Review of Dole Sunflower Crunch Chopped Salad

A month into the new year, I have hit the ground running with trying to get fit and cut down on daily caloric intake. I have not done anything too drastic but tried to find areas of the day where I can offset weekend and occasional indulgences. That time of day to right the ship is my lunch. I have recently gotten into the habit of packing a salad with protein (usually grilled chicken). I typically go with salad kits by Taylor Farms (Meijer or Jewel), Little Salad bar series (Aldi), or the Dole line of salad kits sold at most grocers.

 

This review will discuss the Dole Chopped Sunflower Crunch Salad. Dole like the other brands mentioned above has a decent variety of salad kits that include a variety of twists and turns whether you crave Asian, Latino, Ranch, barbecue……the list goes on and on. I was intrigued by the Sunflower option as I really enjoy sunflower seeds in foods and was inspired by the advertised sweet onion and citrus dressing.

Packaging

The salad kit is sold in the nine and a half generous size clear package with the trademark Dole label at the top with pink Sunflower crunch label in front showing icons of every veggie and flavor expected in this kit. A good portion of the bag is transparent so you can get a pretty good idea what is inside the kit (more on that later). There are smaller packages tucked inside the salad kit. One package contains the dressing. The second package contains the sunflower seeds. The last small package includes bacon bits. Finding the Dole kits is no mystery at my local Meijer or Jewel as they are positioned in back walls of produce aisle next to bulk lettuces and greens.

Price

The price of this salad kit is $4.49 (as of February 2024). The nutrition labeling on the back assessed this kit to contain 3 and a half servings which comes out to about a $1.28 per serving. Since this is my lunch or meal replacement, I portion his kit out into two lunches for the week which makes each portion about $2.25 (not including the grilled chicken that I purchase separately and add in for my protein).

                                       

Convenience

There is a pretty good abundance of items in this salad kit that includes finely chopped leaf lettuce, cabbage, and kale, along with bacon, seeds, carrots, and dressing. You just tear apart the packages and place everything in a bowl and toss or shake it up! My method was slightly different as I portion out half of the dry ingredients into a Tupperware bowl and place half the dressing in small sealable container, then refrigerate when I get to work. Once I get to the lunch hour, I mix them all up in a bowl and add the diced chicken. All in, the meal is about 400 to 425 calories. Not bad, but I do add a small portion of Italian or French bread to partner up with this chopped salad.

 

Taste/Texture

Crunch, crunch, crunch away! The chopped salad has a very crunchy texture given the multitude of cabbages and sunflower seeds. This New Years chopped salad plan is my battle of the bulge, so I should not complain about the cabbage. The sweet onion citrus dressing hits pretty darn good and I would consider this dressing one of the better ones amongst the salad kits out there. The bacon bits are trivial and while they add some flavor the salad would be okay even without it.  

 

Overall Result

 

The Dole Sunflower crunch salad mix proved to be a decent lunch as it provides plenty of good flavor and keeps the waistline honest too, although I had two strikes against this salad. One was the large cabbage core that was included in my bagged salad mix. Did not expect that, nor did I spy that “roughage” through the see-through packaging. The second strike was the dressing was scarce after mixing up the salad mix. Not sure if the cabbage and chicken absorbed it all or there maybe just wasn’t enough. I really liked this dressing and craved more. Would I buy this salad again? Of course, given the price point, decent flavor, and convenience of it all.  I would also like to explore making these kinds of salads from scratch at the beginning of the week to maybe save a little more money and keep the core out of the mix. The most difficult part will be trying to find a copy cat for the salad dressing. Here’s to healthy eating; at least one part of the day!

Review of Friendly Farms Whipped Dairy Topping

 

Whip cream is a staple in our home. We put it on desserts, hot chocolate, coffee and sometime take a shot right out of the can when passing by the fridge. (C’mon there are a lot of us out there that do this!). Just about every store carries the well-known brand Reddi Wip, but most stores like Publix, Meijer, Jewel, Kroger, etc. all carry their own labels. Aldi is no exception. Doing a good portion of our weekly shopping from Aldi, we also purchase whipped cream from Aldi under the label of Friendly Farms Whipped Diary Topping.  

 

Packaging

The pressurized whipped cream from Aldi is sold in a red thirteen ounce can with a white band through the middle. The red plastic top has a small safety ring at the base. The nutrition label is printed on back side of the spray.

 

Price

The cost of the thirteen ounce can of Friendly Farms Whipped Dairy topping is $2.99 versus same size can of Reddi Wip at Jewel which sells for $4.49 or the Meijer label that sells for $3.59. Huge difference!

 

Convenience

The best part of canned whipped dairy cream is the convenience. It does not get much easier than pouring yourself a cup of hot chocolate only to finish it off with squeezing the nozzle to get an instant blast of cream for a topper or grabbing a handful of strawberries and topping it off. Gone is the day of having to use a chilled mixer with wire beater to make your own whipped cream from scratch that would take ten to fifteen minutes.  Need to also give the can a good shake before you press the nozzle otherwise you will disperse a watered-down version as the ingredients within the can tend to separate when sitting on the shelf. The other great convenience with the whipped cream is that it is pasteurized and will typically last in the fridge for two to three weeks. (the expire date is stamped on the can). The homemade version will get you a few days at most.

 

Taste/Texture

The taste of this Aldi stocked whipped cream is no different than the other brands I have used (e.g. Reddi Wip, Lucerne, Meijer). The Friendly Farms Whipped Dairy Cream has the right balance of creaminess and sweetness. While this convenient canned whipped cream has a good flavor and texture, it certainly does not fare as well as the home prepared version that has a much richer and slightly heavier and sweeter taste.

 

 

Overall Result

 

The Friendly Farms Whipped Topping seemed to check all the boxes here. It has the lowest price, is very convenient and it has a taste that measures up to the competition.  The main differentiator here is the price difference against the competition. I would recommend this product as a keeper.

Review of Walmart Equate Multipurpose Solution - Contact Lenses

 

As this review site is primarily dedicated to food reviews, I thought I might take time aside to address a non-food item that I use daily…. contact lens solution. I have been wearing contacts for over forty years and while much has changed in the style and comforts of contacts; little has changed in the solutions used for cleaning, rinsing, storage, and disinfecting. Name brand solutions such as Opti-Free, Acuvue and Bausch and Lomb are the reputable brands that are usually carried and endorsed by Optometrists; my own being no exception. After my annual eye exam, I usually enjoy the benefit of the practitioner sending me home with several “sample sizes” of Opti-Free which usually gets me through a month of solution. The honeymoon is then over when I shop for contact lens solutions to replace the used-up samples. A standard bottle of multipurpose contact lens solution from these name brands can range anywhere between $10 and $20 per bottle. I usually go with the Opti-Free solution that is about $10. However, awhile back I decided to give the Walmart Equate brand multipurpose contact lens solution a try. I went with the twin pack (2 – 12-ounce bottles) for about measly eight dollars.

Packaging

The packaging consists of a white and green box with big “2 Pack” written on top across a yellow band. The bottles within the box contain a plastic safety seal that needs to be carefully removed to be able to open the bottle. There is no storage case included like I sometimes receive with the Opti-Free box.

Multi Purpose Function

Once upon a time, owning a pair of contacts usually meant having to keep several different solutions on hand. One bottle was for disinfecting, the other for storage, one for rinsing, etc. Thank goodness these companies decided to come up with a multi-purpose solution that did all these functions, a huge cost saver. The Equate brand covers all these functions. Once the contact lens is removed, I rinse each contact under a stream of the solution and place them in the storage container. I did not notice any different steps between using Equate vs Opti-Free solution.

 

Results

So, was the cost savings a game changer for using Equate and dumping Opti-Free? Not really. While going through the first phase of using the Walmart brand, I had used the solution freely as I would use a more generous amount to really rinse those contacts since I saved so much money up front. When using the Equate brand, aside from using a steady stream to clean the contacts, I also had to give the lenses a good rub between thumb and forefinger to remove any deposits that built up that were not naturally removed by the disinfectant (as the Opti-Free did a better job of really cleaning the contacts). The first two bottles did do a decent job of rinsing and storing the contacts, though cleaning and disinfecting were “fair” at best. When I used up the two bottles of the Walmart Equate brand, I decided to purchase another: big mistake! Upon first using the solution, I noticed that my eyes were slightly irritated with a slight stinging sensation and could not even keep the lenses in my eyes, so I had to wear glasses that day. I wasn’t sure if I was getting a false positive due to maybe something like soap or debris, so I tried again the next day and experienced the same irritation. Naturally I went back to Opti-Free. I may or may not give Equate another shot in the future as perhaps that bad experience was chalked up to a bad batch. I would rate this a do not buy to potentially a “fair” grade.

 

Review of Meijer Protein Chewy Bars – Dark Chocolate with Peanut Butter

 

Early morning commutes to work sometimes will require grab and go convenience foods. The trick is trying to find something that will not be overwhelming in calories or fat to start the day. I usually opt for fruit, bagel, or the occasional protein bar. Of the numerous protein bars available, I typically purchase the Nature’s Valley chewy protein bars. Typically, I get the chocolate peanut or chocolate almond varieties that are sold five in small box or ten to a box. In a recent trip to Meijer, I noticed the store carried its own line of protein bars known as Meijer Protein Chewy Bars Dark Chocolate with Peanut Butter. I found these in the snack bar aisle at Meijer next to all the other mainstream energy bars such as Kind, Nature Valley, etc. and decided to give them a try as they appeared to be much cheaper than the brand label from Nature’s Valley.

Packaging

The protein bars are sold in different size box options of five or ten bars. The small box is orange with large font of PROTEIN written on the front. Inside the box are five packaged protein bars measuring in at 1.4 ounces. The individual bar packages are a deep green with PROTEIN label and in white font. The labeling is very 1980s generic or resembles the font used on MRE labels. There are also pictures of peanuts and chocolate on the package. Slightly comical label.

Price

The cost of the box of five bars is $3.19 (as of February 2024). The neighboring Nature’s Valley option is $4.54 for 5 bars.

 Convenience

It doesn’t get much simpler than this. You open the box, grab a packaged bar, and throw it in your backpack or gym bag for later snack or breakfast. I sampled mine on my morning commute to work. I put one in my son’s backpack for after practice snacking. They are small, so they fit in just about any size compartment.

 Taste/Texture

The bar contains chopped peanuts throughout with partial submersion in a dark chocolate. I enjoyed the flavor as the combination of peanuts and chocolate do not seem too heavy on either end or at just the right amount. There is not enough chocolate to consider this a dessert treat and just enough to make this a passable breakfast or protein break after a run or workout. The peanuts are ground small enough to give this bar sort of a rice candy or whatchamacallit candy bar experience.

Overall Result 

The protein bar proved a worthy snack or breakfast item. My son did not think so and rated it bland, though he does not appear eager to eat the Nature Valley options either when I get them. Does this protein bar measure up to a breakfast sandwich or oatmeal out of thermos? Of course not, but I did like saving a dollar over the Nature Valley brand. Calorie totals were very low as they top off at 190 per bar to keep it honest. While I like the taste of the Nature Valley brand a tad better, I would rate this a decent purchase and buy them again.

Review of Vigo Classic Cilantro Lime Rice

  frequent diner of tacos, quesadillas and burritos, I enjoy the sidekick item of beans or rice to accompany the meal. I sometimes prepare the rice from scratch and add my own flavors or if time is short and I am very hungry, I like to opt for some of the prepared rice packages, whether Goya, Knorr, or some Rice a Roni kits. Years ago, I recall going with a Vigo branded black beans and rice that was really good. I would make it to go with Cubano sandwiches or fajitas as I really enjoyed the black bean/rice combination with a hint of cumin flavor and Latin inspired spices. Unfortunately my local markets have not carried that type of Vigo rice for about a decade. Surprisingly, I did notice that the Vigo brand carries Classic Cilantro Lime Rice, so I decided to give it a shot.

 

Packaging

The seasoned rice is sold in a lime green package.  This particular rice item was found in the rice aisle at Meijer, but I have also seen it in the Latino food aisles at other markets usually next to the La Preferida and Goya brands.

 

Price

The cost of the eight ounce package is $1.99 (as of February 2024; I should mention this with inflation!).

 

Preparation

The preparation involves bringing two cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Next step is adding a few tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) and the contents of package. You stir the contents for the next minute, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for the next twenty minutes. The package (unlike other prepared rice brands) does not seem to include microwave directions. Once the simmer is complete. I let the rice stand for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork.

 

Taste/Texture

The color of the final produce is a muted white color with specs of green (assuming cilantro).  The texture came out decent as it was not too starchy or wet to one extreme, and not too dry or tough to the other extreme.

The bite of the rice was better than expected as the tone of rice had the right balance of cilantro and lime. My concerns with any “lime enhanced” products are that the citrus flavor occasionally tends to overwhelm the product. I did not find that to be the case here. The cilantro, while visible in the dish (rehydrated herbs), appeared to be a tad lacking so I did not pick up as much cilantro flavor here as I would have desired. Did this taste as good as homemade cilantro lime rice? No. When I prepare my own rice from scratch, I put a lot of TLC into the process as I slightly brown the rice and add some garlic, fresh squeezed lime juice and fresh cut cilantro before adding the water or chicken stock.

 

Overall Result

 

I would definitely buy this rice again. While it does not taste as good as homemade, it is very convenient to prepare, especially at the price point of two bucks and pairs nicely with numerous items out of the oven or off the grill.