REVIEW: Arby’s Apple Pie Shake

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Arby’s Apple Pie Shake Cup

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Arby’s has brought back its deep-fried turkey sandwiches. Those sandwiches evoke the savory side of the festive meal, but the restaurant has a brand-new item inspired by one of the all-American desserts of the all-American holiday meal, the Apple Pie Shake.

Arby’s has The Meats, so it’s not the first place I think of if I want a milkshake. I haven’t tried every shake that Arby’s has offered. But of the ones I’ve tried, the Apple Pie Shake is the best!

It truly tastes like apple pie! There’s a subtle apple flavor, like what happens when you bake actual apples. I worried it would have an artificial apple flavor, but it’s authentic and not overpowering. There is also a cinnamon flavor, as you would expect in apple pie. And it even tastes like some kind of baked element, like a piecrust.

Arby’s Apple Pie Shake no mix-ins

However, since this is an Arby’s shake, there are no mix-ins, like apples or crust pieces. Unlike some other Arby’s shakes, there isn’t even a syrup swirl on the side of the cup. But it works so well that I don’t miss those elements. Sometimes less is more. Like other Arby’s shakes, it is soft and liquid enough to consume through a straw.

A dusting of cinnamon sugar on top of the whipped cream.

The shake comes with whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, which reminds me of the dusting on churros or Taco Bell cinnamon twists. The treat is good enough on its own that it doesn’t need the topping, but it’s a nice touch.

Previous fall treats at Arby’s have included a pumpkin cheesecake shake and last year’s pumpkin turnovers. I didn’t much care for those. But I hope the Apple Pie Shake becomes a tradition.

Purchased Price: $3.69
Size: Regular
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 560 calories, 140 calories from fat, 16 grams of total fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of sodium, 94 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 82 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ortega Cheez-It Taco Shells

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Ortega Cheez-It Taco Shells box

When Taco Bell made folks blow their cheesy minds with its Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Tostada last year, I was saddened there wasn’t a Cheez-It cracker taco or chalupa shell. I guess physics, food science, or the Taco Gods couldn’t make that happen.

But I imagine the folks at Ortega saw what Taco Bell did, started stroking their chins, and thought, “Call up the folks at Kellogg, Kellogg’s, Kellanova, or whatever it’s calling itself nowadays and get a meeting.” And that’s how I like to think these new Ortega Cheez-It Taco Shells came to life. Because, let’s be honest, Taco Bell making Cheez-It shells might’ve made the Doritos Locos shells Flamin’ Hot mad.

Ortega Cheez-It Taco Shells ready to be baked

While Taco Bell’s offerings featured comically large crackers, these taco shells are just Cheez-It-flavored. There’s an orange tint to them that signals these could be cheesy, but no holes or crimped edges to hint at the popular snack. They definitely have a chip crunch, not a cracker crunch.

Like all taco shells, you need to warm them up in the oven for a few minutes. I thought about leaving the shells in my toaster oven for a few more minutes to make them Ortega Extra Toasty Cheez-It Taco Shells. However, I didn’t want the extra risk of my smoke detector going off again. After they came out, a hint of Cheez-It aroma wafted through the air. But when I went up close for a sniff, they smelled more like cheddar-seasoned corn chips.

These have an issue that plagues a lot of other taco shells — you need the dexterity of a surgeon to stuff them. I can’t even remember how many times in the past I’ve gently pried apart the two sides of a taco to put the filling in, only to suddenly turn into the Hulk and break the shell in half. With this box of ten shells, I accidentally broke four, which I turned into a taco salad topping. I’ll get back to that in a moment.

Ortega Cheez-It Taco Shells filled with seasoned chicken, cheese, lettuce, and taco sauce.

When I ate the shell on its own, the initial taste didn’t remind me of Cheez-Its. But after a couple of chews in, the faint cheesiness and saltiness that reminded me of the baked snack crackers came through. And that was also the case when I filled them up with seasoned chicken, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and taco sauce. Despite all the other ingredients, I noticed a hint of Cheez-It after a few chews. However, I wish that the flavor were bolder to excite my taste buds.

But back to the taco salad I made with the broken shells. When I ate them this way, I could detect the flavor more. Granted, there were two taco shells’ worth of pieces in my salad.

I can’t say these Ortega Cheez-It Taco Shells are a failure because the crackers’ flavor does come through, despite everything in a taco that could prevent it. But, again, that taste needs to be amped up to blow my cheesy mind.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary product sample. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 4.6 oz box/10 taco shells
Purchased at: Received from Ortega
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 shells) 120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 410 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

4 Other Things I Consumed This Week: 10/31/2025

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Spylt Caffeinated Chocolate Milk

Spylt Caffeinated Chocolate Milk

Several folks recently sent me Spotted photos of this Spylt caffeinated milk that comes in several flavors, but it’s been around for a couple of years, so I didn’t post them. It seems only now has it seen a wider rollout.

I’m pretty sure somewhere in one of the thousands of posts on this site, I wished for a caffeinated chocolate milk, and the Caffeinated Chocolate Milk Fairy made my wish come true. But not only does this have 60 milligrams of caffeine, it also has 20 grams of protein, so it’s killing two birds with one Spylt for me. With that much protein, you might think you’re going to get protein shake vibes from this, but it tastes and has a creaminess like the chocolate milk I grew up drinking. It gets its protein from ultrafiltered milk, which is the same process used to make Fairlife milk.

But that’s not all with this chocolate milk. It also has no sugar and only 0.5 grams of fat, which is hard to believe given how good it tastes. Although, as it got warm, I could taste a hint of the sucralose and ace-K at the back end of a sip. Definitely worth a try, and I’ll probably give other flavors a taste.

Kirkland Signature Caramel Brownie Sundae

Kirkland Signature Caramel Brownie Sundae

I blame gravity for this sundae looking the way it does because when it was first handed to me, I could see the caramel syrup sticking to the sides of the cup. But stupid gravity did what stupid gravity does during the 15-minute drive home from Costco, and most of the syrup pooled at the bottom of the cup.

But that’s okay, gravity, because your involvement didn’t affect how much I liked this treat. First, it’s only $2.99 for ice cream, salted caramel sauce, and brownie chunks. That’s cheap. That’s cheaper than a mini Dairy Queen Blizzard, which is half the size of this sundae.

The salted caramel sauce wasn’t overly sweet, but it wasn’t salty or buttery either. The brownie pieces were chewy and chocolatey, but I wish there were more, since I felt like half the spoonfuls I took didn’t have a brownie in them. So I guess the Blizzard wins in the mix-ins department. However, despite those issues, this is a satisfying dessert, and I see myself picking it up again when I need something sweet to follow a salty slice of Costco pepperoni pizza.

Totino’s Buffalo-Style Chicken Pizza Ramen Noodles

Totino's Buffalo-Style Chicken Pizza Ramen Noodles

This wasn’t awful, but I didn’t even finish everything. Once I had eaten most of the noodles, I dumped whatever soup was left into the sink. The thought of drinking watered-down Buffalo sauce isn’t my cup of watered-down Buffalo sauce. There’s no mistaking the Buffalo flavor, and there’s a mild spicy kick, but I didn’t notice a chicken flavor.

The thought, “What should I expect for something that’s around a dollar?” popped into my head. But then again, I find 50-cent ramen packets better tasting and more enjoyable than this. Oh, I should mention that this was sent to me by General Mills, and receiving a complimentary sample did not affect my review. (Amber reviewed this earlier this year.)

Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice

Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice in a glass

We just posted Jenna’s review of this yesterday, but I also want to sing its praises. As I’ve mentioned above, I’ve wanted a caffeinated chocolate milk for a while now, but the thought of caffeinated apple juice has never crossed my mind. This drink isn’t 100% apple juice infused with caffeine and carbonation. It’s only 6 percent juice, but it tastes like apple juice. Actually, with the carbonation, I got more of a sparkling apple cider vibe from it.

Because there isn’t much juice, you aren’t getting the vitamins you’d get from apple juice.  Instead, you get the same B vitamins you’d get from any Monster Energy Drink. I do wish it were vitamin C-fortified, but the 160 milligrams of caffeine more than make up for it. I still haven’t had a bad Monster Juice flavor, and this Bad Apple continues that streak. 

REVIEW: Wendy’s Chicken Tendys

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Wendy’s Chicken Tendys and Signature Sauce

Wendy’s new chicken tenders are boneless, but I’ve still got a bone to pick with America’s 9th favorite Redhead.

For years, on this great site, I’ve famously, tirelessly, breathlessly, and relentlessly asked – nay – begged Wendy’s to release a line of Frosties chock full of fix-ins called “Wendy’s Blendies.”

Imagine my disappointment when Wendy’s finally added some toppings to their Frosties and called them “Girlie Swirlies” or whatever instead of the more obvious name, “Blendies!”

Now, imagine my suspicion when I saw their newest menu item – Wendy’s Tendys.

“Tendys,” huh? Sounds a little bit like… Blendies!

If you’re thinking, “well, that’s just simplistic wordplay, and parallel thinking at best. You don’t own the abstract premise of rhyme schemes, and to be honest, ‘Tendys’ sounds better than ‘Blendies’ anyway. They didn’t actually blend anything into the Frosty,” then you’re correct, and very blunt. Take it easy. Jeez.

I’d still like an assist though – at least one of those secondary hockey assists where I get an assist for passing the puck to the guy who passed the puck to the guy who actually scored.

Tendys obviously aren’t Wendy’s first foray into chicken fingers/tenders/strips, but they’re a revamped recipe, and as a bonus, they’re being released with a new “Signature Sauce.”

Full transparency, I think Wendy’s chicken offerings have fallen off a cliff in the past decade, but I still enjoy their nuggets from time to time and snagged a free 5-piece to compare. I actually think Tendys are superior, but I might be on an island.

Wendy’s Chicken Tendys closeup

My three strips were salty, dry, and slightly overcooked, but crispy and just tender enough that I actually really liked them. As weird as it sounds, I like dry food, plus that’s what the sauce is there for! Anyway, the flavor and texture alone would have probably gotten a “meh” rating at best, but these things started to taste like something.

This could just be (chicken) selective memory, but as I bit down and racked my brain trying to figure out what they reminded me of, I came to the conclusion – McDonald’s Chicken Selects.

Why and how do I even remember those? They haven’t existed for well over a decade, yet I had a sense memory that I was eating them. Why would Wendy’s remind me of McDonald’s? I don’t know, but Tendys tasted more like Selects than McDonald’s new mediocre tenders.

Wendy’s Chicken Tendys being dipped into the Signature Sauce

As for the “Signature” sauce, it’s fine. It’s creamy with a little kick and tastes, I’ll be honest, like all new sauces just taste like some variation of Thousand Island to me. It’s like Russian Dressing and Ranch, maybe. If you told me this was just “S’awesome” sauce from a few years ago, I’d shrug and trudge on with stuffing my face. It gets a B on my patented Sauce Tier list.

So, with the Tendys and the Signature Sauce, there’s really nothing “new” here, but they’re both worth trying. I’d like to know if anyone else had a “Chicken Selects” nostalgia rush while eating them. Try ’em, but just know, three small strips are almost $6. They shoulda called these “Spendys.”

Actually, I’ve come around on the name. It’s fun to say, and definitely better than when my local greasy spoon, “Wendels,” added “Tendels” to the menu. Nasty.

Tendys are solid though!

Purchased Price: $5.39
Size: 3 pieces
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Tendys only) 420 calories, 22 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1050 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 33 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice

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Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice can

I usually only drink energy drinks when I’m desperately sleepy and out of other options, but Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice caught my attention simply because it sounded delicious.

Don’t get it twisted; while it definitely is still an energy drink, it also contains juice, so you can pretend that it’s a slightly more wholesome beverage! And fine, I’ll admit, I was also curious about the moderately edgy name and eye-catching can design, which features an intensely gazing woman dramatically holding an apple.

Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice description

This flavor was first released in the U.K. in March 2024 (though with “Juiced” in the name instead of “Juice”, a minor distinction that it’s likely only a total nerd like me would even notice). While I haven’t tasted the original, if the nearly identical imagery is anything to go by, the new U.S. version seems unchanged. In the spirit of the Adam and Eve imagery that the can evokes, I couldn’t wait to get a taste.

Monster Bad Apple Energy Juice in a glass

As soon as I cracked my can open, I was hit with a lovely apple juice smell. Upon pouring my Bad Apple into a glass, I noticed that the elixir was fizzy, but not overly so, with the bubbles quickly calming down to reveal a rich amber color. You may not be surprised to learn that, true to its branding, this thing sure does taste like apple juice!

To be a little more specific: while it is of course distinct from pure juice due to its carbonation, it reminded me more of an apple soda than a traditional energy drink. I detected only the barest hint of the chemical aftertaste I typically associate with energy drinks. Had I not already known what I was drinking, I don’t think I would have identified this as belonging to the same genus as the classic Shrek-green Monster Energy.

It was pleasantly more reminiscent of an actual apple than I was expecting (despite containing only 6% actual juice). This was probably helped by the fact that, while it was sweet, it wasn’t TOO sweet. If you’re curious, Monster’s website describes its flavor as “Fuji apple,” though as someone who spends much more time consuming junk food than fruit, this nuance didn’t mean much to me. I did concur with the additional adjectives in the description —“crisp” and “dry”!

While I tend to think the tinny tang of an energy drink can be abrasive, Bad Apple is impressively smooth. I found it to be not just an energy-booster, but genuinely refreshing. That being said, it also did its energizing job well; I was a bit groggy before having it, but afterwards I found myself noticeably perky, a fact that both I and, undoubtedly, my employer appreciated! If any of this sounds tempting, I implore you to bite (er, sip) into this forbidden fruit; it may be called Bad Apple, but it tastes great!

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 16 oz can
Purchased at: CVS
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 200 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 41 grams of sugar (including 41 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 160 milligrams of caffeine.

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