REVIEW: Post Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate Cereal

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Chocolat-ize everything.

That’s what the fine folks at Post decided to do with its second attempt at a chocolate version of its popular Honey Bunches of Oats. The first, Honey Bunches of Oats with Real Chocolate Clusters, debuted in 2008 and was around for, um, I don’t even know. At the time, I called it my favorite Honey Bunches of Oats variety, but that might’ve been the sugar talking because, looking back at the review, I gave it a 6 out of 10, and I don’t recall ever buying a second box.

The cereal that came out in 2008 had only chocolate clusters with the usual flakes. This time around, Post decided to not only include crunchy granola clusters made with cocoa and real chocolate chips but also add cocoa to the flakes. This makes for a better tasting cereal that blows the previous version out of the milk.

Speaking of milk, I have to point this out first. Look at the photo below of the Lake Titicacao in my bowl.

No, I did not cheat by pouring chocolate milk. Watching how quickly the white milk turned brown was like a David Blaine magic trick or spraying down a pig that had just rolled around in the mud. I poured the cereal into the bowl, added milk, closed the bag in the box, and turned around to put the cereal back in the pantry. When I turned back around, the milk had completely changed into chocolatey goodness.

Sniffing this was also divine because it smelled like Cocoa Pebbles. Yabba Dabba Do! But it really shouldn’t be surprising; after all, Cocoa Pebbles is also a Post product, so why not cross-pollinate from one of the most chocolatey cereals in the grocery store. However, this Honey Bunches of Oats doesn’t quite have the same cocoa kick as the box rockin’ with Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. The same flavors are there, but I’d describe its chocolate taste as Cocoa Pebbles for a refined palate but not for a ten-year-old with sugar-crazed taste buds.

I did hope the cocoa on the flakes would’ve helped prevent them from getting soggy too quickly, which is one of the cons of any Honey Bunches of Oats variety, but I guess it’s hard for the cocoa to be some kind of barrier when it instantly washes off into the milk.

Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate Cereal is my new favorite Honey Bunches of Oats variety. For real. It’s not the sugar talking this time.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Post. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 12 oz box
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup – cereal only) 160 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 max 34 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 12 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Decades Menu Caramel Apple Empanada

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Throw on that pair of mismatched sunglasses from Pizza Hut and jump in the Delorean because we’re going BACK IN TIII-IIIIME!

… and I just realized that Back to the Future is closer to the OG release of the Caramel Apple Empanada than we are now and had a mini existential crisis.

Ahem. All good!

In case you missed the news, Taco Bell recently launched a Decades menu featuring favorites from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and now the 00s with the topic of this review, the Caramel Apple Empanada.

I’m not quite sure why we had to wait an additional three weeks for said empanada, but let me first assure you all that it was well worth the wait.

The shell is perfectly crisp and flaky, with a lovely tender, yet toothsome texture. The filling is a beautiful marriage of apple chunks with just enough texture to make themselves known without being overwhelming, and the sea of gooey caramel they are swimming in has a thick, unctuous mouthfeel that made me feel nostalgic for the days of butterfly hair clips, Smash Mouth, and way too much body glitter. The Bell managed to strike a perfect balance in the ratio of filling to crust as well, just enough that the crust is there to add texture and crunch, but still know when to step back and let the filling take center stage. Even the smell was perfect, a combination of pastry, sugar, and fryer grease that someone should eye for a limited edition scented candle or perhaps an empanada-shaped car air freshener.

Those of you who remember the OG CAE (Caramel Apple Empanada) will be thrilled to learn that, just like the original, the filling is served at roughly the temperature of the sun. Please be cautious when taking that first bite, lest you wind up with a tastebud impairing burn to go along with your dessert, especially if you’re a dessert-first kinda person like me.

All in all, the CAE is a delicious callback to a bygone era of Taco Bell, when there was a dessert on the menu you could pretend was vaguely healthy due to the presence of actual fruit imprisoned within its deep fried walls. The only demerit it receives is due to its unfortunately limited availability. So go get your hands on one while you can! Maybe if they sell well enough, Taco Bell will consider bringing them back on a more permanent basis. At least, a girl can hope.

Purchased Price: $1 with App Promotion ($2.99 regular price)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 280 calories, 13 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of total carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 14 grams of total sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: My/Mochi Sugar Cookie, Hot Cocoa, and Gingerbread Ice Cream

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In order to cover all the holiday flavor bases, My/Mochi has expanded its Christmas time varieties beyond Cool Peppermint and introduced Sugar Cookie, Hot Cocoa, and Gingerbread Ice Cream. Yes, popular seasonal flavors like egg nog, fruitcake, and lumps of coal are missing, but maybe they’ll come next year.

Sugar Cookie

It features sugar cookie flavored ice cream with sugar cookie pieces floating in it. At first I didn’t taste anything. But as I chewed the mochi coating, a sweet, light buttery flavor came through that instantly brought Santa’s favorite to mind. While the pieces embedded in the creamy filling don’t enhance the baked good taste, they do add a bit of texture, but not one you’d expect from an ingredient called “sugar cookie pieces.” Instead of a cookie crunch, the pieces floating in the ice cream add a sugar crystal crunch, like the decorative sugar sprinkled on top of the cookie. Personally, I prefer a sugary crunch over a cookie one. With its combination of flavor and crunch, I find these to be quite delicious.

Hot Cocoa

I partially expected this Hot Cocoa one to taste chocolate ice cream with marshmallows, but it’s much better than that. Its description says it’s hot cocoa flavored ice cream with marshmallows, and it tastes like what I wish my hot cocoa made from water and instant hot cocoa mix would taste like. While there are tiny mallow bits, the creamy filling itself tastes like there’s a bit of marshmallow within the chocolate base, which gave it a bit of maltiness. The bits are not soft, and they’re also not like what you’d get in cereal, but they add a snappy texture to contrast the creaminess and chewiness of the other two components. I enjoyed these slightly more than the Sugar Cookies ones.

Gingerbread

Gingersnap cookies was the first thing that came to mind when I took my first bite from My/Mochi’s Gingerbread Ice Cream, and then my body instinctively braced itself for the ginger burn that it’s experienced with the cookie. Thankfully, it never came. The level of ginger in this ice cream is strong and similar to Nabisco Ginger Snaps, but not having the burn makes these easier to eat. However, there’s something about this variety that makes me enjoy it slightly less than the other two. They’re good, but I find myself reaching for the other two first.

Overall

I’ve never had a disappointing product from My/Mochi and that continues with these three. I’m also sure that if the company comes out with a Lump of Coal flavor someday, it’ll probably taste great too.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from My/Mochi. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 6-pieces
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Sugar Cookie), 8 out of 10 (Hot Cocoa), 7 out of 10 (Gingerbread)
Nutrition Facts: (1 piece) Sugar Cookie – 90 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 10 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein. Hot Cocoa – 90 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 11 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein. Gingerbread – 70 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar (including 9 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Updated Taco Salad (2024)

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There was a time when I ate a lot of Wendy’s chili. Everybody else would have their huge Bacon Cheese Whatever monstrosities, large fries, buckets of nuggets, and mega Frosties, and I would sit there, primly eating my fiber-rich, beany soup. My will was strong.

But I’ve weakened in my morals since then and have started experimenting with other Wendy’s fare, even burgers. But I still consider myself a Wendy’s Chili enthusiast, so I had to try the latest incarnation of its Taco Salad. This new incarnation of the classic entrée boasts new crispy chili lime tortilla strips, fire-roasted corn, and a “creamy zesty salsa” dressing, in addition to the standard ingredients: lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, and, of course, chili.

When you open the plastic clamshell, it looks like a normal fast-food salad with a few tablespoons of corn kernels dropped on it; some of the corn had some visible char on it, but most did not. The other special ingredients—the seasoned tortilla strips, the creamy salsa dressing, and, of course, the chili–came separately. Considering the fact that my default portion was pretty close to filling the whole container before any of the add-ins went on, clearly construction of my bespoke salad would be a careful process.

If you eat Wendy’s chili regularly, then you know that sometimes it’s more watery than others. This time, it was pretty watery, so instead of dumping a bunch of it onto my salad and giving it a bath, I went in with a spoon and teased out the solid components, effectively straining out the water. I only got through about a third of the chili before I had enough for my plate, and I didn’t use all of the dressing because it seemed like too much of a good thing. If you want to eat this with all of the chili and all of the dressing, you are braver than I, and hopefully wearing clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned.

There is a lot going on in this salad, to put it mildly. I know saying, “It was like a party in my mouth” is totally played out, but my mouth was definitely experiencing some kind of festive event. I mostly enjoyed all the different flavors and textures, although the temperature fluctuation was a little strange; when I went from a forkful of pipping-hot chili to a cold clump of lettuce, it felt a little like something had gone wrong with my meal, but that’s just part of the experience.

Every component I can point to was good (although the “creamy salsa” dressing was basically just a less-tangy Ranch to my palate), yet I found trying to arrange perfect bites and get a little bit of everything in one mouthful was kind of…stressful. Next time I have it, and am confident I will have it again, I need to chillax and remember that I’m not being judged by the Wendy’s Police.

After all that, I’m pretty happy with this incarnation of the Taco Salad. Just be aware that assembling and eating the darned thing is more of a project than you might have been anticipating.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Salad w/dressing) 640 calories, 39 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 1550 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 27 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Turkey Sage Danish

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Alongside the usual sweet suspects like pumpkin spice, peppermint, and gingerbread, the 2024 Starbucks holiday menu brings a new savory offering in the form of the Turkey Sage Danish. It features turkey sausage lightly coated in béchamel sauce and wrapped up in a flaky pastry. As a firm believer that turkey and stuffing shouldn’t be relegated to only a small handful of days each year, I was excited to see if this snack could capture some of those flavors in a neat little dough package.

My danish arrived lightly warmed up, and when I pulled it out of the paper bag, I was pleasantly surprised to see it nicely browned in several places and generously scattered with herbs. Two sides of the pastry are folded over like little dough arms attempting to hug their filling but ultimately letting the turkey tumble out. The sausage crumbles aren’t exactly appealing, looking like the grayish meat morsels you might find in a Hot Pocket. I happen to love Hot Pockets, so that isn’t a knock on either product, but I don’t think anyone will look at these poultry pebbles and think, “Those look tasty!” When eaten alone, they aren’t particularly flavorful. The sausage itself doesn’t seem to have much seasoning, with most of the flavor here instead coming from the herb topping. The bottom of my danish was golden and crisp, and while the middle had a bit of a doughy, not quite done texture, other parts were puffed in the flaky layers you’d look for in a laminated pastry.

This has a very familiar taste that’s less “fancy bakery pastry” and more like a slightly underbaked Pillsbury crescent roll that’s been nestled up to the stuffing on your Thanksgiving plate. I love the sagey, herb flavors here and wish they would be even more pronounced. The béchamel is a welcome addition, bringing a little creamy note and preventing things from becoming too dry, but as stated in the description, there isn’t a whole lot of it.

Sizewise, this eats like a snack more than a breakfast. Mine had a few turkey sausage crumbles in the middle, but mostly what you see on the outside is what you get, maybe two tablespoons worth. Writing up the nutrition facts, I noticed that this item has less protein than the last coffee I reviewed. It seems to be a popular trend now to cram as much protein as possible into everything, but as someone not particularly worried about that, I was happy to eat this as a savory afternoon snack. I enjoyed the Turkey Sage Danish and would probably order it again if I was looking to scratch my stuffing itch while on the go, but if you want a filling breakfast or lunch, you’ll have to pay almost $10 and gobble up two of these.

Purchased Price: $4.95
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 270 calories, 13 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 480 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of total sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

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