Oscar Mayer Lunchables Sub Sandwiches. Turkey & Cheddar, Ham & American, Chicken & American, and Breaded Chicken & Mozzarella. $1.99 per 3.3- to 3.9-ounce box.
Bonnie: Oscar Mayer Lunchables Sub Sandwiches are wonderful — but only in comparison to their larger, regular calorie-, fat-, sodium- and sugar-laden meal kits. These contain only a bun, meat (turkey, ham or chicken) and cheese (cheddar, American or mozzarella).
The box claims the bun is whole-grain, but the primary ingredient is not whole-wheat, but white flour (whole-wheat is third in the ingredient list), so you get only half a serving (8 grams) of whole grains.
These sub sandwiches contain way too many chemicals for me to recommend. But — and it's a big but — if you regularly buy those other Lunchables, do your kids a healthy favor and give them one of these instead, along with a package of Mann's Snacks on the Go fresh veggies, which we recently reviewed.
Carolyn: "Just the Sandwich" could have been another name for these new Lunchables Sub Sandwiches. They are the Lunchables turkey, chicken or ham with cheese sub-sandwich combinations this company introduced last fall, minus the drink and dessert. Meaning they cost about 45 percent less. Could they be another example of this recession's stripped-down-for-savings new product trend (Charmin Basic and netbook computers being a couple of others)?
These also reduce the chance your kid won't like a Lunchables component by 67 percent. And pleasing the kid, rather than saving money, is the main reason to buy them. These sandwiches are tasty, but so small that it's 100 percent certain that you'll need to augment them with chips, dessert and/or a juice box or milk.
Frank's RedHot Sweet Chili Sauce. $2.99 per 12-ounce bottle.
Bonnie: Frank's just introduced a Thai-inspired sauce that will add a sweet-spicy kick to your foods. It's somewhat similar to the "duck sauce" served in Chinese restaurants with egg rolls.
The sauce is mainly sugar with red chili peppers, salt and garlic. A 2-tablespoon serving is 70 calories, a hearty 14 grams sugar and a hefty 460 milligrams sodium. For comparison, Heinz ketchup contains 20 calories, 4 grams sugar and 190 milligrams sodium per tablespoon serving; Frank's RedHot original, no calories or sugar and 200 milligrams sodium per teaspoon serving.
Use Frank's RedHot Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping or marinating veggies, seafood or meat, or brushed on as a glaze. But with the amount of sugar and salt in this, use it sparingly and not too often.
Carolyn: Nothing can add interest to food more quickly or easily than condiments. But using only ketchup, mustard and hot sauce all the time can be as boring as the turkey sandwiches and burgers you put them on. That's why I keep my fridge stocked with more offbeat sauces and dressings, like this new RedHot Sweet Chili Sauce from Frank's.
It's a sweet, glutinous dipping sauce of the sort served with fried noodles when you sit down in a Chinese restaurant, only with a mildly spicy after-kick. Although the most obvious use will be for those noodles or fried egg rolls, it's also great with shrimp and chicken.
Starbucks Ice Cream. Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, Signature Hot Chocolate, and Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino. $3.89 per pint or $1.29 per 3.6-ounce single-serve cup (Vanilla Bean Frappuccino only).
Bonnie: Unlike the four Starbucks ice creams introduced last summer, none of these contain coffee. But like those, these three new ones are modest nutritionally compared to super-premium ice creams. These contain about 190 to 230 calories, 10 to 13 grams fat, and 20 to 22 grams sugar per half-cup serving.
I liked the taste of all the new flavors, especially the Signature Hot Chocolate, although the older Caramel Macchiato flavor is still my favorite.
For optimum flavor and texture when serving Starbucks or any ice cream, take it out of the freezer and let sit on the counter for a few minutes before serving. And while we're talking ice cream and Starbucks, why not use these new ice creams in an affogato (Italian for drowned), a fun dessert/coffee you make by putting a half-cup of ice cream in a coffee cup, topping with a quarter-cup hot espresso and serving immediately.
Carolyn: Unilever has just introduced the first non-coffee flavors in the recently revived Starbucks Ice Cream line. The word "Frappuccino" links two flavors to the Starbucks stores, but it is little more than a name: The Vanilla Frappuccino is vanilla bean ice cream; the Strawberry & Creme Frappuccino is strawberry ice cream swirled with vanilla and some (but not enough) pieces of real strawberries.
The Signature Hot Chocolate looks more complex than it tastes and has little to do with hot chocolate. Its ribbons of chocolate and vanilla ice cream and pockets of fudge sauce just blend together in a dish to create a simple, though dark, chocolate ice cream. (People looking for a cold hot chocolate should try Edy's much more fully realized Light Hot Cocoa ice cream.)
All three are middle-of-the-road in quality and richness. If you already have a brand of chocolate, vanilla or strawberry you like, I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to buy these, the way I do go out of my way for the first phase of this line's more unusual and delicious Java Chip and Caramel Macchiato varieties.
Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian and professional speaker. She has an interactive site (www.biteofthebest.com) about products she recommends. Follow her on Twitter: BonnieBOTB. Carolyn Wyman is a junk-food fanatic and author of "The Great Philly Cheesesteak Book" (Running Press). Each week, they critique three new food items.