Review of Meijer Diet Root Beer

We all know that diet sodas are not the healthiest items to ingest into our bodies, yet many of us are guilty of consuming the beverages as it is a very easy way to curb sugar, thus calories. I have a small select group of diet sodas that I find quite “drinkable” and consider just as good as the full sugar alternative. My big three “go-to” sodas are Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Cherry Coke Zero. To broaden my drink selection, I set out to Meijer and picked up a twelve pack of the Meijer brand Diet Root Beer to see it would fit the bill and join the other diet sodas worthy of drinking.

Taste

Once the soda endured a good chill in my garage refrigerator, I pulled a can to go with the evening dinner. The first taste blew my expectations out of the water. Unlike most diet sodas, I did not experience any sharp or bitter aftertaste whatsoever. The taste was like a regular root beer with a distinct flavor and creamy finish. I was dumbstruck how this generic soda tasted so damn good.  The second night, I grabbed another soda to accompany my dinner, but decided to pour it into a glass filled with ice. The poured beverage appeared just like an A&W or Barq’s root beer as the dark caramel color was full of carbonation and maintained a decent head of foam.

Price

My initial purchase plan was to try out the Barqs on sale at $4.00 for twelve, but the Meijer option was only $2.88 at the regular price. I decided to go with the Meijer brand as I did not want to be out $4.00 just in case I found out that diet root beer tastes awful. My gamble paid off and I was glad I tried the generic alternative.

Nutrition

The nutrition of this produce is laughable. It is an empty calorie, empty fat product containing caramel color, aspartame a little sodium, and a few other ingredients. I don’t drink this by the gallons, so I am not too concerned about the adverse health effects.

Overall Opinion

This drink was a fantastic escape from the other zero calorie drink alternatives of unsweetened iced tea, water, and Diet Mountain Dew. I really caught a bargain with this regular price twelve back as I did not even break three dollars. For those that enjoy Diet root beer or even just regular root beer, I would recommend this one as a strong buy.

Wrigley’s 5 Rain Chewing Gum: A Review

The choices are endless as soon as one approaches the supermarket checkout counter and peruses the variety of chewing gum for sale. A shopper can be overwhelmed when trying to decide on a choice of gum to go with for the week. I recently decided to pick up a pack of Wrigley’s 5 Rain chewing gum. My decision was based on the product being on sale for $1.09 down from a $1.39 which was the stated regular price. Wrigley 5 Rain is actually a flashy label spearmint gum. My allegiance to chewing gum brands is non-existent as I will usually go with whatever is on sale and tastes half way decent. The purpose of mint gum is twofold for me: to deter myself from chewing nails and to act as a good after-meal breath freshener. 

Taste

When I popped in a stick of this green gum I noticed an intense spearmint flavor right away. The taste met my expectations and was decent enough. Like all other aspartame gums, I got that fake sugar hit right on the first bite, but that faded away quickly. The gum actually tastes better a few minutes later and seems to hold flavor for a few hours unlike Wrigley’s Doublemint gum that fades immediately.

Quantity and Packaging

The pack of gum holds fifteen sticks of green gum wrapped in a fancy green foil wrapper. The sticks are stacked in three rows of five within a fancy paper black box with a flip lid that open and closes easily with each use. Wrigley took things a step above Orbit and Stride with this fancy packaging reminiscent of a high end cigarette box with flashy packaging. This is a far stretch beyond the foil trays of tablet gums or the Dentyne or Trident foil wrapped minis. I like the concise shape of this box as it fits nicely in the small dashboard compartment of my car or even in my backpack.

Price

This purchase was a mild $1.19 per package with competition priced anywhere between $1.29 and $1.79 for a similar quantity of spearmint gum. The price was more than fair given I purchased this gum on sale, but I think the regular price of $1.39 is also well within market of competition.  

Overall Opinion

While I enjoy the packaging, look and price of Wrigley’s 5 rain spearmint gum, I will consider this average at best. I would definitely buy it again, but probably spend a tad more for the miniature sized gum pieces sold by Trident and Dentyne. I have a bias to the smaller pieces of gum as opposed to the long flat Wrigley gum that packs an aspartame wallop upon first chew.

Betty Crocker Whipped Milk Chocolate Frosting: A Review

Not too long ago, I got the urge to bake up a batch of cupcakes for the kids and so decided to make a run to the store for some yellow cake mix and a tub of frosting. I did not want to go with the usual thick and rich chocolate frosting but something a tad lighter. I noticed Betty Crocker made a “Whipped” Milk chocolate frosting that included the rich flavors of Hershey chocolate. I was sold on this label and so checked out of the supermarket with cupcake items ready for baking.

Preparation

The cupcake baking process went fairly quick as I prepared the batter and baked the dessert all within an hour towards the end of the evening. I then proceeded to allow the cakes to cool on a rack overnight. The next morning, I proceeded to frost the cupcakes in order to be ready upon the kid’s return home from school in the afternoon. As I opened up the tub of whipped frosting, I had realized upon the first dip into this icing how incredibly light and “airy” this chocolate spread is. I managed to frost all eighteen cupcakes with a lot of frosting leftover.

 Getting the right cupcake appearance was the biggest challenge with the Betty Crocker whipped frosting.  The frosting did not adhere that easily to the cupcake making the spreading process rather blotchy and irregular like a meringue pie. My solution to this lack of even spreading was by applying even more of this chocolate so that no section of the top of the cupcake revealed any “daylight” of yellow cake. I think this process would have gone much smoother (pun intended) if I would have taken the extra time to use a pastry bag and tip instead of a cake spatula which I typically use with the regular dense butter cream frostings.

Taste

The taste of this frosting was really delightful given the rich Hershey cocoa flavor present in every bite of these cupcakes. The lighter density of this frosting made it so much easier to get through a cupcake without the oily sugar overkill one experiences with the butter cream variety.

Quantity

If I would have decided to make a sheet cake, I am pretty sure this tub would have been enough to cover the entire cake. The tub of frosting for the cupcakes was more than enough as I had about a third of the container leftover. 

Overall Opinion

While this product unfortunately yields Trans fats (like all other premade frostings), I have to consider this product a once in a while purchase due to health reasons. When time is available I usually prepare my own whipped frosting using whipping cream, confectioner’s sugar, and flavors such as vanilla or chocolate syrup. I give Betty Crocker kudos for trying to come up with a product that tastes better than the usual thick traditional pasty frosting.

Nabisco Chips Ahoy White Fudge Chunk Cookies: A Review

As I was shopping for the children’s school lunch items at the store, I decided to head down the cookie aisle to try something new and fun for a change. As luck would have it, there were several Nabisco brands on sale for $1.99 a box which included several different varieties of the Chips Ahoy! Label. I decided on the White fudge chunk cookies as they looked like a fun alternative to the usual chocolate chip cookie.

Taste

Our first taste test occurred well before the kids went back to school with their brown bag lunches as we decided to try them out following a scrumptious Saturday lunch. The first bite revealed a very crispy butter cookie with decent portions of semi sweet chocolate chunks and little morsels of the white fudge. The combination of flavors was a winner as everyone had no problems knocking down two of these cookies and anxious for a third. I could have easily consumed about a half dozen of these cookies if it was not for each cookie totaling eighty calories. These Nabisco treats actually tasted much better than the original run of the mill Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie. The real attraction with this cookie was the presence of a buttery crispy exterior than reminded me of the reputable Pepperidge Farm Sausalito or Keebler Pecan Sandies cookies. The Nabisco bakery did a good job ensuring every cookie had a decent amount of chocolate and white fudge in every bite.

Quantity

Each package of Nabisco White Fudge Chunk cookies contains fourteen ounces of cookies. One package of cookies will last maybe a few days with families that have younger children. Teenage children and adults with no will power will most likely finish of a package of these in one day. If planning on purchasing these cookies as strictly a school lunch item, most households will go through a package in about a week.

Price

This regular price for a package of Nabisco Chips Ahoy White Fudge cookies is listed at $3.49 at my local supermarket. I was fortunate to buy a package at the sale price of just below two dollars. After sampling the first cookie, I felt remorseful that I did not buy another package or two given the tremendous savings.  

Overall Opinion

The fact that the top of the package has a convenient re-sealable opening is another strong reason to consider purchasing these cookies. Still, I would recommend these cookies as an average buy at best. I think the regular price is pretty extreme and would consider buying this only when it goes on sale again.

Review of Meijer Double O’s Chocolate Cookies

Without going through lengthy analysis of chocolate crème sandwich cookies, the plain and simply best cookie in this class is the Nabisco Oreo. There are plenty of substitutions out there that are of decent quality such as the hydrox cookie and a few store brands. I shop weekly at the local Meijer store and stumbled upon their version of the chocolate sandwich cookie known as Meijer Double O Cookie. The evaluation of this cookie is based upon taste, quantity, servings, price, and overall opinion.

Taste

I never eat sandwich cookies pulled apart but as one all encompassing bite. It was my younger days that I would take the time to pry each sandwich cookie apart and take time to enjoy each side. Well I bit into a Double O and the taste was pretty decent. The crème filling was probably as good as that as the Oreo brand. It was the actual chocolate cookie layers that seemed to lack the tasty quality as the Oreo. The cocoa flavor was weak and did not have as much of buttery finish as Nabisco’s version. I suppose a really hungry person anxious for a chocolate fix will find the taste of the Double O agreeable though just not as good as an Oreo or Hydrox cookies.

Quantity & Serving Size

A package of Meijer Double O chocolate sandwich cookies is approximately eighteen ounces of cookies. The package is comparable to the Oreo brand that also contains eighteen ounces or about forty five cookies. The sandwich cookie by Meijer is noticeably much larger than the Oreo counterpart.  A serving size of two cookies or approximately 26.8 grams yields a hefty 140 calories which brings up calorie counts for such a small dessert.

Price

An eighteen ounce package of Meijer Double O’s will run $2.59 at the regular price with occasional store sales touting this price as low as two dollars. The Oreo brand typically runs about $2.99 for a similar size package.  

Overall Opinion

If I am shopping for a better tasting and more satisfying cookie, I will undoubtedly opt for the Oreo brand. The Meijer brand is passable at best and occasionally proves enticing when on sale at the low price of two dollars a package. I would also consider purchasing the Double O cookies whe

Review of Meijer Self Rising Crust Pizza: Three Meat

I always find it convenient to have a standby frozen pizza sitting in the freezer for those hectic days when taking time out to prepare a full scale meal is just out of the question.  Our family prefers the raised crust pizzas as much as the flat crust varieties. The rising crusts are obviously more filling and generally preferred as it will generally require only one pizza to satisfy everyone’s appetite.

I usually opt for the Digiorno or Fruscetta brands of thick crust pizzas. These brands carry several varieties and usually come across as average to our family. It is quite the daunting task for any frozen pizza company to create a decent pie comparable to the real thing ordered from the local pizzeria. These freeze and bake pizzas do a decent job of keeping everyone fed on a busy weeknight and we typically opt for the carry out pizza on the weekends. The Meijer grocery stores happen to carry their own self rising crust pizza that is their answer to the Digiorno brand.  The other day I purchased a Meijer three meat self rising crust pizza as it was on sale. I was curious how it would measure up to the competition.

Preparation

As with any self rising crust pizza the process is generally the same. The pizza is removed from cardboard bottom and plastic covering and inserted into the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. The directions implicitly state that the oven is not to be preheated. The directions call for a bake time of twenty minutes but disclose that the time could go all the way up to twenty seven minutes.  The pizza is also considered done when the edges turn golden brown or the cheese is adequately melted. The pizza is then pulled from the oven and should rest about five minutes on cooling rack. Our pizza took the full twenty seven minutes when baking in our electric oven. The final appearance actually looked pleasing to the eyes as the pie was loaded with pepperoni on top with decent amounts of ground beef and Italian sausage below the cheese.

Taste

Once the pizza was finally cool enough to pickup, our family gave it a go. The pizza had a nice crispy crust on the outside and had a definite crunch.  The three meats were all decent enough as the pepperoni was definitely spicy. The Italian sausage and ground beef tastes were tough to detect given the spiciness of the pepperoni. The cheese was surprisingly pleasing as it melted just right on the pizza. The real disappointment to this pizza was the sauce and the inner diameter of this pizza. The sauce was maintained an overly sweet and runny consistency that managed to escape on to everyone’s fingers every time someone took a bite at the table. The inner crust was rather soggy and lifeless making this pizza extremely difficult to slice or even pick up. I have detected these problems with Digiorno but the Meijer brand was much worse.

Price

The cost of this self rising pizza crust was only $4.99. I have seen this pizza go on sale on numerous occasions for as low as $3.99. The price is in line with the competition though I think the quality is lacking as I find it very difficult to get past the poor quality of the sauce. For the same price I would definitely prefer the DiGiorno brand.  

Overall Opinion

The Meijer brand self rising crust pizza fares no better than average. If this three meat pizza carried a decent sauce and the crust held firm, I would have rated this much better. For now I will stick with the thinner crust pizzas that hold firm and have better tasting sauces.

Reviewing Store Brand Foods

Welcome to my food blog, Fork in the Road. I started this blog as a way to communicate my pleasure or displeasure with trying out new foods consumed within my household. Some of my biggest shopping venues include Meijer grocery stores, ALDI, Target, and Jewel food stores. As the global economy sputters along and household budgets are rattled, I have learned to make a few sacrifices on the food front by experimenting with store brands to see how well they can measure up against the name brands. Economics aside, I still have a few products that I flat out refuse to go generic on such as adult beverages and certain snacks. My wife and I are responsible for feeding a family of five that requires fiscally responsible menu planning and be willing to try store brand products that may or may not make the cut.

Why is this blog called Fork in the Road? Well, because often times when we shop and compare, we find ourselves at a decision point on whether we should go with the known brand name product or take the less traveled path and opt for the store or generic brand to see if it measures up.  That is why I created this site. I will also attest to the viewing public that I am in no way compensated from these stores for my opinions on my these products.  I will leave these posts as my personal opinions that you may or may not agree with, but hopefully find informative.