Review: Chobani flip Coffee Break Bliss Greek Yogurt

Sometimes when you buy too much of a particular manufacturer's products, you end up with situations like the one I had today where I'm writing a review of a Chobani product on the day that a previous Chobani review gets posted to the blog.  That's happened countless times, but it never ceases to amuse me for some reason.  Digression aside, today's review allows me to hit up this 5.3 ounce cup of Chobani flip Coffee Break Bliss Greek Yogurt that I was able to pick up at Kroger for $1.29.  With in the split section cup are 190 calories and twelve grams of protein.  It's also kosher and vegetarian, if you are interested.

Review: Promax Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar

There's a movie that came out a while back called "This Is The End" starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, among others.  Well, when I grabbed this bar out of the refrigerator, I thought of that movie because this review truly is the end (FINALLY) of the free samples that Promax sent to me quite a while ago.  It's taken me forever to work my way through these, but with today's review, I end up with a look at this Promax Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar.  The bar itself clocks in at 2.64 ounces and has 290 calories with twenty grams of protein.  It is also gluten free for those of you that have that dietary need.

Review: Dannon Light & Fit Greek Crunch Caramel Fudge Pretzel Greek Yogurt

I've already opined on the seeming lack of creativity from major manufacturers before in rolling out new products, so I'll spare you (and myself) from regurgitating that take again.  Instead, I'll just dive into another Dannon review of one of their new products as I take a look at a spin on their normal Light & Fit line of Greek yogurts with this single serving cup of Dannon Light & Fit Greek Crunch Caramel Fudge Pretzel Greek Yogurt that I was able to pick up at Kroger for $1.29.  The cups, with mix-ins, packs in 5.0 ounces of yogurt/pretzel mix and that mix racks up 130 calories and eleven grams of protein.  The yogurt is fat free, but mixing in the fudge covered pretzels adds just a tiny bit of fat to the entire package.

Review: Quaker Quinoa Chocolate Nut Medley Granola Bars

I don't know what it is about these Quaker Quinoa bars and Marsh.  In the last review, I also found that flavor on clearance and once again in a visit to the clearance section, I found this box of Quaker Quinoa Chocolate Nut Medley Granola Bars on clearance as well.  Not sure if Marsh can't sell them or they just can't sell in general, but it seems odd to me.  Either way, a box of these contains five bars and each bar is 1.23 ounces with 150 calories and two grams of protein.

Review: Kellogg's Special K Red Velvet Pastry Crisps

I'll admit that I have a love/hate relationship with products that are red velvet flavored and it's because of no real reason other than my stupidity.  For the longest time, I though red velvet was its own thing.  Not until later in life, while watching a Bobby Flay show on the Food Network, did I learn that red velvet is basically just chocolate dyed red.  Somehow, I felt cheated by that.  Yep, I'm a moron.  Anyway, Kellogg's Special K has decided to add to their review history on this blog with another variation flavor of their Pasty Crisps line with this box of Kellogg's Special K Red Velvet Pastry Crisps that I was able to pick up on a very nice sale at Kroger for $1.99.  Each box contains five packages of two crisps and each bar clocks in at 0.88 ounces with 100 calories and one gram of protein.

Review: Gatorade G-Series Recover Mint Chocolate Crunch Whey Protein Bar

It's been over a year since I've hit up a Gatorade bar review and quite frankly, the thought of reviewing another one of their bars didn't particularly excite me.  Still, I recently saw a flavor in the store that I hadn't seen before (how many posts have started that way?), so I decided to grab this Gatorade G-Series Recover Mint Chocolate Crunch Whey Protein Bar off the shelf of my local Meijer for about $2.00 (can't remember the exact price) and give it a shot.  Each bar is a robust 2.8 ounces and packs in 350 calories and twenty grams of protein.  If you are an athlete and we want to discuss this in athletics analysis terms, this bar is for you...ON PAPER.

Review: LUNA Chocolate Cupcake Bar

LUNA products were something that I reviewed frequently in the early days of the blog as they were easy to get my hands on at the stores.  I reviewed them so frequently that I eventually ran out of flavors to look at unless they released a new flavor out into the stores that I had never seen.  Eventually I stopped looking at the LUNA section because it was the same sold stuff each time.  Anyway, on a recent trip to Kroger, I just happened to look at the LUNA section of the shelves and saw a newly released flavor and that leads to today's review of this LUNA Chocolate Cupcake Bar.  It's the first time in well over a year that I've looked at one of their bars and this gluten free bar cost me $1.00 and it weighs in at 1.69 ounces with 180 calories and nine grams of protein.

Review: thinkThin Dark Chocolate Peppermint Protein & Fiber Bar

The holidays bring lots of peppermint into our lives and as I mentioned in a prior holiday-themed peppermint review from earlier this week, nutrition bars also join that fray.  Today's review is thinkThin adding another product to their review catalog with this thinkThin Dark Chocolate Peppermint Protein & Fiber Bar being a spin on the holiday peppermint craze.  This very thin bar clocks in at 1.41 ounces and has 150 calories and ten grams of protein packed in.  It's also a gluten free product as well, so there is that, I suppose.

Review: Zone Perfect Perfectly Simple Peppermint Bark Bar

I find it exponentially amusing that even nutrition bar manufacturers get into the seasonal spirit and release limited edition products that are based on the season.  Zone Perfect has already done it once with a pumpkin-flavored bar that I reviewed previously, but now they are going with a peppermint-flavored bar that is focused on the...well, let's just say December traditions (call that my Starbucks red cup play).  Anyway, I picked up this seasonally influenced and limited edition Zone Perfect Perfectly Simple Peppermint Bark Bar at Kroger for $1.00.  It checks in at 1.41 ounces and has a modest 180 calories with ten grams of protein.  It's also gluten free.

Incredible Things Crafted From Chocolate

Chocolatiers all over the world turn chocolate into an art form. For them, it's simply not enough to create a bar of the sweet delight, or a set of truffles. Though they do that very well too, of course, they instead revel in the making of masterpieces. Impressive 3D creations are becoming increasingly easy to come across, from chocolate replicas of famous landmarks such as Stone Henge, to record-breaking sculptures and even entire rooms made of the stuff.

Let's take a look at some of our top picks...

Suite Life
As part of his collaboration with ice-cream makers Magnum, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld created a chocolate suite complete with a man lying on the bed, who was modelled on his muse and regular catwalk-walker, Baptiste Giabiconi. It was chocolatier Patrick Roger who made it happen, by using a whopping 11 tons of Belgian chocolate. Doesn't it all look fantastic? We're pretty fond of the bed's headboard, which simply looks like a huge bar of chocolate. Delicious.

Kick Back and Relax
In 2009, Mars' Galaxy started a reading initiative called 'Irresistible Reads'. And what better way is there to celebrate than with a chocolate sofa? With actress Emilia Fox sitting on it accompanied by a good book, the 'studded' quilted panel looks sumptuous, while the silky smooth dark chocolate cushion ticks all the boxes. Combined with the slogan 'Melt into a good book', it's no wonder the campaign was a rip-roaring success.

Game of Roulette
More recently, Ladbrokes Casino has created a chocolate roulette wheel in partnership with Suffolk chocolatiers Artistry in Cocoa. Made up from over 18,000 large chocolate buttons, the creation is a real work of art. There are 438 individual pieces, which have all been crafted with moulds that took an abundance of calculation. The plywood moulds for the outer and inner rings were designed mathematically in sections, before being filled with plaster of Paris to make two masters which were then used as the patterns to vacuum form plastic moulds for the chocolate. Confused? We are too. But it looks seriously fantastic!

Catwalk Couture
If you're looking for a strapless dress made from chocolate, then take inspiration from this design. Known as Eternal Diamond, this fashionable number was made by Lauren Smith with the help of the Lindt Master Chocolatier over a two week period. We're impressed by just how stylish it looks. Though we can't imagine it'd last very long when next to all that body heat...

We hope our favourites have inspired you to make chocolate sculptures. You don't have to create an entire room, but smaller scale projects couldn't be easier with some moulds and, of course, the chocolate itself.

Would you give it a go?

* https://missuniversessk.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/10-beautiful-things-made-of-chocolate/

** https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/g/16416477/chocolate-sofa/16416485/#8

*** http://www.incrediblethings.com/food/cocoa-couture-chocolate-dress/

Review: Fiber One Protein Cookies & Crème Bars

It dawned on me recently that I let the fourth anniversary of this blog pass without any recognition either here on the blog or me actually recognizing it in my head at the time.  Well, even now that we are several weeks past the anniversary of the initial review, I think it is worth noting and also contemplating how long I've actually been writing for this blog and also how many products I've actually reviewed (over 1,000, which I recognized earlier this year).  Like I've mentioned plenty of times, I never thought the blog would go this long and while my love for it sometimes wanes, I'm glad to be here and want to keep this going as long as I can (the extra income is obviously not bad either).

Anyway, today's review is a review of a manufacturer that I've examined many times.  It's another new Fiber One product off the General Mills assembly line that I was able to pick up at Meijer for $2.50.  This box of Fiber One Protein Cookies & Crème Bars happens to have five bars in each box and each bar clocks in at 1.17 ounces and packs in 140 calories and six grams of protein.  I know they call this a protein bar, but when it only packs in six grams worth, doesn't that seem kind of silly?  Regardless, let's dive into the review.

Review: MunchPak.com Snack Box

Today's review is an interesting one for me.  It's a review of not necessarily the individual products (there will be some quick looks though) in this review, but more of a review of a service.  In this case, that service is MunchPak.com.  A representative of theirs reached out to me a couple weeks ago and asked if I'd be interested in trying their service and since I'm always on the lookout for freebies (ahem...if anyone out there has any that they'd like to send me, I'm game), I more than willingly said I'd give the service a look.  So, after a bit of time the United States Postal Service delivered me the box of goodies that you see above.  There were a variety of products in there, including chips, candy, gum, etc.  Basically, all sorts of different kind of munchies (get my clever word usage there?).  What was also interesting, and the MunchPak website advertises this with their slogan of "New & Popular Snacks From Around The World", a lot of these snacks were from various countries.  When I looked through the box, there were some snacks from Mexico, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Indonesia, etc.  It was kind of funny to me, in a way.

MunchPaks can come via a monthly delivery subscription service and also come in various sizes, meaning the quantity of snacks in your box.  As you can somewhat see based on the picture above, I got the "Original" version which includes 10-20 snacks.  I'm not going to review everything, but let's take a look at some of the products in the box below the fold.

Review: Kozy Shack Indulgent Recipe Chocolate Truffle Pudding Cups

I've reviewed Kozy Shack puddings on this blog previously, but I mostly stay away from them because they don't have enough new products and/or I feel that they cost too much.  That's kept me away from them for over two years.  Anyway, their products reside right next to the JELL-O pudding cups in the refrigerator case at Kroger and recently, I noticed that have a new line of puddings called "Indulgent Recipe" focusing on dessert and exotic-type flavors.  I had a digital coupon, so I decided to grab a four pack of this Kozy Shack Indulgent Recipe Chocolate Truffle Pudding Cups.  Can't remember the exact price, but I think the coupon knocked it down to about $2.25.  Each cup in the package comes in at 3.75 ounces and has 200 calories, so it's not a huge container and it's not a diet food.  Clearly, this is indulgent and a "Decadent Dessert Pudding", or so they say.

Review: Van's Cocoa Sensations Gluten Free Cereals

I am proud to say that I've never paid for a Van's product that I've reviewed on this blog.  Wait a minute...why am I proud of that?  I don't know that I should be ashamed of it, but I should be grateful that Van's has been so generous to me to keep sending me free samples to review.  Granted, they are getting some benefit by putting out word of mouth for their product, but they are also giving me content and saving me a few bucks.  Anyway, today's free sample is the first time I've tried one of their cereal products as I'll take a look at this ten ounce box of Van's Cocoa Sensations Gluten Free Cereals.  Not sure on the exact price, but I'm guessing each box could be priced anywhere from $3.00-$5.00 depending on the store.  Each of the nine servings in this box is three-quarters of a cup and comes in at 110 calories.  As the name would also point out, it's also gluten free.  The tagline states that this cereal is "Sweet Sensations by the Spoonful" but I think I'm going to have to be the judge of that!

Review: Hershey's S'mores Pudding Cups

In my last Hershey's pudding review, I mentioned that I found it peculiar that they were getting involved in the pudding game and taking on some of the stalwarts.  Despite that individual product being tasty, I was still questioning why these were in the store.  Still, I was absolutely willing to try out this four pack of Hershey's S'mores Pudding Cups that I picked up in the same shopping trip for $2.50.  Each campfire treat inspired pudding cup is 3.275 ounces and packs in 110 calories of artificial flavors.  JELL-O also has a S'mores flavor, so this is clearly a shot across their bow.

Review: Hershey's Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pudding Cups

I spend way too much time in the pudding section of the grocery store.  I just can't get enough of the stuff.  It's weird, child-like and pretty much every other adjective you can think of to describe things that are odd and wrong.  Still, I own it and am not afraid to admit it.  Lately, I've noticed some new products creeping in from a titan of the sweets industry and while it took me a while to take the plunge and actually buy one, I finally saw a sale and picked up a four pack of these Hershey's Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pudding Cups on sale at Kroger for $2.50.  Each cup is 3.875 ounces and has 120 calories.  Outside of that, I'm not sure there is anything else pertinent for me to add on these because I know they have no nutritional value.  Now, I'm not sure why Hershey's would want to enter the pudding game, but I was certainly more than curious to find out if these would be any good or if it was something that they were trading on their name only and the product would actually taste awful.  I guess that is what the Crazy Food Dude is here to find out!

Review: Ehrmann Mixim Fat-Free Greek Yogurt with Blueberry and Chocolate Chip Cookies Bites

There's several notable things about today's review.  First, this is the first review of an Ehrmann product on this blog.  Second, the name of this product is trying to be really cute by referring to its ability to mix ingredients together with the cute name of "Mixim."  Third, I think this might be the longest product name that I've ever put in as a review.  Usually, I try to shorten the product names to not include fat-free, etc., but as I was looking at the label for this, the elongated product name was integral to the name of the product in general, in my opinion.  With that, I begin this review of the single serving container of Ehrmann Mixim Fat-Free Greek Yogurt with Blueberry and Chocolate Chip Cookies Bites that I picked up at Kroger for $1.29.  It's 5.3 ounces and within the three compartments are 150 calories and ten grams of protein that are all made together with natural ingredients.

Review: Ben & Jerry's Save Our Swirled Ice Cream

So we all know Ben & Jerry's can get creative with their names and my numerous reviews have shown that.  What some of us know, but not all know, is that Ben & Jerry's is also a very socially and politically active company that advocates many causes such as world peace, climate initiatives, etc.  Today's review of this pint of Ben & Jerry's Save Our Swirled Ice Cream is a flavor that they've put out to raise awareness of their Climate Movement.  In order to do that, they've even put a cute missive on the flavor's webpage that states "SOS! It’s more than just a call to action: it’s a swirled-class flavor you can’t resist, and a climate change message you can’t ignore. If it’s melted, it’s ruined."  I'll refrain from commenting on the issue itself (there's more detail on the site and also in my link above), but I can appreciate the creativity in the name and that brief missive.  Anyway, the pint itself is the typical four half-cup servings and each serving is a somewhat economical (for Ben & Jerry's) 250 calories per serving.  I picked this up on closeout at Kroger for $2.74, so I'm not sure how much longer it'll be on the shelves or if it is being transitioned out already.

Review: Quaker Chewy Girl Scouts Thin Mints Granola Bars

I mentioned in my previous Quaker Chewy review of one of their Girl Scouts products that I found it strange that they just wouldn't refer to the flavor by it's actual cookie name (Samoa).  Well, that's not a problem in the case of today's review as Quaker happily dubbed this by it's actual cookie name right on the front of this box of Quaker Chewy Girl Scouts Thin Mints Granola Bars.  The fact that they will put the name on the cookie on the front of this box and will not put the name of the cookie on the other box lends weight to my crazy theory that "Samoa" is somewhat controversial.  Anyway, this box of eight bars cost me $2.50 at Kroger and each 0.84 ounce bar has 100 calories packed in.

Review: Quaker Chewy Girl Scouts Caramel Coconut Granola Bars

I hate paying full price for Quaker Chewy bars and I' m guessing that every time I've bought a Chewy bar for a review on this blog, I only bought it when it was on sale.  Actually, that's probably not accurate now that I think about it because every now and then, they'll sneak out a flavor into the wild that totally shocks me.  They've done that twice recently with a couple of products that are Girl Scouts branded and today is the first of those reviews as I take a look at this box of eight Quaker Chewy Girl Scouts Caramel Coconut Bars that I picked up at Meijer for the regular price of $2.59.  Each of the eight bars in this box are 0.84 ounces and come in at 100 calories with a...actually, I'm not going to talk about the protein here because it really isn't worth it.