Limited Edition Marshmallow Crispy Oreo’s

A couple weeks ago I popped into the grocery store simply to pick a few things up that I needed. On my way up to the cash registers I caught a glimpse of an Oreo display and did a double take. Initially I thought they were the limited edition lemon Oreo’s but upon closer inspection I realized they were the brand new Limited Edition Marshmallow Crispy Oreo’s.

I was anticipating the release of these so I made sure to bring them home with me for a little taste testing and sharing with family/friends. I’m a fan of marshmallow crispy treats and I happen to quite enjoy the golden Oreo line so I had high hopes for these. What I have to say is unique about this line is that the frosting has gritty bits of crispy bits in it.  The bits certainly don’t make it as crispy/chewy as original marshmallow treats, but it certainly gives it a different texture, but it’s not overwhelmingly noticeable. Flavor wise these cookies are definitely sweet … I find one is quite enough, but if I’m really in a sweet/cookie mood two is all I need and/or can handle. They taste more vanilla than marshmallow … but nonetheless they are a nice different treat.  The effect is more “profound” if you pull one side of each cookie off and push the cream sides together to make a double stuffed cookie.

A serving is 2 cookies which are 140 calories or 4 points plus (2 points plus/cookie).

Angie’s Sweetly Vanilla Cupcake Flavored Kettle Corn

A few posts ago I was raving about a hidden jewel available at Target – limited edition kettle corn in the Valentine’s Day section at Target stores (http://shannonslifestyle.blogspot.com/2014/01/angies-tutti-frutti-flavored-kettle-corn.html). Well, during that trip I also picked up the other limited edition flavor available Angie’s Sweetly Vanilla Cupcake Flavored Kettle Corn.

The popcorn comes packaged in individual size bags, housing 0.5 oz of kettle corn. The popcorn is sweet yet slightly salty. I find it has more of a vanilla flavor than a cupcake flavor, but they are tasty nonetheless. I’m a cupcake fan and I also have a bit of a sweet tooth so this definitely satisfies both. If you’re looking for these from what I hear they’re selling out quickly at Target locations, but if you’re lucky enough you’ll be able to find them either full price or when they go on clearance after Valentine ’s Day for 30-50% off.

A package is 70 calories or 2 points plus values.  Each bag contains 16 bags of popcorn and costs $4.99.

Angie’s Tutti Frutti Flavored Kettle Corn

There are hidden treasures and jewels scattered throughout Target stores around major holidays. For this Valentine’s Day there are flavored kettle corns being sold in Targets Valentine’s Day section.  There are two flavors available (if you can find them, they’re selling out quickly) and on of them is Angie’s Tutti Frutti Flavored Kettle Cornb.

The popcorn is packaged in small single serve bags (0.5oz) and are bundled in a large plastic carry bag, holding at least 20 bags of popcorn.  These are limited edition for Target stores and are selling for $4.99.  Granted if these are available after Valentine’s Day at your Target location they will be sold for a reduced price – typically 30-50% off. Great snacks for kids and adults alike, and they’re especially great because they come portioned which eliminated any thinking or temptation that might loom with a full sized bag of flavored kettle corn.

You’re probably wondering, what exactly does Tutti Frutti taste like? Well … the only thing I can rightfully compare it to would be Fruit Loops. If Fruit Loops cereal and kettle corn had a baby … it would be named Tutti Frutti. It’s lightly sweet, it’s salty, and it’s fruity which makes it all rather delicious. Each popcorn mound has a little bit of a pink hue to it, which I assume to be the tutti frutti flavoring.

Each individual bag is 70 calories or 2 points plus values.

Thomas’ Limited Edition Cranberry English Muffins

After trying out the Thomas’ Limited Edition Cranberry Bagels I decided to give the Thomas’ Limited Edition Cranberry English Muffins a try.  I admit bagels are more of my “thing” over English muffins, but I do enjoy a good English muffin now and again.

Thomas’ comes out with limited edition products based on the season. As we know with winter/Christmas … cranberry is all the rage. The one major difference I noticed is the cranberry bagels have a slight sweetness in taste and smell to them (they smell along the line of a blueberry bagel).  Whereas the cranberry English are along the tarter side of the equation and have a rather distinct cranberry scent to them. Texture wise they are your classic English muffin, which has a flakey soft inside, which thanks to the cranberries is slightly moist.  They toast up perfectly and are tasty with a bit of spray butter or even cinnamon butter on them.

A serving, 1 muffin, is 150 calories or 4 points plus values.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any of the Thomas’ Limited Edition products?

Bolthouse Farms Holiday Nog

Egg nog! One of those beverages that I love … but I find the calories/points associated with it not even worth it … so I don’t have it. When Thanksgiving/Christmas roll around I start eyeing the egg nog selections hoping someone will invent a delicious egg nog that’s calorie/points plus friendly. Last year I tried the Silk version and it’s tasty but it’s as thin as water. Egg nog is delicious because of its flavor, but also due to that recognizable thick and creamy texture.

While at Wal-Mart I noticed they carried Bolthouse Farms Holiday Nog, so I checkd the nutrition facts label and stuck the bottle in my cart.  I’ve only tried Bolthouse Farms salad dressings, so I wasn’t entirely sure how the nog would be.  After cracking open the bottle as a late night treat, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was thicker in consistency. Very egg nog-like which was appreciated well before I even took a sip.  After I did take a drink I was sold … this is hands down the best lighter alternative to egg nog that I have had. It’s thicker, it’s creamy, it’s nutmeggy, it’s vanillay … and it’s just a party in a glass.  I’m truthfully quite floored as to how good this is so once I finish the bottle I purchased, I will gladly purchase another.

A 4 ounce serving (1/2 cup) is 80 calories or 2 points plus values.

QUESTION:

Have you ever tried a Bolthouse Farms limited edition beverage?

Twix Gingerbread

Around the holidays, I like scoping out the new and interesting flavors companies come out with.  Needless to say when I spotted Twix Gingerbread at Wal-Mart, they found a temporary home in my shopping cart.  Since these are “fun size” they’d be perfect in the candy dish in the living room, so they’d inevitably be eaten, especially during the holidays.

The other night I was in the mood for a little sweet, so I cracked open the bag. Peeling it, it looks like your plain ole Twix.  After the first bite, I wasn’t impressed – my initial reaction was “Gingerbread? There’s no gingerbread!” But after the second bite I found the gingerbread flavor … and I found it to be strange. Twix are chocolate, cookie and your classic caramel, so having a gingerbread flavor in it, takes it to a whole new level. I admit I’ve had gingerbread cookies, muffins, etc., but I’ve never had gingerbread meet chocolate or caramel.  These aren’t gross, but I feel they’re “meh”. Nothing to truly write home about… or run out to buy, but if you enjoy gingerbread and chocolate you may truly enjoy these.

A serving is a cookie bar, which is 80 calories or 2 points plus. If you can’t stop yourself at one, you can have 2 for 160 calories or 5 points plus values.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any of the Twix Gingerbread candies?

Thomas’ Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice English Muffins

I’ve seen these Thomas’ Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice English Muffins at my local grocery store for a few weeks and I admit I refrained from purchasing because they were not on sale. Who knew English muffins were $5+ a pack if not on sale? Not I for sure! This past week Thomas’ products were on sale for $2 a pack, so I picked one up because I’ve wanted to try it.

The English muffins are very fragrant in the bag. So fragrant I was expecting a burst of pumpkin spice – perhaps even a little overload upon first bite. The muffins are fork split which makes taking it apart easier. I toasted it up, and I will say they are very soft – softer than your average English muffin.  I added some peanut butter and a few slices of banana to it for breakfast.  But … I have to say these don’t taste anything like they smell. They taste almost plain. The pumpkin flavor is there but it’s so mild it’s almost unrecognizable. I wasn’t wowed by them and I haven’t had another since I first tried it.  It’s not that they aren’t any good … it’s just not the flavor category I was anticipating.

A whole muffin is 150 calories or 4 points plus values.

QUESTION:

What is your favorite English muffin flavor?

Edy’s Limited Edition Slow Churned Pumpkin Patch Ice Cream

The moment fall rolled around the corner I wanted pumpkin ice cream. I hadn’t seen it in any of my stores and after having a conversation with a fellow Instagrammer about the Starbucks Pumpkin Latte ice cream, I was on the hunt. I couldn’t find the Starbucks brand, but I was able to find the Edy’s Limited Edition Slow Churned Pumpkin Patch Ice Cream. Since I’ve been a fan of Edy’s (or Dreyer’s – same company, different name depending on your location) ice cream and their limited edition ice creams in general, I picked it up on a late night run through the grocery store.

Upon bringing it home, my boyfriend and I decided on having a bowl of ice cream to enjoy while watching one of our favorite TV shows.  The ice cream is smooth and creamy and truly reminds me of pumpkin pie filling (that is without the crust).  The pumpkin flavor is up front and steals the show, which is what I look for in pumpkin products. It’s not overwhelming – perhaps it could be if you ate too much of it, but with a serving it’s pleasant. I didn’t find it to be overwhelmingly sweet either, which makes this even more delicious.

A ½ cup serving is 90 calories, or 3 points plus values.

QUESTION:

What is your favorite limited edition ice cream?

Pepperidge Farm Swirl Bread – Pumpkin Spice

I spotted this limited edition Pepperidge Farm Swirl Bread – Pumpkin Spice while at the grocery store and I had to give it a try.  Since I have a deep love for pumpkin I opted for this flavor over the caramel apple swirl bread. I love raisin bread and this smells sweet like raisin bread, but mildly pumpkiny so into the cart it went.  I’m helping my boyfriend find an appreciation for pumpkin things and this is one of the pumpkin items he was more than willing to try.

I’ve enjoyed it toasted with spray butter on it and my boyfriend has had this transformed into French toast.  It’s good mildly sweet, mildly pumpkin tasting and very reminiscent of cinnamon raisin swirl bread.  I enjoy this because it’s a dense bread and when toasted it’s crunchy, but it’s still got a soft quality to it (well, unless you burn it).

One slice is a serving, which is 80 calories or 2 points plus values.  Not bad and worth it, particularly if you’re looking for a change up in the breakfast/snack bread department.

QUESTION:

Have you tried either of the limited edition swirl breads?

Nature Valley Granola Thins – Pumpkin Pie

I was actually told about these limited edition Nature Valley Granola Thins in Pumpkin Pie via Instagram. My love of pumpkin is strong and I personally wouldn’t have known about these unless I just happened to be browsing Stop & Shop and stumbled upon the mini display … which probably wouldn’t have happened.

I have wanted to try the granola thins for the longest time but since I’m not a big fan of dark chocolate I just couldn’t justify making the purchase. But give me a milk chocolate (which they don’t sell) or a pumpkin pie granola thin and I am all on board.  When I opened the package, I was gifted with a nice pumpkin pie scent.  Taking the first bite I was rewarded with that crumbly granola texture and then a sweet frosting on the bottom of the thin.  A perfect blend of both pumpkin and granola – definitely two thumbs up!

A serving is one thin, which conveniently come packaged in their own individual packs.  A serving is 80 calories or 2 points plus values.  I did find these at Stop & Shop but have yet to see them elsewhere.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any of the Nature Valley Granola Thins?