Snapple Drinks. Kiwi Teawi Iced Tea and Go Bananas Juice Drink. 99 cents to $1.25 per 16-ounce bottle.
Bonnie: I approached these two new Snapple drinks with trepidation that had nothing to do with the unusualness of their tropical flavors. It's because the last time my son drank a bottle of Snapple in my home, an almost 2-inch, white, cocoonlike something hit his lip. When we called Snapple to report it, they were not surprised and said it was probably just mold, something they said that can appear in all-natural beverages. (Testing confirmed that it was mold.)
That's why I carefully examined each of these Snapple samples, then poured them into a glass before trying them. Fortunately, I found no mold in either, only kiwi-flavored tea with an upside-down label, and a banana-puree-and-milk beverage containing 10 percent juice.
Carolyn: So apparently there's a downside to those all-natural products you're always touting, Bonnie — although, I must say, I've never had any comparable unidentified-floating-object problem with Snapple. I also don't have any other problem with these two new flavors. The banana has an unusual, not-too-thin, not-too-thick consistency. The kiwi gives the Teawi a nice fruit lift; it doesn't drown in the tea the way lower-decibel fruit flavors, like strawberry and raspberry, do.
Smucker's Uncrustables Microwaveable Grilled Cheese Sandwich. $2.89 per 7-ounce box containing four sandwiches.
Bonnie: This new product brought back memories of my mom's quickie pie. That was our name for her round, toasted cheese sandwich, which was quick to make and looked like a mini pie. She buttered bread, placed each slice on one side of a long-handled, round sandwich-maker contraption, added chunks of Velveeta< (yes, Carolyn, I did have Velveeta as a kid!), closed it, trimmed off the crusts and cooked it on the stovetop. It was delicious.
Smucker's Uncrustables Microwaveable Grilled Cheese Sandwich is also round, crustless and oozes pasteurized processed cheese like a quickie pie. Smucker's is more processed than my mom's, but theirs is also much lower in fat and calories. That's because my mom's quickie pies — and most homemade grilled cheese sandwiches — are made with buttered bread. A sandwich like that could contain about 400 calories, with 25 grams of fat, while one of these provides only 140 calories and 6 grams of fat.
Of course, no commercial product could match my mom's quickie pies. But Smucker's are still pretty good.
Smucker's frozen peanut butter and jelly Uncrustables sandwich was the food media darling of the turn of the millennium because of its innovativeness and what it said about the time pressures on working parents (i.e., parents today don't even have the time to slap together a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich). Given that, I would think this new Uncrustables version of a sandwich that normally requires heating and dirtying of a pan would be even more welcome.
The Uncrustables Grilled Cheese is a bit more work than the original PB&J in that it must be heated in the toaster oven or microwave. But it's also undoubtedly better for you than any frozen Hot (pastry) Pocket or a homemade grilled cheese sandwich made by me with all that buttered bread — and it doesn't taste half bad.
Twix Ice Cream Bar. $1.09 to $1.29 per 2.5-ounce "king size" bar.
Bonnie: Betwixt and between about whether to snack on a Twix candy bar or Twix Ice Cream Bar? I'd suggest the ice cream bar because it contains fewer calories, slightly less fat and more vitamin A than the candy. These new Twix Ice Cream Bars are still loaded with caramel and multiple minuscule cookie crunch balls, and should therefore still be enjoyed only as an occasional indulgence.
Carolyn: Snickers Ice Cream Bars debuted in 1990, a huge hit with good reason: They taste even better than their candy bar inspiration. This Twix Ice Cream Bar is similar and just about as good.
Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian and professional speaker. 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