Lundberg Family Farms - Rice Pilaf

I always think I'm in for a Knorr-like experience with other rice and noodle packs, and I am always in for a shock instead. I followed the directions here, and yet this turned out so very firm and (even though it is gluten free) glutenous. Felt like I was eating some novel nordic grains or something instead of white rice. I guess the lesson is to add more water and cook it much longer than 20 min (and on the lowest possible heat). Other than the crunch, I guess the taste was fine. Very mild, herby side-dish-esque product. Not in my food repertoire, yet very unintense.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Lundberg Family Farms Risotto - Alfredo

This was pretty decent, even though risotto has never been a real hit for me. It took a long time to cook fully, I think because I lowered the heat too soon. The taste was good, like a nice alfredo noodle packet (with no soy!), although the texture was very paste/gruel/1800s to me. That's risotto for ya! I'd get this again, it went well with brocco and makes a lot of food.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Grounded Snacks - Vanilla Chai Baked Grain Bites

So, I only ate these because they were about to expire, but honestly they were better than I expected them to be! Initially I wasn't that into them, but the blend of cinnamon, vanilla, and (I guess?) chai is really pleasant and sweet but not TOO sweet. It mainly tastes like cinnamon and vanilla. The texture is light and puffy; these chips are gluten free so they're made of rice and other grains (but not weird chickpea flour or any legumey stuff). It was very easy to eat the entire bag, but I guess there are less healthy snacks out there you could eat instead. These remind me a bit of the cinnamon twists at Taco Bell, in both taste and texture. They also seem fairly nut-free, aka they have a legit online allergy policy.


Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Grounded Snacks - Cinnamon Sugar Red Rice & Quinoa Tortilla Chips

A tortilla chip that isn't made from corn is a pretty cool concept, now that I think about it. The fact that these are all organic/non-GMO whatever and made out of quinoa, I thought maybe they'd be super healthy (not so) or taste really unique (not so). But these are a decent sweet snack. They're just standard tortilla chips without a strong corn flavor, with a nice dusting of cinnamon sugar. Good crunch, nice brown color, and not too savory (I don't like those sweet/savory mixes). I wouldn't ever really seek this out, but it's totally fine and enjoyable enough to snack on (I went through almost all of it watching some late night Grey's Anatomy).


Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10