Dunkin Donuts Chips Ahoy Iced Coffee

I am a huge coffee fan ... but I am also a little bit of a coffee snob. I have a favorite local coffee shop that makes coffee from flavored beans. That is until my boyfriend turned me onto Dunkin Donuts Chips Ahoy Iced Coffee.

Initially I was hesitant because I don't really enjoy sugary syrups in my coffee (for instance, if I do get syrup in coffee it's sugar free). But I have to say, this particular coffee has completely turned my coffee world upside down. The coffee is sweetened with a syrup, but there's chocolate syrup that is squirted into the bottom of the cup - which upon first sip REALLY gives you the illusion of biting into a chocolate chip cookie.

The coffee is sweet, chocolatey, and reminiscent of a cookie. Utterly delicious and so worth the splurge in calories/points plus values. I find the flavor lasts through the entire coffee. Although I also found it can be fast lived if you don't stir it up a bit and end up drinking up the syrup and chocolate sauce before really digging into the coffee itself (considering the layers can seperate a bit). Overall this is a complete home run, game changing coffee.

A large ice coffee (without any milk or added sugar) is 200 calories or 5 points plus values. I typically order my iced coffee with a little bit of skim milk so I call the whole coffee 5 points plus values.

Trader Joe's This "Fig Walks Into a Bar" Cereal Bars

Every once in a while I'm in the mood for a cereal bar. Typically I don't purchase them because I don't find them to be satisfying enough of a snack, but on one trip I decided to pick up a box of the Trader Joe's This "Fig Walks Into a Bar" Cereal Bars. I had run out of my Nature Box fig bars and decided to try something different.

These fig bars are your traditional cereal bar, smaller in size, but they offer a soft, slightly crumbly crust surrounding the soft and gooey fig center. They're really along the lines of a Fig Newton if they were laid 2-3 back to back. In comparison to a fig newton they're definitely a lot softer. Some of the packages after opening it was found that the fig center had sweat a bit, making the cereal bar crust a little softer and appeared to be wetter. Nothing detrimental or nothing that took away from the product.

Taste wise they taste just like a fig flavored cereal bar. There's nothing surprising about them. They're a good product and a decent snack to have to switch things up and make them interesting from time to time.

A serving, 1 bar, is 120 calories or 3 points plus values.

Longhorn's Balsamic Raspberry Seared Chicken

I don't eat out very often, but when I do I make sure to check the restaurants website to see if any nutrition information is available. One afternoon I went to a local Longhorn with my father to celebrate Father's Day. Before I left the house I had decided I was going to order the Longhorn Balsamic Raspberry Seared Chicken.

The menu described the meal as "fresh chicken breasts topped with white wine butter, balsamic-raspberry drizzle and goat cheese crumbles. Served with choice of fresh green beans or broccoli." As for my side, I opted for my side of broccoli plain (with no butter on it). I am not too sure if there is a difference between the lunch time menu and the dinner, I couldn't find any different nutrition facts online.

The dish itself was quite delicious! The balsamic glaze paired perfectly with the raspberry and goat cheese. The raspberries were a little too much for my palette to accept, so I picked them off and discarded them. It wasn't that they were gross, but it was just the texture of the berries (they got softer because they were on top and around the hot chicken). The chicken was moist, the glaze was flavorful without being overwhelming and the goat cheese provided a very rich and creamy layer to the dish. The creaminess helped offset some of the "zippiness" from the balsamic glaze and even the raspberries alike.

I found it to be very satisfying and I would ultimately order it again next time I'm at a Longhorn.

The dish is 540 calories or 13 points plus values.

Chips Ahoy! Limited Edition Chocolate Banana

While at the grocery store I spotted a new cookie and decided to give it a try. The fact that it had banana in it, is truly what sold me ... so I welcomed a package of Chips Ahoy! Limited Edition Chocolate Banana cookies into my grocery cart with open arms.

Unfortunately the cookies didn't merely live up to the expectation built up in my head. I was expecting a strong robust banana flavor which was only intensified by the chocolate chips. But ... they were really a huge fail for me. The cookies themselves are along the lines of rather artificial banana flavor mixed in with your average Chips Ahoy! cookie. These are a crunchy cookie, like the standard Chips Ahoy! not the chewy variety. I truly wasn't a fan .. I had one cookie out of the whole package before "forcing" them upon my guests to try/eat/sample/take home.

Sadly these were a fail ... I guess if I really want a potentially delicious chocolate chip banana cookie I may have to just get adventurous in the kitchen.

A serving, 2 cookies, is 160 calories or 4 points plus values.

Weight Watchers Chicken Burgers

I feel like it's been ages since Weight Watchers launched frozen chicken products in local grocery stores. I remember when they first launched I was excited to give them a try. I've since purchased a few packages of the Weight Watchers Chicken Burgers (note: these are now sold in resealable plastic zipper top bags). One afternoon I pulled the box out of the freezer and cooked the chicken burgers up as part of a quick "meal prep" to have some cooked protein on hand.

 

The packaging used to be in big bulky boxes, with an inner package containing the frozen chicken burgers/chicken strips. But I've seen slimmer packaging (like plastic bag containers) in the local grocery stores these days, which definitely makes storing a lot easier and less spacious.

 

The burgers are formed and ready to be cooked. I chose to cook them on top of the stove, seasoning one side with some hamburger seasoning. They cooked up easily and were quite satisfying. The chicken remained moist without drying out and were flavorful.  Adding a little ketchup, mustard, onion, lettuce and tomato to a sandwich I definitely didn't miss the beef. These were one of the better frozen chicken burgers I have tried out on the market. The best part is these are readily available in my area to be purchased, unlike some other brands.

 

Each chicken burger is 140 calories or 3 points plus values.

Rockstar Roasted with Almond Milk - Light Vanilla

I've been on an energy drink kick as of late so while at the store I noticed a line of coffee beverages, the one that particularly caught my interest was the one made with almond milk. I happen to be a huge coffee fan so of course I had to pick up a can of the Rockstar Roasted with Almond Milk - Light Vanilla after spotting it on a local grocers shelf.

Evidently these canned coffee beverages have been out for a while, but it was the first time I had ever laid eyes upon them. I went for the light vanilla because it was made with almond milk and because it wasn't too bad calorie wise (I don't necessarily like to throw my calories/points plus values away on beverages). 

The drink itself is very good. I stashed my can in the refrigerator overnight and the next morning it was perfect for my early morning pick me up while at work. It's lightly sweetened, has enough almond milk in it to change the color of the coffee (it's a lighter brown color), and has a very smooth vanilla flavor to it. It's quite refreshing, particularly when in a pinch where I don't have a coffee in hand (or essentially the things I need to make myself a coffee to my liking on hand). 

A serving, 8 ounces, is 60 calories or 1 points plus values or the whole can is 120 calories or 3 points plus values.

Trader Joe's Wine Country Chicken Salad

While at the grocery store one afternoon, they happened to be sampling the Trader Joe's Wine Country Chicken Salad. I'm a fan of chicken salad, but after experimenting with the reduced fat chicken salad I decided to give it a whirl with the real thing ... and I'm glad that I did.

I'm pretty finicky when it comes to chicken salads, so I was pretty surprised with how much I enjoyed this one. The salad itself is chalk full of chunks of white meat chicken, pecan pieces, celery, poppy seeds and cranberries. The dressing that is used is sweeter but not so sweet that it's overwhelming. All the flavors blend together nicely and make for a perfect little dish, especially on a hot day where no one really wants to spend time in the kitchen.

Consistency wise, this is a looser chicken salad. The dressing is runnier, but it's not so runny that it's a sloppy mess. I found I enjoyed this the best over a bed of garden salad. The dressing on the chicken alone was enough where I didn't need any added salad dressing.

I will say, out of the serving that I had I only found one small piece of cartilage on the chicken (which unfortunately, is pretty common with chicken salad or even grilled chicken out at a restaurant). The piece was really small and was the only piece in the entire container, so I can't knock anyone down for points on that one. Overall, I quite enjoyed this and found the cranberries and pecan pieces to be a home run regarding flavor.

A serving, 4 ounces (113g), is 230 calories or 6 points plus values.