Snow Day Reviews

Lend an ear and let me tell you just a smidgen about my morning.
3:00 am- I got up to what sounded like my coffee maker malfunctioning and turning on (The Best Part of Wakin’ Up, right? By the way…WHY IN THE WORLD are they trying to find a new jingle?). Anyways, turns out, my coffee maker is just fine (whew!) and the sound was that of rain pelting up against my windows. Awesome.

6:30- I get up to the same sound, but this time I flip on Mr. Coffee to duel it out with the noisy rain.

9:20- I leave for class. Torrential rain doesn’t even begin to describe it. However, it was Calculus class and she told us specifically to GET there, no matter what. I walked outside, opened my umbrella and immediately, the 30mph winds inverted my cute plaid pink shelter and almost knocked the thing right out of my hands. Awesome. I looked around and saw a trend…RUN like you are on fire…through puddles up to your shins and wind blowing you almost off of your feet. Thankfully, the building I needed to get to was right across the way from my dorm. Then again, I still showed up looking as though I had just jumped into the deep end of a swimming pool and couldn’t get out. Anyways, some cute kid sat next to me in math (that has nothing to do with anything...). After class, I walked out with one of my friends and…IT WAS SNOWING. Terenchal snow. No sign of rain anywhere. The deep end swimming pool that I had jumped into earlier had turned to slush and I looked like a walking snowball.

Then my Elementary Analysis Lab and Food Micro Lab were cancelled; which has given me the time to do all of the food reviews that I have been neglecting (against my own free will) because school has taken over my life. There are ALOT of reviews ahead. Don’t get overwhelmed. Just read about the ones that catch your eye. Or read some today and some tomorrow. I probably won’t be able to post again for a couple of days…just pace yourself! lol ;)

Cedarlane Green Chili & Monterey Jack Cheese Tamales

I received this product at no cost to me. The opinions expressed are my own.

The nutrition facts are fairly impressive. These babies are PACKED with creamy, creamy, creamy cheese...hence the high sat. fat. Actually, if I was required to do a nutrition test on a product for one of my food science classes, this would be the one. It looks almost too good to be true.
Upon ripping off the plastic covering, the dish looks like a mound of masa with a chincy amount of roasted red pepper sauce. I wanted more sauce.

The filling was phenomenal. You could see every component of the dish from the cilantro, to the veggies, to the CREAMY cheese. Lovely filling.

The ratio of masa to filling was just a tad bit off, with a little too much masa taking center stage. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the first tamale and the well developed flavor that it brought to the table. However, these babies are so substantial and filling that by the time I started to dig into the second tamale, my stomach was turning. The overall mushy, doughy, creamy texture was getting to me and I couldn't finish the second tamale. I would suggest that Cedarlane ditch the second tamale and replace it with an equally flavorful side dish!

Kay's Naturals Cinnamon, Almond filled Cookie Bites

Photo Credit

These babies were awesome. NO weird taste of any shape or form. Just airy, crunchy goodness. They reminded me of the cereal, Puffins. LOVE THEM! Very cinnamon-y. The description "Almond Filled" is pushing it because 3/4 of them are not filled at all and the ones that are "filled" contain an ultra thin layer of said fillling.

Kay's Naturals Honey, Almond Filled Cookie Bites

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These were not bad, but I liked the Cinnamon ones MUCH better. The honey flavor was just a bit off, in my opinion.

Where's that almond filling they speak of?

Airy with a delightfully substantial crunch! :D

18 Rabbits Cheeky Cherry Chocolate Bar

I got these bars from Katie and did a review of the Haute Diggity Date (green wrapper) here. The red one was just as delicious, with sweet cherries and chocolate chunks mixed within the signiature granola base. Most def. recommended!

I won these FitDeck Pilates cards from Erica and they are a really neat idea. Great little gift addition for someone because they have so many different venues available. I am enjoying learning new pilates moves!

Cedarlane Moussaka Eggplant Mediterranean

I received this product at no cost to me. The opinions expressed are my own.

I had no clue what to expect, so I consulted the box. Zesty tomato sauce, loads of veggies, feta cheese and a creamy white sauce nestled within thick slices of eggplant?! Yum!

Once again, the nutrition profile is low cal and high in all natural goodness, protein and fiber!

This dish looked pretty darn appetizing for what I was expecting from a frozen meal.

The ingredient list is straight up and with milk as the second component, you can bet that the overall feel of this dish will be creaminess. :D

The "Veggie Ground Round" tasted exactly like ground turkey. I actually had to consult the ingredient list to solidify that is was indeed, not turkey. The layer of soft, creamy feta cheese was very thick. Almost too thick, but I still enjoyed it. Overall, it tasted like a cross between a chili, a lasagna and sauteed veggies within a creamy tomato sauce. I would buy this again!

Cedarlane All Natural Scrambled Egg, Vegetable & Cheese Breakfast Burrito

I received this product at no cost to me. The opinions expressed are my own.

Photo Credit

Here is what I pulled out of the sunburst wrapper. Half of the tortilla had broken off at some point between the factory and my freezer. However, there was just enough tortilla to completely enclose the filling, so it actually turned out quite nice because I didn't get any tough spots that generally ensue from the overlapped tortilla.

Plus, it popped open a little and made for a great foodie-licious photo op!

The tortilla was soft and just perfect. However, the filling tasted a bit too mushy for my liking. I was expecting fluffy eggs with veggies mixed throughout and got a mushy cheesy egg mixture ...with veggies mixed throughout.

Upon closer examination, I noticed that the third ingredient is POTATOES. No wonder why the filling resembles mashed potatoes, in a way. I suggest that you go a different route for breakfast and let Cedarlane take care of your lunch.

Off I go! Come back tomorrow if you didn't catch all of the important review action going on up there! Does anybody have other thoughts about any of these products? All taste buds are welcome to speak! ;)

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I just went downstairs to get some soup from the dining hall. They didn't have any. Is that a joke? Maybe Leslie can hook me up, with the Progresso giveaway that she has going on?! :D