Jordan Cooks!

Flavor Varieties Tried for This Review: Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Mango, Blood Orange, Blueberry, Lemon, Honey and more as I get to them

I love the original Honey Bunches of Oats, that’s why I was intrigued when I saw Post’s vanilla variety. It’s a little more expensive ($3.50 rather than $3 at my Wal-Mart), but not enough to detour a personal taste test so I went ahead and bought a box.

When I got it home I was quiet surprised. I poured myself a bowl, added some milk, took a nice big bite and was immediately hit with the vanilla. It was a strong vanilla too, which was the surprising part, completely replacing the usual honey splendor many would expect. It took a couple bites to get used to but soon after it was the usual sugary, cereal indulgence I was looking for.

Another little surprise is the lack of “vanilla bunches” in this version of the product. It could have just been the random box I grabbed but there seemed to be fewer bunches then normal. This wasn’t a problem for me, as even the flakes were coated with vanilla bean, but it could be an unappreciated texture change for some.

As far as the nutritional info, this is the usual cereal affair. There’s 220 calories in a serving most of which coming from carbohydrates, 46 grams. Only 12 of those grams come from sugar while another 4 is fiber, which is something a tasty cereal like this usually lacks. Being in part made of whole wheat and oats, there is some natural nutritional value here but the vitamins and minerals listed are still largely fortified. Oh, and according to the ingredient list, that vanilla flavor you taste is actual grounded up vanilla beans!

Overall, I was quite happy with Post’s Honey Bunches of Oats with Vanilla Bunches. It was a good alternative to the usual honey only variety. I was a little disappointed that there were fewer actual bunches in the cereal, but with a little milk and a banana on the side this tasted just as great.

I love the original Honey Bunches of Oats, that’s why I was intrigued when I saw Post’s vanilla variety. It’s a little more expensive ($3.50 rather than $3 at my Wal-Mart), but not enough to detour a personal taste test so I went ahead and bought a box.

When I got it home I was quiet surprised. I poured myself a bowl, added some milk, took a nice big bite and was immediately hit with the vanilla. It was a strong vanilla too, which was the surprising part, completely replacing the usual honey splendor many would expect. It took a couple bites to get used to but soon after it was the usual sugary, cereal indulgence I was looking for.

Another little surprise is the lack of “vanilla bunches” in this version of the product. It could have just been the random box I grabbed but there seemed to be fewer bunches then normal. This wasn’t a problem for me, as even the flakes were coated with vanilla bean, but it could be an unappreciated texture change for some.

As far as the nutritional info, this is the usual cereal affair. There’s 220 calories in a serving most of which coming from carbohydrates, 46 grams. Only 12 of those grams come from sugar while another 4 is fiber, which is something a tasty cereal like this usually lacks. Being in part made of whole wheat and oats, there is some natural nutritional value here but the vitamins and minerals listed are still largely fortified. Oh, and according to the ingredient list, that vanilla flavor you taste is actual grounded up vanilla beans!

Overall, I was quite happy with Post’s Honey Bunches of Oats with Vanilla Bunches. It was a good alternative to the usual honey only variety. I was a little disappointed that there were fewer actual bunches in the cereal, but with a little milk and a banana on the side this tasted just as great.

If I were to asked you, “would you like to have a chicory root bar?” I wouldn’t blame you for turning down the offer. Fiber One has once again found a way to repackage their favorite main ingredient, chicory root extract, into another product for the masses, this time it’s in the form of chewy bars. The surprising part is that they actually taste alright. Of course, when you add chocolate and oats it’s hard not to make a decent “granola like” bar. Am I right?

And that’s exactly what the Fiber One Chocolate Chewy Bar is, a decent snack. It has some really attractive features. There’s only 90 calories and 5 grams of sugar, so its something sweet that you could still possibly have on a diet. Per usual, the chicory root does it’s thing by adding 5 grams of dietary fiber to the mix for those looking for a digestion aid. It’s also a little cheaper compared to similar food products.

Despite that, there’s not a lot to be impressed by. These suffer from the same problems that other snack bars typically have. For starters, they’re so nutrient deprived that the nutritional label doesn’t list a significant amount for a single vitamin or mineral. This is coupled with the ingredient list which has some odd items in it (puffed wheat? Tocopherois?). Also, they leave something to be desired in the taste department. The “mmm… amazing,” factor is definitely missing. Don’t get me wrong, they didn’t taste bad. I finished all five bars that came in the box and they certainly may cure a case of the sweet-tooth but I don’t really feel the need to go out of my way for more.

Fiber One’s Chocolate Chewy Bars didn’t impress me enough to become a regular staple in my pantry. It is a low calorie, sugar fix kind of a snack but even then there’s better alternatives out there if that’s what you’re after. They may be worth a look the next time there’s a sale or coupon offer, however, I don’t think anyone’s missing out by passing on them.

Sometime within the last year, Quaker’s Life brand came out with a new soft bake bar flavor, banana walnut bread. I love regular banana bread so I figured I’d give this a shot as it sure would save a lot of time not having to bake it my stuff. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly,  Life’s effort isn’t quite as good as mom’s homemade recipes, but it’s certainly satisfying enough for a grab-and-go type snack. The primarily oatmeal texture keeps the bar soft and moist while the walnuts give a nice offset of crunch. The one disappointment comes from the banana flavor, which is a bit lacking and not as strong as I would have liked. The fruit taste is definitely there though,  completing the trifecta of taste.

Depending on how sensitive one is to the thought of sugar in products, a problem super health conscious folks  may have with Life’s soft bake bars  is the word “Nutrition” on the packaging. Though the most prominent ingredient is certainly oats, a Quaker specialty, it’s followed by soy crisp rice and three different sugars and sweeteners (brown sugar, invert sugar, and oligofructose) on the ingredient list. Next is walnuts, water and freeze dried bananas followed by more sugary ingredients. Of course all things considered, there’s only 10 grams of sugar per bar, certainly not enough for me to be upset about, however, if sugar offends you, than stay away.

A single bar comes in at 150 calories and includes 5 grams of fiber, most of which are contributed to by the oats. There’s also a good variety of vitamins and minerals in the product provided by a combination of the healthier ingredients and food fortification. The walnuts brings a perfectly acceptable 4 grams of fat. For me, the good stuff far outweighs the bad on this one.

Life’s Banana Walnut Bread Soft Bake Bars may not be as tasty as the family recipe but it will do plenty to satisfy your hunger and taste buds. In fact, despite the ingredient list, it’s probably a bit healthy then what dear ole’ grandma makes because the nutritional benefits of it’s main ingredient, oats. If you’re in the need for a breakfast bar that’s quick, I wouldn’t hesitate to give these a try.

For me, Greek yogurt is the go to yogurt in my fridge and Stonyfield’s organic version is no different. With more protein (10 grams in this case) and less sugar (13 grams) than normal yogurts, this style tends to satisfy my hunger better. In addition, the zero grams of fat and only 90 calories make Stonyfield’s Oikos Yogurt an ideal treat or snack for anyone that isn’t lactose intolerant.

Of course, being organic means this product costs a bit more. As expensive as organic products can be, there’s a certain comfort in seeing an ingredient list as short as Stonyfield’s Oikos Greek Yogurt. Cultured nonfat milk, honey, sugar, pectin, and carob bean gum (all organic) make up the entire list. No artificial sweeteners, crazy additives or unnecessary ingredients. The most interesting inclusion is the honey. Mixed in with the Greek yogurt, it adds a sweetness that this style of yogurt tends to lack naturally. Although, it should also be noted that the honey can be extremely messy, in part because the 4 oz cups are rather shallow and also the honey is just the liquidy.

If you’re looking for a “plain Greek yogurt,” you can get a tubbed version and bypass the honey. However, I feel the honey adds so much flavor without adding a ton of sugar that it would be a shame not to at least taste it yourself. Also, the organic nature of Stonyfield’s yogurts means there aren’t any weird ingredients for people to be adversely affected by. Overall, Stonyfield’s Oikos Greek Yogurt is a must try for anyone looking for healthy, addictive new snack.

I was both shocked and intrigued when I saw Fiber One branded yogurt in the aisles of Wal-Mart the other day, although Yoplait owns the brand so it shouldn’t have been a big surprise.  The nontraditional Key Lime Pie flavor is what I came home with and I must say this is some of the best yogurt I’ve ever tasted. It’s subtle but sweet and all-the-while tasting like actual lime, a struggle for most food products (both homemade and mass produced). There’s only 50 calories per cup, along with 4 grams of sugar and no fat which makes this an ideal yogurt for those watching their diets. Of course, each cup is only 4 oz which explains in part the low calorie count.

Looking further down the nutritional labels, there’s about 10% daily value of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A and D which is about right for the volume of yogurt per serving. Also, in typical Fiber One fashion, chicory root extract is one of the ingredients and contributes about 5 grams of fiber. Luckily, for those getting too little fiber in their diet, these yogurts shouldn’t cause the gas and bloating problems that other Fiber One products often cause. It should be noted that chicory root isn’t bad nutritionally, it’s just that Fiber One products tend to have 10 to 15 grams of fiber which can be too much at once for anyone not used to that much fiber intake.

Aspartame is also present, which is surely responsible for the low sugar count. This is the same sweetener used in most diet sodas and may be a pro or a con depending on how one feels about artificial sweeteners. This will likely be a deal breaker for some, which is a shame because Fiber One’s Key Lime Pie yogurt is quite tasty and comes with a nice dose of the brand’s namesake. It’s just too bad the company couldn’t have found a more natural way to reduce the sugar, otherwise, this would be an easy recommendation for anyone. However, if you don’t have a problem with artificer sweeteners, than there should be nothing holding you back from enjoying any of Fiber One’s yogurts.

I’m a big fan of a variety of yogurts, so when I saw a product called “yogurt smoothie” on the self at my local grocery store I got excited and grabbed a couple for just under a dollar each. Lala, is the manufacturer, and the specific flavor I tried today was Strawberry, Banana and Cereal. While that final flavor seems odd, wheat bran and wheat germ are included on the ingredient list, so cereal truly is in the drink. The strawberry and banana also is natural, real fruit, listed in the form of a puree on the bottle. In fact, outside of some extra sugar and modified corn starch, Lala Yogurt Smoothies are a relatively nutritious, whole food.

The texture of the drink will come as a surprise to many. Lala may have created more of a milk shake than yogurt smoothie here, which disappointed me at first. I was really looking forward to something closer to a Go-gurt. Luckily, the natural fruit saved the day for me. It was both refreshing and tasty, although I could have done without the cereal flavor as I feel it dulled the fruit taste a bit. Also, be sure to shake the bottle well before trying this out. I could really tell the difference between my first sip and the last one.

A single bottle is home to about 170 calories, 3 grams of fat and 25 grams of sugar, which shouldn’t be a surprise as this is more milk than yogurt. In addition, there’s 6 grams of protein and the usual vitamins and minerals associated with dairy (calcium, potassium and fortified vitamin A and D). These numbers may bother some, but for me this tends to me more of a pre- or post-workout kind of drink, so the sugar isn’t a big deal. Of course, how your body reacts to milk will determine how Lala’s products may affect you.

At 8.1 fl. oz., Lala Yogurt Smoothies aren’t to bad for being less than a dollar, however, head to the manufacturer’s website and snag some 2 for 1 coupons to get an even better deal. I have the Pecan and Cereal flavor left in the fridge, I’ll have a review of that down the line.

This is the kind of health drink I like to see. Fuze has in the past disappointed me with the large amounts of sugar in their products. The other flavors I’ve tried, Strawberry Guava and Banana Colada, suffered from this problem. Well the Slenderize line is exactly what I was expecting Fuze to be all along. I tried the Fuze Slenderize Cranberry Raspberry and with only 15 calories and 3 grams of sugar I couldn’t be more ecstatic.

Both berries represented themselves very well to create a nice flavor but what’s shocking is that the Slenderize drinks have only a slightly weaker taste then their “sugarier” Fuze counterparts, which makes me question the need for the sugar in the first place. It seems the natural flavoring is more than enough to get the job done. It still lacks any nasty aftertaste just like the original flavors and has a usual mix of vitamins infused into the drink (specifically Vitamin A, C, and E, Niacin and Chromium).

Perhaps they previously used the sugar for marketing reasons, to match the taste of their competitors. Or perhaps the company doesn’t care as much as they’d like everyone to think. Really, it doesn’t matter anymore as I declare the Fuze Slenderize champ and winner of my full endorsement ready to take on taste buds and waistline as like.

In my previous review of a Fuze drink I disliked the overall sugar added to the product, although still enjoyed the taste. That’s not the case with Banana Colada, I don’t like the sugar nor the taste. Now in this case I may be a little biased, I was expecting to get more banana flavor, instead my taste buds got smacked with pineapple and coconut and maybe a hint of banana. The ingredient lists banana puree, so I know it’s supposed to be there, but I could hardly taste it and that really disappoints me. Certainly, if the other two flavors are your thing then you’ll likely be less dissatisfied.

Not much to say other than my previous comments still hold true for this flavor as well. The one difference is the vitamin mix. Banana Colada comes with vitamins A, C and E (although much less the in Strawberry Guava) along with most of the B vitamins and calcium. I still wish there was less sugar and will have to try a Fuze Slenderize next.