Fueling My End of Summer Denial with Watermelon Juices

Tsamma Watermelon Juice & Tsamma Watermelon Juice with Coconut Water - Aldi

Pumpkin spicers will have to pry summer out of my cold, dead, hands. (Says the girl who reviews 20+ pumpkin spice items each fall. #hypocrite)

Don't get me wrong, I am hype for all the Halloween goodies lining the shelves, but August is (almost) over and the only tan I have is on my left arm, courtesy of my long rides to and from work each day. This cannot be! I refuse to let summer disappear without having some fun and adventure. Or, at the very least, evening out my trucker tan.

Sadly, I don't think I'll find the time to even out my tan, but I did find some watermelon juices to prolong my summertime sadness.

TERRIBLE Tuesday - Super Mario 3D Fruit Gummies

Super Mario 3D Fruit Gummies - Dollar Tree ($1.00)  

Two years ago I reviewed 3-D Nintendo gummies, and I really liked them. The flavors were enjoyable, and the bite was soft like a gumdrop, but it was the attention to detail in the candy molds that really blew me away. I was sad that none of the Nintendo ladies were represented (did we really need Diddy Kong if we already had DK?), but overall I really liked this product and wanted to re-purchase it for some off-the-blog snacking. Apparently it's gone through some changes and...well, I nearly called this post "Abomination Tuesday." It lacked alliteration, so I opted for Terrible, which in my opinion is a bit of an understatement. Something's gone horribly, horribly wrong...

Buck Wild Honey BBQ Snack Mix - Gift but Available at Starbucks

Buck Wild Honey BBQ Snack Mix - Gift but Available at Starbucks

I was sent the snacks for free but not paid for this review.

A few months ago, the people behind Buck Wild sent me some gluten free products to review. Maybe it was because of my gluten free Aldi reviews? Whatever the reason, I'm all about free food. 

They sent over a healthy selection, but one of the products that caught my eye was this Honey BBQ snack mix. I looked like it had corn nuts in it, and I've been craving corn chips, so I threw it into my photo setup for some quick snap shots so I could dig in.

Live G Free Caramel Apple Baked Chewy Bars - Aldi ($4.99)

Live G Free Caramel Apple Baked Chewy Bars - Aldi ($4.99)

Oops, apparently this review got posted early with no photos. I fixed it!

Remember when I went to NY for SFFS16 in June? Back then I bought a couple snack-bar type products from Aldi to stash in my hotel room. (For snacking and lazy breakfasts.) It was mostly granola and cereal bars, but I bought a box of these on a whim and they were so good I bought a second box when I got back to Jersey! Now I'm buying a third so I can photograph it and share it with the rest of you!

Time To Get Buck WILD - Youtube Video Review

I bought a bunch of stuff for my Memorial Day BBQ and I decided to review it before serving it to my guests, which is a little weird I guess, but I'm sure they didn't mind.

Both Tortilla chips were a hit, and the bags were empty by the end of the night, but I still have a little popcorn leftover.

Gluten Free Baked Edamame & Lentil Chips- Aldi

Gluten Free Baked Edamame & Lentil Chips- Aldi

More gluten free goodies! Aldi released their G-Free line about a year ago, and it's steadily been expanding to include all kinds of products. I think it's great, but "Gluten Free" foods like these tend to anger quite a few people. I partially understand why, to some this seems like a "hipster diet" or "trend," but there are people out there who truly need these products. I've mentioned this in other reviews, but I have a cousin with Celiac disease, so she and her two daughters (who also have it) can't process gluten. Having a food-related allergy or aliment and eating in a group setting can make a person feel singled out or isolated, especially when they're children at a snack or lunch table. 

For that reason, I like checking out gluten free products so that I can find yummy foods to share with friends and family regardless of a food allergy, and hopefully break the misconception that these specialty foods are bland, boring, or expensive. 

Okay, time to get off my soapbox and get to the food review. (Sorry for getting a bit preachy for a second there.) Time to stuff my face with chips!

Live G Free Jalapeño Jack Ancient Grain Crackers - Aldi - Cherry Hill, NJ

Live G Free Jalapeño Jack Ancient Grain Crackers - Aldi - Cherry Hill, NJ

Time to try more gluten free goodies! Aldi's Live G Free line has expanded to include all kinds of products, and while that's great, almost all of the flavor options are limited to sweet, savory or mild. There are lots of gluten free cookies, crackers, pretzels, pizzas, and all kinds of sweet and savory food items, but what about those who enjoy spicy snacks? I saw these in the aisle and gluten free or not, the flavoring appealed to me. Since I personally don't have a gluten allergy (although I have family members who do), I would have bought these snacks regardless of their gluten-less-ness, since the flavoring is really appealing. I mean jalapeños and cheese? Sign me up! 

2B Soda Reviews: Can Healthy Soda Taste good?

I'll be posting one new video every week on Youtube. I want to start using that account more, so please head over there and check it out! I think We're getting better at this video stuff.

Live G Free Sweet Chili Brown Rice Crisps- Aldi - Cherry Hill, NJ

Live G Free Sweet Chili Brown Rice Crisps- Aldi - Cherry Hill, NJ

Aldi's Live G Free line has significantly expanded, and even though I know a lot of food bloggers out there hate this "trend," there are a lot of people who benefit from these affordable gluten free food options. For the record, I can process gluten, but I have a few family members who can't due to celiac's disease, so finding food items that we can enjoy together is pretty nice. The gluten free pizza I reviewed was easily the worst pizza I've ever had, but I still have high hopes for these chips.

Next Organics Dark Chocolate Bananas - Marshall's: NJ

Next Organics Dark Chocolate Bananas - Marshall's: NJ

Marshall's is my go-to clothing store because I like saving money, and I like buying unique and quirky pieces for my wardrobe. (I'm not into brand names or designer labels.) I may go there for the clothes, but my absolute favorite thing to do during my shopping trip is to look at their weird snack and condiment aisle. It's always filled with unique treats that I have never heard of, and they usually have great packaging.

I have no idea why Marshall's has this aisle, it honestly makes no sense, but I'm not complaining. I Love it! My most recent Marshall's trip was unsuccessful in the sense that I couldn't find any jeans that fit (flares are coming back in style again? Seriously?), but I did find a handful of cool snacks to review.

Black Forest Triple Layer Fruit & Vegetable Juice Gummies -BJ's: Marlton, NJ

Black Forest Triple Layer Fruit & Vegetable Juice Gummies  -BJ's: Marlton, NJ

What a busy weekend! Yesterday was the 2nd ever Camden Comic Con, which was a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work. I had my own table at the event where I sold my art and jewelry creations, so after several hours of selling on the convention floor and dancing along with the music, I was dead tired. When everything was over I packed up my stuff, came home, and treated myself to a nice long nap. When I woke up to update Sometimes Foodie... my internet was down. Just my luck, right? After a few hours dealing with tech support in both their chat forum and on the phone, my internet was up and running again around 4AM. At least it's back up and running now, so I'm going to queue up some posts in case it happens again.

For today's post I have a little something I bought at BJ's, and unlike most of my reviews where I try it for the first time as I write, this time I've been eating a pack of these gummies 5 days a week for nearly a month. Let's get started!

Seattle Chocolates Dark Salt Caramels - Target: Marlton, NJ

Seattle Chocolates Dark Salt Caramels - Target: Marlton, NJ

It's not Valentine's Day until I review something that comes in a heart shaped box. Actually, Valentine's Day isn't until Saturday, but I have something special planned for that day's post, and this week is pretty much Valentine's themed on Sometimes Foodie, so let's just go with it.

I finally have something new to review! Well, not really "new", but new to me. I've never had this brand before, and out of all the heart shaped boxes in the aisle, this is the one that appealed to me the most. (And yes, I am going to add that link everytime I type "heart shaped box.")

Okay, on to the review!

Live G Free Pepperoni Pizza - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Live G Free Pepperoni Pizza - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

I was very excited about Aldi's new gluten free line and, even though I don't have any food allergies (other than my mild allergic reaction to tomatoes), I really wanted to try this pizza.

Sadly, that excitement did not last.

Aldi has gone GLUTEN FREE!

This might be relevant for some of you, but Aldi now has a new food line that is completely Gluten free! I know that Gluten allergies are quite common these days, I have family members who have to be gluten free, and I think it's really awesome that Aldi is branching out with an affordable food line that meets this need.

They had everything from mixes to frozen entrees.
Here are a few of the items I saw while I was there.

Pumpkin Macarons - Trader Joe's - Marlton, NJ

Pumpkin Macarons - Trader Joe's - Marlton, NJ

I love Trader Joe's, but the location closest to me is surrounded by tons of traffic, the highway is always under construction, and their parking lot is an absolute nightmare. It is quite a journey, but I braved it all to get my hands on some unique pumpkin goodies.
I originally made the trek to Trader Joe's trying to find their version of a Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tart, but they were sold out. (Boo!) Instead, I picked up a few other items that I never knew exsisted:

• Frozen Pumpkin Macarons
• Frozen Pumpkin Croissants
• Pumpkin Spice Granola
• Pumpkin Soup

Just a quick little Macaron vs. Macaroon tip:

• Macaroons are those chewy, coconut-y, sweets that are shaped like cookies. Macarons are little delicate cookies made with almond meal and meringue. Macarons are typically made into sandwich-style cookies with a rich ganache, while Macaroons are often coated in chocolate.

As far as packaging, Trader Joe's usually puts a decent amount of effort into their designs to create something with an earthy, but hipster-y, feel. When compared to their products I have had in the past, this design falls a little flat. Everything is orange! There is absolutely no contrast in the design, which makes it look a little cheap. (Although these were a bit on the cheap side for macarons. It was $4.99 for a dozen.) The photograph is orange toned, the background is orange, and the text is either a creamy off-colored white or burnt sienna. It's just too much orange! This looks like a product I could have picked up at Aldi. (No offense Aldi, you know I love you.).