MUSH Overnight Oats

Update Review, August 2025

A few years ago, I tried a product from Mush, and wasn't very into it.  I've seen their products in stores many time since, but even though the flavors look decent, the prices are kinda high, and I've just never gone for it.  But I was recently attending an event where they were giving them out, so of course I tried again.  Still, meh.

Peanut Butter.

"Just when you thought peanut butter was at its peak, we leveled it up. MUSH Protein Peanut Butter Overnight Oats is stacked with nutrient-rich oats, real peanuts, creamy oat milk, dates, and a hint of sea salt. Now with 15g of protein, it’s fuel that takes your day to new heights."

I really wanted to like this.  I like overnight oats.  I like oat milk.  I adore peanut butter.  I was certainly happy to see 15g of protein.  I hoped I wouldn't mind the dates (the only ingredient for sweetness). 

But ... wow, this product really lived up to its name.  It was just mush.  The dark chocolate almond milk based overnight oats I had previously tried were a touch creamier and runnier, this was just thick mush.  I stirred it up, and did find the soft oats within, but, still, just thick mush.  There was nothing about the texture of this that I liked - and again, I do like overnight oats usually!

The flavor was ... ok.  I didn't actually taste the oat milk base which surprised me as oat milk is usually pretty dominant, and I also didn't really taste the dates (yay!), and I did taste peanut butter.  But it was sorta just muted peanut butter.  Mushy, muted peanut butter.  No real sweetness.

I probably could have salvaged this by thinning it out perhaps and maybe warming it up to treat it like regular oatmeal or something, but I gave up.  2/5.

Original Review, 2024

The concept of overnight oats turns off a lot of people.  Simple concept: take oats, add milk of your choice (sometimes yogurt), soak overnight, eat chilled from the fridge.  "Mushy old oatmeal?", I remember my mom saying when I tried to explain them to her.  "Who wants cold congealed oatmeal?", etc.  But for those familiar with bircher style muesli, the concept makes more sense, although they see overnight oats as super basic and lacking ... just milk base?  What about the citrus you should soak it with?

While I embraced overnight oats during a healthy phase I went through 15 or so years ago, I didn't really expect the general American public to, but, they did.  Just like instant oatmeal, you can buy overnight oats packets that you just add milk to and mix up the night before and place in your fridge.  No measuring required, and they often come with flavorings and mix-ins.  And now, ready-made refrigerated overnight oats exist in the cooler section at supermarkets, side by side with the plethora of yogurts.  Several leading brands have emerged, but MUSH seems to be pretty dominant.

Packaging.

"Ready-to-eat oats are different than traditional oatmeal in that they are never cooked. At MUSH, we soak old fashioned oats in almond, coconut, or oat milk. The resulting product is just as easy to digest as traditional oatmeal but is more nutrient dense. We haven't cooked off the vitamins and minerals. No need to heat, just eat!"

Mush makes a variety of flavors, and one thing I found frustrating is that you can't tell from the variety name which type of milk base it uses without reading the ingredients panel.  All use alternative milks, and all are gluten-free.  Flavors range from the basic vanilla bean or maple cinnamon, to fruity strawberry/blueberry/apple cinnamon, to decadent dark chocolate, peanut butter, peanut butter chocolate, or pb&j (yes, they went all in on the peanut butter varieties!).  Some use coconut milk, others almond milk, and others oat.  All use fairly minimal ingredients.

They suggest eating them chilled, but do mention that you can heat them if you wish, transferring to different packaging of course.

Dark Chocolate.

"It only tastes indulgent. MUSH Dark Chocolate Overnight Oats is a blissful blend of real cocoa powder, dates, nutrient-rich oats and silky smooth almond milk for a treat that’s hard to resist but easy to feel good about. Breakfast, dessert, or a 2pm snack…clean ingredients and 7g of protein make it the anytime treat that still keeps you firing on all cylinders."

I really wanted to love these.  But ... I didn't.  The texture of the oats is fine, soft, overnight oats after all.  Although they look creamy, the almond milk really isn't that creamy, I wanted more richness.  The almond milk flavor is fine, but more dominant is the dates.  Chocolate is there, but dominated by the dates too.

So ... reasonable texture oats, not creamy enough, ok flavors, but too much date and not enough chocolate.  I added fresh berries, cocoa nibs, and eventually whipped cream, but I wouldn't get these again.  **.

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Wetzel's Pretzels

Update Review, April 2025 Visits

Another year, another National Pretzel Day, which means, free pretzels at Wetzels!

Original, Buttered, No Salt. $7.39.

I waited in a fairly long line for my free pretzel, only to have the person before me claim the last salted pretzel.  The worker unapologetically told me they didn't even have another batch baking, so plain (buttered) was all he could offer (which, confuses me, they salt them after baking and usually just pluck the plain ones from the display, dose them in more butter, and dunk in salt ...).  But anyway, original, buttered, no salt it was.

The pretzel was fairly average and as expected.  Warm but not super fresh.  Covered in butter.  Baked well, no under baked nor burnt bits.  Standard US style fairly plain base flavor (e.g. not malty like European ones).  I had a little of it then, and took the rest home to re-warm up and use as a dessert with more toppings and sauces.  Low ***.

Original, Buttered, With Salt. $7.39.

The one I got fresh, fresh, fresh out of the oven (as in, I had to wait 2 min for it to finish baking).  Amusingly, it was actually a bit darker than it should be, so they really *should* have pulled it out sooner.  Anyway, classic original pretzel, buttered, and buttered again and salted.  Well formed, piping hot, nice salt level.  I definitely liked having a flavorful mustard I brought with me to dunk it in.  *** due to freshness, but there isn't actually anything particularly remarkable about these pretzels.

Update Review, April 2024 Visit

Yes, another visit to Wetzel's Pretzels for a free pretzel on National Pretzel Day.

Original (no salt).  $5.99.

I got this hot and fresh.  It was already glistening with butter, from the bath they give the pretzels as they take the out of the oven.  I opted for no salt, so I could use it in either savory or sweet dips.  If you do get salt, it gets brushed another time with fresh butter, to help the salt stick.

The pretzel was pretty massive, and not particularly well formed, more like intersecting rings than a proper pretzel shape.  It was buttery, moist, not burnt, but not particularly good.  I tried both savory and sweet dipping sauces and glazes with it, which helped, but the base pretzel just didn't have much flavor.  Auntie Anne's, located in the same mall, and also doing free pretzels was considerably better (in both taste and shape).  Eh.  **.

Update Review, June 2023 Visit

Almond Crunch. $6.49.

Meh.

The pretzel just didn't taste very fresh.  It was taken from the display case and dunked in copious almond crunch coating (which I definitely appreciated, although much of it fell off), but I suspect it had been sitting in the case quite a while.  It also seemed sightly over-baked, was fairly dry, not dough and fluffy, and was pretty dark in one area.  It wasn't very buttery.  Solidly, meh.  

The almond crunch coating was good, sweet, crunchy, but, overall, not a good showing by Wetzel's. **+.

Update Review, April 2023 Visit

Another year, another National Pretzel Day!  Of course I went to celebrate with my favorite (free) pretzel at nearby Wetzel's.  I was thrilled that there was essentially no line, and staff seemed friendly despite the "holiday" that they likely weren't especially excited to be taking part of.

Original w/ Butter & Salt.

"Hand rolled, baked fresh, and lightly buttered & salted. Also available in non-buttered."

I managed to score one fresh out of the oven, then promptly freshly dunked in copious amounts of butter and coated in salt to order.  It was basically as good as a generic soft pretzel of this style is going to get.  It was soft and puffy, the base pretzel had a reasonable flavor (American style soft pretzel of course though, not the malty nature of a German pretzel), and the butter was glorious.  Salt made it all pop.

When you get one of these fresh, it really is quite good.  ***+.

Update Review, May 2022 Visit

National Pretzel Day.  Always a fun day for me, as I enjoy making a journey out of claiming my free pretzel at various vendors, which this year included both Auntie Anne's and Wetzel's, co-located in the same mall, just moments away from each other.  I used this opportunity to try something totally different at Wetzel's, and went to Auntie Anne's, my preferred vendor, for my sweet pretzel (which I reviewed last week).  But at Wetzel's, I kept it simple.  Very simple.

Original Pretzel. No Butter, No Salt.

Have you ever had a plain pretzel?  Like, truly plain?  No butter, no salt, just, pretzel?

I ordered one on a day I was mildly curious what Wetzel base pretzels taste like, and when I saw the display pretzels were all really sad looking ... they looked old and dried out.  And, obviously, like their pretzels normally are, buttered.  So I did the "trick" some people do to get fresh fries at McDonald's by ordering without salt, and asked for an original pretzel, no butter.  I was told there would be a slight wait, which I anticipated, and had no problem with.

It was nice to get a pretzel hot and fresh out of the oven.  It was warm, doughy, and far less crispy/dried out as they can be from sitting under the heat lamps.  It was also, um, very boring.  I knew butter added goodness to it, but, wow, I didn't realize just how plain the base is without it.  No malty, wheaty taste, no ... anything really.  Just some warm, fluffy dough.  It needed far more than mustard to make it interesting.

I actually just brought it home, reheated it up (I know, defeating the purpose of having it fresh!), and dunked half in cheese sauce (yum!) and did the other half covered in cinnamon roll glaze I had left over, and the non-buttered base made it a perfect vehicle for both sweet and savory toppings.  If you plan to bring your pretzel home to use for something else, I recommend this no butter approach, but if you want something to enjoy on the spot, unless you are getting interesting dip, go for the buttery goodness.  Butter is a good thing.

**+.

Update Review, November/December 2021 Visits

Nearly two years in to the pandemic, and my regular mall soft pretzel place, Auntie Anne's, was still closed.  So even though I didn't love Wetzel's Pretzel's my first visit, I decided to try a few more times, this time getting more decadent coated options.

The good news is that I found one I do like, but, I like to have whipped cream to dunk it in, and I like it warm ... and Wetzel's never seem particularly warm nor fresh.

Sinful Cinnamon. $5.79.

"A whole pretzel baked fresh and tossed with cinnamon sugar. Sweet!"

Since the regular pretzel I had last time was a bit boring, I decided to go for a sweet, dessert-like pretzel.  My choices were cinnamon sugar or almond crunch.  I opted for the former, sorta craving a churro at the time.  I went for a full size pretzel, known as the "Sinful Cinammon".  When served in smaller bite form, the cinnamon sugar bites are known as "Cin-A-Bitz".

My pretzel was tossed in cinnamon sugar to order, but the pretzel itself was a plain buttered pretzel plucked from the display.  It was lukewarm, kinda hard, and I don't think was particularly fresh.  

When I tried the Original pretzel, I found it didn't have much base flavor, so this was an improvement over that, in that the sugar and cinnamon coating was generous, and it did add flavor and sweetness.  I found myself still wanting something to dunk in it, or icing, or just ... something.

So overall kinda lackluster, and at $5.79, it just felt expensive for a mediocre item (cinnamon sugar is $0.50 more than plain pretzel).

**+.   It was much better when I brought it home, heated it up, and dunked into whipped cream.  ***.

Almond Crunch. $5.79.

"Make it nutty! A fresh baked Wetzel's Pretzel topped with our sweet and salty almond crunch."

I still have yet to find a Wetzel's pretzel that makes me as happy as I want it to, so for my next selection, I went for the most decadent of the sweet options, the almond crunch.  Much like the Soulful Cinnamon, it was coated in the crunch coat to order, but was otherwise was a plain buttered pretzel plucked from the display.

This was the best pretzel I had so far, but, it still let me down.  The pretzel was both hard and soft, was lukewarm, and clearly was not fresh.  Sigh.  The base flavor was again fairly boring, although it was heavily buttered.

The coating was good though, and very generously applied.  I was impressed with how well the coating stuck to the exterior.  That said, it in no way tasted like almond, and there were no bits of almond identifiable.  "Sugary crunch" seemed more accurate than "almond crunch".

This pretzel was sweet enough, and decadent enough, to be close to a dessert, which is what I was looking for, but it really still needed either caramel to dip into, or whipped cream, or something.  Although, at 596 calories, it didn't "need" it from that aspect ...

Like the Sinful Cinnamon, this pretzel was $0.50 more for the coating.

*** as served, but again, once I brought the other half home, heated it up, and dunked into whipped cream, it took it up a notch, ***+.

Almond Crunch. $5.79.

"Make it nutty! A fresh baked Wetzel's Pretzel topped with our sweet and salty almond crunch."

I had a free pretzel coupon to use a few months later, and since the almond crunch was the best I had so far, I went for it again.  It came out looking like a pretzel from a totally different place, way less coating on it.  I also was able to watch it being made, and saw a regular, unsalted pretzel was plucked from the case, dunked into liquid hot butter, and then put into the crunch coating.  I wonder if you can ask for one salted, or one without butter?

Anyway, this version actually had larger bits of crunch coating, and seemed crunchier than the previous one, even though that one had so much more coating on it.  I think I liked it a bit more, but I also knew what to expect at this point - warm dough, not what I think of as a pretzel, very buttery, slightly sweet coating.  It still needs a caramel or icing dip, or whipped cream and ice cream, or something to complete it for me.

*** as served, ***+ once I added my own ice cream this time.

Jalaroni Twist. $6.29.

"Fresh baked cheese pretzel topped with pepperoni slices and big, juicy slices of jalapeño."

And finally, I went savory.  And rather all out, if you are thinking of a stop at a pretzel place as a "snack".

I'm not really sure this should be considered a pretzel at this point.  Yes, I think it is the same base dough that Wetzel's uses for all their pretzels, and yes it was vaguely pretzel shaped, but ... it really didn't remind me of a pretzel in any way.

But let me back up.  In the savory, cheesy department, Wetzel's has several offerings, all dubbed "Twists", starting with the simple "Cheese Meltdown", which, the best I can tell is just cheesy bread (using their 3 cheese blend), then they have jalapeño or pepperoni versions, and this, the "Jalaroni" which has both.  All are cheesy, and, although they look like pizza, none have pizza sauce (although you can purchase marinara dip separately).  Hence, my evaluation of basically cheesy bread vaguely shaped like a pretzel, more like what you find at a pizza place, just, shaped like pretzels instead of breadsticks.

So how was it?  Well, like all my pretzels from Wetzels, not exactly hot and fresh.  Lukewarm.  Sigh.  Auntie Anne's really does a much better job with freshness.  The base dough used by Wetzels never strikes me as very pretzel-y, not like Bavarian style soft pretzels, which drives me crazy when having a plain pretzel, but works better here.  The very generic dough makes a decent enough base for cheesy bread, but, besides the shape, I wouldn't say it was any different than very generic pizza place cheesy breadsticks.  The jalapeño did add little pops of spice, and the pepperoni made it kinda taste like pizza in a traditional sense, and made it a bit greasier, but still ... just pretzel shaped cheesy bread.  

I think with marinara sauce dip it likely could serve as a pizza replacement, but, at 600 calories per pretzel, uh, why not just get real pizza?  It really isn't a "snack" like this.

Overall, glad to try it, but, eh.

**+.

Original Review, May 2021

Mmm, soft pretzels.  Such classic mall food court food.  Or, well, I suppose the classic setting is sporting events or street vendors selling reheated Superpretzels (which, don't get me wrong, can be quite tasty!), but I'm talking about fresh soft pretzels, usually made right there in front of you, the aroma irresistible, with a bunch of fun dips to pick from.  Like my usual goto, Auntie Anne's.  

Wetzel's has been around since 1994, but I don't think I ever saw them before ... 2015 or so?  Not the common brand where I grew up, and a late comer compared to Auntie Anne's.  They have franchises all over the US, and a few internationally.

Much like Auntie Anne's, pretzels come in "original" (salted with butter), "soulful cinnamon" (cinnamon & sugar), sour cream & onion, and sweet almond crunch.

They also make a slew of pretzels with cheese baked in (some with pepperoni, jalapeno, etc too), smaller "bitz" - nope, not "bites", "bitz", and of course, crowd favorites, pretzel dogs (in several varieties).  Standard soft pretzel shop dips are offered (savory options like cheese or pizza sauce, sweet ones like caramel or icing glaze), and a few fountain drinks like classic lemonade.

Wetzel's Stand at the mall.

Whenever I've walked by Wetzel's, I've seen it as "the other" pretzel place in the mall.  Auntie Anne's was always my goto for a soft pretzel, and they had a "real" storefront, whereas Wetzel's just has a little kiosk in the middle of the hall.  Plus, Auntie Anne's was open for years before Wetzel's joined the lineup.

But Auntie Anne's closed during COVID, and didn't reopen.  Wetzel's did.  Plus, really, how do you resist the aroma of a fresh baked pretzel?  Even with my mask on, I couldn't resist the smell.

Pretzel Making.

Since the kiosk has no separate kitchen, all prep is done right in front of customers.  I felt a bit bad watching with such fascination, much like watching a pizza dough being tossed, but it was really amazing to watch the pretzel dough be rolled out, shaped into a pretzel with the flick of a wrist, and laid out.  The next one was done before I could blink.

Another staff member took the formed pretzels, dipped them in a solution, and put on baking tray.

From there, they went into the oven, where they baked until timer went off, then were rotated 180*, baked again until timer went off, then were moved down to a different rack, and a new batch put in.  One more baking, one more rotation, and they were done.

Clearly a *very* well controlled baking experience.

Bag.

I had to laugh at the message on the bag: "Moderation has a time and place. This isn't it".

<3.

Original with Butter & Salt. $4.89.

"Hand rolled, baked fresh, and lightly buttered & salted. Also available in non-buttered."

For my first pretzel from Wetzel's, I went simple: original.  But yes, of course I got butter and salt.

My pretzel was hot and fresh.  As fresh as can be, literally, we had to wait for them to come out of the oven.  And then to cool a little before they'd hand over.

I was given the option of salted or not, and clearly went for salted, the salt was applied to order, along with being dipped in fresh butter.

It was hot.  It was fresh.  It was glistening with butter.  Salted just enough to really have salt in every bite, but not excessive.  Fairly evenly applied.  All great things.

The pretzel had a lovely chew to it, a bit chewy on the outside, but very soft inside.  Really, just perfectly cooked.

But I'm not raving about it.  Every aspect of the execution was spot on.  It just didn't ... taste like much?  Butter and salt, sure.  But the base pretzel was really lacking in any depth.

I had a packet of mustard in my bag, so I dunked some in there, and it worked, but this really screamed out for something more like warm cheese dip, or even an icing.  Maybe cinnamon/sugar?

So, execution wise?  ****+, but actual satisfaction?  **+.  Overall ... ***.

The $4.89 price seemed high for a pretzel too.

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88 Acres

I live a fairly active lifestyle, so having a quick bar to grab for a snack or breakfast (particularly when traveling) comes in very handy.  But of course I am very opinionated, and I love to try new things, so I've tried a ton of different styles of bars over the years.

Which leads me to 88 Acres.  88 Acres is a very ... seed forward company (yes, I sorta made that term up, but, seeds are at the forefront of their products).  They have 4 main product lines: Seed + Oat Bars, Protein Bars, Seed Butters, and Seed'nola/Edge'nola, all of which focus on seeds as the base.  The later two product lines are newer, and I haven't had a chance to try them yet.  Everything is gluten-free and vegan. 

I enjoy their products, and will continue to purchase them.

Seed & Oat Bars

"Our nutritious gluten free whole-grain oats are an excellent source of high-quality protein and contain manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper – all necessary for healthy functioning bodies, young, old or somewhere in between. 

Our bars are crafted from familiar kitchen staples, combining oats, sunflower, pumpkin, flax seeds, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, and a variety of tasty additions like chocolate chips, vanilla, cinnamon, berry blends, and Australian sea salt."

Seed & Oat bars I believe were the first product line offered by 88 Acres.  They come in 2 styles, thin or regular, both in many flavors.  All use a trifecta of seeds (pumpkin, flax, chia) as the base. 

Thins

The first bar I ever had from 88 Acres was actually one of the thins, which come in fewer flavors.  I think I slightly prefer them to the regular size bars.

Cinnamon Maple Thin.

"Soft-baked for a chewy texture. Made with gluten-free oats and organic cinnamon swirled together for that comforting taste of fall every day of the year."

I find it interesting that they call these "soft-baked" and "chewy", as I find them harder than most granola style bars, almost crunchy.  I actually really like the crunch factor, but it is notable that it isn't how they are advertised.  I've had many of these bars at this point, and they are always this crispier style - you can snap them, not bend them.

Anyway, I really like these.  The signature mix of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax) makes it very crunchy, the oats round it out, and the brown rice and maple syrups give it a great sweetness level.  Nicely spiced with cinnamon and sea salt.  Pretty simple ingredients actually, but, well crafted.

I don't do this with any other granola/seed/oat bars, but I really like to dunk these in a bit of greek yogurt or labane (or I spread a layer on top).  Bonus points for also sprinkling on cacao nibs.  I'm not sure why I like them that way, but, the tang and creaminess compliment the bars perfectly.

I'll continue to get these, and would love to try other flavors.  ****.

Cinnamon Maple Thin.

I've had many many of these at this point, and always really quite enjoy them.  Just great form factor, crunch, and cinnamon spicing.  I still always feel compelled to dunk in yogurt though, which I truly cannot explain.  ****.

Regular

The thicker, regular bars come in 7 flavors: 3 featuring chocolate (dark chocolate sea salt, oatmeal chocolate chip, double dark chocolate), 3 with fruit (blueberry lemon, triple berry crumble, apple ginger crisp), and cinnamon maple.

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt.

"Soft-baked for a chewy texture. Perfectly balanced with chocolate chips and sprinkled with large flakes of sea salt for that taste of homemade chocolate chip cookies."

This was my first regular bar, not a thin like the others.  It is just over twice the size (45g rather than 22g), mostly just thicker.

The base is the same as the previous flavor: lots of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax) and oats, along with brown rice and maple syrups to sweeten, and sea salt to make the flavors pop.  It swaps in bits of dark chocolate in place of cinnamon.

I was let down a bit at first, as I expected more visible and substantial dark chocolate elements.  Without reading the description I assumed it would have a chocolate coating, but even once I realized it didn't have that, I thought there would be big hunks of chocolate.  There were not.  It was still a very seed forward bar, healthy tasting but somehow enjoyable.  Great crunch.  Just, very minimal chocolate.

I think I do like the thin form factor more, and slightly preferred having the stronger cinnamon spicing, but I enjoyed this and would gladly have another.  Lower ****.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.

"Soft-baked for a chewy texture, just like a cookie. With creamy chocolate chips and a hint of sea salt, it's the bar you'd make if you had the time!"

So, um, this was the same ingredients as the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, except it also had cinnamon and vanilla extract.  But otherwise, exact same ingredients, in the exact same order, and identical nutrition stats, except that the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt had 5 mg more sodium.  It did however look slightly different, with chocolate limited to the little chips.

This one reminded me a bit of kid's granola bars, or at least, my memory of them, although a thicker, more firm, less gooey version.  It still had the hints of being a healthier choice with the seeds in it that added a touch of bitterness, but the chocolate chips made it certainly sweeter than many of the others.  It was a fine granola bar, but didn't feel particularly unique nor special.  ***.

Apple Ginger Crisp.

"Packed with nutritious ingredients like oats, dried apple, crystallized ginger and maple syrup to recreate that nostalgic apple pie flavor in a chewy snack bar."

This is probably the least interesting, at least to me, flavor I tried.  Just the standard base of oats, pumpkin, flax, and sunflower seeds, brown rice syrup and maple syrup, along with raisins, bits of dried apples and ginger, and some warming spices (cinnamon/cloves/ginger).  It did not remind me of an apple pie as promised.  I actually wouldn't have known it had bits of apple in it, as I never really detected them.  I also didn't really taste the ginger in the way I'd expect from the crystalized pieces in it.

The bar was one of the more bitter flavors I tried, with so little to mask the flax and sunflower seeds in particular, it trended too bitter, and too healthy tasting for me.  The raisins did add a touch of sweetness and softness, but they too make it just taste healthy.  The texture was good, soft with a nice chew.  

Overall, a boring bar for me, and better enjoyed when I dunked it in yogurt to mask the bitterness a bit.  ***.

Protein Bars

"Myth: Protein bars are exclusively for people trying to bulk up.

Fact: Protein bars are good for everyone, especially those looking for healthier snacking options that satisfy the temporary hunger pangs when mealtimes are still far away!"

The protein bars still use seeds (only pumpkin rather than the trio) but have 12 g of protein, compared to the only 7 grams in the regular bars.  They come in only 3 flavors.

Banana Bread.

"Soft-baked for a chewy (never chalky) texture. Made with 12 grams of protein from pumpkin seeds, plus banana paste and a dash of cinnamon for that fresh-from-the-oven banana bread bite."

Hmm. I'm not quite sure how I felt about this.  

Given the description of "soft baked" and my own brain's interpretation of banana bread, I expected this to be a softer bar.  It wasn't entirely crispy, not as crisp as the regular bars, but it was a chewy style, and certainly quite firm.  It did have some banana bread flavors from the banana, cinnamon, and maple syrup, and crunch from pumpkin seeds, but that is all there is to it.  Very seed-forward, slight banana bread flavor.  Not too sweet.

I was more in the mood for something softer with stronger banana bread vibes however, so this wasn't quite right for me.  **+.

Chocolate Brownie.

"Soft-baked for a chewy (never chalky) texture. Made with 12 grams of protein from pumpkin seeds, plus large flakes of sea salt and chocolate for an indulgent boost."

Another soft-baked thick hefty protein bar.  This one was middle-of-the-road for me.  It was a fairly pleasant soft and chewy form factor, with lots of crunch from the plethora of seeds that make up the base.  There were hints of fudgey brownie, but the seeds did dominate.  The bar literally is made of just pumpkin seeds, maple and brown rice syrups for sweetness, dark chocolate and cocoa powder, and sea salt.  So, it tastes like exactly what it is, no more, no less.

***.  Finished it, but likely wouldn't buy another.

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Rule Breaker Snacks

Not by choice, my little niece recently became both gluten-free and dairy free.  For a child, this has been a hard adjustment not being able to eat the snacks everyone else around is eating, and in attempts to give her special things, my mom is slowly working her way through all the products on the market.  I of course have used this opportunity to try things out myself.

Which leads us to Rule Breaker snacks.

Allergen Free.

Rule Breaker is free from the top 11 allergens, so they easily encompass everything my niece needs to avoid, and then some.  Kosher and halal on top of that.  AND, they also aim to be healthier, lower sugar, etc.

The product line is all cookie-adjacent, with single serve normal size cookies, smaller cookies called Juniors, and mini Bites.  The Bites are what I tried.  Most come in a few flavors, including seasonal special like pumpkin spice in the fall, and mint chocolate in the winter.  I tried 3 of the core flavors.

Strawberry Shortcake.

"Rule Breaker Snacks Strawberry Shortcake Bites feature creamy white chocolate chips, a delectable soft-baked texture and of course sweet strawberry flavor. Our little “patch” of Strawberry Shortcake are great for snacking on-the-go, ideal for school and just perfect for picnics in the sunshine."

The first flavor I tried was the most unique: strawberry shortcake.  I love white chocolate, so these called out most to me.  

I did not like these.

They were soft, as promised.  But they tasted more like a nutrition bar than a cookie.  Chewy like one of those bars too.  They tasted healthy.  Not particularly fruity, or at least, not strawberry forward.  This is no real surprise though, particularly once I looked at the ingredients, as chickpeas are the first ingredient, and they are sweetened with date paste and brown rice syrup.  The pink color comes from beets.  Yup, these are far to healthy for me.  Did not even want to finish a single bite.  *.

Chocolate Brownie.

"It doesn't get more chocolately than these rich, fudgy hunks of heaven. We took the same great recipe for our full-size Chocolate Brownies and shrunk them down to just the right size to pop into your mouth.  Rule Breaker Chocolate Brownie Bites may be little, but they're studded with LOTS of chocolate chips. They're so delicious you'd never know that the first ingredient is chickpeas (yes, chickpeas!) and at just 100 calories per serving, they make the perfect snack."

Next up, we tried the most decadent sounding, chocolate brownie.  They were a bit better, but still not very good.  Another soft baked base, sorta between a cookie and brownie.  They did taste a bit chocolately.  But they also had a strange aftertaste, and certainly ate more like a protein bar than an actual treat.  Did not want a second one. *+.

Chocolate Chip.

"If you love chewy, soft-baked chocolate chip cookies, these are the treats for you.  We took the same great recipe for our full-size Chocolate Chip Blondies and shrunk them down to just the right size to pop into your mouth.  They may be little, but they're studded with LOTS of chocolate chips. They're so delicious you'd never know that the first ingredient is chickpeas (yes, chickpeas!) and at just 100 calories per serving, they make the perfect snack."

Finally, although I certainly had no expectations that they would be enjoyable, it was time for chocolate chip.  I was confused when I opened the box as they didn't look anything like the images on the box, nor like, well, chocolate chip cookies.  The base cookie was not blonde, it was just slightly lighter color brown than the chocolate brownie ones.  And the taste?  Yeah, about the same.  Soft cookie-bar bites that seem like a protein bar and not an actual dessert.  Did not want a second bite. *+.

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Baley Baler

By now you know that I'm an avid snacker, and became addicted to chips again sometime during the pandemic.  I pretty much love to try all crispy and salty (or sweet for that matter) snack foods.  Bonus points if they are not generic American snacks.

Which brings me to Balay Baler, a chip maker based in Manila, Philippines.  The company is quite young, started only in July 2020 during the pandemic as a way for a pair of sisters to make a bit of income.  They don't have a website, although have Facebook and Instagram accounts.  I think they might have a physical storefront in Manila, but I'm not certain.  They are available through a couple other small local resellers in the Philippines.  Not the most accessible to me, sadly.  But I was still able to try them when a co-worker brought some back from a trip.

They. Were. Fantastic.

I want more, stat.

Kamote Crisps (4L Bucket). P360/$5.73.

The chips are sold in 100g pouches or 4L buckets, which is what I had here.  The chips come in 5 regular flavors (plain, nacho cheese, sour cream and onion, barbecue, or sugar) and 2 premium flavors (white cheddar, garlic butter).  Sometimes they offer additional interesting flavors like nori or tom yum.  Pouches are P130, buckets P360 (premium flavors slightly more).  All are made with local organic sweet potatoes and cooked in coconut oil.

I kinda loved the giant bucket format, not something I've seen with chips before, and yes, something that made it way way too easy to eat far too many in one sitting.  Danger, danger, if you are a compulsive snacker like me.

Barbecue Kamote Crisps.

"Local sweet potatoes thinly sliced for that perfect bite ."

The flavor I got to try was the barbecue, which would have been my first pick anyway.

Wow, these were delicious.  I'm not going to say that I devoured the entire 3L bucket in one sitting (ok, it took 3 sittings, just, 2 of them were the same evening ...), but yeah, I could have.  Couldn't. Stop. Eating. These.

They were very unique chips.  The sweet potato flavor was actually pretty subtle, the taste clearly not standard white potato, but, not compelling strong sweet potato flavor.  Which I didn't mind at all, but if you are looking for a chip that tastes very strongly of sweet potato, these aren't it.

The barbecue coating flavor was also relatively subtle, or perhaps it is that it mixed with the sweet potato flavor a bit to make it less pronounced than it would be on a more mild regular potato.  But again, I didn't mind at all.  There was still plenty of complex savory flavor, and a touch of sweetness.  Not a smoky mesquite style bbq, and not a tangy style either, more balanced and just overall blend of sweet, smoky, tangy, onion-y, tomato-y, etc.  Good salt level too, not too salty, just enough to amp up the flavor overall.

I know this doesn't sound like a very impressive review yet, but it was the form factor that really sets these apart.  The chips are probably the thinest chips I've ever encountered.  I loved how wispy thin they were.  All the surface area for the coating, considerably higher ratio of coating to potato than you'd normally have.  I loved how some were all folded over, others quite long and large.  Each one was a totally distinct shape and size.  They were also some of the crispiest chips I've ever had, and yet, not greasy at all.  The form factor of these was really quite remarkable.  So thin, so crispy, not greasy ... I don't know how they do it.  But it is this form and unique style that made it impossible to put the bucket down.

I adored these, and wish I had access to another bucket, of any flavor, because they really were outstanding.  ****+.

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Core Bar

I tend to have a kinda love-hate relationship with snack bars.  I like them in theory, very convenient, good way to get reasonable snack or breakfast replacement with protein.  And I'm definitely drawn to the flavors ... again, in theory.  So many of them sound decadent and dessert-like: "chocolate drizzled cookie dough", "white chocolate macadamia indulgence", "coconut key lime pie", etc, etc.  But then ... I rarely actually like them.  The textures are odd, they rely too heavily on healthy replacements like dates for sweetness, or they include whey protein isolate to bulk up the protein, and my stomach really doesn't get along with that ... And yet, I keep trying different brands, because I really do appreciate them, when I find a good one.  My current favorites are still Perfect Bars, but I was pretty happy with the Core bars I recently tried.

"CORE Bars are the breath of fresh air those stale, old nutrition bars needed. We’ve pushed the limits of what a nutrition bar can do and designed a bar with fiber for fullness, vitamins for wellness and probiotics for gut health.

Plus, the only thing dry about us is our sense of humor. The fridge freshness provides the softest texture you’ve ever tried."

The bars are plant based, non-GMO, natural ingredients, etc.  They seem to have dropped the product line that I tried, and now offer 5 others: oat bars with probiotics, keto bars (also with probiotics), smaller keto bites, crunchy oat bites, and "truffles".  All are refrigerated products, bar form.  All but the oat bars require refrigeration for storage (due to lack of preservatives), but are fine for a week out of the fridge.

Peanut Butter Chocolate.

"Let’s hear it for this dynamic duo. A little bit salty, a little bit sweet, a lotta bit delicious!"

The flavor I went for?  Of course the one that sounded the most like candy.  Chocolate peanut butter.

This was a decent bar.  The chocolate and peanut butter elements were both fairly strong, unlike so many healthy bars where they put so little of those "decadent" items in, they are barely noticeable.  This had a clear peanut butter flavor in the base, and reasonably large chunks of dark chocolate studded throughout.  I didn't think I was eating a peanut butter cup, but, it was enjoyable.

The rest of the base was made up of oats that made it pleasantly chewy, dates for a touch of sweetness (but were minimal enough it didn't taste overly healthy), and, a surprise to me, almonds, cashews, coconut, and chia seeds, none of which I really tasted, but I assume added to the texture.  Overall, it ate well, reasonably true to the chocolate peanut butter promise, nice chew, no odd nor off flavors.  There was prebiotic starch and probiotics hiding in there, but I didn't notice those either.  At 230 calories, 7g protein, 10g fat, a pretty reasonable snack bar.

***+.

Peanut Butter Chocolate.
(2024).

"Our CORE Peanut Butter Chocolate Superior Nutrition Bar is our best-selling bar, a little salty and a little sweet, this classic combo will get you ready to take on any challenge."

I didn't realize I had tried this before, but I guess there is a reason it is their best selling bar - I too was drawn in (again!) to the peanut butter and chocolate combo.

Interestingly, my review is pretty different from last time.  This time, I lamented that I didn't really taste any chocolate.  The peanut butter flavor was great, but the chocolate did not deliver, so I had to pair it with my own piece of dark chocolate (I know, such a hardship).  It was a good peanut butter bar, don't get me wrong, but, not peanut butter *chocolate*.  The texture was decent, a bit chewy, a bit crumbly.  It seemed somewhat made of nut bits (which, it is).  

I enjoyed the bar, but if you are looking for a real peanut butter cup inspired experience, be prepared with your own additional chocolate.  ***+.

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Boulder Canyon Chips

Boulder Canyon is, well, a place, but also a snack food company.  Their marketing all features the rugged outdoors, mountains, and kayaks.  Which makes you think they might sell something like protein bars or trail mix.  But ...  

"Made from an original family recipe with premium, American grown potatoes, our chips are thickly sliced and kettle cooked in small batches – guaranteeing a satisfying crunch that can be heard throughout the canyon."

Their primary product offering however is potato chips.  That said, while they do make a few traditional chips, they focus on healthier options using "better-for-you oils", like olive oil or avocado oil.  As I'm allergic to avocado, I've had to avoid those, which is sadly the product line with the interesting flavors.

In their classic range, Boulder Canyon makes only salted, salt & vinegar, and barbeque, the later of which I tried.  They definitely are focusing more on their avocado oil product line.

Hickory Barbeque.

"The sweet, smoky flavor of hickory barbeque is paired with garlic and onion to create a classically irresistible flavor combination. We never want a great summer barbeque to end… that’s why we created our Hickory Barbeque chips for those days when you can’t get outside." 

These are very classic kettle chips.  Average thickness, some rolled up, very crispy, very heavy tasting.  The kind of chips you know are really not good for you.  I'm curious how their "better-for-you" oil versions compare.  But after eating a half a bag of these, I assure you, I wasn't inspired to go hike mountains or navigate the rivers in a kayak, despite the packaging.  Anyway, yes, classic kettle chips.

The barbeque flavor was fine, some smokiness to it, some sweetness.  Pretty strong seasoning.  I didn't love nor hate it.

Basically, these were very average chips - nothing interesting about them, but well made, flavorful, and good for meeting a specific craving.  ***.

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The Club, SEA (Concourse A)

What do you do when you are delayed at the Seattle airport?  Particularly if you don't have any status with an airline to get nice lounge access, and are just flying domestic?  If you are me, first you mope around a little, lament your life choices, and then eventually, suck it up and figure out how to pass the time.

If you have Priority Pass, you are in luck, as they have one lounge accessible, dubbed "The Club", in Concourse A, which just happened to be where my flight would eventually take off from.

"The Club SEA lounge offers alive with warm, natural lighting, soft flowing interior lines, inviting social spaces and a range of food and drinks."  

Access is $50 per visit if you don't have Priority Pass or access some other way, and I can't imagine paying that.  Let's just say, this is a pretty lackluster lounge.  The space is drab, the bathrooms were less clean than those in the main terminal, and everyone inside was as grumpy as myself.  That said, it at least entertained me for a few minutes.

Uninspired Seating.

The description of the space refers to "warm, natural lighting" and "inviting social spaces", but what I actually found was a narrow, fairly dark, and very drab space.  It was considerably less pleasant to spend time in than the main terminal actually, and felt rather depressing.  It reminded me more of a doctor's office waiting room than an airport lounge.

There were no power outlets anywhere near the seats.

Lackluster Soda.

The non-water drink options were a coffee maker that actually made decent coffee, and a cooler with Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite.  Very minimal line up.  On the counter was a dispenser with regular water.

I wanted sparkling water, which I could get from the bar "club soda", but the bar was not self service, and was never actually attended by a staff member.  They had a buzzer you could ring to get service, which was ignored more often than not, and it generally took at least 5 minutes just to get someone to fetch me a club soda from behind the bar area.  I believe they also had a few wines and beer, and maybe even spirits, but, again, never attended, and they certainly were not encouraging you to order beverages from them.

Salad Bar. 

The main section of the buffet is a salad bar of sorts.  It had the basics: not very fresh lettuce, mealy tomatoes, broccoli, black olives from a can, minced red onion and peppers, way over dressed cous cous salad (Italian dressing), and additional ranch and Italian dressing and cheese.  I was fairly underwhelmed with all of it.

What I really had my eyes on, and honestly, why I was excited to visit the lounge, was the macaroni salad, which I knew would be on offer.  I adore macaroni salad, cheap deli kinds are often my favorites.  This one certainly looked the part: very dressed, little to no seasoning, not really much to it other than a few small bits of red pepper and maybe some celery.  

I made a base of wilty, limp, and somewhat brown romaine, topped it with the macaroni salad and tomatoes (which I quickly discarded), and sat down to enjoy.  Oh, I added copious amounts of black pepper first, which they did have in packets.  It was ... fine.  Honestly, it didn't taste like much, but at least the pasta wasn't too mushy.

** for most of the lineup, **+ macaroni salad. 

Veggies Re-Stocked.

The big gaping hole in the salad bar turned out to be for veggie sticks, carrots, celery, and bell peppers, which was restocked a bit later. The veggies were fine.  I appreciated having some carrot sticks to munch on later as a healthier alternative to more standard offerings like chips (in fact, they had no chips or pretzels or anything like that).  *** veggie sticks.

Meatballs.

The hot item of the day (and, according to my research, most days) was meatballs.  There were small Hawaiian rolls on the side to make sliders if you wished.

These seemed to be very polarizing for people.  I saw many plates with discarded meatballs on them, but I saw just as many people going back for second servings of them.  I didn't have any, but I suspect you could make a decent little bite with a Hawaiian roll, meatball and sauce, and cheese from the salad bar. 

Lobster Bisque. 

The soup of the day (and again, according to my research, most days) was lobster bisque.  It was relatively warm, and had a sorta seafood-like flavor to it, but was fairly cloying and heavy.  Also woefully under seasoned.  Meh. **. 

Chips, Pita, Salsa, Queso.

Far off on the side, not with the rest of the buffet, was a tortilla chip, salsa, and queso station, with warm cheese sauce, fairly fresh salsa, and pita chips as well.   I added some of the salsa to my salad as a replacement for fresh tomatoes, and drizzled a little queso on top, but kind of wished I hadn't, as I didn't care for the queso.  If you did like it, I suspect it would go nicely on the meatballs too?  **.

Wasabi Peas.

The only real snack item, for those who just wanted to nibble on something salty and crunchy, was wasabi peas.  They were decent, had a bit of kick to them.  Probably my favorite thing in the buffet.  ***.

Desserts.

And finally, desserts.   I was surprised to see it wasn't just cookies, but rather, brownies and carrot cake.  

The carrot cake I actually enjoyed.  The cake was light and fluffy, a bit boring as the carrot shreds were minimal and it didn't have any: pineapple for moisture, raisins for sweetness, nuts for crunch, but, the base was fine.  The frosting was sweet and reasonably cream-cheesy, very creamy.  Not a carrot cake I'd go out of my way for, but it was good enough.  ***.

The brownies were ok.  I liked the big chocolate chunks on them.  Not too dry.  But not particularly deep rich fudgey taste.  Average really.  ***.

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