Popsicle Jolly Rancher Ice Pops. Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, and Grape in each pop. $3.99 per 33-ounce box containing 20 pops.
Bonnie: Jolly Rancher, those bold fruit-flavored hard candies first sold at the eponymous store in Golden, Colo., more than 60 years ago, are now also Popsicles.
One 45-calorie pop contains 10 percent of the daily recommended vitamin C and is made with 10 percent fruit juice from pears, red raspberries, apples, grapes and cherries. And, as per Popsicle tradition, there's entertainment at the end with a joke on each stick: "Why wasn't the mouse a tattletale? It didn't want to be a rat."
I wish they hadn't used artificial colors and flavors, although I suppose you can't expect a product extension to be better than its inspiration.
Carolyn: Right you are, Bonnie. These new Popsicles are frozen re-creations of the distinctive, strong-flavored hard candies. Jolly Rancher flavors are, in fact, much closer to jelly beans. There's probably no way such unnatural flavors could be achieved without using unnatural flavors. Jolly Rancher fans will like these, as should anyone looking for a lot of refreshing eating pleasure for minimal calories.
Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Cracker Combinations. Oven-Roasted Turkey With Chive and Onion Spread, and Rotisserie Chicken With Garden Vegetable Spread. $2.50 per 3.95-ounce package.
Bonnie: Although they're not packed in Lunchables' trademark bright yellow-and-red boxes, these new Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Cracker Combinations are "Lunchables" for adults.
I have to give Oscar Mayer credit for trying for better nutritionals: In addition to the sliced turkey or chicken, the company has included crackers with whole grains and reduced-fat cream cheese. Each tiny serving also has a bit more than a moderate amount of fat, with 11 grams total (of which 4.5 are saturated) and 780 to 850 milligrams sodium, or a bit too much for a 270-calorie snack.
Carolyn: Oscar Mayer refrigerated lunch packs have come full circle with these new Deli Creations Cracker Combinations. It started with Lunchables cracker and meat snacks for kids in 1988; expanded to Deli Creations sandwiches for adults, to Lunchables sandwiches for kids; and now these Deli Creations crackers and meat snacks for adults.
I can't explain why it took Oscar Mayer two decades to get back to its lunch pack's cracker roots, but I can tell you that these aren't just Lunchables by a different name. The difference is in Deli Creations' much-more interesting crackers and cheese. Flatbread crackers replace Lunchables' Ritzs; flavored cream cheese spread stands in for Lunchables' American or cheddar. Both add a touch of elegance that rises above Deli Creations' more ordinary luncheon meat.
They make a nice light lunch or tr? easy appetizer-for-two if you're having someone in for drinks. (Just be sure to hide the package!)
Honest Tea Organic Half & Half. $1.49 to $1.79 per 16-ounce bottle.
Bonnie: Legendary golfer Arnold Palmer's favorite drink is the inspiration for Honest Tea's new Half & Half, a combination of half-iced tea and half-lemonade made with sugar, lemon juice, black tea and lemon extract.
I was disappointed in the flavor; there wasn't enough of either tea or lemonade flavor in it for me. But if your taste registers differently, I can recommend this modest-sugar beverage. One 8-ounce half-bottle portion contains 12 grams sugar, providing 48 calories.
Carolyn: No, Honest Tea has not started making organic coffee creamer. This half-and-half is a half-tea, half-lemonade drink also known as an Arnold Palmer (for reasons Bonnie just explained). AriZona tea company actually makes an Arnold-licensed half-and-half drink.
What makes Honest Tea's version different: It's organic, cloudy looking and moderately sweet. Both tea and lemonade flavors are muted — as I would expect in a blend — though the tea one dominates (lemonade lovers be warned).
Contents aside, I'd like to commend this company for Honest-y that carries through to a bottle label that states the calories per bottle as well as per serving; and caffeine content, in numbers as well as compared to coffee. (It has half the amount in an 8-ounce cup of joe, if you're wondering, as I am almost always left doing with other caffeine-containing foods.)
Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian and professional speaker. She has an interactive website (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. © Universal Uclick