Snack Review: Smartfood Popcorn Clusters

I love popcorn for breakfast. Every morning, I always take those 100 calorie bags of kettle popcorn with me to work, because they are low in calories and they take a while to eat. However, for the past few weeks I took Frito-Lay Smartfood popcorn clusters with me to work and not only were they tasty, they seemed to satisfy my hunger every morning.

These delicious clusters contain something different in each flavor. Each flavor was coated in caramel, but not so much that it stuck to your teeth. The popcorn had a fresh crisp texture to it and I had to stop myself from pouring the whole bag down my mouth. There were three flavors that I tried: Chocolate Cookie Caramel Pecan, Honey Multigrain and Cranberry Almond.

Read more

Snack Review: Chex Mix Turtle Bar

I have to admit. I have a slight obsession with Chex Mix. I’ve tasted pretty much every product they’ve made, and continually stock my cupboards with Chex Mix brands. So when Chex Mix came out with these new snacks in bar form, I was actually excited.

I couldn’t wait to get my paws on this product because not only did it have Chex Mix, it had lots of other delicious-looking items mixed in as well. I was actually suspecting there would be a party in my mouth. But sometimes having high hopes is just a guarantee for a big let-down.

The Chex Mix Turtle bar has caramel-covered Corn Chex pieces, Wheat Chex pieces, chocolate, peanuts and pretzels. When I first pulled the bar out of the package, I noticed how sticky it was. This was due to the bottom layer of caramel that is on the bottom of this bar.

Now, I love my snacks, probably more than the next guy, but I don’t like snacks that leave residue on my fingers, which is just what this bar did. I like my snacks to be clean, not messy. Why? Because if it’s messy, I tend to shove the whole thing in my mouth before it gets all over me, thus ruining the perfect snacking experience.

Read more

Snack Review: Klondike Caramel Pretzel Bars (and the Wide World of Grocery Store Ice Cream in General)

Slightly under a week ago, our editor Caitlin committed a deed which was simultaneously wonderful and dastardly. She sent each of Snackerrific’s staff writers several coupons for free ice cream products. “But wait,” you might wonder. “That’s downright nice! Wherever does this ‘dastardly’ nonsense come into play?”

You should take into account, dear snackers, that I’m a woman. A not-so-pleasingly plump one at that; all-natural in the midst of L.A. - AKA Silicone Valley. As such, I’ve developed a bit of an unhealthy (so my boyfriend claims) inferiority complex.

I’m attempting to get into slightly better shape, with near-daily gym workouts, but - here’s the rub - I love to eat. More specifically, I enjoy feasting on loads of high-calorie, fatty snacks to the exclusion of “normal” food. So, while the weight appears to be sloooowly releasing itself from my ample curvaceous parts, I doubt I’ll attain a “Hollywood-perfect” body without drastically revamping my eating habits.

As regular Snackerrific readers know, I can’t resist a bargain any more than I can resist a rich ‘n’ sinful delight (my last name is Roth; you do the math). By default, when I see free food, I have to indulge (assuming it’s not chocolate-covered broccoli)! Naturally, coupons for free ice cream treats meant my diet for the next few days would consist of ice cream. Temptation and free review opportunities outweighing visions of a more beautiful body, I headed to the local Ralph’s.

Read more

Snack Review: Breyer’s Overload Fried Ice Cream

Okay, snackers: what’s your favorite carnival food? Are you drawn to the fleeting, airy sweetness of cotton candy? Does the gums-binding goodness of saltwater taffy call your name? Maybe you flip over funnel cakes.

I’m personally quite a fan of churros. Eggy and rich at their centers, with a perfectly warm, crisp shell rolled in sugar, cinnamon and honey, the long Mexican pastries manage to satisfy several of my cravings at once. They’re probably laden with about 700 calories apiece, but somehow I manage to forgive myself for occasional consumption. After all, they’re doused in cinnamon, and everyone knows that counteracts the negative effects of the sugar, or… something like that.

Read more

Snack Review: Jody’s Popcorn

No matter how much the stuff gets stuck between my teeth and sends me to the bathroom to brush or searching for a toothpick, I love popcorn. I’m especially a fan of flavored popcorn like cheese and caramel. Don’t misunderstand though, I still have a soft spot for the smothered-in-butter theater kind as well. However, a girl needs a little flavor in her life, ya know?

I’ve had all kinds of caramel and cheese popcorn and checking out Jody’s Popcorn seemed like the right kind of thing to do. After all, they offer more flavors of popcorn than I ever thought humanely possible.

I was more than pleased to hear that the folks at Jody’s wanted to send me some Popcorn for the tasting. Bring. It. On. I thought.

I received two of my favorites, Double Cheddar and Caramel (under Jody’s classification it was called Recipe 53 Carmel Corn), and Cinnamon Toast.

I will admit that I’m not a popcorn expert by any sense of the word but even so there is proof that when you market a product as such it should taste as such.

Read more