Food

Got Milk? Magic Milk Straws Review

Magic Milk Straws is a new product that we found at the Toy Fair in New York City. We received some samples to try out and did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% of own.

Each pack of Magic Milk Straws contains 6 straws and come in 4 flavors, Cocoa, Cookies and Cream, Strawberry, and Vanilla (we only said they come in 3 flavors in the video but the website says there are 4).

I think kids will really enjoy using the Magic Milk Straws and I can just see them asking for them everytime you go to the store.

Each straw is made out of a thick plastic. There is an opening on either end so they work just like any straw. The magic is the tasty beads inside of the straws. Put a straw in a glass of milk and DO NOT CUT IT in anyway. As you sip the beads give the milk flavor. Kids can blow bubbles with the straw for more fun.

One thing I found is that they do not give the milk a lot of strong flavor as if you were putting in chocolate or strawberry syrup and they don’t turn the milk color. But, after reading their website I do not believe that is what they are designed to do. They are designed to make drinking milk fun for kids and that they do.

After I did the video review I left the chocolate milk straw in the milk and I found that it did change the color slightly and make the milk have more a sweet taste. While the Magic Milk Straws do not really change the color of the milk, kids are going to love them.

This product is not readily available yet in all stores but it is coming soon to Target I believe. Maybe the owner can update us when they have a list of stores. For now you can go to their site and input your zip code to find a store selling the Magic Milk Straws near you or you can buy them online at Amazon.com. They run around $2.49 for a pack of 6.

Pros:

Kids will love them because they are fun and you can blow bubbles through the straw
Everything is enclosed in the straw so you don’t have to do anything but put one in a glass of milk and start sipping
Flavor becomes stronger the long the straw is left in the milk (takes some patience on the child’s side)

Cons:

Doesn’t change the milk colors like traditional syrups
Does not give the milk a strong flavor
A little pricey

Little Debbie Cloud Cake Review

Disclaimer: The fine folks at Little Debbie sent us an assortment of Little Debbie snacks cakes to test out. We received Cloud Cakes, Swiss Rolls, Cosmic Brownies, and new Banana Pudding Rolls. All opinions about this product are 100% our own and we were not influenced by Little Debbie to write this review.

Little Debbie snack cakes are a staple in our house and have always been in our kids lunches. I eat them at night as a treat with my hot tea. If you aren’t a snack cake or snack-eating family then this review won’t matter to you but if you are, and a huge portion of society is, you will want to read what I found out about the Little Debbie Cloud Cakes.

About Little Debbie Cloud Cakes

Little Debbie has come out with its new snack cakes called Cloud Cakes, which are light, crème-filled golden sponge cakes. There are 10 individually wrapped Little Debbie Cloud Cakes in one carton. The suggested retail price is $3.09 a carton.

When you see them they will remind you of a similar cake but there are a few differences. Since they are modeled after this other brand it is fair to compare.

You can find the Little Debbie Cloud Cakes, or any other Little Debbie product, in a store near you using their store locator

The Price: Price is one reason we choose Little Debbie snack cakes in our house over other brands. Why pay more for a snack if you don’t have to I say. While they say they retail for $3.09 a box we can get them at our local Walmart for about 25% less and even less at our military Commissary. That is half the price of Twinkies.

The Taste: OMG, they taste very similar to Twinkies, just slightly denser. They have the light and fluffy cake on the outside and creamy on the inside. They are not exactly like a Twinkie but for the added savings they are a good replacement

I have to admit, I have never actually tried the Little Debbie Cloud cakes because I wasn’t sure they would stand up to Twinkies and I do like them a lot. I would definitely buy this snack cake to replace the Twinkies based on the taste and price.

I can’t wait to try the new Banana Pudding Rolls. I haven’t seen these in stores and I hope they offer them soon. I am sure they will be just as scrumptious as the rest of the Little Debbie Snack Cake line.

Follow Little Debbie on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with their new product launches and giveaways.

Pros:

very tasty
light, fluffy, creamy
affordable

Cons:

nothing other than any other snack cake has like added sugar, more calories, etc in your diet

Cherubs Salad Tomatoes and Asparagus Alfredo Sauce

The ingredients to make this recipe were from a personal purchase and no one sent them to me to use.

In this recipe I am using Cherubs Perfect Salad tomatoes. They are very similar to grape tomatoes, not round like cherry tomatoes, more oval. They come in a convenient little plastic package with a resealable top so you don’t have to use them all at once. And, they are the perfect bite-sized snack.

I also used fresh asparagus, chopped garlic, light cream, and Mueller’s Rotelle pasta for this meal.

cherub salad tomatoes

I chopped the ends off of the asparagus and cut the tomatoes in half.

tomatoes-asparagus-alfredo-sauce

While the pasta was cooking I made up two different sauces. One was an alfredo sauce and the other one was olive oil based. I also used grilled chicken strips to put on top of the pasta before the sauce was poured over.

tomato-asparagus-olive-oil sauce

The result was a yummy dinner. Here you see the pasta with the asparagus and tomato and Alfredo sauce on top with a little of the olive sauce mixed in.

tomato-asparagus-alfredo-pasta-sauce

Review of Valio Real Goodness 100% Lactose Free Milk

Valio sent us free coupons to try out the Real Goodness 100% Lactose Free milk. We were not compensated in any way and our opinions are 100% our own.

I was a little leary about trying milk that wasn’t actually milk. While I have some problems digesting real milk I just basically stayed away from it for the most part and take calcium as a supplement. I guess they call that lactose intolerance. For some people it is just a mild “blah” feeling after they drink milk or eat ice cream. But for others it can be a real problem causing all kinds of side effects or allergic reactions.

Valio Real Goodness Milk Review

I just have a mild case so I guess I’m lucky but at times it is an inconvenience because I shy away from food products that I “have to pay for later” after I have eaten them. You know, it’s kind of the feeling you get after you eat Chinese food or McDonald’s french fries. You love it while you’re eating it but you have to eat it later in another form 🙂

But, how could a milk substitute even taste like milk? Wouldn’t it taste like a milky paste or maybe something equally as bland as soy milk.

What I learned is that Real Goodness from Valio is a new lactose free milk that tastes rich and creamy like milk and does not have a watered down taste. After my husband and I tried it we were convinced that it was a good substitute for milk. It is great on cereal and for making chocolate milk. We haven’t tested it in recipes yet but that is the next step. We found that it has a slightly sweeter taste than milk. I’m all for things that are sweeter.

In the store it is easy to spot because of the bold blue carton that stands out from many of the other milk products on the shelves. We didn’t find it in all stores in our area yet but we were able to pick it up at BigY.

To find a store in your area use the Real Goodness product locator.

Real Goodness wants to invite you to join them on Facebook and Twitter try it for yourself. When you try it you will find that you will be pleasantly surprised.

Review of Kool-Aid Fun Fizz Drink Tablets

This is a review of a personal purchase of Kool-Aid Fun Fizz. I was not compensated for this review nor sent a sample.

If you are as old as I am you will remember Fizzies drink tablets. They were a lot of fun because you dropped one in a glass of water and they made a fizzies sweet drink. The sugar was already in the tablet and it worked like an Alka-Seltzer tablet. The thing I loved to do though was to put the fizzy tablet on my tongue and let it fizz that way and not make it into a drink. I am sure you weren’t supposed to do it but it was much more fun that way.

When we were in the Commissary a couple of weeks ago Greg spotted these Kool-aid FunFizz tablets. I couldn’t believe it. Kool-aid brought back the fizzy drink and it works the exact same way. Today I tried it and this is what I think of them.

First, they are just as much fun as the original. They are sanitary because each fizz tablet comes in it’s own package. Those small packages are in a zip stand-up bag for easy storage.

If you can’t find Kool-Aid Fun Fizz in your store you can buy them online at Amazon.com

You open the package and just plop the tablet in a glass of cold water and watch it fizz. It is great fun for kids to watch. Of course, I am almost 50 but that didn’t stop me from putting a tablet on my tongue – just a piece because a whole tablet would have made my mouth explode – and trying it the way I did when I was a kid. It was fantastic.

Personally, I think the drink is a little weak with one tablet and from what I remember of the originals it was the same way. You definitely get a blast of flavor if you put it on your tongue. I bet Kool-aid doesn’t want you trying it that way because it is probably bad for you or something. You can put two tablets in a bottle of water. I still would suggest using 2 if you are making a full 8 oz glass of the drink.

I tried the lemonade flavor. I found out from the Kool-aid brand website (it’s a Kraft Foods brand) that they were 3 flavors you can try:

Laughin’ Lemonade
Partyin’ Punch and
Gigglin’ Grape

Now adults will want to know that this is basically Kool-aid so if you can’t take drinks with dye in it then this is not the drink for you but kids will love it.

The only negative thing I would have to say about it is that it contains ASPARTAME. I most definitely don’t drink anything with Aspartame or NutraSweet or any of those artificial sweeteners in it because it does three things to me. It gives me a headache, upset stomach, and bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the day. I like regular ole’ sugar.

I’m just wondering, do companies think that sugar is so bad? Why when those artificial sweeteners have such bad side effects. Not everyone gets them but I am sure I am not the only one that it affects that way. Why not make these Kool-aid Funfizz tablets with pure sugar like the originals and offer both options to people.

Anyway, just wanted to share what I bought and tested out from Kool-aid. It was fun to relive a little childhood.