Squish Candy always has a great collection for every holiday and occasion. For this Easter, they released a few new items and one of them is their Great Gummy Hunt. It’s perfect now as we are all indoors during Covid-19 and can’t go outside for a large Easter Egg hunt with friends.
We are still able to get treats delivered to our homes.
The Great Gummy Hunt takes you on an adventure all over Carrot Grove for you to discover a different pack of gummies behind each door along the journey. There are 10 packs of candy to uncover.
We opened the box as a family and it was fun to see which candy was hiding behind each door. As Baby E just turned one, she won’t be eating candy anytime soon. But, lets be real, all these candies are really for mommy and daddy.
Baby E enjoyed feeling all the gummies in the packages. Plus, the sight of all the different colours and sounds as we opened each door to reveal a new gummy.
If you haven’t had a lot of Squish Candy before, it’s a great introduction to their collection as they have a large collection. You’re going to find a few new favourites in this box. We sure did.
Who would have ever thought they would make Jolly Rancher Cereal? I was so curious so I had to grab a pack of the cereal. How could I not? We grew up with Jolly Ranchers as a kid, so having it as a cereal will be very interesting.
Where do you find them?
These are not available in Canada and was found in the United States at Walmart.
What’s inside?
Inside, you will find 530g of Jolly Rancher Cereal in the box.
Taste Test
When we opened the box, The Jolly Rancher cereal smelled just like Jolly Ranchers. You get the tart green apple smell, juicy grapes, and berry. It actually felt weird adding in the milk as it didn’t match very well. It made it feel like sour milk.
When we ate the cereal, it has a nice crunch but it just felt very artificial when it comes in colouring and taste.
We didn’t hate it, but we also definitely didn’t love it.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Overall, it wasn’t the worst cereal I’ve had but definitely not the best.After having one bowl, we were not very keen on having another. No candy for breakfast for us.
We tried Fruity Pebbles a few weeks ago and this week we are trying Cocoa Pebbles. A month ago, we went to the states and bought a huge bag of cocoa pebbles. My husband loves it so much that he couldn’t get a regular-sized box. If you’re a fan of the Flintstones, you’ll remember this very well.
Where do you find them?
This isn’t sold in Canada, but is readily available in the United States at major grocery stores. We got ours at Walmart.com.
What’s inside?
There is a 36oz pouch of Cocoa Pebbles inside.
Taste Test
This is rice cereal covered in cocoa that gives the Cocoa Pebbles it’s signature look and taste. We opted to add regular milk to it. As we mixed it, it slowly became chocolate milk. The cocoa pebbles did stay crisp as we slowly ate the cereal.
It has a nice cocoa touch but it wasn’t as strong as some other chocolate cereal. When you turn them into Cocoa Pebbles Cereal Marshmallow Treats, they are a hit!
Nutrition Facts
Cocoa Pebbles Cereal Marshmallow Treats Recipe
Final Thoughts
Cocoa Pebbles was good and so much better than Fruity Pebbles. It’s great for kids and adults to enjoy. It’s very versatile, so you can have it in milk or turn it into cereal bars. I highly recommend turning them into Cereal Marshmallow Treats. You won’t regret it.
Count Chocula is a classic cereal and it has been around since 1971. I remember wanting to try it as a kid but it wasn’t available in Canada until a few years ago.
You can find Count Chocula along side his monster friends – Franken Berry, and Boo Berry. These are seasonal cereals available around Halloween. I remember seeing commercials for these cereals and they do such a good job advertising. Of the 3 cereals, Count Chocula is by far the most popular because of the flavour of cereal and character.
Where do you find them?
I found this on sale at Buy Low Foods, but you can probably find Count Chocula at major grocery stores across Canada around Halloween.
What’s inside?
Inside, there is a 295g pouch of Count Chocula inside.
Taste Test
Count Chocula is a mixture of marshmallow ‘bats’ and chocolate cereal. You can eat it with milk, yogurt, and with your favourite berries and nuts. Most people eat this cereal with milk and that is what we did.
It has a nice chocolate flavour and it stays crisp for some time when the milk is in the bowl. It has a good amount of chocolate in the cereal, so the milk does turn brown. It’s a decent cereal but it’s definitely more fun when Halloween is around. The kids will definitely love it.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Overall, Count Chocula is a fun cereal, but it’s really more for kids. There are better chocolate cereals in stores if you are a chocolate cereal lover.
You’ll only be able to find Count Chocula during the Fall when it is Halloween, so it’s a good time for it as a ghoulish treat for the kids.
We’ve had the Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill for over a month and since it is still cold outside, cooking on the outdoor grill is a bit of a pain. It’s hard to enjoy the great outdoors when it’s raining or snowing.
The Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill brings grilling into the comfort of your own home no matter what the weather is like outside. I’ve always been curious about indoor grills as I set off smoke alarms attempting to grill inside with gas stoves. It has never gone well. So, we had to test out the Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill to see if it’s worth the price tag.
Fast Set Up
Once you take it out of the box, all you need to do is put on the grill, slide in the drip tray, and plug it into an electrical outlet. There’s only 3 pieces in the box, so you can just start cooking right away.
No additional gas or charcoal
The grill relies on advanced infrared heat technology that lets you get grilling within 1 minute. Once you turn on the switch, you can start feeling the heat coming out from the grill. It stays up to a constant 446ᵒF.
80% Less Smoke
I’ve tried leaner meats like chicken all the way to fatty meats like pork belly to test out their claim of producing less smoke. It’s does create less smoke, but it isn’t smokeless. When the fat drips off the pork belly onto the grill, smoke and odour start appearing. It’s well controlled if you have the indoor grill under a hood fan to capture all the smoke and odour. We have sensitive smoke alarms but it didn’t trigger them to go off. This is definitely a win.
Minimal Side Splattering
With different types of meat, there was very minimal side splattering, so our stove and counters stayed relatively clean. A lot of the oils and fats drip down into the grill’s drip tray.
Insanely Bright
One of the biggest cons is that when it is turned on, it’s really bright red. When you need to check your BBQ to see if it’s done, you can’t help but to look at the infrared lights. They tell you not to look at them, but it’s hard not to. The first few times of using the machine, it really hurt my eyes. Definitely a major adjustment is needed.
Keep BBQ Warm
If you’re done cooking and want to keep your meats warn, there is a setting where you can do just that.
No BBQ Char Taste
Unlike a traditional BBQ, you will miss out on the charcoal or propane flavour, which you would get normally. No matter how I marinated my meats, it would always be missing that smokey charred flavour. You can always add in liquid smoke into your marinade.
Easy to Clean
The grill is very easy to clean and I’ve never had any issues. The fat drips into a pan that is easily removable. I just wipe it down with a paper towel and throw it into the dishwasher. I do the same with the grill. Or you can always hand wash it too.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s a really good indoor grill although it will never replace a charcoal or propane fuelled outdoor BBQ. I was still impressed and it’s one of the better indoor grills in the marketplace.
It’s really good for entertaining a group of people. When we showed our family the grill, they were pretty mesmerized by an indoor grill that doesn’t set off the smoke alarms.
I was very skeptical at first, but after using for some time, I did take a liking to the Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill.
One of my favourite nuts are pistachios. I would spend countless hours cracking open the shells until my thumb and index finger got raw. It’s a treat when I see pistachios with no shells as the price is usually higher.
Wonderful Pistachios just released their no shelled Honey Roasted Pistachios and Chili Roasted Pistachios across Canada. You can find these at major grocery stores cross Canada.
Honey Roasted Pistachios
The Honey Roasted Pistachios have honey, sugar and a pinch of salt for a sweet and savoury snack. At first taste, it is coated in a good amount of sugar and taste sweet. Then you get they honey flavour with the salt to balance it out. It took a while for my mind to adjust to the flavour as I thought the natural flavour of the pistachios to shine through.
After eating a few more, the flavour is very good.
Chili Roasted Pistachios
The Chili Roasted Pistachios has big, bold flavours of red pepper, garlic and vinegar to tingle your tongue. When you fist pop this into your mouth, it’s quite a strong flavour of acid that hits your tongue from the vinegar and spices. It takes a bit to adjust to. Once that subsides, the aroma of the red pepper and garlic shine through with the hint of spice.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to Pistachios, my personal preference is either lightly salted or no salt. With the new introduction of the Honey Roasted Pistachios and Chili Roasted Pistachios, you can eat it as a snack or incorporate it into a dish. The Chili Roasted Pistachios paired with a salad or Honey Roasted Pistachios as a topping for a dessert.
KIND Snacks always has amazing products to snack on and they recently launched their KIND Bark and I got excited. This is their first product to be introduced in the chocolate aisle. KIND Bark is nutrient-dense so we can feel indulgent but yet healthy. If you know me, I absolutely love chocolate and nuts. This is the perfect snack for me.
You will find items like almonds or peanuts as the first ingredient. Plus it’s made with 55% cacao dark chocolate that is Fairtrade certified. I love how they are always conscious about what ingredients go into their products.
KIND Bark comes in 3 flavours, which are inspired by their best-selling nut bars:
Dark Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt
Dark Chocolate Almond & Salted Caramel
Dark Chocolate & Roasted Peanuts
You can find these at major grocery stores across Canada.
Dark Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt
This is my favourite nut bar flavour. The salt gives it a nice balance with the dark chocolate and the almond texture. The major ingredients in this are almonds, chocolate, sea salt, and puffed quinoa.
Dark Chocolate Almond & Salted Caramel
This has almond, chocolate, rich salted caramel drizzle, and puffed quinoa. Similar to the other version, but not as salty from the caramel drizzle.
Dark Chocolate & Roasted Peanuts
I haven’t had this nut bar in a while as I usually grab the other ones instead. Peanuts aren’t my favourite but it’s good once in a while. This has peanuts, chocolate and a creamy roasted peanut swirl.
Final Thoughts
You can’t go wrong with KIND Bark. All 3 flavours are great and you can’t go wrong with them. There are similar products out there but I really love the ratio of nuts to chocolate.
If I ever have a chocolate and nut cravings, I’ll definitely be picking this up.
I was browsing online and saw they were selling Pop Tarts Cereal in the United States at Walmart. It comes in Frosted Strawberry and Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon. I decided to get the Frosted Strawberry first for a review and it seemed like the flavour that is closest to what a Pop Tart should taste like.
These are not available in Canada.
Where do you find them?
Walmart in the United States for in-store and online.
How much are they?
$3.64 USD per box.
What’s inside?
Inside, you will find a pouch of 482g of Pop Tarts Cereal Frosted Strawberry edition.
Taste Test
On the exterior, you get the sweet vanilla cereal dusted with sprinkles, then the centre is the strawberry filling. When you add the milk to the cereal, the exterior soon becomes soggy which makes way for an interesting texture. The exterior has a slight crunch and the inside is a bit chewy.
I thought it was ok for a cereal although a bit sweet. My husband who has a sweet tooth really enjoys it. It’s also good eaten on its own without milk.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was alright. It’s not a perfect substitute for Pop Tarts but as a cereal, it’s not bad at all. It does have a lot of sugar in each serving, so definitely not good to have too much of it.
Chocolate Chex is the latest cereal we picked up in stores and I love chocolate cereal, so I had to see how it ranks with the other cereals we have tried.
Where do you find them?
I found Chocolate Chex at The Real Canadian Superstore but you can probably find them at major grocery stores across Canada.
How much are they?
We got a box for $2.97 before taxes.
What’s inside?
Inside, you will find 360g of Chocolate Chex inside the translucent bag.
Taste Test
You get pieces that are yellow and brown. If you look closely, the brown ones are just coated with cocoa. Chocolate Chex is crisp and doesn’t go soggy too quickly when milk is added. The cocoa is strong and isn’t too over powering. I did find it was a touch sweeter than the Peanut Butter Chex, but not too bad at all.
Whether you add milk, soy milk, yogurt, or whatever else to this cereal, it will still taste good. You can even eat it by itself as a snack.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Chex is a solid cereal choice and each one I’ve had is on the top of my cereal list. They do a good job and I would get this again. As a plus, it’s gluten-free, so great for those who are Celiac or a gluten-intolerance.
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo! That song runs through my mind everyday with a toddler running around the house. When I saw there was Baby Shark Cereal made by Kellogg’s in the United States, I had to give it a try. The cereal is described as Berry Fin-Tastic with Marshmallows.
If you have kids who are huge fans of the Baby Shark song by Pink Fong, I’m sure this has peaked your interest.
This is a limited-edition cereal, so it won’t be available for long periods of time.
Where do you find them?
I got this from Walmart.com from the United States. They have free shipping of $35 or more.
How much are they?
This was $3.64 USD for a box.
What’s inside?
Inside, you will find 1x 374g of Baby Shark Cereal.
Taste Test
When we opened up the bag of Baby Shark Cereal, it did smell like artificial berries. You will find pieces of dehydrated marshmallows and different colours of colourful loops that taste like artificial berries.
The box states it’s natural and artificially flavoured. From the get go, it doesn’t sound great.
When we added the cereal with milk, it was ok but I didn’t love it as an adult. I was disappointed that the cereal had nothing to do with sharks. Not even shark shaped marshmallows or cereal. The colours of the cereal just represents baby shark, mommy shark, and daddy shark.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Baby shark, nope nope nope nope nope nope!
It’s fun to look at but the cereal is just disappointing. You’re really just buying it for the box.
Chocolate Frosted Flakes is a new cereal in Canada and I couldn’t help buy a box to try. I love Frosted Flakes, so I had high hopes for it.
Where do you find them?
I found them at Superstore in Western Canada, but they should be available at most major grocery stores in Canada where cereals are sold.
How much are they?
They were $2.97.
What’s inside?
Inside, you will find 435g of Chocolatey Frosted Flakes.
Taste Test
Upon first glance, the Chocolate Frosted Flakes do not look like the ones on the package. It is more like Frosted Flakes dusted with cocoa. The whole cereal isn’t coated. After filling the bowl with milk, the flakes were still crunchy and had a lot of cocoa taste.
It is a smidge sweet, but it didn’t bother me at all. It was really enjoyable.
The cocoa does blend into the milk so when you finish the cereal, you can slurp up the chocolate milk.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really enjoyed the Chocolate Frosted Flakes and I would get it again.
Fruity Pebbles is a breakfast cereal produced by Post Foods featuring Fred Flintstones and Barney Rubble. This is a cereal that is dear to the hearts of many 90’s kids. This is a crisp rice cereal, which contains
Where do you find them?
This isn’t sold in Canada, but is readily available in the United States at major grocery stores. We got ours at Walmart.com.
How much are they?
We got the family size box for $3.64 USD.
What’s inside?
You will find 1 pouch of 581g of Fruity Pebbles.
Taste Test
The vibrant and colourful crisp rice cereal is very very artificial in taste and colour. Everything about it just made me cringe. When I added milk into the bowl, the cereal went soggy really quickly. It tasted like artificial limes and lemons similar to those smelly felts that kids would go nuts over.
I used to love it as a kid, but now I really don’t like it one bit. My husband still loves it but I secretly think it’s for nostalgia.
Nutrition Fact
Final Thoughts
Overall, this cereal wasn’t for me now that I’m an adult. As a kid growing up in the 90’s, it was cool to have Flintstones cereal, but the artificial taste and colouring is a major turn off. I know people won’t agree with this, but thats how I feel.
Since we’re reviewing so many cereals, let’s get some International cereals not readily available in North America. The first one we will review is the 5 Grain Coco Ball manufactured by Post Consumer Brands in South Korea.
Where to find and how much?
I actually found this at Han Nam Supermarket in Coquitlam, BC on sale for $3.99 when it is $5.99 originally. They usually sell Korean cereal at a marked up price, but at least you don’t have to fly to Korea to get this.
What’s inside?
Inside is a pouch of 300g 5 Grain Cocoball cereal. The bag is shiny and has a sticker to keep the cereal as fresh as possible after opening.
Taste Test
I like how there are 5 grains rather than the usual corn. It has wheat, brown rice, barley, and rye as the 5 grains. There is some corn starch in the ingredients listing too.
It’s smaller in size than I thought it would be, but still have a very nice chocolate aroma. It’s not too sweet and enjoyable to eat. It’s great for those who love chocolate.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Overall, decent cereal and its very similar to a lot of other chocolate cereals out there in the market already, but I guess the difference is the 5 grains, but it’s not very noticeable when eaten.
Tim Hortons has launched their new Double Double Coffee Bar in Canada. News broke out in early 2019 saying these would launch in Fall of 2019 but I haven’t noticed this in stores till now.
This isn’t in the candy aisle at the grocery store I was in the coffee aisle by the hot chocolate. I was surprised this wasn’t in the candy aisle, but this is because it doesn’t contain chocolate. They say this is a coffee replacement on the go with the ‘double double’ flavour of 2 creams and 2 sugars.
Apparently there are also Tim Hortons French Vanilla Cappuccino Coffee Bar and Tim Hortons Dark Roast Coffee Bar being produced but I haven’t seen them around. These coffee bars are being manufactured by Whole Coffee Company in Miami.
Where to find this and how much?
I found this at Your Independent Grocer in Western Canada for $3.99 per bar in the coffee aisle. Not as cheap as I would have liked but these are hard to find.
What’s inside?
Inside is 38g of the Tim Hortons Double Double Coffee Bar. There are 3 large pieces inside.
How Much Caffeine is there?
There is 30mg per bar. This is essentially 1/3 of caffeine found in a regular cup of coffee.
Taste Test
Even though they say it has no chocolate, this is made from Whole Coffee Matter according to the ingredient label which has cocoa butter. It has consistency like chocolate but it has a very strong and sweet taste like a Tim Hortons double double.
It was decent, but for my personal preference, I do prefer chocolate to offset the sweetness. I didn’t feel a jolt of caffeine since it’s only 30mg.
It was too sweet for me and I would actually just drink a cup of coffee instead.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
We’ve had caffeinated bars before and even though this was decent, it wasn’t our favourite. We are bigger fans of Awake chocolate and there is 100mg in each bar and it has chocolate so it taste divine.
I’ve never had Chex before but my husband brought me back Peanut Butter Chex, which is a new Special Edition flavour by General Mills. The cereal is very versatile so you can make trail mix, eat it straight from the box or eat is as cereal with milk.
Where to buy and how much?
We got this at Superstore for $2.97 per box. You can find this at major grocery stores that have a wide selection of groceries like Walmart.
What’s inside?
Inside there is 1x 340g of Peanut Butter Chex.
Taste Test
When you pour the cereal into the bowl, it doesn’t look like much, but there is the nice aroma of peanut butter. The back of the box has a few different trail mix recipes, so this cereal is very versatile.
When I added milk to it, it lessens the peanut butter intensity, but it’s still delicious. It can get soggy if you don’t eat it soon after you pour in the milk because of the shape of the Chex.
I also snack on them when I feel like a crunchy peanut butter snack.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really loved the Peanut Butter Chex. One of my favourite cereals so far. I would get it again. I would absolutely get this again.
If you’ve ever had chocolate milk with your Lucky Charms, you’ll be excited to see Chocolate Lucky Charms. I really love chocolate, so I couldn’t wait to see how this would be like. This is the chocolate twist to the old classic Lucky Charms.
When did they switch up the marshmallows? There are 11 different types of marshmallows inside. 4 different colours of unicorns, hearts, stars, horseshoe, clover, blue moon, rainbow, and balloon.
The regular cereal is coated in cocoa to give it that chocolate flavour.
Where and How Much Is It?
I found this at Superstore for $2.97 per box. I’m sure you can find this at most major grocery stores across Canada.
What’s Inside the Box?
Inside the box is 1 x 340g pouch of Chocolate Lucky Charms.
Taste Test
When I was a kid, I would have loved to eat only the marshmallows, but now as I’m getting older, I find them too sweet. I really just prefer the chocolate cereal, but then again, I really do love chocolate.
Having this with milk, it was decent. Just a touch sweet. It’s still a very fun cereal for kids.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s great for those Lucky Charm lovers who also enjoy chocolate. A great blend of both worlds. I did find it a bit sweet because of the marshmallows. Maybe not the cereal for adults, but kid will sure love all the marshmallow shapes and the chocolate cereal.
I absolutely adore churros for dessert or even a snack. The texture of the churro coated in the cinnamon and sugar is so addictive. When paired with dulce de leche, it’s friggin amazing.
When I saw the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros Cereal, I wanted to see how it would taste.
Where to find and how much?
I bought this from Target.com and got it delivered to my mailbox in the US. This was $3.79 for a family size box. You can find this at other major grocery stores in the States like Walmart.
What’s inside?
Inside is 1 x 558g of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros Cereal.
Taste Test
There are large elongated pieces that resemble churros. There is a good amount of cinnamon and sugar coating each piece. When you mix it with milk it doesn’t get too soggy too fast. The taste was the same as Cinnamon Toast Crunch but in a different shape. It is bigger and crunchier but the shape doesn’t add much to the experience.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
Overall, nothing too special about Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros Cereal beside the shape. I would still prefer the regular Cinnamon Toast Crunch for the smaller flatter shape. Don’t worry Canada, you’re not missing out on much.
The classic S’mores combination of putting together graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallow has now turned into a cereal by Honey Maid and Post Consumer Brands. Honey Maid S’mores Cereal is a new product available now in Canada and we were excited to try it.
Where and How Much Is It?
I got this at Superstore for $2.97 per box and you can find this at most major grocery stores across Canada.
What’s Inside the Box?
Inside the box is 1 x 347g pouch of Honey Maid S’mores Cereal.
Taste Test
The Honey Maid Graham crackers resemble Cinnamon toast crunch cereal, there are little marshmallow pieces, and chocolate puffs. It felt like other cereals just put together in one box. As everything is coated in sugar, I thought it would be much sweeter than it actually was.
It has a good balance between all the ingredients. You get strong aromas from the molasses and honey in this combination.
You can also eat this as a snack without the milk. Even better is if you turn these into Rice Crispy Square-like snacks.
Nutrition Facts
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed it and I would consider getting this again. Not too sweet either.
