It sure is nice when companies send samples of new food and drink products to review! Here are a few more we tried recently:

Unwind (TM) Low Calorie Relaxation Beverage–This is the opposite of Red Bull. In fact, it’s the polar opposite of those high caffeine drinks. Unwind contains a natural blend of melatonin, valerian root, rose hips and passion flower, and comes in Goji Grape, Pom Berry and Citrus Orange flavors. I tried them all, but not all at the same time. Let me tell you, this stuff works. I would advise that you drink it in the evening or before bed, because it relaxed me to the point of making me extremely sleepy. Not only that, this stuff, despite being low in calories, is delicious. The citrus is a tad bitter but the grape and berry flavors are awesome. Now I need to find more of it. If you’d like to, check out the Unwind website. Happy relaxing!

Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager–Yes, I was sent beer to sample. How cool is that? I moved to Wisconsin recently, and the beers here are among some of the best I’ve ever had. So I’ve become somewhat of a beer snob. But this Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager passed my discerning palate test with flying colors. It’s a European style Pilsner and the double hops give it a rich, deep flavor without being too dark or hearty. It’s smooth and is the type of beer you could just keep drinking on a hot summer day (so long as you are at home or can hand your keys to someone else).
Check out Black Star’s website for more info.

Utz La Primera Tortilla Chips--The fine folks at Utz don’t just make pretzels and chips and snack mixes. Their new La Primera Tortilla chips are really awesome–the extra thin Taqueria style chips in Regular, Limon and Southwest flavors are authentic Mexican restaurant type chips, mainly because they are so thin. The Regular style are a good complement with salsa, and the Limon stand up on their own with a nice lime and salt kick. The Southwest style is like Doritos Taco flavor, but not as processed tasting, and with some nice heat. There is also the Original Stone Ground Tortilla Chips, which are thicker and therefore better for cheese dips and guacamole..and these are also delicious and authentic tasting.

Lucky us, we get to review new food products that are sent to us! Here are a few awesome new ones that we recently received:

Utz Pub Fries/Cheddar Cheese Flavor--Leave it to the folks at Utz to take a product that someone else is making and make it better. I remember the Andy Capp’s “Fries” as a kid and these are like an upscale version. There is a strong onion undertone but the burst of real cheese flavor makes up for it.

Utz Pub Fries/Red Hot Flavor–These are super crunchy and the heat is almost instant. The heat also pleasantly lingers. While there is no cheese in this one, there is a tomato-y flavor that blends nicely with the heat. These are awesome

Dean’s Honey Mustard Pretzel Dip–The fine folks at Dean’s have always made a killer chip dip. Well now they are here with a new product, Pretzel Dip. The honey mustard is delicious and somehow not too frou-frou. The first ingredient is mustard and honey is not far down the list, making this a naturally good snack as well. And there is just 1.5 grams of fat per serving. Not that you’re watching your weight or anything.

Dean’s Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Dip–This one is also excellent, with a subtle yet nice cheese flavor in a creamy dip. It’s made with real cheese, and isn’t runny or chalky like other cheese dips, making it perfect for pretzels.

Mr and Mrs T Bloody Mary Mix (improved formula)–If you’ve ever had Mr and Mrs T Bloody Mary Mix, you know it’s distinctive, snappy and slightly sweet. Now, just in time for tailgating season, they have re-introduced the mixer with more tomato juice and sea salt to reduce sodium. This was always a good mix, but you can’t go wrong by adding more real juice to something, and that’s what they have done here. And why wouldn’t you want to make sure what you mix with lots of vodka is healthier?

They don’t make pretzels like they used to. Pretzels you buy in the store either don’t have enough salt, are too bland or buttery or boring. And don’t get me started on soft pretzels, which Auntie Anne’s has pretty much ruined for all of America. However, there is hope, and there are still awesome pretzels sold in bags and in tubs. And the best of these is Utz brand pretzels. I found these in stores occasionally when living in New York, but hadn’t seen them since moving away from there years ago. But I found Utz products recently online, and bought a few different types of pretzels. Not only do they taste exactly as I remember, but they seem to be even better.

I bought a bag each of the rings, small logs and regular logs. Utz pretzels have very few ingredients so they taste fresh and not processed. And they don’t have that fake shine that most store-brought pretzels have. They are crunchy, generously salted, and just plain delicious. In fact, after going through the three bags rather quickly, I ordered two more large tubs of Utz pretzel rods. Yum.

Oh, and for good measure I also tried the 7-grain pretzels Utz carries. Amazingly, these are also delicious. With seven whole grains, meaning lots of healthy fiber, these are snacks you can feel good about eating and feeding your kids. It can’t be easy to make something healthy taste this good, but Utz delivers, again.

More Utz snack reviews coming soon……