nutritious junk

One of the things i dare to do in the name of review is try those chemically questionable products.  Case in point, Walden's infamous line of "calorie free" goods. A yet again i spotted a new walden calorie free spread, their peanut spread.  I actaully like it that they didn't dare to call it peanut butter because a calorie free peanut butter IS NOT peanut butter. anyhow, i like a few of walden's other products because they replace their very sugary counterparts like syrups. but peanut butter is actaully kinda healthy anyhow, so why replace it.

Ahh, its that time again for yet another Walden calorie free review! Now, I am VERY skeptical of "calorie free" items, because i usually attribute calorie free to flavor free. And Walden does have a number of disappointments under its belt, but it also has a few hits. That being said, i am very pleased to tell you that the Blueberry Syrup is a BIG hit! Actaully, i think Walden does a fine job at syrups (i also raved about the maple syrup a while back), and this blueberry one is delicious! No artificial aftertaste and no watery type goo. Plus, there is a real nice and authentic blueberry flavor to it (actually, there are tiny real blueberries at the bottom of the bottle!). I actually like it on fiber-one because i dont like milk in my cereal, and its divine on waffles and even plain toast! Forgo most of the Walden dressings, but this syrup is definetly worth a try!

Alright, its time to begin this round-up (yes, once again, pun intended) with yet another Walden's mircle caloire free food item review. This time, i am tackling BBQ sauce. Traditional BBQ sauce is usually fat free, but it basically a syrup with tons of sugar. There are thousands of different types of BBQ sauces too, and Waldens has a few flavors too! I know Hungry Girl totally poo-pooed this sauce, but i loved it. i mean eaten alone, its a little too much flavor, but who eat BBQ sauce alone? i love it with some Boca Burgers and sugar free bread'n butter pickles of Wonder Light bread for a 150 calories "mock" McRibb Sandwich (notice how they've made a comeback a MickyD's recently? MY favorite flavor is the Hickory Smoked but they also come in Honey, Thick n' Spicy, and Original. Its even kinda thick and not watery or goopy, so you really begin to speculate how this thing could really be calories free? I dont know how they do it, maybe ill be growing a tail from all this artificial stuff, but for now i am fine and will devour this stuff until i see a tail commin on.

I though i might do a few more Waldens because i think those REALLY are hit or miss items that are sorta on the pricy side hence its good to read about them before you decide to shell out. Okie dokie, so since my last review of the asian dressing was, eh, so-so, i thought id let you know about a GREAT Waldens product: Maple Syrup! Ok, now keep in mind its not as thick as normal maple syrup (or nearly as sticky, cause damn, real maple syrup is like crazy glue!), but its just as sweet and maple-y. It workd great on waffles and french toast, but i love it on toast, oatmeal, wheat bran, Fage Yogurt, even cereal! Hungry Girl review it and poo pooed it, but i honestly havent met anyone that hasn't raved about it and i absolutly love it. Even my non-weight consious friends liked it and didnt even notive the difference. its about $4.50 which isn't a huge dent but i think its tasty and worth it!

Since I've been recieving some requests for for Walden reviews, i decided to tackle on one of their newest products, their asian dressing. Now usually asian dressing can vary in tastes...some are seasame based, some soy flavored, others are peanut-y, some teryaki-ish (sorry, i know thats not a word, dont know how else to describe it though), etc... In any case, like most dressings, they tend to be fat and sugar laden. But this Waldens is like most of their products, basically free of everything. To be honest, i was scarred to try it, but gave it a shot. i didn't taste it by itself (cause i was afraid i'll a. gag and b. i normally dont eat dressing plain). So i poured it over a tuna salad made with romaine lettuce, cucumbers, and onions. My verdict: well it wasnt' bad, it had an interesting tang, but not quite like asian dressings i've tried in the past. I would have to have this with other flavorful things (like maybe shrimp or chicken) but to be honest, i could probably make a better tasting dressing. This stuff aint cheap, so i dont think i'll buy it again. But if your bored of the same old dressing and are willing to shell out about $4.50, than why not, give it a shot. Although dont bring this near chinatown, i have a feeling they'll curse the hell out of me if they see a "calorie-free" so called "asian" dressing.

I reviewed Walden's Caramel dip a couple posts ago raving about it, and yea, i just polished off my last jar and am o so sad :( But i gave Walden's anoth shot but this time with their chocolat dip. I was hoping it would be SOMEWHAT like chocolate but i guess it more SOMEWHAT like poo infused with artifical sugar! Bleh, dont wast your taste buds or your money. I mean i guess you shouldn't mess with chocolate. Get the highes percent of cocoa chocolate (aka really good quality chocolate) and believe me a little goes a long way and wont end up as love handles. Maybe i am a chocolate snob cause i am part Belgian but Walden really screwed this one up. If i were to offer this to my Belgian family, they'd pelt me with stale waffles!

ok, Walden's is infamous for giving a lot promises on most of their products. "Calorie Free", "Carbohydrate Free", "Fat Free", "Sugar Free"....its endless really, and one begins to wonder what is actually left of the product, and most importantly, is this even yummy?
So naturally, when i purchased it, i was very skeptical. Would i taste a horrible, sugar substitute over tone of this product that calls it self caramel? But, to my VERY pleasant suprise, it tasted not just good but DAMN STUPID GOOD. Better than the real thing I tell ya. There was NO fake sugar after taste what-so-ever, and the texture matched the smooth and creaminess one would expect from caramel. all this delicious taste for literally no guilt! I wouldn't eat this on its own (i wouldn't recommend eating ANY actual food item calling itself calorie free on its own, i mean the chemicals that make it that way would seem like an overload if that happened). Its really great with dipped fruit like apples, stawberries, peaches, pears, etc.. and even on whole wheat rice cakes or toast. I've also had it mixed with some generally bland cereals like puffed wheat and all bran. I cant express my love for this product enough! Not many stores have it, I've seen it in a handful of specialty diet stores around L.A., but they are available on line are ( http://www.waldenfarms.com/cfdips.htm) completely worth getting.
online, they cost $3.99 Per/Container but dont forget the $8.95 Shipping/Handlingfor each 1 to 10 Bottle order. So if you are going to purchase it online, i suggest getting a lot of em so you wont have to re-order and pay the shipping fee every time. Happy dipping!