Price: €1.50 for 1 small bag
Serving: 2/3 bag, 25 grams
Calories: 130 per serving
Fat: 13%, 8gg
Sodium: 13%, 300mg
Protein: 1.8g
Carbohydrates: 4%, 12.8g
Fiber: 4%, 1g
Sugar: 0g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 per serving
Nabisco says: Su crujiente textura y su exceptional sabor son fruto de la perfecta union entre el aceite de oliva y la sabiduria de nuestros expertos.
Abi says: If you don’t speak Spanish, here is my crude translation of the product blurb:
These crispy, flavorful chips are the product of the perfect union between olive oil and our expert chip-makers.
I purchased these Olive Oil chips in Spain, so everything on the package is in Spanish. I enjoy that because it gives me a chance to practice my language skills. Also, it is fun to imagine how the text could be translated literally by a non-English speaker.
But this review isn’t about learning a second language. No, this review is about Olive Oil potato chips. That’s right, brilliantly yellow, thick, crunchy, salty chips that pretty much leap from the bag and into your mouth. Okay, so they aren’t that fantastic. They are an olive oil version of a kettle chip: a bit more heft than your average Lay’s chip. And while the Olive Oil taste is interesting, it certainly isn’t the essential, nutty, grassyness of truly fantastic olive oil. One can’t eat a lot of these chips (a selling point perhaps?) and they definitely lack the light airiness of a standard, sunflower-oil friend potato chip.
I think that America will continue to operate just fine without the Olive Oil chip. Or this olive oil chip, but foodies may be up in arms. How else will they be able to produce Ferran Adria’s Egg and Potato Chip Tortilla?
Yeah, the answer would be ‘go to Spain and get some chips’ but once you’re in Spain, fantastic tortillas de patata abound and the reason for these crisps becomes null. What a conundrum!
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Posted on October 2, 2007
Categories: Vegan, Vegetarian, High Fructose Corn Syrup Free, Frito Lay, Three Stars, Potato Chips
Price: $1.00
Serving: 2.4oz., 1 pouch
All information below for apples only
Calories: 35
Fat: 0%, 0g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 0%, 0mg
Protein: 0g
Carbohydrates: 3%, 8g
Fiber: 0%, 0g
Sugar: 6g
Weight Watchers Points: 1 point for 2 pouches
McDonalds says: A bag of delicious sliced and peeled apples.
Abi says: Yeah, yeah, we’re featuring a refrigerated item from McDonalds. But you know what? Apple slices rock. Yeah, yeah, they aren’t as good as a perfectly crisp Gala or Jonagold, but when you’re a mile from a grocery store and you’ve got a 30 minute lunch break, those fancy schmancy apples will have to wait. And yeah, yeah this snack is a bit expensive. But they’re still fabulous.
Why are these apple slices awesome? First, they do not require washing. Second, you won’t end up with apple skin stuck between your teeth. Third, they are somewhat good for you.
Okay, maybe they aren’t really good for you at all. A glance at the nutrition information conveys that the only thing in this bag is a crunchy combination of carbs and sugar. What it doesn’t tell you is that two (Yes, two) bags of apple slices are the ideal fry-eating deterrent. Sure, you could add caramel and call it a dessert, but I prefer to think of these guys as the perfect way to de-guilt a 6 piece box of Chicken Nuggets.
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Posted on October 1, 2007
Categories: Vegan, McDonalds, Vegetarian, High Fructose Corn Syrup Free, Gluten Free, All Natural, Fat Free, Four Stars
Price: $0.49
Serving: 1.27oz., 1 bar
Calories: 130 per bar
Fat: 6%, 4g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 4%, 100mg
Protein: 3g
Carbohydrates: 8%, 24g
Fiber: 12%, 3g
Sugar: 11g
Weight Watchers Points: 2 points
CLIF Kids says: For years, we’ve been packing our kids’ lunches. We’re always looking for foods that are nutritious and organic. That’s why we’re taking a closer look at our kids’ snack options and so are states like California. Senate Bill 19 (SB19) is legislation that sets nutrition guidelines for California’s schools. CLIF ZBar is a CLIF Bar just for kids and the first snack created to be SB19 compliant. These organic energy bars were specifically created with active kids in mind, with the right combination of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and 12 vitamins and minerals. We hope your kids enjoy them!
Abi says: These taste more like raw cookie dough than baked cookies. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
After seeing a post about the CLIF ZBar on Cookie Madness, I decided to keep these in the back of my mind until I made it back to Trader Joe’s and their ridiculously well-priced energy bar section. Sure enough, there were two varieties available: Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Brownie. Yum, I thought.
A lot of so-called Chocolate Chip energy bars fail to deliver on the chocolate, instead offering plenty of grainy protein-containing weirdness that just calls attention to the horrific lack of chocolate in the bar. ZBars avoid that problem completely, putting chocolate inside the bar and drizzling it outside.
The result is a satisfyingly virtuous energy bar made for kids, but perfect for adults who like something a bit sweet. Try one as a mid-afternoon break or bring one along the next time you go for an autumn jaunt in the park. You’ll be happy you followed my advice.
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Posted on September 28, 2007
Categories: CLIF, Two Points, Chocolate, Five Stars, Energy Bars
Price: $0.59
Serving: 0.7oz., 1 bar
Calories: 60 per serving
Fat: 0%, 0g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 0%, 10mg
Protein: 0g
Carbohydrates: 4%, 13g
Fiber: 14%, 3g
Sugar: 6g
Weight Watchers Points: 1 point per bar
Trader Joe’s says: Trader Joe's 100% Pineapple Fruit Bar contains nothing other than 100% sweet, ripe pineapple which is ground into a paste and made into a delicious dried fruit treat. No flavors or fillers of any kind have been added.
We say: Trader Joe’s 100% All Fruit Pineapple Fruit Bar is a good snack. It isn’t super filling, but it provides plenty of flavor. It tastes more like canned pineapple than fresh pineapple, but I like canned pineapple. It is surprisingly tart and makes me gleek on my keyboard at least once every time I eat one. (Gleeking is accidental spitting. I’m not sure how well known this word is, but it is on Wikipedia, so I am going to use it even though the spell check says it doesn’t exist.) I appreciate that the fruit bar is 100% fruit and preservative free. Rather than reaching for a peanut butter cup out of my colleagues’ snack drawer, I’m going to try to stick to fruit bars.
Abi just informed me that it is only one Weight Watchers point. This means that if I was on the Weight Watchers program I could eat 20 of them a day (and nothing else). I don’t think that would satisfy me, but I’m not sure that any 20 Weight Watchers points would satisfy me, so I won’t dock any points for this.
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Posted on September 25, 2007
Categories: Pineapple, Trader Joe's, One Point, Four Stars, Dried Fruit
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