Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Yogurt Cereal Bars. Strawberry, Blueberry and Vanilla. $3.19 per 10.4-ounce box of eight individually wrapped bars.
Bonnie: Don't eat one of these bars thinking you're getting the nutritional benefits of yogurt. As you probably know, those benefits include the nutrients found in a glass of milk and active live cultures. These live cultures, known as probiotics, may help your body in many ways, including boosting your immune system and helping maintain a healthy gut.
These yogurt bars won't do any of that. That's because they're made of dried yogurt powder mixed in an artificially flavored, colored and thickened sugary filling.
Instead of having one of these bars, I'd suggest eating a plain Nutri-Grain bar washed down with a glass of milk, or eating yogurt with the live active cultures seal on the container.
Carolyn: Think of these new granola bars with shelf-stable yogurt as the latest in a line of new convenience yogurts. Those began with Columbo's on-lid spoon and continued with tube yogurts that can be inserted directly into your mouth. Nutri-Grain Yogurt Bars need neither spoons nor refrigeration. They do need consumers who are fans of cream-filled pastries and yogurt's tang. And that's not me.
Wish-Bone Dressing & Marinades. Asian Sesame; Tangy Honey Mustard; Balsamic Olive Oil & Herbs; and Lemon, Garlic & Herb. $2.79 per 16-ounce bottle.
Bonnie: Wish-Bone salad dressings' newest gimmick? The introduction of salad dressings that double as marinades. The reason I call it a gimmick is because salad dressings have long been used this way. Wish-Bone says these are different in their "ability to impart flavor more rapidly" than regular dressings. I say not so. In fact, I could hardly taste any flavor difference in the chicken pieces I marinated with these.
The flavors are more discernible when these are served as dressings. Unfortunately, I didn't much like either their flavors or consistency. On the plus side, these dressings are very low in fat compared to regular dressings, with 2 to 3.5 grams of fat per 2-tablespoon serving instead of 14.
Carolyn: Bonnie's right in saying that these new Wish-Bone Dressings & Marinades are no better at imparting flavor to chicken breast meat than any other salad dressing. In other words, they're pretty lousy at it. They make much more notable dressings. This line offers the only national brand of Asian Sesame and lemon-flavored salad dressings, for instance. The sesame is one of my favorites. I'd like them even better if they contained more tasty fat.
Seneca Pink Lady Apple Chips. 69 cents per 1-ounce or $1.69 per 3-ounce bag.
Bonnie: Pink Lady are deliciously crisp, tart-sweet apples from Australia (now also grown in Washington State). They're also the basis for Seneca's latest apple chip — a concept I've never liked. A 1-ounce serving of Pink Lady Apple Chips, for instance, contains 8 grams of fat, or 8 grams of fat more than a fresh apple! In fact, in terms of fat and calories, these are comparable to Cape Cod Russet Potato Chips. While Pink Lady Apple Chips have only 10 percent of the sodium and lots more fiber than potato chips, biting into a crisp real apple is a much better choice and is what I'd do.
Carolyn: The latest variety of Seneca Crispy Apple Chips is definitely not the greatest. This new Pink Lady apple snack tastes more like oil than apple. Seneca's old Granny Smith variety is lots better.
Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian and creator of Express Lane Cooking: A Simple Solution to What's for Dinner (Universal Press Syndicate). Carolyn Wyman is a junk-food fanatic and author of "Jell-O: A Biography" (Harvest/Harcourt). Each week they critique three new food items. © Universal Press Syndicate