Steven Helmer Publications

  According to my doctor last week, I really need to get back on my diet. However, it's been unusually stressful the past few days, so I ended up stopping by Kwik Trip for a breakfast sandwich this morning. While there, I found myself in the snack aisle, looking for an afternoon pick-me-up and saw Bobo's PB&Js for $1.79. Figuring the 17 grams of whole grains would be slightly healthier than a candy bar, I picked one up. Overall, I have to say it wasn't bad. Truth be told, I didn't taste the grape jelly all that much when eating this cookie. The peanut butter and oat crust were a little too strong for that to stand out. That said, I did find myself enjoying the flavor. The oats themselves had a surprisingly sweet taste to them (probably because of the added sugar) which I thought paired nicely with the peanut butter flavor even without the hint of jelly. At minimum, it wasn't as dry as I would have expected a cookie like this to taste. It was also very filling. I...

  I came across Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Cheese Curds at one of our local grocery stores a couple weeks ago. They were on sale for $2.50 per pack, so I picked up some to give a try. Overall, it wasn't a bad purchase. These weren't as fresh as some other cheese curds I've purchased. I mean, they didn't taste old or anything like that, but you can tell by the lack of a squeak when eating them.  That said, I thought the curds had a good flavor to them. A lot of times, you'll buy a brand of curds and all you'll taste is salt rather than cheese. That was not the case with this brand though. The curds had a mild cheddar flavor, and I couldn't taste much, if any, salt when eating them. They also proved to be filling. At first, I thought I'd end up eating the whole bag in one sitting. However, it took me about three tries to get through it, adding even more value for the lower price. Another thing I found intriguing about this brand was the wide range of ...

Everyone else was sleeping in on this Sunday and, even though it was my birthday, I wound up getting out of bed early. Rather than pace the house, I went to the grocery store to find something for breakfast. I came across Totino's Breakfast Snack Bites in the freezer section for $8.25. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend that kind of money when there were less expensive options, but I ended up giving them a try. Overall, it ended up being an OK choice. I think the thing that surprised me about these is the sausage wasn't overly spicy. I don't normally mind spicy foods but did appreciate not having that early in the morning. In fact, when combined with the cheese, it was a good flavor overall. Preparation was convenient. There are a number of ways you can prepare something like this, but I chose the fastest route, the microwave . As a result, the snack bites were ready in less than three minutes, something that can come in handy when in a hurry on a workday morning. The b...

I'm a big fan of cheese curds, mostly because I am somewhat lactose intolerant, and curds tend to be one of the few dairy products I can eat in a reasonable quantity without getting an upset stomach. I've tried quite a few brands, and Malcore's is easily one of my favorites. The first time I saw curds from this Appleton, Wisconsin-based company, I was admittedly a bit curious. Normally, you find a product like this in the grocery store's refrigerated dairy section. These, however, were displayed prominently on a table nowhere near the refrigerator. They were also a bit warm. As it turns out, that isn't the only thing different about these. For one, they are some of the freshest curds I have ever purchased. I can tell because they squeak when you eat them. Even in the dairy state, that's not always a given. In fact, I'd say the majority I've purchased over the years, even those made right here in Wisconsin, didn't squeak. Another thing I like about th...

My wife and I decided on spaghetti for dinner last night and, while in the breadstick section of the grocery store, I came across this product. It was $6.99, but I had just gotten paid so I figured I would give them a try. Overall, I would have to say it was at least a unique option. The breadsticks were loaded with beef, nacho cheese, jalapenos, tomato and onion. They had a decent flavor with a bit of a kick and not too spicy and were definitely different from the normal garlic bread sticks or cheesy bread we would normally buy. The bread sticks were easy enough to make. I just needed to remove the outer wrapping and put them in the oven for about 30 minutes. They even come in their own baking dish, so you don't need to dirty any pans. The box is a bit misleading about the size of the bread sticks but that wasn't too big of a deal since we ended up just eating them as five bread sticks rather than nine since they were stuck together by the cheese anyway, which made them about...

I had to stop by Wal-mart this morning before going into the office and, after grabbing a Jimmy Dean Simple Scramble to take with me for breakfast, I passed through the produce section and saw this product. I figured I should have something somewhat healthy to snack on and picked up a bag. I actually ended up forgetting about it at first and only remembered it this afternoon when, conveniently, I was starting to get a bit hungry. After having these, I have to say I was impressed. One of the things I found attractive about this product was it didn't have any added sugar. I've had several similar products that have added sugar to their chips and those were always way too sweet for me. This brand of apple chips, however, had a nice, natural, sweetness to them that made them enjoyable without causing my taste buds to be overwhelmed. Another thing I found I liked about these chips is the crispness. I've had some chips that were too hard and others that were rubbery. Th...

I decided to walk up the street to Kwik Trip a short while ago, both because I skipped my lunchtime walk and because I was in the mood for a light snack (I had lunch kind of early this morning). I wasn't really sure what I was in the mood for when I got there and ended up considering quite a few different options. However, after some thought, I ended up purchasing this item. This was my first time trying this particular product and, because of that, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it (especially since I don't normally buy beef sticks). But, after trying it, I have to say I was impressed. One of the main reasons why I don't normally purchase products like this is the beef sticks I've had in the past were a little too "bold" for my tastes. While I'm not opposed to eating spicy foods in general, they do tend to upset my stomach and, because of that, I don't eat them as much as I used to. This product, however, did not fall into th...