Member Appreciation Reviews

We got up early this morning and went to Curves - because I've been sick, we missed Wednesday AND Friday - and for our efforts we were rewarded with a Member Appreciation Gift Bag with free samples! Included were the following:

• a 10 oz. bottle of Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Grape Spray - It's not too bad! 10 calories, no fat (duh), only 2 carbs, and I think the fruit taste is strong enough to cover any weird fake sugar taste that the Splenda might give it. I give it:
  2 ears up!


• Quaker Rice Snacks, Cheddar Cheese - mini rice cakes coated in boxed mac & cheese powder! 50 calories per 11 grams, 2 grams of fat (no trans), 8 grams of carbs and 1 gram of protein make them a not to bad snack. I probably won't choose to buy them though.
  1 ear up, 1 ear down...


• Quaker Mini Delights, Chocolatey Drizzle - teeny tiny *multigrain* cakes drizzled in something chocolatey! These are about the size of a quarter, way smaller than the advertising leads you to believe. 90 calories in 20 grams, 3.5 grams of fat (no trans), 14 grams of crabs, and 1 gram of protein. They kind of remind me of Cookie Crisp cereal with frosting. Not *bad* but not really good either and I really won't buy them on my own. Not chocolatey enough if I am craving chocolate, and not *enough* if I want a crispy snack.
  2 ears down...


• Curves Chocolate Peanut Chewy Granola Bar - It's small. Most *breakfast bars* are about 35 grams; these are only 25, which is of course why there is only 100 calories. There is also 3.5 grams of fat (no trans), 17 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of protein. Interestingly, it's first ingredient is chicory root extract. It looks a lot like a fancy rice crispy treat: puffed rice, oats, peanuts, mini chocolate chips... And that's just what it tastes like, only there is a weird after taste, possibly the chicory? Definitely will not buy.
  2 ears down...


• a tiny box of Curves Honey Crunch - Just like the box I had before, that I didn't review formally, this one doesn't say how much is in it, but says it's less than 1 cup, which is how much a serving is. In one serving there is 190 calories, 1 gram of fat, 45 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of protein. They are flakes, similar to Special K, with a light sweetened coating. They have a little bit of a cinnamon flavor which is good, and they really aren't a bad cereal, but for the price (in money and in nutrition), I'd rather choose something else.
  1 ear up, 1 ear down...


• a sample packet of Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Almonds, Cinnamon Brown Sugar - Yum! About 24 nuts is a serving (not that many in this package) for 160 calories, 14 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbs, and 6 grams of protein. Sure you can find snacks for less calories and fat, but with so few carbs and high on protein (compared to other snacks) I think 24 of these would make a great treat!
  2 ears up!


• 2 packets of Splenda Flavor Blends for coffee, Hazelnut - well, generally I like my coffee with lots of milk & sugar, flavors are good too. I've tried non-nutrative sweeteners and I *don't* like them. But, my dear readers, you will have to wait until tomorrow for my review, because it is far to late in the afternoon for me to have any coffee!


• a recipe booklet for the Quaker Rice Snacks, including a 40¢ off coupon - mostly just different ways to top your rice cakes, but interesting...


• $1 off coupon on Frigo Cheese Heads cheese snacks - string cheese, yum... I wonder if we can get this around here, and would it be worth it...???


• $1 off coupon on Quaker Weight Control Instant Oatmeal - I think we compared this to other oatmeals and found it had more carbs which made it bad for me, and the calories are actually more than regular instant oatmeal for the same portion, so how's that gonna help your weight control???


• Recipe cards for Curves cereal, including $1 off coupon for the cereal and 50¢ off the granola bars - nothing you couldn't do with another, better-for-you cereal...


• $1 off coupon on Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Almonds - this one will probably get used; they have sea salt, no salt, and vanilla bean, in addition to the cinnamon brown sugar. ^_^


• $1 off coupon on any 5 Weight Watchers Smart Ones frozen entrees or desserts - I used to get these back when they were cheaper and I had more money, but the portions for me always felt too small. They have new Fruit Inspirations though, and they look very yummy. Perhaps, I have learned more what is proper portion control and one will be enough? Maybe I will try them again...


• $1 off coupon on 8th Continent Soymilk - I've never tried this brand, only Silk, perhaps I'll try it... There's a recipe for a soy smoothie too.


• a Just My Size mini catalog - some nice things... wonder if they're in my price range... Ooo! Free shipping with a $50 order! Comment if you want the promo code!

And of course, we *both* lost monumental weight this week! ^_^ *I* now weigh less than I did back in 1997! I was at 214 this morning. And *Jacqueline* made it under 300! She's down to 298!
YAY FOR US!!!