Posts Tagged ‘calories’

ALDI – Savoritz Wheat Crisp vs. Nabisco Wheat Thins – Food Review

01/31/2017
 aldi, wheat crisp, savoritz, calories, price, reviewJanuary 31, 2017wheat thins, nabisco, crackers, review, price, calories
These are so similar I can’t tell the difference right down to the 9 pinhole sized depressions in each cracker.  To highlight the differences first, without using a strain gauge the Wheat Thins seem to be a very slightly stronger cracker.  The ingredients are slightly different.  ALDI also lists a few precautions for people who are very sensitive to certain trace allergens which may come from the production facility.  If you are sensitive to trace amounts of allergens, be sure to read the labels on both products.
aldi, wheat crisp, savoritz, calories, price, review, nutritionwheat thins, nabisco, crackers, review, price, calories, nutritionThe taste and texture are so similar between the two products that I have no preference for either.  Depending on the store I was in at the time and how much change was in my pocket, I’d purchase either one if I was in need of a wheat cracker like these.  Personally, that need only comes up about once every 10 years.

Wheat Crisp – Calories 140 (31g, about 16 crackers) – Price  $1.29

Wheat Thins – Calories  140 (31g, about 16 crackers) – Price  $2.50

ALDI – Cheese Club vs. Kraft – macaroni and cheese – Food Review

01/25/2017

aldi, kraft, mac and cheese, compareJanuary 25, 2017

With only minor differences in color and taste, both are great comfort foods – warm and mushy.  The major difference is the price, with the Kraft product costing $1.00 on sale and the ALDI product 29 cents on sale.  To my tastes the Kraft product was very slightly tastier and cheesier.  But there wasn’t much difference at all.  Perhaps as an adult my taste buds have dulled some, but neither product tasted as cheesy as I remember from way back when.

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ALDI – Fit & Active Philly Cheese Steak – Food Review

01/25/2017

aldi, fit active, philly cheese steak, review, priceJanuary 25, 2017

If your expectations are a Philly cheese steak, you’ll be disappointed.  If your expectations are a tasty hot snack, you’ll be happier.  In fact these are good enough that I could easily eat two or three or four.  So you’d better be fit and active, emphasis on active, because the modest 310 calories in one may quickly draw a crowd.
aldi, fit active, philly cheese steak, review, price, nutritionThis is a frozen entrée that is microwave cooked in a cardboard browning sleeve.  This sleeve, as well as others I’ve tried, do a good job of producing a crisp crust.  While the crust came out fine, some of the filling blew out of each end.  So keep it on a plate or paper towel while cooking to help avoid cleaning your microwave.  The filling appears to be mostly cheese with tiny pieces of meat and green peppers.  Green pepper is the most prominent flavor.  The overall texture is firmly mushy.  The shell has a nice taste and texture.  Oven cooking directions are also provided.

Calories  310 per serving – 2 servings per box    Price  ??? (lost the receipt)

Amaretto Truffles – Food Review – Tartufi Dolci -Trader Joe’s

01/14/2017

trader joes, truffles, amaretto, reviewJanuary 14, 2017

These are very elegant mild dark chocolate truffles with a delicate amaretto flavor.   Many many small pieces of nuts and Amoretti cookies inside the truffles give these a surprising, unique and good mouthfeel and taste.

One downside is that the very small pieces tend to stick between teeth and even between tooth and gum.  That may leave a desire to brush or floss soon after eating.  A second downside is that these are a seasonal item.  It may not be until next December when we see them again.

The packaging is as elegant as the chocolate.  Each truffle is individually wrapped in a shiny paper with a twisty flourish above the truffle.  If put out on a tray, the wrapping helps reduce any concerns about how many people picked up and then put down the truffle.

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Choceur – Cocoa Dusted Truffles – ALDI – Food Review

01/14/2017

aldi, choceur, chocolate, truffles, reviewJanuary 14, 2017aldi, choceur, chocolate, truffles, nutrition, review
These are good without being overly exceptional.  That’s an odd statement even for me.

There’s a nice bit of chocolate that lives somewhere between a milk and a dark chocolate at the heart of each truffle.  There’s no WOW factor to them.  They’re relatively inexpensive for the amount of chocolate in the box.  And for that price should we expect a WOW factor?  The texture in the mouth  is smooth and melty.  The dusting of cocoa powder adds a bit of taste contrast to the milder chocolate center.  Overall these are a very competent chocolate if your chocolate tastes lean towards the milder side of dark chocolate.  One won’t, but two or three should help satisfy your chocolate craving.   Price $2.49 per box      Calories  240 (1.41 oz/40 g serving size)

Trader Joe’s Brandy Beans – Food Review

01/07/2017

January 7, 2016Trader Joe's, Brandy Beans, food, review, alcohol, candy, chocolate
Brandy, I knew her from the old neighborhood. That’s right Brandy Beans. She and Ben, her brother, lived with their parents in the apartment building down the street on the second floor.  Right above them on the 3rd floor were the Shaws. You remember Charlie, now old Charles Shaw,  don’t you?

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ALDI – German Pound Cake Trio – Food Review

01/07/2017

ALDI, German Pound Cake Trio, food, review

January 7, 2017

This is the kind of product that used to be found at a local  bakery.  It’s too bad there aren’t more local bakeries anymore.

These are surprisingly light and fluffy.  The cake is slightly firmer than a Twinkie.  The center of each cake is filled with a fruit jam (1 each of: apricot, apple, cherry).  The cakes have a rich not overly sweet buttery taste and feel in the mouth.  Each cake comes in an individual thin cardboard baking tray.  They’re a nice change from the usual cakes that fill supermarket freezer cases.
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Trader Joe’s – Ricotta & Spinach Tortelloni – Food Review

12/31/2016

trader joes, food, review, tortelloni, ricotta, spinach, priceDecember 31, 2016
Lets just say, your local Italian restaurant would be quickly out of business if it served this dish.  The concept sounded good, the ingredients were there, but the execution didn’t work out – just like some Sunday NFL games.  The tortelloni came out unevenly cooked, ranging between tough to mushy.  The cheese filling was just okay.  Read that as not very flavorful.  The tomatoes varied from okay to mushy.  The red pesto including bits of red pepper, zucchini and whatnot was the best part.  There was very little liquid to the sauce, if that’s what you’re expecting.

trader joes, food, review, tortelloni, ricotta, spinach, price, nutritionHowever, considering the price of $1.99, it’s competitive in quality with other frozen entrées in this range.  If the pasta and tomatoes could be cooked more evenly, this would be a much better dish.  Maybe all it needs is a quick stir in the middle of cooking?

Calories:  460, Serving: Size 1 container   Price:  $1.99

Nürnberger Lebkuchen – Food Review – Trader Joe’s

12/24/2016

nurnberger lebkuchen, chocolate, trader joes, germanyDecember 24, 2016

Gingerbread on first bite, but there’s much more here.  Second bite, read the ingredient label.  This is a mini fruit cake without the bad reputation.  It’s like eating a puzzle as you try to match the flavors in your mouth with the ingredients.  Third bite, this cookie has history.  It was created by 13th century monks in its present form.  Where would foodies be without monks?  Think about it.  But before the monks the history goes back to the Roman legions.  Where would men in short skirts be without the Legions?  Maybe, don’t think about it.

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ALDI – German Pound Cake Trio – Food Review

12/16/2016

ALDI, Germany, pound cake

December 16, 2016

Maybe this should be labeled as half-pound cake?  The cake is surprisingly light and fluffy with a consistency similar to but firmer than a Twinkie.  The cakes have a nice taste and are not overly sweet.  There’s a thin layer of jam, with some pieces of fruit, embedded in the cake, sometimes rising to the surface.  Each cake comes in an individual thin cardboard tray.  This is a quality product similar to what local bakeries might have.  The only negatives are the price and calories (watch it, the box listed calories are for half a cake – really?).  The regular price is $3.99 per box of three cakes.  It seems many people agreed about the price as this was marked down to $1.99 when I purchased it.  One of the nice things about ALDI is we get to try some imported products that otherwise we’d never know existed.  For that reason alone, this is worth a try, if and when it comes around again to the ALDI freezers – especially if the price is $1.99.  Calories 380 per whole cake
ALDI, Germany, pound cake, nutrition