Trader Joe's Shooting Stars

Here for the 4th of July it Trader Joe's "Shooting Stars" chocolate coated sugar cookies covered in popping candy. These cookies are very different from any cookie I've ever eaten. The only problem is in the California heat the chocolate melts and the cookies get stuck to each other in the refrigerator.

Now the popping candy crackles in your hand as well as in your mouth. These things are crazy but not all that great. I can't recommend them but if you do buy these try to keep them cool enough for the chocolate not to melt. 

Panera Bread Plane Cream Cheese Spread

Who would review plane cream cheese? Me! Why? Because it's Panera Bread Plane Cream Cheese Spread, and I can't go around comparing cream cheeses without having the normal one first. 

Now I have to point out that these cream cheese is not cream cheese but cream cheese spread. As in it has stuff other than cream cheese in it. In fact when the first ingredient to cream cheese is 'cream cheese' you have yourself a problem. 

In any case, this stuff is bad for you in terms of normal cream cheese which in and of itself is high in saturated fat. This Cream Cheese Spread also has trans fat making it something to avoid all together. 

Panera Bread Sprouted Grain Bagel

Panera Bread's Sprouted Grain Bagel is one of the healthier options for those who want to eat bread but not get ridiculously fat like me. This is the lowest calorie bagel Panera Bread sells and as such is likely the best for you. It won't fill you up but then what will that isn't totally bad for you?

Pattypan Squash

Pattypan Squash is a variety of summer squash( as in it's harvested in the summer) and is known mostly for it's shape. Now I picked these up at my local farmer's market and find them to be longer lasting than zucchini and with a stronger but edible skin. They hold up better when steamed as well making them a great all around addition to the table. 

Farmer Boys Burgers Chocolate Shake

Farmer Boys Burgers Chocolate Shake is mixed in store and cold. It tastes a little on the under chocolaty side if you ask me than the fact that I got it with some white at the bottom makes me ask if it got all the chocolate that it should have. At nearly a thousand Calories and way more saturated fat than I want to know about this is bad for you. The kicker is that it has one gram of trans fat. This is not worth it, farm boy!

Farmer Boys Daybreak Sandwich w/Bacon

Full of fat and almost double the Calories of and Egg McMuffin  Farmer Boys Daybreak Sandwich w/Bacon is a hardy start of the day. I still can't say that it filled me up but it wasn't light and went about as far as two sandwiches from another fast food restaurant. It's big it's fattening, and it's breakfast. I think it was okay. 
Calories756
Fat Total (g)54
Saturated Fat (g)13
TransFat (g)0
Cholesterol (mg)357
Sodium (mg)1391
Total Carbohydrate (g)36
Dietary Fiber (g)1
Sugar (g)5
Protein (g)26

Farmer Boys Harvest Fries with Chili Cheese

Farmer Boys Harvest Fries with Chili Cheese are bad for you, duh, and not all that great. I would say they are an improvement over the normal Harvest Fries but not by much. I found these underwhelming but not bad in any way. Also, Trans Fat!
Calories877
Fat Total (g)46
Saturated Fat (g)13
TransFat (g)1
Cholesterol (mg)88
Sodium (mg)1371
Total Carbohydrate (g)85
Dietary Fiber (g)7
Sugar (g)6
Protein (g)31

Old Town Baking Company Garlic Cheese Bread

Old Town Baking Company's Garlic Cheese Bread is bread in the basic form and made lasts longer in your refrigerator than on the counter. Even then it will last you about two weeks. If you need to keep this longer than freeze it to make it last.

Now, I'm going to say that I don't like the large bits of Garlic. I would much proffer it diced or if they used green garlic. I just don't care for the feel of those things in my mouth. If you do like big cloves of garlic this is great bread and very flavorful. My brother loves this stuff but I pick the big bits of garlic out.  

Yellow Star Pattypan Squash

Yellow Star Pattypan Squash is a colorful addition to any plate of steamed vegetables and provides loads of vitamin C, phytochemical carotenoids, and bioflavonoids. I wish I knew what all that stuff was, but it keeps you healthy. This is a good way to get orange and yellow in your diet and the flavor and texture is mild. Eat up!

Trader Joe's Black Beans

Trader Joe's Black Beans are kind of on the brown side for black beans but they do make a fine addition to any salad. Rinse these well before adding them to your greens.

I can't say these are much to speak of but they are worth getting. I'm still not big on them.  

Yellow Carrots

Yellow Carrots are grown to be sweeter than normal carrots and I will have to say that they fail to provide that sweetness. I find these to be just about as carrot like as orange carrots so I can't recommend them over their orange varieties but they do add some nice color to your salads so they are good for a change.  

Jim Bean Honey

I got a bottle of this 'Jim Bean Honey' at my local Bevmo and I have to say that it's reasonable stuff. I have never had more than three shots worth in one day so I can't say what it's like when you get drunk off it, but if you're looking for something lighter than whisky this will fill the bill.

These sweet honey whiskies are becoming popular because of a demand for sweeter alcohols. I have to say, I like like the trend.   

Sun Chips Original

Sun Chips Original are so good that I wind up eating them before I can review them. That said these are a wheat like chip with a strong crunch and no grease on your hands after you eat them. I don't think these are for everyone but they are for me.

Subway Flatbread

The thing about Subway's 'Flatbread' is that it is not baked fresh in store like other breads. I will point out that on the few occasions that I have eaten this bread that it has been fresh so it's not a big deal.  Still, I can't point to any major up side to eating this unless you need unleavened bread for some reason. 

Brookdale Luncheon Meat

Brookdale 'Luncheon Meat' it a ripoff of spam. Think about that for a second. Someone made fake Spam as if real Spam wasn't a big enough thing. I will say that this is at least as good as Spam. I think it's more natural but then I've never had regular Spam to compare the two. It is, however, real meat.

Pure Leaf Unsweetened Black Tea

My brother went to some family gathering and decided to bring 'Pure Leaf Unsweetened Black Tea'. This tea came home with him because no member of my bloodline would ever drink unsweetened anything. I'm serious, I think they put sugar on sugar.

In any case, this is no good with whisky but it has little in the way of flavor. It's, well, just ice tea. If you like tea without sugar you will like this and if you don't you wont. 

Subway 9-Grain Wheat Bread

With four grams of fiber per serving Subway's 9-Grain Wheat Bread is the most healthy thing I think you can get at the sandwich chain. I normally order this bread because, well, I think I'm being healthy. 

It is more filling than the Italian bread they sell so I call it a winner.

Rainbow Chard

Rainbow Chard is basically a mix of chard varieties to make a colorful bunch. The leaves are soft and the stalk is crunchy like salary. I often use this in salads but have to point out that it will not last as long as kale.  

To me this is like having two vegetables rolled into one as I often cut the stalk from the leaf. 

Chard is rich in nutrients and low in calories. Eat as much as you want! 

BJ's Hand Crafted Orange Cream Soda

Tasting of dishwater BJ's Hand Crafted Orange Cream Soda is the worst thing I've had at this restaurant. I have to say that this just didn't stand up and I have to ask if there was some issue with making this thing. I mean I did have a second glass and that sucked as well. 

I'd stay away from this.

BJ's Mediterranean Pizza

BJ's Mediterranean Pizza has Grilled chicken, basil pesto, roasted garlic, Kalamata olives, sun‑dried and seasoned tomatoes, feta cheese and sliced peperoncinis. Pesto is the dominant flavor and the peperoncinis can be picked off without much trouble if they don't sit well with you.

This isn't the best Pizza I've had at BJ's but it's very good. 

BJ's Root Beer Glazed Ribs

BJ's Root Beer Glazed Ribs taste nothing like root beer. This is not to say that these are not good they simply are not root beer flavored. I can't say that these are high on my list because they are rather small and will not start a meal off properly. 

If you are drinking beer I think these work better than if you are drinking soda, and I drink soda because I don't want to drive home after drinking so if you are without a sober party member get these. 

BJ's Monkey Bread Pizookie

BJ's Monkey Bread Pizookie is kind of like a cinnamon roll with ice cream. I can't say this is the best Pizookie I've had but it stands to be a departure from the other chocolaty pizookies you can get so if you're a cinnamon fan this is just right for you. If you'd rather have chocolate get that. 

Trader Joe's 10 Minute Barley

Trader Joe's '10 Minute Barley' is one of those things you see and say 'huh'. At first I thought this would be kind of like oatmeal but it's more like rice. Barley is kind of like rice to start out with and I think this is just Barley. I'm not sure what they did to make it cook faster or if Barley just cooks in ten minutes.

All in all, this is something different and I'm all about new things. I like this stuff and would get it again if just to change things up some.   

Deep Purple Carrots

Deep Purple Carrots are a variety of carrot grown to have the purple/blue pigments that are supposed to help you with memory. They are indeed bursting iwth pigment and will stain other vegetables cooked near them.

I will have to point out that these carrots can have an inedible core that tastes like hard fibers. This is normally the case with larger carrots or those that have been sitting too long. I can't go out and say these a all that great. To be honest I think I'll stick with cabbage for my purple pigments. 

Wienerschnitzel Chili Cheese Dog

I can say with a fair degree of honesty that I have never been a fan of hot dogs. That said Wienerschnitzel's 'Chili Cheese Dog' almost tastes like something worth eating. The chili is chili(not mud like you get at other places) and the cheese looks like cheese. I would have liked it with more spice and hot enough to really melt that cheese but for a fast food hot dog I can't complain. 

Wienerschnitzel Mug Root Beer Float

If there is one thing in this world I love it's a good root beer float. I make one every year at new years with the best ice cream and root beer I can find.

Sadly this Wienerschnitzel Mug Root Beer Float is not made of the best ingredients, and it falls pale of the floats I make for myself. 

Now, I can't say this was bad, but it was just not all that good and for a treat that is one of my best loved I was let down. Give these a pass.

Wienerschnitzel Loaded Po'Tater

Wienerschnitzel's Loaded Po'Taters are like something I would get in a high school lunch line. Come to think of it, I stopped eating in the lunch line in Jr. High. Anyway, these things are something of a disappointment feeling like a thing that came out of the microwave. 

They looked so good in the ad but ads lie. They lie so hard.

Naturally Wild Smoked Salmon

Naturally Wild Smoked Salmon makes my cat's go crazy. I mean it, I need to get the spray bottle out every time I eat this stuff. Now I haven't had this that often but I can say the cats love nothing greater.

That said it was boneless but had the skin on so that wasn't all that great. I think this is best on crackers but I've been trying everything to get my brother to eat more salads. 

What? Just because I'm fat doesn't mean I won't eat salad!

Spam 25% Less Sodium

The closest thing I've ever had to normal Spam 'Spam 25% Less Sodium' is a healthier alternative to the canned meat like substance. It is not as healthy as Turkey Spam so I still call this a fail, but it's a better than Spam alternative. 

Shasta Orange

For being an Orange Crush knock off 'Shasta Orange' is good stuff. It will not keep the party going until the sun comes up like real Orange Crush, but it tastes just as good. I had this with whisky and vodka and both worked out rather well. Good job Shasta. 

S & W Kidney Beans

S & W Kidney Beans are a read bean that you should defiantly wash well before putting in your salad because they have a strong flavor but washing them will get rid of some of that salt so that's no bad thing. 

These are the only real canned red beans I've ever had, but I can say they have a sweet, earthy flavor. I'm almost certain to get more of these because I eat lots of green stuff.