The Consumer’s Corner

Until I’d tried Fabulous Flats Sandwich Flats, it is quite possible that I’d never eaten a preservative-free bread. That idea was enough to chew on for awhile, whether I had food in my mouth or not. What else do I let enter my body, having no idea what it is, or where it came from? I’ll never be the kind of person to agonize over things like that, but it is food for thought.

Back to the Sandwich Flats, they were ‘different’ looking than what I’ve been accustomed to eating all of my life. They were not bleached white, were not ‘loaf’ shaped, and had no ‘crusts’ for me to pull off. They rather resembled a very large cracker. I was a bit nervous at first, but they smelled particularly yummy, and I recognized (and could even pronounce!) all of the ingredients, so I knew it couldn’t be too bad.

My favorite combination I tried was making a sandwich of peppered roast beef, and a spicy mustard. My sandwich tastes are simple, and I don’t appreciate a bunch of greens or juice-oozing extras. The Fabulous Flats were just right; not too chewy, and flavorful enough to compliment everything else, not over power it. That’s the way it should be.

At the end of the day, it is bread. But it’s good bread! How important that is to you will depend on your appreciation of all things baked. I say ‘Win!’ Should I see these floating around my grocer, I’m sure I’ll re-sample from time to time. Check the official site for some interesting information on how everything is made!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Campbell’s is updating their line of soups to make them healthier, without sacrificing any flavor. Always a commendable effort, and to that end, I think they did a fairly decent job with the ‘Chunky Sirloin Burger’ variety.

It smelled and reminded me a bit of the beef stew/soup concoction that my grandma used to serve (God bless her soul). Nice sized chunks of beef, tender veggies (a full serving, per serving, two servings per can), and just the right amount of seasoning. Nothing too over the top. Only complaint, and it’s a small one, the beef seemed just a tad bit bland. But it was definitely acceptable, especially for an affordable convenience product like canned soup.

Overall, it’s a win. Summer is winding down, winter is nearing, and this is a product that I’ll be consuming more of as the weather gets cold and dreary. Soup is winter’s comfort food!

Official Site

Jeremy Hobbs

Brand new variety or Hot Pocket going on here, and they are yummy! From the outside, a Twisted Stick looks like a normal bread stick, but inside lives a cheesy pizza filling.

I was surprised the Twisted Stix were not just original Hot Pockets in a different ‘container.’ The crust is a lot softer, reminding me of the Hot Pocket Subs. Soft and chewy, in a good way.

Twisted Stix also eliminate a complication I’ve encountered with every other Hot Pocket variety I’ve sampled, and it’s one I’m glad has been dealt with: I can bite in to one end, and the filling doesn’t squirt out of the other! Even if there is a bit of a breech in one side, I can sink my teeth in without fear of a molten mess pouring out somewhere. Yay! for that.

5 to a box, I usually eat 3 for a meal, saving 2 for a snack later that night. Though I’m sure it’s promotional pricing, these rang up dirt cheap at $1.49. Very recession friendly! These are a ‘win’ all the way around!!!

No Official Site As Of Writing

–Jeremy Hobbs

Products like this are why I like to write; I’m able to aquire products from small/obscure markets, and expose them to loyal readers nationwide. I can review the ‘big brands’ all day long, and I’ll continue to review them, but I like giving the little guys out there a shot at the spotlight too, especially when they offer an excellent product.

Country Bob’s is a multi purpose sauce, that can be used on steaks, burgers, chicken, fries, and just about anything else you think it might taste good with. The only point I’d argue, and my little test panel agreed with me, this may not be the ideal steak sauce. It’s just a tad sweet for that particular application.

It’d be difficult to tell you what the dominant flavor is; out of the three of us that tried it, all three of us had different opinions. John tasted onion, where I tasted no onion whatsoever. One thing we did all agree on though, this is an excellent condiment! In general, we labeled a sweet sauce, with a subtle hint of spice.

I will give Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce an easy recommendation; I’ll certainly be ordering some in the future, and recommending it to some of my friends in the restaurant business. Give it a shot, I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed!

Official Site (with nutritioal info)

–Jeremy Hobbs

DiGiorno is in on this ‘For One’ pizza deal, offering a similar product to the previously reviewed California Pizza Kitchen version. It’s basically a full flavored DiGiorno pizza, shrunk down to single serving size. I was impressed with this offering, ‘Thin Crispy Crust’ Pepperoni.

Despite having fewer toppings, I found this to be more filling than the CPK. There was definitely more cheese, and the crust was a bit more substantial. Preparation was simple, as it should be; just a few minutes in an oven pre-heated to 425 degrees. The microwave is an option, but I don’t think any pizza, even left overs, should be submitted to that kind of punishment. Try that one at your own risk.

Nutritional information is linked below; not bad, not great. Not for dieters! I recommend these over their competition; most single servers are of poor quality. The meal is the real deal. The quality versus cost is definitely worth it; especially if these kinds of products are not an ‘every night’ thing for you. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Finally, a quality single serve pizza option! There’s no telling how many Totino’s I’ve choked down over the years; this is a product who’s time has been coming for a very, very long while.

Despite it’s small stature, the pie lives up to the high expectations that the ‘California Pizza Kitchen’ name brings with it. The meats were excellent; seasoning was spot on. They didn’t really skimp on anything. I’d have liked a touch more cheese, but that’s more of a personal preference than anything; the meal wasn’t lacking.

Will it fill you up? That depends completely on your appetite. I was good with this, and a 16 ounce smoothie during lunch today. My appetite strays a bit ‘light’ though, so you may want to drag along a piece of fruit or something. You’ll definitely fill up your calorie quota for lunch though, this variety weighs in at 450 per serving (one whole pizza). 200 calories are from 22 grams of fat, 8 of those saturated, 1 trans. Sodium hurts a bit at 820 mgs. So, health food it ain’t, but tasty it is!

Do I recommend it? Sure, if you’re not penny pinching, or calorie counting. If you can afford a higher quality product for a dine at home meal, this California Pizza Kitchen For One certainly trumps all of it’s competition. You’ll just have to weigh value versus quality, and see which way your scale tips. $3.50ish depending on where you shop, and specials. Other varieties available.

Official Site Not Found

Another Review (I stole your picture. Please don’t sue.)

–Jeremy Hobbs

Enjoyed the Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Flatbread Fajita Beef and Salsa very much, so when my tummy got a little rumbly this afternoon, I popped in it’s close sibling, ‘Steakhouse Beef With Garlic Parmesan Sauce.’ I really have to thank the folks at Oscar Mayer for sending these over to be reviewed! And, as always, just because I get something for free doesn’t mean it receives any special treatment when it comes time to be reviewed. My integrity is worth a bit more than a sandwich!

The sandwiches are fairly similar; slight differences in the cheeses and the sauce. The cheese blend here consists of low fat mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan. The sauce was really tasty, and this time I actually followed the instruction and put in on the sandwich. It’s optional though; you could use it as a dip, or leave it out all together. I loved it though, even if it did make the meal a little more messy (keep some napkins handy!). The bread and beef were the same as before, superb quality, especially considering they’re coming out of a microwave.

These are being aimed at working people with short lunch breaks, and these are perfect for said consumers. I was a little more practiced this time, so the time between refrigeration to digestion was only 2 minutes. You cannot walk from your cubicle to your car in two minutes, and you wont certainly wont find a sandwich this good for $2.50. Trust me on that one.

Nutrition info can be found at the link; it’s middle of the road health and diet wise. Eat it with a bag of chips on the side, your diet may be in trouble; eat it with a side of fruit or salad, you’ll be okay. Everything considered, I give these a strong recommendation! Bon Appetit!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

The nice folks at Oscar Mayer sent me some sandwiches to review; new products in their Deli Creations line. Never tried these before, so I was kind of excited. The images on the boxes looked tasty!

First up, we have the Fajita Beef and Salsa. In the box you get a piece of flatbread, beef strips, a package of 2% low fat cheese (4 blend; Monterey Jack, cheddar, colby, and mozzarella), and a small cup of salsa.

Super simple instructions, all you need is a microwave. Only deviation I made was I heated the salsa separately; I’m picky about salsa and didn’t want to ruin what was looking to be a good sandwich if I didn’t care for it. So I used it as a dip instead; it was quite tasty!

The beef & cheese had a nice zing by themselves; just a little spicy but not enough that it should turn anyone off. I was surprised at the quality of the beef; top notch, especially for something coming out of a microwave. Overall, it was an excellent meal!

It’s straddling the road on nutrition; only 280 calories, 9g of fat. 900mg of sodium is a little much, but you have to expect that from prepackaged foods. 20% of calcium is a nice plus! Anyways, for $2.49 this is an amazing lunch ‘kit,’ especially if you’re in a hurry. Total prep time, including the microwave cycle is no more than 3 minutes. If not on your grocer’s shelves now, keep an eye out; it wont be long. Highly recommended!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

More ‘Limited Edition’ products, they never seem to end. I think I’ll start a blog called ‘Limited Edition,’ and review nothing but limited edition products. Does that sound like a winner? Wonder what the CTR would be like….

Anyways, this is review number two in what I’m going to call the ‘Frankenfood’ series from now on. The first member being NRG Potato Chips. What we have with Snickers Charged is Snickers meets Redbull. Those silly Snickers folk have taken one of the most time honored candy bars available today, and crammed it full of caffeine (60 mg), taurine (undisclosed), and B vitamins (10% RDA).

Does it work? Yeah, it gave my energy level a noticeable bump. The sugar doesn’t hurt in that department either. Just don’t go around thinking this will replace your favorite energy drink, or even a good cup of coffee; Snickers Charged doesn’t hold a candle to either of those in terms of upping your energy level.

How does it taste? Pretty much like a Snickers bar. Every other bite or so you get a hint of something bitter, and for a candy product, that’s a turn off. There is absolutely no reason to buy this over a regular Snickers unless you’re specifically looking for the energy enhancers; you get less for your money, and it doesn’t taste as good.

I’m going with the ‘thumbs down’ on this. Despite the energy bump, Snickers Charged just isn’t worth it to me. I’ll take a regular Snickers and a can of diet soda and get the same effect. Look for more Frankenfoods in the future, I’m sure this will not be the last.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

snickers, snickers charged, energy food, snacks, candy, frankenfood

I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur on Mexican food. I absolutely love it and really know the good from the mediocre. Which brings us to Taco Bell. See how made that transition? Nice. The Bell is, like most fast food joints, tricky. One night you may get a fresh, good meal and next time you may get a stale meal that you immediately regret eating. I am a big Taco Bell lover (not because it’s the best Mexican food, but it is fast, easy and fairly cheap) so I’ve learned some Bell strategy over the years to get the best that the chain offers.

First off, the best time to get Taco Bell is in its primetime hours: usually 4:30-7pm. The line may be sufficiently longer, but the food will be fresh and tasty. Secondly, avoid opening hours. The Bell is a money making business so it doesn’t like or want to waste food. There’s a good chance that what you order at opening hours will be left over from late the night before making your food tough, tasteless and very hard to choke down.

Now that we got that out of the way, Taco Bell introduced a new menu item this week called the “Fiesta Platter.” I always get excited when there’s a new product at my favorite fast food place so I wanted to try it as soon as I could. Darn those commercials work! The Fiesta Platter includes your choice of two chicken or steak soft tacos or one chicken or steak “Grilled Stuft Burrito.” I went with the “Grilled Stuft Burrito” because I find it much more filling and I’m not a big fan of soft tacos (they’re messy and a taco just isn’t meant to be soft people!) The sides are surprisingly big portioned with a bed of tortilla chips that comes with a cup of well spiced chunky salsa, Mexican rice and Taco Bell’s famous pintos and cheese, all for a reasonable $4.99.

I picked up my meal at 5pm so my food was very fresh and extremely delicious. The platter has a good amount of food and will fill up an average sized man. The Bell made a nice addition with this item. It is well priced, very filling and down right tasty. It may be the best Bell specialty since the “Cheesy Gordita Crunch” was first introduced. I will buy the “Fiesta Platter” again.

Official Site

–Andy Gates

taco bell, fiesta platter, fast food, mexican food, food