Review: Trader Joe's Macarons Varies

Ahhh, I love macarons.  Seriously, love love love.  When I was in Paris a few years ago, I went to a half-dozen macaron shops in one day to do a taste test. ;)  So yes, I know and love the macaron.

Bonus for my gluten free diet: macarons are gluten free!  There are few ingredients in macarons - the shells are made out of almond flour, sugar, egg whites and cream of tartar.  The filling varies, of course, but is usually a ganache or buttercream or curd - gluten free.

So when I was at Trader Joe's yesterday, I saw this rainbow box of macarons in the freezer section and had to try it.

There are six flavors in here, and I'll run them down now:

• fig: eh, it's okay.  The filling is more like a fruit gel, and reminds me of a Fig Newton ;)
• lemon: yum.  My favorite of the batch.  The filling is also a fruit gel but good lemon flavor.
• apricot: okay.  Not much apricot flavor in the shells but very present in the filling (also fruit gel).
• coconut: good.  Coconut flavor is present in the shells and the filling, which is a white chocolate concoction (based on the ingredients).
• pistachio: horrible!  I usually love pistachio pastries, and this was awful.  The shells were bad, but the filling tasted like vomit to me.  It was so terrible.  Ugh.
• salted caramel: okay.  The filling was a decent salted caramel, and the shells had a light caramel taste to them.

Overall, it's a hard one for me to rate - I think I have to lean towards not recommending, because I only really liked the lemon, I detested the pistachio, and the others were only okay.  For $4.99 for the box of 12 - each macaron was about 1 1/2" in diameter - it's a great price, but overall it was a let down.  I am glad there were no coffee flavored macs in here - seems like they always throw that flavor in an assortment! ;)

Nabisco 100 Calorie Fudge Petites Mint Fudge Chocolate Shortbread

New! A new 100 calorie pack from Nabisco!

Notice the fine print... there are only 5 packs in this box. The "regular" 100 calorie boxes come with 6 packs. This new product is the same price as the others. I am *not* pleased with the ol' grocery-shrink-ray action here.

But I am a chocolate addict, and I love nothing more than chocolate and mint. So I had to buy a box to give it a try. And... I won't be buying another box. These are okay. They've got this white chocolatey coating on the bottom which is a little odd. The flavor is okay, but frankly, these are not as good as the Keebler 100 Calorie Grasshopper cookies. And the loss of one pack from the box is the nail in the coffin on this one. Lame move, Nabisco.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 100
Total Fat 4.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 95 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 7 g
Protein 1 g

Nabisco 100 Calorie Chips Ahoy Double Chocolate Chip cookies

Enough of my whining about my weight. ;)

Back to more tasty reviews!

I like the 100 calorie pack concept - especially when the company comes up with an unique product that you can't get otherwise. These little Nabisco Chips Ahoy "Fudge-Drizzled" double-chocolate chip cookies are a good example.

Like most 100 calorie packs, you don't get a ton of cookies, so you definitely need to slow down and savor. ;) These have a nice chocolate flavor base, and then you get the bonus of chocolate chips and that fudge drizzle. They hit the chocolate spot for me. I would (and have!) buy them again.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 100
Total Fat 4.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 95 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 7 g
Protein 1 g

More on the Godiva Chocolate Cupcakes

I posted last week when I received the Godiva Chocolate Cupcakes as a gift from my family for my birthday. Since they arrived frozen, I just put them directly into my freezer and then thawed them last night. Finally just tried one, and... absolutely totally not worth the $28 cost, and then you add the absurd shipping charges - over $50 for the 6 cupcakes, and they are *not* worth it.

Godiva's web site describes them as:

"These sublime little cakes conceal an irresistible surprise inside – a luscious center of Godiva chocolate ganache. Our rich, moist, chocolate cupcakes are offered by the half dozen, all iced in pink vanilla buttercream especially for Valentine’s Day, or three each in chocolate and vanilla buttercream for a romantic weekend’s worth of indulgent nibbling."

Uh, that surprise was so well-hidden that we didn't see any sign of it. Even cut a cupcake in half, and no ganache in there. Seriously, what the heck? Completely and ridiculously overpriced, and not at all sublime or indulgent - or moist even. Sad.

and I'm still irritated by their web site description:

"We take as much care in shipping your Godiva order as we do in making our delicious confections. This product requires the overnight delivery method to ensure freshness."

Yes, so very fresh that they are *frozen*. Shame on you, Godiva.

Godiva Chocolate Cupcakes

Today is my birthday. Anyone who knows me knows that I love cake. Despite this blog being mostly about weight loss, I am a huge fan of cake. ;)

My family lives 2000 miles away, so my stepmom so generously ordered cupcakes for me from Godiva!

She sent the "Limited Edition Chocolate Cupcakes" pictured here. From Godiva's web site:

"These sublime little cakes conceal an irresistible surprise inside – a luscious center of Godiva chocolate ganache. Our rich, moist, chocolate cupcakes are offered by the half dozen, all iced in pink vanilla buttercream especially for Valentine’s Day, or three each in chocolate and vanilla buttercream for a romantic weekend’s worth of indulgent nibbling."

For the six cupcakes, Godiva charges $28. Ouch, but c'mon, they're adorable. However, they also require overnight shipping ($23) - "This product requires the overnight delivery method to ensure freshness." So, over $50 for 6 cupcakes. But if they're tasty and fresh, perhaps worth it?

Well... they arrived today, and they're completely frozen. The card inside the box says "For best thawing results, place the Godiva Cupcakes in the refrigerator overnight." Are you kidding me? They spent over $50 on cupcakes, and they're frozen and I can't even enjoy one on my birthday today?!

*Nothing* on the Godiva web site indicates that they're shipping a frozen product. I called Godiva to express my disappointment, and the gentleman tells me "they're fresh-frozen", as though that's going to make a difference here. I am certain no one would spend $50 to send frozen cupcakes to a loved one.

The box was wrapped with a card that has the pretty picture on the front and the ingredients & nutritional info on the back (I'll post the nutritional info at the bottom here like my regular food posts). It also includes a lot number (34891), which I would give anything to be able to translate into an actual production date. Many companies start with the day of the year in their lot codes, and "348" would translate to December 14 - over two months ago.

Extremely disappointed by Godiva here. Disclose that you're shipping a frozen product baked who knows when and don't force the customer to pay a $15 overnight shipping surcharge for a product that won't even arrive fresh-baked.

Nutrition Facts (per cupcake)
Calories 430
Total Fat 23g (35% daily value)
Saturated Fat 11g (55% daily value)
Cholesterol 70mg (23% daily value)
Sodium 150mg (6% daily value)
Total Carbohydrates 52g (17% daily value)
Dietary Fiber 2g (8% daily value)
Sugars 43g
Protein 3g

Sweethearts disappointment

I love February 15 - the day after Valentine's day, when all the candy goes on sale. ;) Yesterday I was delighted to pick up a bag of NECCO's Sweetheart candies - the cute little conversation hearts. My favorites are the white (mint) and yellow (banana).

Well... I forgot that I had heard that they changed their formulas. From their web site:
"All new flavors for 2010 Sweethearts® include Strawberry, Green Apple, Lemon, Grape, Orange and Blue Raspberry. The new Sweethearts® have been re-formulated to be softer and more fun to eat."

No more white mint hearts.

No more yellow banana hearts.

My heart... it is breaking.

The new flavors, quite honestly, suck. I love lemon candies, and this lemon is awful - way too tart and... just tart. Blecgh. No lemon flavor at all. The grape was decent, and the strawberry was tolerable, but overall, it was a bag filled of disappointment.

Bring back the old flavors, please! :)

Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Vitatops

The final new-to-me vitatop review for now. ;) I've written about their banana fudge vitatops and vitabrownies (both of which I wouldn't buy again), and their triple chocolate chunk vitatops and their chocolate mint vitatops (both recommended!). They're pricey, but given the 100 calories and all the vitamins in there, it's a much better snack than my usual 100-calorie cookies from Keebler/Nabisco ;)

I took this one out from the freezer in the morning and put it in my lunch bag to go to work. I ate it about 3 1/2 hours later, and it was definitely room temperature by then. (They supposedly thaw in 30 minutes but I've never checked.)

This is a good one. I don't know if I really tasted much pomegranate flavor - I got some sort of a fruity undertone, but it wasn't much. It was fine though. The dark chocolate flavor was good, and the chips were tasty. I wouldn't tell a friend who loves pomegranates that this is a MUST BUY for them, but for me, who likes poms but isn't a fanatic, it's fine. This is definitely a tasty treat (and probably rocks even more when warmed!).

Nutrition Facts
Calories 100
Total Fat 1.5g
Saturated Fat 0.5g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 140mg
Total Carbohydrates 21g
Dietary Fiber 6g
Sugars 11g
Protein 3g

Chocolate Mint Vitatops

Now, this is a flavor I've been looking forward to trying - I LOVE mint! I've written about their banana fudge vitatops and vitabrownies (both of which I wouldn't buy again), and their triple chocolate chunk vitatop (which I would buy again - and in fact did order in this latest round!). Keep in mind that the main drawback here is the price - but you buy 'em online in a 24 pack and chuck 'em in the freezer. It's just hard to keep that much space open in the freezer ;) (It's not a huge box but my freezer space is very limited!)

I tried this one at room temperature over the weekend, and I declare it a success. I cannot wait to try it heated - this flavor with melty action is going to be great!

It's got a good amount of mint kick to it, but it's not overwhelming at all. Nice little chunks of chocolate (they're never as big as they look in the pictures, sadly).

These may be my new favorite flavor. ;)

Nutrition Facts
Calories 100
Total Fat 2.5g
Saturated Fat 1.5g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 150mg
Total Carbohydrates 26g
Dietary Fiber 6g
Sugars 13g
Protein 4g

Banana Fudge VitaTops

I've written about other VitaMuffin products in the past - their vitabrownies (not recommended) and their triple chocolate chunk vitatops (recommended). I haven't ordered any in awhile since they're really pricey and I haven't seen any good specials in ages.

Last week they ran a free shipping offer with a Halloween pack where you could choose four chocolate flavors to make your own pack. I ordered on Monday morning, which their web site said would have the products arriving to my door on Thursday. They didn't even ship my package until Wednesday, and it came on Friday (which was nervewracking because we were heading out of town for a long weekend and I didn't want these to stay outside that whole time!). I chucked one of the banana fudge and one of the chocolate mint into my bag and took 'em with us on our trip.

I tried the banana fudge a day later, at room temperature. I almost always eat vitatops from the freezer, popping them in the microwave for 30 seconds so they get warm and melty. Since this one was room temperature, it wasn't warm or melty, but it was still okay. I did not get much of a banana taste in this product, which was very disappointing. I am a huge fan of bananas and was really looking forward to this item! I've had their banana nut vitatops in the past, and they're tasty (would be even better without the nuts!).

Overall, I guess I can't really recommend these? It's a hard call. I've now tried all four of the flavors I bought, and this one is just okay. I wouldn't throw them out, but I wouldn't order them again. There are better flavors.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 100
Total Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 220mg
Total Carbohydrates 24g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Sugars 8g
Protein 4g

DIY Frozen Yogurt

Keepin' it simple at work, I've been bringing a container of yogurt with me each day and throwing it into the freezer in the early afternoon. I eat it two hours later, when it's mostly frozen through. It takes awhile to eat and I find it really refreshing.

I've been eating the Dannon Light and Fit yogurts, 80 calories per container, but I'm getting annoyed by the Splenda aftertaste. So yesterday and today, I put a half-cup of Trader Joe's Greek-style Nonfat yogurt into a cup-sized Gladware, and mixed in a tablespoon of homemade low-sugar strawberry preserves. It was quite tasty! The TJ's Greek-style is really, really thick. I think another tablespoon of the preserves would help perk up the flavor (or maybe use my peach preserves instead). It's a lot less calories and a ton more protein than the artificially-flavored Dannon action.

Trader Joe's Tart Frozen Yogurt

(photo swiped from the lovely Fro-Yo Girl's blog - love her site!!)

I am a total tart frozen yogurt junkie - I am so delighted by all the shops opening up these days (but sadly none within walking distance of my house). I saw Ms. Fro-Yo Girl post about this new option at Trader Joe's, and I had to go pick it up today. LOVE IT! It's huge - a quart! - for $3.49! It's much cheaper than the Haagen-Dazs and I like Trader Joe's more as a company than H-D (where a "pint" no longer is a pint). Anyway, I tried some for dessert tonight and I'm very happy. It's a bit hard - or maybe that's just my freezer - but it's got a nice zip to it. I added some dark chocolate shavings to my glass and it was quite the tasty treat. I will definitely be stocking this baby in my freezer from now on! Thanks, TJ (and Fro-Yo Girl for the heads-up!)

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Calories 110
Total Fat 0g
Saturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 25mg
Total Carbohydrate 20g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Protein 1g

Weight Watchers Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling

Twinkies, these ain't, but they're not too bad. They're about half the calories (and half the size/weight) of a Twinkie - and frankly, they're not very fulfilling. I'd rather have a Zinger and enjoy the double-calories. But given that this is a little sweet treat, I'm surprised that it's only 80 calories - and 3 grams of fiber! Wha? However, I didn't feel sated on any level after eating one of these. Bummer!

Nutrition Facts
Calories 80
Total Fat 3.0 g
Cholesterol 15.0 mg
Sodium 80.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15.0 g
Dietary Fiber 3.0 g
Sugars 7.0 g
Protein 1.0 g

Triple Chocolate Chunk VitaTops

Ahhh, Vitatops. These folks aren't fooling around - one of these treats has 50% of your Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B, Biotin & Zinc! And 5 grams of fiber for 100 calories - color me intrigued.

I'm a big fan of Hungry Girl and she raves about 'em so I ordered this special pack with the flavor she developed with them, Triple Chocolate Chunk. You buy 'em by the case and throw 'em in the freezer (and the box is taking up most of my small freezer!). Anyway, you microwave one and enjoy the warm chocolatey goodness. However, they don't look like the picture at all and I was let down by that. Most of mine have maybe 4 or 5 chips on top - I've had several that had no white chocolate at all, and they're certainly not overflowing with chips like the picture would lead you to believe. But they are a tasty treat. I find them to be dry, so I usually top one with a tablespoon of Marshmallow Fluff or my favorite sorbet. Today I topped one with strawberries tossed in balsamic and that rocked. ;)


Nutrition Facts
Calories 100
Total Fat 1.5g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 150mg
Potassium 130mg
Total Carbohydrates 23g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Sugars 10g
Protein 3g

Deep & Velvety Chocolate VitaBrownie

These VitaMuffin products are really pricey, but they're 100 calories for chocolatey goodness - had to try them. Stored in the freezer, you microwave them when you're ready to eat. I really, really want to like these but they're just okay. I don't care for the walnuts on top, but I do love a warm chocolate treat. I like to top one with a dollop of whipped topping or Marshmallow Fluff (surprisingly low in calories!). I like other VitaMuffin products better than this one.



Nutrition Facts
Calories 100
Total Fat 2 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 120 mg
Potassium 190 mg
Total Carbohydrates 23 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 4 g

Miss Meringue Peppermint Crust Minis

I'm a fan of the Miss Meringue products, and I love candy canes, so why not? Well, they're not very good. They're the mini vanilla meringues with some crushed stale candy canes sprinkled on the top. No mint flavor in the meringues. The candy cane bits tasted really stale and not all that good overall. Meh.



Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: About 9 Cookies
Calories 110
Total Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 20 mg
Total Carbohydrates 25 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 25 g
Protein 1 g

Trader Joe's Chocolate Chip Meringues by Miss Meringue

OH HOW I LOVE THESE!

Trader Joe's is selling them again - I stocked up, seriously! They re-brand select products from the Miss Meringue company, and this is one of my most favorite items. (My ultimate favorite was a mint chocolate chip they haven't sold for years.)

Anywho, they satisfy my sweet tooth nicely. I nibble on them, and let the meringue melt on my tongue. So tasty.

Nutrition Facts (per 2 pieces)
Calories 60.0
Total Fat 0.8 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 8.0 mg
Potassium 0.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 12.5 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Sugars 12.0 g
Protein 1.0 g

Keebler Right Bites Grasshopper

These come 13 tiny cookies to a pack - they look like chocolate covered Froot Loops (they're tiny, I tell you, and there's a hole in the middle). Actually, they're only coated in chocolate on the bottom, but the tiny cookie itself is dark brown and has little ridges on it. This is crying out for a cup of milk on the side. Oh. My. Gosh. They're fantastic. The smell is right. The flavor is right. The chocolate is good. The mint is good. They're ALL GOOD, people! I will so be buying more of these. Awesome. Go Keebler!

Nutrition Facts
Calories 100.0
Total Fat 3.5 g
Saturated Fat 2.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 70.0 mg
Potassium 0.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 14.0 g
Dietary Fiber 1.0 g
Sugars 5.0 g
Protein 2.0 g

Weight Watchers Lemon Snack Cake

These little guys are TASTY! Weight Watchers has these little one-point lemon snack cakes (along with chocolate, caramel and carrot) and the lemon are by far my favorite. They remind me of Zingers, without the filling (and now I see that Zingers has a 100-calorie version - need to try those). The lemon flavor is subtle, and I really enjoy the icing on top. These are sold in some stores in the freezer, but I much prefer these at room temperature. Not filling at all, they do hit the spot when you want a little tasty bite.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 80
Total Fat 2.5 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 5 mg
Sodium 90 mg
Total Carbohydrates 14 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 10 g
Protein 1 g