Utz Lemonade Potato Chip Review

You know the old saying: When life gives you lemons, make potato chips.

 

Life sure has given me a lot of lemons lately, so imagine my surprise when I saw these Utz lemonade-flavored potato chips. Initially, I thought I must have misread the bag. But as I careened toward the cardboard chip stand, my vision was validated. These are indeed lemonade potato chips.

What a time to be alive.

These limited edition chips are made in partnership with Alex's Lemonade Stand, a non-profit that funds children's cancer research and provides support to families facing a kid's cancer fight. I was especially touched to discover that Alex's Lemonade Stand has specific programs to support siblings of patients. For every bag of lemonade chips sold, Utz will donate $0.09, with a target of $25,000. (That's 278,000 bags, btw.)

Before I opened the bag, I had some thoughts about these chips. First thought was "wtf? Beverage flavored snacks?" Second thought was "I like lemonade with salty things." Then the third thought came from the deep recesses of my brain. When I was just a wee foodie, I tried to make homemade potato chips. I decided against using Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning on them and opted instead for the only other flavored dust at my disposal: lime Kool-Aid powder.

You guys, they weren't actually that bad.

Don't get me wrong, they were fully terrible -- soggy, chewy, unsalted -- but I couldn't stop eating them. Sometimes a girl just needs a citric acid fix, yaknow?

Needless to say, I had mixed feelings about tasting these chips. I still have mixed feelings about these chips.

 

They are a perfectly passable potato chip -- thin, crispy, salty, potato-y. But then they get weird. Instead of the lemonade flavor leaning into a sour/tangy/pucker-worthy lemon, it leans sweet. But not sweet enough to stop being a salty snack.

It's kinda like if someone ate an amazing piece of lemon cake with a thick glaze, then handed you the leftover paper plate to eat your potato chips off of.

My conclusion: Do not put your money where your mouth is. If you want to support cancer research, donate $5 to St Jude. If you also want to eat weird potato chips, get some Kool-Aid packets and become a mad scientist. But unless your curiosity is otherwise insatiable, skip the chip this time around. 

Almost Edible Earring Collection

Last Christmas I mentioned that food-shaped earrings make great gifts for people. And by people, I mean me. Call me crazy, but I just can't get enough of dangling fake food off my earlobes...

Okay, so these ones aren't exactly food, but they're some of my favorites. I bought these before I got my ears pierced and then had to wait three long months before I could wear them. Worth it!

These strawberry waffle earrings were made by Heather from Sweet & Savory Trinkets--my favorite food earring shop of all time. I don't think these waffles are still available, but if you ever see them, snatch them up!

Tacos! These ones were a Christmas gift, so I don't know where you can get them. If they're yours, please let me know! They just might be my favorite...

I can't say these earrings look a lot like my homemade peppermint bark, but they're so adorable, I just don't care. They were also from Heather.

Speaking of Heather and how awesome she is, she also made these pears.

And these gingerbread men.

These submarine sandwiches are fantastically detailed. They're a little heavier than the others so I don't wear them as often, but I love them! I think the creator has moved away from the mini food recently, but she still has some adorable coffee earrings.

Last but not least, these cans of Heineken were a 21st birthday gift from my sister. I don't like beer, but these are just awesome.

If you're looking for your own food earrings, a couple of my favorite Etsy sellers are Jody from Art Wonders (s'mores, anyone?) and Shay Aaron whose cupcakes are currently making me drool.

What are your favorite earrings?

Easter M&Ms Review: Carrot Cake and Peanut Butter Eggs

So, apparently peanut butter M&Ms are a thing.

I did not know about this.

I also did not know that M&Ms now come in sizes. No, not just different sized bags, but different sizes. You can buy giant bags of M&Ms in minis, regulars, and jumbos. I was unaware there was a large demand for various M&M sizes, but evidently I was wrong.

Aladdin Reusable Water Bottle Review

So, once upon a time I went out and bought a water bottle. Then I bought another one. Then I bought another one. Then I bought two more.

These water bottles are awesome! They are the Aladdin 18oz Two-Way Lid Water Vessels and I love them.

(For those of you who can do math, yes, I said I bought five and I only show three in the picture. That is because I am a lovely person and gave away two of them.)

These water bottles come with three parts that can be deconstructed for easy cleaning and ice-filling.

Want to know my favorite things about these bottles? Here you go:

1. They Look Snazzy.
When I bought mine during the summer they came in five or six different colors. I'm not sure which colors are still available but I wouldn't be surprised if Aladdin switched them up every year.

2. They are Durable.
I have knocked these suckers off the table, smacked them against walls, and even dropped one while walking across a parking lot, and they still haven't shown a scratch.

3. They are Grippy.
You'd think the ridges would make these unnecessarily bulky, but no! They're actually very easy to hold onto and not too heavy. The whole sliding-out-of-my-hand thing was in no way the fault of Aladdin's design team but just me being a klutz.

4. They Stay Cool.
These aren't technically insulated but they do keep drinks cooler much longer than a Crystal Geyser bottle.

5. They are Affordable.
I bought mine at Walmart for $5 each. That is incredibly affordable considering the quality and the average price of other reusable water bottles.

6. They are Environmentally Friendly.
I fill these puppies up on a daily basis. Sometimes multiple times. That adds up to a lot of saved plastic bottles and a lot less crap to drag to the recycling center.

7. They Won't Leak.
These don't leak. Ever. No matter what.

8. They Don't Have a Straw.
No straw means no cleaning your straw and no weird mold growing in your straw and no lip wrinkles from sucking through a straw and you can drink out of your water bottle like a normal person drinks out of a water bottle. Imagine that


9. They Hold 18 Ounces.
I love that these bottles are bigger than your standard .5 liter (16.9oz). It always kind of bugged me that 16.9 was the standard size. It's like "What? I'm not good enough for 17 ounces? I see how it is!"

10. They are BPA Free.
I bought these right when everybody started flipping out about how leaving your water bottle in the car caused cancer. No worries with these. They are BPA free and don't get all weird and melty when you leave them in the sun. (Sidenote: Why don't you have your water with you if it's that hot out?)

11. They are Dishwasher Safe.
Need I say more?
 
These water bottles have officially made me an Aladdin convert. I would buy more in a heartbeat if they came out with new colors. (Just not pink. I don't like pink.)

You can still find these at Walmart and I've seen similar styles at Target. Go snap one (or two or seven) up for yourself!


Edit: While I was reroofing my house one of these suckers rolled off the ridge and landed in the garden. It's a little scratched up now, but it still refuses to die.

Water Bottle - 1; Roof - 0.