholly Guacamole minis - Classic Guacamole

If you're someone who likes to eat some veg every day, this is a very convenient way to help accomplish that! This is 4 little prepackaged cups, just enough so that you don't end up wasting a ton of guac every time you want guac. Kind of the same principle as the individually packaged chicken breasts. Anyway, the taste of these isn't THAT good - pretty much all fresh guac is better. But the ingredients aren't BAD, it's mainly just avo, vinegar, spice and preservatives, so nothing weird or unhealthy, just that I wish there were tomato and onion and cilantro and less water and vinegar. But for the shelf life of this, I understand. It usually lasts about 1 month past purchasing, which is solid, although be aware that the date on the outer box and the dates on the individual cups are sometimes different (no idea why). The taste is really creamy and a little vinegary for my taste, but otherwise smooth and pleasant. I usually eat this with crackers or chips, though I suppose it could do in a sandwich too. Salad not so much, as it's quite goopy, even though there are occasional nice avo chunks inside. Overall convenient so I like it, though the taste is just so-so.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [4$, which is a lot, but cheaper than 4 avos!]
Taste: 6/10

Fage Total - Apricot (5%)

It might just be in my head, or perhaps because it's 8 million degrees outside, but I think there is an appreciable difference in creaminess/decadence between the 5% milkfat Fages and the lower percentage Fages. It's only 40-50 calories more than the 2%, but it tastes a lot thicker and even sweeter, like cream. So that's pleasant. The apricot goo isn't my favorite; it tastes a lot like apricot, but I don't really love apricots, so that's whatever. It also doesn't have any chunky bits in it; it's more of a jelly than a compote. Therefore the fruit part stretched farther than it usually does, which is kind of nice. A fun change of Fage pace.


Overall
Cost: 7/10 (1$)
Taste: 6/10

Just Crack An Egg - All American Scramble

This is OK, but I'm not wild about the bacon bits, so I like it less than the other flavors. Again, the cooking/"prep" process is super quick and fun, and even though it looked a little wet after cooking, I'm pretty sure that was just the cheese. I like the potato and egg, but the bacon is, well, bacon bits, so it's salty and chewy but not in a fresh and delicious way. The cheese is pretty sharp, which I don't particularly love either. How about American cheese, ham, potatoes, and peppers? Huh? Huh? Maybe a veg too??? n.b. I recently saw a mysterious facebook ad about egg bowls at Dunkin donuts with spinach in them, which would basically be the best thing in the whole world, so I might never get around to trying the other JCAE flavors, but we'll see. Anyway, this is still a quick and protein-rich snackem.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Oscar Mayer Turkey Uncured Franks

Unlike with bread, there aren't a lot of "may contain nuts" warnings in the hot dog section, so I wasn't starved for choice in my wiener shopping. I like to get something both cheap and low-calorie, but also not a weird looking store brand, so I settled on these bad boys. They're perfectly serviceable, even though I will admit the turkey taste is less delicious than a beef or even chicken dog. However, it isn't THAT big a difference, especially with condiments, and it's also much healthier both in terms of calories and carcinogens. They don't shrivel up when you cook them, which is actually disappointing to me, but whatever - 28 seconds in the microwave and you have a filling snack or meal, with protein, for like 1$. Can't argue with that.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [3$]
Taste: 6/10

Pepperidge Farm Top Sliced Hot Dog Buns

These buns are fine. I actually like the top cut these have better than the standard side cut, because then they don't rip in half and they're easier to eat. I only got these because they were literally the only hot dog buns in my grocery store I wasn't allergic to, though. As I looked through the ingredients of bun after bun, on a Sunday night to avoid the crowds, a man said to me "HARD TO DECIDE, HUH?" and I wanted to punch him, but I didn't, I said "ha ha, yeah. :)". Anyway, these fit the bill. There's 8 per pack, which again, makes absolutely no sense considering the 10-hot dog norm, but whatever. They're a good size and taste fine, nothing special or amazing though. They don't break and they don't kill me. I'm a fan.


Overall
Cost: 5/10 (3.50$)
Taste: 6/10

Celeste Pizza For One - Pepperoni

Things sure have changed at Mama Celeste's house! Gone is the silver circle to put your pizza on, and in its place is a new reduced 2 minute cooking time. What happened that could allow this change? The pizza is now missing most of its cheese and most of its integrity. The roni is the same usual BS fake sausage bits from bagel bite type foods that makes me feel bad and prefer cheese or veg, but the cheese is also bad now - it's super not real cheese but there isn't even much of it. The crust is soggy and there's a lot of sauce but it still doesn't taste like anything. Honestly, I used to be sad that my store doesn't carry Deluxe or Supreme or Veg (my top flavors) but after eating this I'm not very sad anymore. How on earth is it 350 calories? It's so empty...

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [1.50$]
Taste: 5/10

Knorr Pasta Sides - Butter & Herb

Apparently my boyf used to have this as a kiddo, just like me! Except this is like, one of the most BORING pasta sides imaginable. Turns out it actually works as a side because eating all of it is a lot. But being Lipton/Knorr pasta side, of course it's still a good thing. Plus this one only needs water and butter, no milk, so it's very convenient. The noodles are those thin alfredo ones, so you have to be careful not to burn/overdo the cooking. On the other side, this can also end up quite soupy, so make sure you let it sit. The taste is indeed like butter and herb, the noodles are really soft, and it probably goes well with chicken and veg. A full meal if you will. On its own, not so impressive.

Overall
Cost: 8/10 (1$)
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Spanish Rice

My boyf gave me this rice because I was really hungry! Lucky me, because Knorr rice sides are the Knorr pasta sides of rice (well, duh). Not as good, but definitely filling (I ate it all, ha ha) and easy to cook. Just 10 minutes, a little water and oil, and you have a huge bowl of not too watery tomatoey rice, with a little bit of peppers but not much. A lot of the rice is that really long grained rice (vermicelli?) which made it look almost like spaghetti from a can, but it was not as gross as all that. Pretty standard, mostly filling, but satisfying enough.



Overall
Cost: 7/10 (Probably around 1-2$)
Taste: 6/10

Herr's Kettle Cooked Boardwalk Salt & Vinegar Chips

I got this to pair with my #overit Rosé wine from Gia Coppola (long story), but they're pretty decent. Definitely better than plain potato chips, in any case. They have a strong vinegar bite - which I like. Also really crunchy. I don't think this is my favorite chip flavor though, I really like BBQ/all-dressed/ketchup more, but I do appreciate the unique vinegar-ness for a while. I think this family size bag was just too big of an investment, it's making me have mouth sores and feel queasy &etcetc, but that's because I ate like half the bag at once (560 sweet calories of pure chip). Anyway ...  this is fine.



Overall
Cost: 6/10 [2.50$]
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Marinara Sauce

I'm always referencing this sauce in other reviews, so it's about time I bought it. I thought this was really good the first time I tried it, but honestly it wasn't as good as I remembered. However, it is still a solid sauce. There's not many chunks, it's basically a sweet tomato puree, but not in a gross way, just in a cafeteria pasta sauce way (but I like that). I dunno if there's a better sauce out there in the grocery store -- I truly hope that there is, but honestly I don't think I've found it yet. Most store bought pasta sauce is kinda gross. Anyway, this is solid, especially with just plain spagbol. Plus it was on sale!




Overall
Cost: 7/10 [2$]
Taste: 7/10

Tickle Water - Watermelon

This is purportedly for kids, but I drank it anyway! Ha! It's another fizzy flavored water in the vein of La Croix, but in a cuter smaller container. I think people have been sleeping on the watermelon flavor though, because this is nice! The initial flavor is like a pink pop ice melted into my water, which is pleasant and sweet even though there's no sugar. Unfortunately there's also a weird chemical aftertaste, which I am not sure is always present or just because my house is so hot that the container melted a bit. Either way, that's not great. But the flavor is fun, the can is fun, and 0 cals is always fun too. The writing on the label of mine also wore off a bit, which doesn't inspire confidence. So a bit of a mixed bag.



Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Just Crack an Egg - Ultimate Scramble

I remember when I first saw an ad for these a few months ago, I was intrigued and watched a few video reviews, but I didn't end up buying one because (a) microwave eggs are gross and (b) I could make the same thing myself way cheaper if I wanted to, or just go to Dunkin! But eventually they lured me in to buying one, it's like easy mac for eggs, how fun! Plus, the worst part of all premade/frozen breakfast stuff is always the egg, which is gross and watery and chewy. So even in the microwave, surely a real fresh egg would taste better. And it did! I followed the directions exactly, and the egg firmed up, much to my surprise. It seemed like one egg made a decent amount of egg, which was cool. The cheese/potatoes/peppers/sausage was all good-ish, kind of like you'd expect them to taste (but no worse)! I like the potatoes best and I wish there were more potato, less onion/pepper. Maybe more cheese, less sausage, too, but that's just personal preference. Anyway those are minor ratio quibbles, but this was really quick and easy and fairly fun to make too. It's a lot of packaging, so probably not great for earth, but for a quick breakfast at home (or on the go!) I enjoyed it and I'll probably quick out the other flavors eventually.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (Like 2-3$, plus you need eggs)
Taste: 7/10

Thin Wheat Crackers - Reduced Fat

This name is hilarious. I mean, Thin Wheat? They're wheat thins and they want the world to know it. And look, they aren't quite as good as wheat thins - they're a little thinner and a little softer, and a little less "wheaty", but overall they're very similar. If you told me these were wheat thins at a party I wouldn't be like "wait, no they aren't!". So the fact that they're a dollar cheaper and also have a hilarious knockoff name makes them a smart buy in my book. Good work, Signature Kitchens (presumably Acme store brand).

Overall
Cost: 7/10 (About 2$)
Taste: 6/10

Goetze's Chocolate Caramel Creams

I have only had these before in their original formulation, which I like quite a lot! However, I'm not a big fan of chocolate flavored things, so these are an unfortunate downgrade. I think they're still pretty good though. Not much else to report. The inside is exactly the same as the other flavors, although apparently there is a chocolate creme version (available at Dollar General only, which is pretty offputting in itself) too. The outside does taste like chocolate, but the texture is too weird for me - starchy thick caramel, but chocolate? No thanks! Except I'll definitely still eat them :(

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Q says: I don't feel like chocolate right now.

Cracker Barrel Aged Reserve - Sharp White Cheddar Cheese

I bought this cheese to catch mice. On the plus side, there is extra cheese for me, and cheese is good. On the minus side, it isn't that good as far as cheese goes. For one thing I don't really like cheddar, especially white cheddar, and this is exactly why. It isn't bite-y (sharp?), sweet, creamy, milky, gooey, anything I really want out of cheese. Tastes almost putrid. On its own I actively disliked it, but in little bits on some wheat thins, it was decent. Maybe would be good melted, we'll see. I hope the mice like it more than I do.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [2.50]
Taste: 6/10

Fage Greek Yogurt - Blueberry (2%)

So look. I assume all the 2% Fage yogurt bases are the same, but I guess I was in a bit more of a yogurt mood today, as I found this quite refreshing, even ignoring the tasty blueberry bit. It tasted like Dannon yogurt, which is watery and sweeter than your Fage (which is why I don't get it, but it also goes down easier, you know?). Anyway, nice refreshing yogurt base. The blueberry goo is not quite as true-to-the-fruit as the pear is, but it's a good blueberry flavor, basically like a nice wildberry jam or jelly. It's a purple color more than blue, and has a couple fruit-like chunks (mostly seeds), which is always good to see. This is a very canonical yogurt experience, so if you like that, I recommend this flavor!

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 7/10

Annie's Snack Mix - Original

This was on super sale at my grocery store (1.44$!) so I got it. Then tonight I saw that mice(?) got into my food storage, eating over 100$ of food [RIP reviews for meat sticks, chips, cereal, coffee, water, cookies, and more]. But this box appeared unscathed. Eventually my hunger outweighed my ratphobia, so I gave it a try. This basically tastes like Chex Mix as far as the seasoning goes. The pretzels and two kinds of bunny all taste exactly the same. The buttery sticks are a little bit, well, buttery, in isolation, but not that different either. Apparently, what I've garnered from online reviews is that there was a previous version of this mix which didn't say "original" on it, that didn't have the garlic-rye-salty seasoning but was just plain. People seemed to like it much more, although that sounds a little boring to me. Anyway, since this was on sale, maybe they're returning to the original pre-original! Stay tuned. I probably won't get this unless it's on sale, although I do like annie's shapes and organicness and general nut free-ness.

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 7/10
Mice found in box: 0

Fage Greek Yogurt - Pear 2%

Fage fage fage. I know yogurt is a smart snack, it's filling and has protein and calcium and is cheap and has probiotics. I don't hate it, but sometimes, it can be a little bit of a chore. Like today, I guess I wasn't hungry enough, so this yogurt was a bit of a struggle to finish. The base yogurt is the same as ever, very thick and creamy, but not especially delicious (to me) - it's just there. I like the pear goo a lot, it's mildly sweet and tastes basically just like a pear tastes. I always wish for more goo, but I know it's a good amount and I should stop whining. To you, blog readers. Anyway, it's nice and crisp and pleasant, and only 120 calories yet super filling. Can't complain.

Overall
Cost: 7/10 (1$)
Taste: 6/10

P.F. Chang's Home Menu - Dan Dan Noodles

Since I'd already had real PF Chang's, I thought I might as well give this new product at my grocery store a try. I'm always looking for a nice asian noodle, but this didn't quite fit the bill. As always, it was too liquidy, and really this didn't taste anything like anything I'd had before. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn't what I hoped for. It was a decent portion, but not super big, considering the 500+ calorie count! The noodles were good, and the sauce was salty and a bit spicy (despite the 1 pepper spice indicator on the front). There were lots of little sausage-looking pork curds, which were also salty but otherwise fine. Also some mushrooms and onion or chive bits. It was OK, but I don't think I'll get it again, I don't look back in adoration on it.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 (About 5$ at my store, though it IS new)
Taste: 6/10

Poland Spring Sparkling Water - Raspberry Lime

I got a coupon for this that I totally forgot I'd signed up for months before. How exciting! A free 8-pack of calorie-innocent (to steal a phrase from La Croix) beverage! I picked raspberry lime because those are two solid flavors and it sounded more fun than just lemon-lime. I think it was a good pick! Honestly the flavor almost seems like it would be sweet, like a Fanta or something, but of course it's not sweet at all. I guess that means it's good. This stuff is also super fizzy - way more than La Croix is. At first I thought it was too much fizz, but it's super refreshing and fun to drink. More exciting than water yet presumably as healthy. Nice.


Overall
Cost: 5/10 (About 3.50 - which is OK but like, water is free)
Taste: 7/10

Lee Kum Kee Plum Sauce

I tagged this as Chinese, but to be totally honest, I'm not totally sure what kind of cuisine this sauce is associated with. Unlike their tasty beef teriyaki sauce, this didn't taste like any dish I'd had in my youth. So, I wasn't sure what to expect with this or even really what to do with it, since I don't eat egg rolls and I never used the packets of duck sauce (which I imagine is similar?) I got as a kid with chinese food.
I decided to just put it on some grilled chicken (is grilled even the word? pan-cooked chicken), over rice. So, one breast of chicken, a little less than half the jar of sauce, one econo portion of rice. When cooked, it was quite sweet, a little vinegary, and not especially spicy. I didn't love it or hate it. I was very glad that I cooked it though - I think spending 3-4 minutes cooking the sauce onto the chicken makes the flavor much better, sweeter, more chinese-y, something. Just plain out of the jar the flavor was pretty strong, in a not great way. I might try repeating this but adding a bit of soy sauce to it? I'm not sure, it's already salty, but I didn't LOVE what I did with this so i don't know if I want to just repeat it, though I might. I also considered adding this to veg but I don't think that'd be good, but with chicken or I guess duck this seems like a fair accompaniment.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

O Organics White Rice Bowl

Rice in a bowl, how convenient! This is basically like those Uncle Ben's pre-cooked rice packets, except cheaper and worse. Even so,  obviously this is a dumb choice economically, considering the price of uncooked rice, but I needed rice quickly and was at the store. This is also a perfect 1 person serving, about .75 cups I would guess. It was only 1-2 bucks and cooked in 90 seconds, so you really can't beat the convenience.

The taste was unfortunately that of minute rice, a weird flavor I can't explain but that I do not enjoy. Texture was a little firm, but with a good amount of moisture and overall decent as a side. I don't regret getting it, in other words, although I hope to plan ahead and make actual rice in the future.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 5/10

Dunkin' Donuts Cold Brew Coffee Packs

I certainly always welcome coffee, especially Dunkin coffee, especially if I can brew it at home. These are little tea-bag like sachets of coffee, and you put two of them in a pitcher of water overnight to create some nice cold brew, good for up to a week. The creation process is certainly simple/easy/smells good. The product is OK - to be honest, my tap water tastes a bit funky, so I probably should have used bottled water for a fair review. In any case, this stuff is still good, and it does taste like Dunkin cold brew - just a wee bit less sweet/creamy/caramelly and a wee bit more bitter and watery. Could likely do with some creamer or even sugar, but I didn't want to blow money on a thing like that. Anyway, this is nice, especially if you have more than one coffee drinker per home, but I'll probably stick to the Dunkin' that I'm used to (the one on Main Street).

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (I got a free sample though)
Taste: 6/10

Friendly's Original Caramel Sundae Cup

Mmmm, caramel. Caramel is better than fudge. I just wish there were more of it here, or something else going on besides just plain ice cream (perhaps I have been eating too much ice cream lately). But it's very tasty, if you are able to control your caramel distribution. Super sweet and creamy and nice. All the rest is standard and fine!



Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 8/10

Maruchan Yakisoba - Teriyaki Beef

This is my go-to ramen dish, because I'm not allergic to it, it's cheap, easy to find, easy to cook, and there's a salty craving you get sometimes for a ramen just like this. I will say that the eating experience is most enjoyable in the middle, but by the time I get to the end of eating this, I start to feel a little gross. I recommend that you don't drink up the very end soggy bits, it's not worth it. I think this is best if you prepare it with maybe 3/4 of the seasoning packet only. The little veggie bits they give you are nice and add a little texture. Overall this tastes like cup noodles should - that salty/umami flavor. OK once in a while, good to have in the cupboard.


Overall
Cost: 9/10 (1$)
Taste: 6/10

Friendly's Cherry Chocolate Chunk Sundae Cup

Is this my favorite of the Friendly's Ice Cream Cups? So far, I think so! Apart from my slight allergy fears because this is a new food (classic), this was delicious, just like the hot fudge one but with the addition of cherry pieces! The ice cream part was like the Healthy Choice Cherry Chocolate Chunk ice cream (i.e. yum), with a strong flavor and nice big cherry pieces, plus you get the standard fudge and whipped topping as a bonus. This isn't listed as a current flavor on their website though, so I fear they might not make it anymore! Sadface.

Overall

Cost: 8/10 (1$)

Taste: 9/10

Seagram's Ginger Ale

My thoughts: so, this is a thing that I am drinking. I don't love soda, but I do like ginger and ginger beer a lot. It doesn't help here. I usually order ginger ale on airplanes, and I like it there, but somehow without the excitation transfer of flying, ginger ale is massively boring. There isn't even any caffeine! It's not like I'm gonna throw up just sitting around my house (usually), so what's the point of drinking this? A sugar rush? I guess so. The taste is OK, it's basically like Sprite - a sweet, somewhat fizzy drink. Is it named after a British horse or something? I didn't care enough to look it up. Sorry, fans of Seagrams.


Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 5/10

Barilla Mushroom Sauce

This was alright, but not as good as their plain marinara varietal. Especially on reheat, it was kind of bitter and left a bad taste in my mouth (maybe this is because I added parm cheese though). There aren't very many chunks or especially strong flavors, just a standard vaguely mushroom flavored sauce. It's OK, but not amazing. Almost better out of the jar on its own than with pasta or veg. Maybe could work for a lasagna or with mozz/pizza.





Overall
Cost: 6/10 (On sale for 2.29 - maybe it was expired!!!)
Taste: 6/10