Posts Tagged ‘Apple’

This Week at Grocery Outlet – Wino Edition!

4 comments Written on March 12th, 2012 by
Categories: Deals, Drinks, Food
Tags: , , , , ,

This post comes on the heels of Grocery Outlet wrapping up their semi-annual wine sale, where every wine in stock is 20% off the normal price. Since we were stopping by on a fine Daylight Savings Sunday anyway to pick up our usual stash of Corn Nuts and energy drinks, we figured we might as well browse the bubbly and see what was up for grabs.

While I’m hardly a wine connoisseur (as you’ll see in a bit by the bottles I picked up), there are loads to choose from. If you can’t decide, there’s even a handy Grocery Outlet specific guide here (using GO’s other nickname “Gross Out”). You can tell how cheap Ben and I are when he scoffed that $6 was still too much for a bottle; guess he’s used to the $3 Chuck at Trader Joe’s. In addition to my normal shopping, I did end up splurging on a couple of bottles to tide me over in the meantime. Here’s some goods we ended up spotting and documenting for your reading pleasure:

1. Sweet Pea Apple Wine with Blackberry Flavor ($2.99 + 20% off) and Chocolate Shop – The Chocolate Lover’s Wine, Red Wine with Natural Dark Chocolate Flavor ($9.99 + 20% off)

As you can tell, I’m a sucker for novelty labels and things that may or may not fall under the defintion of “wine”. While I figure that the apple-blackberry wine is probably akin to a tart, slightly alcoholic juice, I’ve been duped before (Google “Chocovine Reviews” for more fun). Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

2. Chorizo Chipotle Corn Nuts, 4 oz bag – 69 cents

Because we haven’t seen the likes of these since we did one of our very first reviews on the same product back in January 2011. I don’t really expect these to last long in our cupboard since we’re not reviewing them again and they are full of spicy, meaty deliciousness.

 

3. Crying Tiger Ramen Noodle Soup, Beef Flavor – 15 cents

I’d be lying if I said we purchased it for reasons other that the name “Crying Tiger” but it looks like a standard beef ramen (a taste test will tell the truth). Oddly enough, the tiger on the package isn’t even crying, much less is he even disappointed that his face and species is attributed to a pack of cheap ramen.

 

4. BetterOats Mom’s Best Naturals Maple & Brown Sugar flavor and Lavish Dark Chocolate Oatmeal with Flax – 50 cents each

Next to the wholesome Mom-approved/”Mom’s Best” brand, the Lavish oatmeal looks downright seductive. Ben buys snacks for his co-workers to sample from his workspace so he figured he’d get a healthy alternative to the norm of Super Mario & My Little Pony fruit snacks, though I can’t say how healthy dark chocolate oatmeal (with flax!) might be.

5. Belly Flops Irregular Jelly Beans (aka Jelly Belly factory rejects), one pound – $2.99

Nothing like buying a product with the word “irregular” in the name (besides Metamucil and Ex-Lax). On closer inspection, the bag contains things like conjoined twin Buttered Popcorns and snake-like Green Apples, so if anything you’re getting more candy per bite! Jelly Belly says: “Belly Flops are no less flavorful, or lovable, than regular Jelly Belly jelly beans; they just come in wild shapes and sizes. You may find one that’s round, one that’s square, or you may even find a bunch stuck together. On very rare occasions, a flavor may not match a color. A red Belly Flop might taste like Blueberry, or a white one might taste like Chocolate Pudding. Crazy!”

BONUS: THE NOTEBOOK LIMITED EDITION GIFT SET – $9.99

Stickers! Stationery! Bookmarks! Ryan Gosling! Here’s a great one star review I found on Amazon.com:

“I borrowed my sister in laws DVD of this movie cause everyone told me how romantic it was. What they neglectecd to inform me was that it was an emotional roller coaster through out the movie in which I wanted to kick my tv, plus I didnt know I’d need to watch it with a whole box of tissues. I was either mad or cried throughout the entire movie! But I figured it was ok as long as it had a happy ending. I’m not gonna say too much there for those of you who hasnt see it yet, but what the heck was that ending about? That was soooo sad I was blubbering like a baby. Needless to say, after the movie I was so upset I actually threw the remote control. I have now boycotted the movie from my house. A little drastic you say? Not to somebody who used an entire box of kleenex throughout the movie. In closing, hated the movie! Watch at your own risk. (and with tissues)”

Have a great week everyone. Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, don’t imbibe too much and we’ll be back next week with another review.

IZZE Sparkling Birch Beverage

No Comments » Written on August 3rd, 2011 by
Categories: Drinks
Tags: , , ,

Son of a birch.

Product: IZZE Sparkling Birch Beverage
Purchased at: Valley Liquidation
Price: 50 cents per bottle

Sometimes you need a change from the soda classics like cola, lemon-lime and orange. Even former standbys like root beer and ginger ale seem to have gone mainstream. Companies now are even using alternative flavors like lavender, cucumber, rhubarb, lemongrass, etc. (I’m sad I didn’t visit Dry Soda’s tasting room when I worked in Seattle). And of course we all know Jones Soda Co. with their classic holiday flavors (there’s actually a bottle of “Tofurky and Gravy” on eBay at this moment).

My curiously was piqued when I saw this bottle of IZZE’s Sparkling Birch flavored beverage. Up until now I was frankly unaware that the oil extracted from the sap of the good old Betula lenta could be used for drinks, food, gum, syrup and more.

If you’re anywhere skeptical about drinking something flavored with birch, keep in mind we’ve been using roots, bark, leaves for ages to make medicine and drinks (root beer, ginger ale). IZZE’s website also mentions, “Once worshiped as a Goddess in Russia, the birch tree offers a rare extract that gives you the divine taste of IZZE sparkling Birch.” I was hesitant that I’d have an epiphany while drinking the stuff but I gave it a go.

Interestingly enough, birch drink/soda/beverage (or “birch beer” as it’s usually called) is a pretty common thing on the other side of the country (take note there’s actually an alcoholic birch beer, because frankly, you can pretty much make alcohol out of anything). Perhaps evergreen flavored soda and liquor are in order for the Great Northwest, though I’d recommend trying balzams if you’ve ever wanted to experience what a distilled forest would taste like.

At first sip, this drink was very similar to root beer (which I have to honestly admit I’m not the biggest fan of). Compared to its darker brown counterpart, the taste was just slightly fruitier and didn’t have the strong carbonation bite that most commercially produced sodas too. It also uses sugar so there’s none of that syrupy, cloying HFCS taste. The drink is colored with “natural apple extract” which I assumed gave it its apple juice-like hue. The other reviews I read were pretty harsh but I guess if I paid the Whole Foods price for a bottle of this stuff, I might be a bit upset too.

Though IZZE was bought by PepsiCo in 2006, I look forward to trying their other drinks they have on the market. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of this particular drink, I admit I did have by anti-root beer bias going into it. I bet Ben would enjoy it and I think you would to if you’re a fan of the herbal-style flavor (you could even attempt a birch float if you’re so inclined). I do admit I really enjoy the other IZZE flavors I’ve tried in the past (blackberry, clementine and grapefruit flavors) so unfortunately, my dislike of this one was purely a choice of personal preference.

GoGo SqueeZ Applesauce

No Comments » Written on March 4th, 2011 by
Categories: Food
Tags: , ,

Product: GoGo SqueeZ Applesauce (Flavor Reviewed: Apple Banana)
Purchased at: Valley Liquidation
Price: $1.49/box (4 resealable pouches)

Marisa’s Take: The phrase gogo has all but faded out of the English lexicon. Gone are the good ol’ days of things like go-go boots and “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go“. Thankfully, GoGo SqueeZ has come to the rescue to liven up our language in addition to providing applesauce that comes in a pouch so you don’t need a spoon.

I used to take applesauce in my lunches all the time, from elementary school up through college. I always forgot a spoon so I had to regretfully use the foil lid as a poor substitute, in turn, usually cutting up the sides of my mouth and making people even more uncomfortable in my presence. GoGo SqueeZ would have been godsend back then, both for my poor mouth as well as my social life.

Gogo Squeez is technically meant for children, but those among us with little hands can appreciate it too. Plus, there’s no additional sugar added because that’s the last thing that most kids need these days. It’s pretty tasty – it seems more “pureed” than regular applesauce. If I happen to break my jaw someday, I’ll be set.

When I first picked this item up at Valley Liquidation, they had all of the flavors in stock, but when I stopped buy a week or so later, all but two boxes were gone. I’ve love to try the ApplePeach and AppleStrawberry sometime.

Ben’s Take: If you’ve ever wanted to eat applesauce like a commander of the Space Shuttle you don’t need to look any further than GoGo SqueeZ’s line of apple sauces. It’s applesauce. It’s in a moon pouch. Best of all, it’s easy to eat in zero gravity. (Okay, I don’t actually know how good it is in zero-g but if you want to pay for my trip on the Vomit Comet I’ll be more than happy to give you a field report).

Eating food out of a pouch isn’t a terribly foreign concept even for non-astronauts, kids start learning to drink from a pouch via Capri Sun’s sugary beverages, and in some countries they can purchase their milk in a bag. Not a particularly big stretch from applesauce in a suckable container. Heck, you could even consider Gogurt, camping food, and Meal, Ready to Eat (MREs) as a form of training to GoGo SqueeZ, or as I like to call it, “space commander apple sauce”.

Now that is quite enough about the novelty of the space commander sauce’s pouch. Today, we’re to discuss the banana-applesauce contents of the space commander pouch. At first taste, the tartness of the apple alerts your taste buds to its presence, but once your tongue adjusts to the apple the hint of banana comes out. It’s rather pleasant and complex, especially for what amounts to baby food in astronaut food’s clothing.

Even though Materne adds no sugar added to this particular applesauce, it is pleasantly sweet. I found it interesting that the ingredients were so simple. Each pouch contains four ingredients. “Apple, Banana, Apple Juice Concentrate, Lemon Juice Concentrate.” Surprisingly, and at least in my mind, pleasantly Spartan. Now I’m no mommy, and for the record I’m rather opposed to how many mommy blogs operate, but if I had kids I would consider keeping this stuff on hand. It’s quite tasty and it’s comforting to know that it’s not loaded with extra sugar or salt. Heck. I’d consider keeping this stuff on hand for me. Mmm. Baby astronaut food.

Going back to the pouch, it does have its advantages and disadvantages. I’ll start with the disadvantages: I really liked how this applesauce tasted. It was really tasty, but when I reached the end of the package there was just a little left inside of the hard plastic mouthpiece that I just couldn’t get to. Just a little tasty morsel waiting there. Teasing my taste buds. Begging to be eaten. It was infuriating trying to get to them. At least with a Mott’s applesauce cup I could lick the inside of the cup like a Welsh Corgi trying to get at the peanut butter at the bottom of the jar. But this? Nope. The only way to get to that last morsel is to chew, and chew I did, but it just wasn’t worth the effort once I finally got to my prize.

On the plus side, the pouch doesn’t require the use of tools and you don’t look like an utter fool trying to make a makeshift spoon out o the aluminum foil lid, which invariably leads to me forgetting about my fillings and chewing on the lid. The pouches also fit quite well in my driver’s side map pouch on my car’s door. Handy for when you’re stuck in traffic.  Finally, if you’re Jewish, these guys are totally kosher. I guess that’s cool?

Really, these pouches are pretty handy and the product is really tasty. For a buck fifty they’re totally worth the purchase, but I can’t see myself paying much more than two dollars for one of these guys. It’s cool, and it’s nice that there’s no added sugar but I’d go without applesauce before I paid any more than that.

Postscript: Coincidentally, we won some Apple Cinnamon GoGo SqueeZ from Jason at BevNerd.com a couple weeks after we first bought and sampled this product. Not sure which one I prefer (the Apple Cinnamon tastes kind of like pureed apple pie filling), but they’re both tasty. I’m curious though – the front of the box says “99.9% Fruit & Cinnamon” and the ingredients reads “Apple, Cinnamon:. What’s the other 0.1%?