Bubbies Hawaii - Cookie Dough [Brownie Batter with Peanut Butter Ice Cream Inside]

Hello and welcome to another PMS inspired purchase.

Back in the day when "powerloss" entered my life, my cravings would be on the sweet side. As I got older, it was a coin toss of sweet versus salty. There are even days where I craved spicy (which if you knew me, you'd know spicy and I have had an odd relationship - but I have been known to go through a Del Taco drive-thru and order deep-fried jalapeno slices... and nearly finished them every time save for the fact I'd get full and could eat no more).

Saffron Road Crunchy Chickpeas - Honey Roasted

Every Thursday, a number of my friends and I get together just to be social. It started off as a Stephen King marathon of sorts since a lot of his work was coming out as movies and mini-series, but then we started also watching other horror movies from our childhood to now.

And sometimes we just drank.

Siren Protein Bites - Lemon Poppyseed

While out running errands, I started to get a little hungry, but I didn't want to stop and eat a full meal since I had planned on cooking when I got home. So I opted for a snack I could eat while driving around.

ZAZUBEAN - Pomegranate & Hazelnut with Coconut Sugar

One day after work on my way to my friend's house for a weekly friend get together, I stopped by a store for some wine (like you do), and as an impulse buy, I got a chocolate bar that looked promising. (To be fair and totally honest, the pomegranate caught my eye first... and then there was the coconut aspect. It being chocolate was just a bonus at that point.)

The front label also says that it's chocolate with coconut milk which sounds extra yummy and promising.

Opening the bar makes me think of when Charlie opened his Wonka bar and found his Golden Ticket... but I wasn't expecting anything but chocolate in this case.

Removing the bar from the foil wrapper, the chocolate is sectioned in small rectangles like a Hershey bar. Right away, I can smell the fruit mixed with the chocolate which is happy-making on its own. Breaking off a section, I can see the hazelnuts mixed into the chocolate, and as I chew it, everything blends well together. I get a little bit of everything - nothing overpowers the taste. I can't taste any of the coconut, but that's most likely because it wasn't an ingredient per se - the sugar and milk mixed together with everything else results in a great final chocolate bar. I think the only obvious way I could taste the coconut would be if there were shredded bits in it, but I feel the milk at least helped with the smooth and creamy texture.taste.

Tasty tasty chocolate of the Underworld!

The bar is 3oz and 55% cacao. One serving is half a bar (or 1.5oz) and is 240 calories.

In checking out the website, they have other chocolate bars with fun-sounding names that I'm curious to try. But first, I need to finish this bar.

https://www.zazubean.com/coconut-sugar-chocolate
https://www.zazubean.com/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Bumbles Dark Chocolate Honey Comb

Years ago I became aware of a candy called "seafoam" courtesy of my friend Novim who loved the stuff, and the only place I could find it was from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory - which at their stores (of which I haven't been to any of their locations in quite a while) they only offered white, milk chocolate or dark chocolate covered seafoam (though per their website - it looks like they have other flavors now).

Seafoam... how to explain it. It has a Butterfinger-sponge-like texture? Man, I suck at this.

Basically, it's delicious.

I found a different brand at Trader Joe's but now I can't seem to find it there anymore. (And also, it goes by a variety of names. Why Rocky Mountain calls is seafoam is beyond me. (When doing a Google search, you can't just type in "seafoam" else you'll get anything BUT candy.)

While perusing Cost Plus one day, I came across a bag called "Bumbles - Dark Candy Honeycomb."

Yeah, I got excited.

It was really good. It's sweet and crispy, and the pieces are decent bite-sized squares. And dark chocolate? Hells yeah!

Now, in full transparency, I rarely stick to the "serving size" bullshit on food packages since if I did, I'd eat maybe two M&M's a day, and no one does that. That's just crazy! But with the honeycomb? It's an extremely rich treat so it was easier to just have one... maybe two. And I was a good girl and didn't reach for them every day - though at times it was tempting.

I recently finished the bag I had... which only means I need to get more. It's a good treat for myself when I've accomplished some serious adulting. (YAY ME!!!)

The bag is 11oz and claims a serving size is two pieces which are 120 calories per serving and leaves about twelve servings per bag.

https://robernmenz.com.au/product/view/127?cat=26
https://robernmenz.com.au/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

The Queen of Tartes - Raspberry Pecan Coffee Cake

Every once in awhile, I crave something cake-like, but I can never find anything that is the right "cake" thing that I want. Or when I do, it's a huge cake thing that can feed several, and all I'm trying to do is feed myself.

In an attempt to sate this random craving when it reared its head recently, I stopped by a small market on the way home from IKEA. The main goal was cake and coffee, but since they didn't carry the coffee I was looking for, I set my sights for cake.

To my luck, they had a bakery area near the back. Around the bakery, they had little treats here and there, but the one that caught my eye was a dessert bar which I thought was lovely since I'm one person - that was a one-person serving - huzzah!

The brand name was "The Queen of Tartes" which immediately drew me to the treat even more. In the basket were several different flavors, but the one that instantly caught my eye was the Raspberry Pecan Coffee Cake.

I love pecans! So yes, that the winning factor out of all of the ones in the basket. Also, I thought the coffee cake would sate the proper cake craving I was feeling. So I snatched it up and headed to the cashier.

The portion size was your standard coffee house variety - you know, when you look in the case to get something to go with your tea or coffee. (The sticker on the wrapping looks to say 4.7oz - which upon a Google search, looks to be the equivalent to a single boxed soap.)

Unwrapped, the cake was sweet-smelling - but not overly sweet which was nice. And it tasted delicious. I believe on the website, it's described as "Tender buttery cake with a raspberry ribbon and pecan crumble on top. A guaranteed new addiction."

Oddly there are no nutritional facts listed on the cake, but I'm going to at least assume I ate a single serving. The label does list the ingredients: Gluten Free flour blend (rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, sorghum flour, arrowroot, guar gum, rice bran), eggs, butter (cream), flour, sugar, buttermilk, raspberry jam (raspberries, sugar, pectin), cinnamon, pecans, vanilla, baking powder, salt.

I hope all of that was correct because it didn't look like there were many visible commas.

Now truth be told the cake consistency I was looking for was a little denser than a coffee cake, but this tasty treat did me good in a pinch. I definitely need to go back to that market and try the other flavors they have.

https://thequeenoftartes.com/
https://thequeenoftartes.com/shop?olsPage=products%2Fraspberry-pecan-coffee-cake

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Sinbad Specialty Foods - Roasted Beet Hummus

I think the first time I had hummus was after college. And since then, I was hooked.

My favorite hummus is garlic - though any ol' hummus will do. My hummus love is not biased at all.

Sometime after my initial taste of hummus, I found some edamame hummus during a late-night grocery run, and I was intrigued. I love edamame, and it looked appealing, and my curiosity getting the better of me, I bought it. And guess what? IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!

Since then I've noticed a variety of hummuses not made with chickpeas, and I've liked them all. (Once I brought up in conversation with a friend if you made hummus and replaced the chickpeas with something else, would you still call it "hummus". They said no since hummus is made with chickpeas. I had used milk as an example since we have non-dairy milk but they still say "milk" - like almond milk, oat milk, etc - but nope, my friend didn't budge on the hummus-name-thing. Me, however, I'm fine with calling it hummus - chickpeas or no.

Recently while at a grocery store, I saw some hummus in their deli cold case. All of them were hummus color - until I saw a vibrant pink one - Roasted Beet Hummus.

SOLD!

To be honest, I'm not the biggest beet fan. I know people that will have it solo - roasted or however they wish to cook it - but I'm not a fan. I do like shredded beet in salads, but a la carte? I'll pass.

But still - this was HUMMUS!!! So I was open to trying it.

Looking at the label when I got home, the first ingredient listed is chickpeas (the edamame hummus I had before didn't have chickpeas in them), so that was a surprise.

Ingredients: Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas), Roasted Beets, Tahini, Lemon Juice, Garlic, Sea Salt.

Perhaps it's a consistency thing? Or a preference? Both chickpeas and edamame are "beans" - but I'm not going to think that much into it.

I can smell the garlic right away, and the consistency is of your standard hummus variety. But the taste? It's pretty good. I didn't really think I was going to like it one way or the other, but this turns out to be another way for me to eat some beets.

The package is 6oz, and doesn't offer any nutritional information, but the label states that it's vegan and gluten-free... and all the ingredients seem okay, so I could finish off the whole container if I so chose to... but I think I'll be a good girl and save some for later.

Okay, I'll leave here with a question: If YOU made hummus and replaced the chickpeas with something else, would you still call it "hummus"?

https://sinbadspecialtyfoods.com/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Hungry Buddha - Coconut Jerky (Teriyaki)

I'm of the mind that in most food situations, if an item is made up of things that I like individually, then together, I will most likely like it.

So by that rationale, this item would be perfect. I mean... I love coconut. I love jerky.

When I opened the bag, the smell was... interesting. I think it was more faint teriyaki than coconut, but it wasn't strong or anything so it didn't bother me much.

The look of the coconut jerky reminds me of the pig ears or bone treats you give dogs to chew and gnaw for dental health. The pieces are dark brown and appear to be hard... and some of the pieces are but once you break off a piece, you can chew it. In comparison to coconut chips, they are considerably larger in size. I guess the best size description I can think of is if you've ever had dried fruit slices like pineapple rings or apples. They're roughly that size.

The flavor is not jerky. I say that here because most of the time when I try something that claims to be one thing but an alternate version of that, the flavor profile is roughly similar to the original item. Case in point, I've had beef jerky since I was little, and all the brands basically taste the same even if one brand has a leaner cut and another a thicker cut. I've also had other meat types of jerky - turkey, fish, etc. And they all taste and feel like "jerky."

Now perhaps it's because this is a fruit and not a meat that this rule doesn't seem to apply. With that said, this is in no way (in my opinion) jerky-ish at all. The texture is off, but then again, it's coconut so the process could obviously affect the end result. The flavor profile is off for me as well. I can taste a little bit of both coconut and teriyaki, but those two components mixed together with the other seasonings are just not making my palate very happy.

The bag is 1.4oz - with one serving being half the bag (90 calories per serving).

I'm open to trying other coconut jerky types/brands or other coconut jerky flavors by this brand, but this particular flavor wasn't happymaking for me at all.

https://www.buddhabrandscompany.com/hungry-buddha/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Torie & Howard Chewie Fruities

While at Whole Foods one day, I started to crave something sweet. Normally I lean toward sour gummies or mochi or maybe even something from a bakery, but being at Whole Foods - I had to make do.

So in the candy aisle, I found some fruit chews that piqued some interest. And now... in no particular order...

Meyer Lemon & Raspberry

I didn't really start appreciating lemon until I was older... at least double-digits. The most lemon I ever had at the time was either lemonade or lemon on my fish for dinner. In elementary/junior high, I had Lemonheads (aka SUGAR) and then later on lemon pastries and assorted desserts.

My appreciation for lemon treats only grew from there.

And from there we go here, and right off the bat, the candies (all flavors) remind me of Starburst or Mamba. (I was more of a Starburst kid than Mamba, but if you put a Mamba candy in front of me, I wouldn't say no.)

Unwrapping one, the Meyer lemon scent was strong (not too strong but strong enough to make me smile), and it was a genuine lemon smell - all naturally sweet and lovely.

With the package being yellow, and my mind focusing on the "lemon" part, I had thought the chews themselves would be yellow, but they had a pinky hue to them - which makes sense since they have raspberry in them, too.

The flavor is not overly sweet - just sweet enough. And they are a little hard to chew at first but start to soften after a while.

Blood Orange & Honey

I can't remember the first time I had a blood orange, but I do remember thinking they looked really cool when I saw one cut open and immediately wanted to try it. They taste MUCH different than regular oranges and have since embraced them in desserts, drinks, and other assorted consumable treats.

To be honest, I had only intended on getting one pack of chews, but then when I saw "blood orange" - I wanted that one, too, so I ended up getting all three since... well... why not?

This flavor really had no scent at all - at least to me.

These chews were light orange in color.

The flavor was noticeably orange, and I could taste the honey which was lovely.

And yes - they were also hard to chew but softened quickly.

Pomegranate & Nectarine

This was the main flavor I wanted to get. I love practically everything pomegranate - ever since I heard the mythology store of Persephone and Hades... and then got to have one? Yes, the fruit is a lot of work, but I still love the fruit and the flavor.

The color was oddly similar to the blood orange chew which I thought off since pomegranates are a deep red, and even though the blood orange fruit is technically a dark, reddish-orange, it was still technically orange.

And the smell? I smelled mostly nectarine and nothing really of the pomegranate - which was a little depressing.

The flavor was good though - I definitely could taste both flavors, one not really overpowering the other.

*******

A serving size is one whole package -which is 2.1oz (59.5g)... and 238 calories.

These chews were never really my cup of tea type of candies - but they were good. They do have a sour pack I would like to try so we'll see about those, but these chews will do good in a pinch if you're just looking to sate a slight sweet craving.

http://www.torieandhoward.com/
http://www.torieandhoward.com/categories/chews.html

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Buff Bake Protein Spread

Well, would you look at that? I found yet another nut butter in my snack collection.

This time? It's protein.

Also - I couldn't find pics of the small travel pouches, so I'm sharing images of the jars for reference.

With that said - let's see how this goes.

Chocolate Chip Protein Peanut Spread

Now... it doesn't say "knead packet" but since the other ones said to, and I'm a trained monkey after trying a few of these, consider it well-kneaded.

The smell is... odd. It's chocolate-ish but not really. I get hints of it, just like I do regarding the peanuts. It just doesn't smell like either chocolate or peanut butter.

The consistency is a little watery at the start, but then it starts to come out of the pouch a little thicker. The spread is the color of chocolate chip cookie dough (minus the chocolate chip).

It doesn't taste like... anything. The texture is a little grainy, too, but overall, it has a scent and taste of nothing like its label would suggest.

The serving size is one pouch which is 38g (11g of which is protein). The whole serving is 200 calories.

Snickerdoodle Protein Almond Spread - Chia + Flax

Kneaded to filth? Check.

Moving on.

It smells of almond butter, but it wasn't a strong smell - though more so than the other spread smelled of peanut butter. The consistency was less watery, and the taste was more distinguishable to almond butter than the other spread. It was also less grainy in texture.

The serving size is one pouch which is 32g (11g of which is protein). The whole serving is 150 calories.

*******

Now - I've tried alternate forms of food - like diet or fat-free... you get the idea. So perhaps the protein version of this was what made it taste the way it did. I'm used to nut-butters being sweet, even a little bit. Per the nutritional info, both spreads had sugar substitutes in them, but even those have some sweet factor - although with a funky aftertaste. But the sweetness - or lack thereof - of these spreads weren't the issue. They just didn't taste very good to me.

The pouches had illustrations on how to eat the spreads - like in celery or in a sandwich, etc, but I don't think that would've made a difference to me.

A while back I had tried the Unicorn Protein Almond Spread - really for novelty sake and also for the fact that it was a nut butter. I remember not liking that one either. It was dense and sweet-ish -and it also had rainbow sprinkles. It was also hard to spread and the scent and taste were weird and too strong.

The website no longer lists the spreads as a featured item for sale, but when looking at the recipe blog, there are some recipes that include using the spreads as one of the ingredients. So WTF with that?

I will say that I am curious to see what their other items are like (their bars and cookies - and they apparently have protein powder?) - but I'm in no hurry to go looking for them.

https://buffbake.com/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

dang Toasted Coconut Chips - Savory Bacon

Okay. I found another coconut chip in my stash so hey - why not talk about it now?

First off - BACON!

I often joke being Filipino that pork is one of my basic food groups, but yeah - I love pork. Oddly enough I don't eat it as much as I used to, but I still partake once in a while.

Is it just me or does that sound similar to "I only drink socially"?

Anyway, back to these bacon coconut chips.

Once I opened the bag, I smell bacon right away. No coconut. Just bacon.

The coconut slivers look toasted - they have a light brown hue. And there's no powder on them.

Tasting one chip, I can taste a little bit of bacon, but this snack is vegan. So let me explain.

The ingredients are coconut, Bacon Seasoning, and Coconut Oil. The "Bacon Seasoning" is comprised of: Cane Sugar, Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Pepper, Bacon Flavor.

What the frak is "Bacon Flavor"? I can understand calling something "Bacon Seasoning" and then listing all the spices that make up that seasoning. That's like with Pumpkin Spice or Chai Spice, but bacon flavor in bacon seasoning?

Anyway, moving on.

The bag is 2.82oz and lists one serving as an ounce - leaving three servings per bag.

Overall, this treat wasn't my favorite. As much as I love bacon, I would prefer bacon-flavored treats -vegan or otherwise - to actually taste like bacon. And these tasted like barbecue chips to me, and if I wanted those, I'd just buy those chips.

https://dangfoods.com/
https://dangfoods.com/collections/dang-toasted-coconut-chips

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Hungry Buddha Coconut Chips

I will be perfectly honest - as much of a lover of coconut I am, I'm not really a coconut chip eater. Well... at least not solo. If it's in a trail mix or something, I'll partake - but this snack is not something that comes to mind when I feeling a bit peckish.

But when I saw the following two items, I immediately became intrigued so I picked them up to try later.

Disclaimer: I'm not a spicy person by any means. It's only been until my later years that I will randomly not only crave spicy food but tolerate it, but it's completely random. I can't have had - say a ghost pepper and be okay with it only to go to a restaurant down the road and order a ghost pepper dish there. Again - my body is random so I have to always do the meek taste test and if it's okay (aka I don't die or hack up a lung), then I can eat the rest of whatever else was offered to me.

Wild Wasabi

Smells okay. Granted the only time I've ever truly "smelled" wasabi was when I put too much in my soy sauce while eating sushi and almost snarfed it up. (I'm pretty sure in this context you can guess what I mean by "snarf" - and no, not the creature from Thundercats - but even if you're not exactly right with what I mean, I'm pretty sure you'd be close enough.)

Back to the smell - it smells okay, but I can't smell coconut. I do smell a little... something? - but not coconut or wasabi.

The coconut chip feels and looks toasted, the color a light brown hue. There's no seasoning dust or anything on it - just the coconut itself.

Ahhh... there it is. It's baked in. How? I have no idea, but it's really in there. It tastes like the coconut was dusted with wasabi paste or powder. The wasabi isn't overwhelming - only giving a hint of spice and that's it. There's a bit of a salty taste to it but again, not a lot - only a hint.

I really like these.

Smokin' Sriracha

Where I couldn't smell anything from the Wasabi bag, I definitely smell sriracha from this bag. No coconut - just sriracha.

They (of course) feel toasted. However, they look very much like a barbecue potato chip - slightly orange-red.

And the taste - THE TASTE?

I immediately thought "barbecue potato chip." The flavor is just as subtle as the wasabi - there but not overpowering. In the beginning, I wasn't feeling any heat. I tried a few more - still nothing. Then I grabbed a small handful, and that's when I started to feel the heat. But it's not too much. It's just enough.

These bags are 40g each and are 250 calories per serving - one serving being the whole bag.

I like these - I REALLY like these. I would say of the two, the wasabi was my favorite. Thank goodness they come in such small portions or I may make myself sick eating too much of them.

https://www.buddhabrandscompany.com/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae