Tryazon: Rhodes Bake-N-Serv™ Cinnamon Rolls #Review #Tryazon #RhodesBread

I have always been a fan of frozen foods, like vegetables and fruit that go out of season but are readily available all year round. Sometimes even perfectly frozen blueberries will cost less that fresh ones and be in better shape, so the freezer aisle to me is not something I completely avoid. Even companies offer organic meals nowadays from the freezer aisle. I have picked up many “artisan style” breads that come frozen from a local bakery because you just pop them in the oven, bake and have fresh baked bread in 20 minute’s time! Simple ingredients I am fan of and being a cook and baker makes you become familiar as to what goes in what you are making/eating. The freezer aisle is only bad if you purchase ready made meals to baked goods that are more chemicals than real ingredients! This is where we get lost and it’s disappointing because convenience comes at a price and sometimes it’s not even that convenient in the first place.

I tried the microwaved cinnamon rolls before from Rhodes and reviewed them here. Not bad for a microwaved baked good. On the same trip I picked up a bag of the bread loaves, and a bag of the cinnamon (individual) rolls. Two items I bake at home from scratch, so I was looking forward in using them on a busy week. This week, was a very busy week!

 

Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls (Bake-N-Serv™) with Cream Cheese Frosting 

Preparation-

I open up the bag and notice that the individual cinnamon rolls are really partnered in twos and threes. I had a hard time at the store feeling the bags and was hoping I picked well enough because I noticed some were more blobs than others. I travel with two coolers (one for frozen goods and one for fresh), so things defrosting in the truck just does not happen. I can buy ice cream and still shop for 2 to 3 hours without it even it defrosting on the top! I try my best to seperate the rolls, but they seem very attached to their companion, so I do my best.

The directions were simple and opted to go by the one that resembled closest to the time it takes to bake them from scratch. My cinnamon rolls take 1 hour for the dough to rise, you make the roll and cut, then another 30 to 40 minutes for them to rise again, plus bake for 20 minutes! Simple and easy. I put the frozen cinnamon rolls from Rhodes in the oven, which was pre-warmed to 170 degrees. The directions stated it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes for the rolls to proof and double in size. I’m 2 hours in and watching these frozen rolls more than I do those made from scratch and they are oozing larger in size but not rising. My oven is less than a year old and I check the temperature. Holding at 95 degrees and no change when it comes to rising…..just oozing bigger. I take them out and they are technically double in size (flat wise), so I warm the oven to bake the rolls.

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Baking-

In they go and use convection mode and set the oven to 325 degrees. Directions are clear about not over baking and leaving them in for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are light brown in color.

My house smells bread-y but not that yeast dough you associate with cinnamon rolls. I look in the oven and the rolls look like they are swimming in yellow oil, so I go and look at the ingredients. I shouldn’t have! You have a chemical concoction that makes the cinnamon rolls out of tubes look like saints. You have everything from oils, corn syrups, sugars in every way they can be made down to margarine and so forth. I just don’t see the waiting time worth it when I saw what was in these rolls. I remind myself I ate onion flavored puffy ring chips yesterday, so sometimes chemicals taste good 🙂 .  I allow the cinnamon rolls to bake 25 minutes to get a light brown color and notice the dough has pockets that resemble bread, not the ribbon texture you associate with yeast dough, but I’m committed and now it’s too late to bake anything since I have to start dinner.

This is after “incorporating” the bag’s contents more, as they like to separate.

Frosting-

I allow the cinnamon rolls to cool and get a baggy of the frosting. It’s yellow in color and not just a faint hue, it’s yellow. I turn over the bag and I recalled right, it states cream cheese but this is not like any cream cheese frosting I have ever seen. The directions state to incorporate the icing and I do the “smashy thing” but it still looks undesirable. I cut the tip off the bag and I taste it……..it’s so sweet and the texture of cupcake icing, not at all like what you put on a roll. Also, cream cheese is there in words but your taste buds just does not pick it up.

Taste Test-

I serve us each a roll and even my Husband says the icing is just so wrong. I take a bite and this is one oily roll that is dry at the same time and you see and smell cinnamon, but you really don’t taste it. I did not finish my roll. Not worth the calories and my Husband does not either. I use to buy the cinnamon rolls in the refrigerated section when we dated. They were fine but never like the bakery, so I began learning to bake and trying recipe after recipe. My Husband will at times even pick-up a tray from the grocery store’s bakery and they are edible and a nice treat for those days I was too tired or busy to bake. The Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls were not unfortunately, not worth the effort and I just don’t get why they are frozen to just be a disappointment.  I also don’t understand the amount of poor ingredients that I can respect chemicals to produce let’s say a Spicy chip that tastes like a taco or something.  You get your junk food fix and you will crave a bag in 3 to 6 months time again.  These cinnamon rolls did not even satisfy a craving as such!  Sad…….very sad because in this house we do think sweet goods are worth the calories and fat, but rule #1, it needs to taste good!

 

I dislike having to give a negative review but honesty comes first and when the cinnamon rolls in a tube taste better and you can find better (i.e. real butter, ect.) ingredients in brands like Trader Joe’s to even the giggling doughy guy, I just can’t say at least these were easy to bake, so you should get them.  Taste matters and I don’t expect to get nutrition out of cinnamon rolls, but my taste buds need to be happy and cinnamon rolls are the type of food you eat with a smile.  These=no smiles :(.  The Rhodes microwave variety were passable and I would have never imagined since these required more time and came from an oven.

 

Connect with Rhodes at:

• On-line
• Product Page
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• Google+
• Pinterest 
• #RhodesBread #Tryazon

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Tryazon and Rhodes.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

 

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CellHealth Institute: HealthyCell® Supplement with over 90 Phytonutrients, Vitamins and Minerals; Morning and Evening formulas Review

I have never been a real believer of all-in-one products and this may be why I don’t take a multi-vitamin. All-in-ones in my opinion is like tossing everything a person may need and hoping for the best……that never ends right. Getting your nutrition via foods is optimal but I’m a realist and I know that can’t always be achieved. I go by my blood tests and thankfully I’m not lacking anywhere and when I saw my doctor, my Vitamin D was satisfactory and in the good range of the scale, but not what he considered to be “optimum” in rage. I started to investigate and really tried to get a range (number) on where a female my age should be and let’s say of course the Vitamin D council stated more than any lab found to be satisfactory in levels. Getting a “real story” depends on who you talk to and in the end I just took 1/2 a pill more to see if when my range changed I felt any positive benefits because I don’t want to take more than needed, when my results from the lab said I was fine, except for a physician that wanted me to be in an “optimal range”…..and of course the pills he sold through his website were pure-er than what is sold on the market! I changed my primary doctor by the way 🙂 .

I do believe certain nutrients can enhance how you feel to even how your skin glows. I call this “tweeking” and seeing if I feel and/or see results. I’m game in tweeking because I do it when I cook and I also apply the same thinking when I use beauty products. A little of this or that can make a difference both in energy levels to how you feel and look, BUT as long as you keep in mind what you are taking, sources and read clinical reports even as boring as they may seem, you just don’t want to waste $$$ on products that yielded little to no results against a placebo.

HealthyCell sent me a 30-day supply (120 pills) of their Phytonutrients, Vitamins and Minerals formula. The formulation is divided between 60 morning pills and 60 evening pills. I stagger my vitamins and minerals intake through out the day already, so my body doesn’t just purge my daily dosage overage within a few hours. I sort of feed it as the day passes in small doses. The morning formula supports energy and mental focus, while the PM formula supports restful sleep. I turn the box over and I must say the pills are filled with everything you can think of and then more. Every vitamin, mineral, down to the “free radical” complexes are broken down and everything is listed down to proprietary mixes being disclosed as to what they are. For example, you have Bioperine, which is a registered trademark and CellHealth made sure to list Black-pepper fruit extract right by it and I found that oddly forthcoming when it comes to the supplement world of today! They stick a trademark and proprietary blend and how can you compare one to the competitors when the contents can be legally kept hush? Sort of makes it hard knowing who to trust enough when it comes to ingesting a pill, powder, tablet to liquid form anything.

The guessing game was sort of squashed by the CellHealth Institute with their HealthyCell product but does it work?

Ingredients (as listed on the website): VITAMINS: Vitamin A (natural beta-carotene) Vitamin C (calcium ascorbate) Vitamin D (ergocalciferol) Vitamin E (natural tocopherols) Vitamin K (phylloquinone) Thiamin (thiamin pyrophosphate) Riboflavin Niacin (niacinamide) Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) Folate (folic acid) Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) Biotin Pantothenic acid – MINERALS: Calcium Iodine (potassium iodide & from kelp) Magnesium (magnesium oxide and glycinate) Zinc (zinc glycinate) Selenium (selenomethionine) Copper (copper lysinate) Manganese (manganese gluconate) Chromium Molybdenum (sodium molybdate) – TELOMERE NUTRIENTS: Purslane extract Turmeric root extract Cayenne pepper fruit Vanadium Fenugreek seed Milk thistle seed extract Borage seed oil Evening primrose oil – CALORIE RESTRICTION NUTRIENTS: Trans-resveratrol 99% Pterostilbene Fisetin Alpha-lipoic acid Coenzyme Q10 Betaine HCl Sulfur L-Carnitine tartrate Acetyl-L-carnitine HCl – ANTI-OXIDANTS: Anthocyanins Ginkgo biloba leaf extract Broccoli, kale, radish concentrate Grape skin extract Tomato lycopene extract Rosemary 4:1 extract Pine bark extract Lutein Green barley grass – DNA REPAIR: Melatonin Inositol hexaphosphate Mustard green extract Quercetin dihydrate – STEM CELL MAINTENANCE: Chlorella algae Spirulina algae Klamath blue-green algae Fucoxanthin seaweed Brown seaweed extract – CELL REGULATION: Gotu kola leaf Green tea extract DMAE bitartrate Cordyceps sinensis extract Green coffee bean extract L-Glutamine L-Theanine 5-HTP Jujube seed extract Taurine L-Arginine L-Ornithine Herbal sleep blend (passion flower, lemon balm, chamomile flower & poppy seed) Red algae extract – ABSORPTION ENHANCERS: Bacillus coagulans Black pepper fruit extract Astragalus membranaceus Panax notoginseng Triphala Artichoke leaf extract Amylase Neutral protease Cellulase Lactase Lipase

Verdict:
I took the pills as directed and removed any minerals and vitamins that echoed what I was taking prior. I was just left with taking prescribed medications because HealthyCell covered everything from the L-Arginine I was taking to my vitamins and minerals. The first few days I felt no difference until I noticed on the 8th day, I was sleeping better and waking up at the same time; 10 minutes before the alarm rang. I sort of enjoy this rather than being awoken to an annoying ring and this allowed me to get up more alert. As the days passed, I did notice improvement in my energy level and realize I was taking 1/2 a caffeine pill prior to taking HealthyCell because I was experiencing difficulties when it came to getting going in the AM hours. Noon would hit and not much was accomplished and I was not satisfied with that. The combination of HealthyCell’s ingredients in the pills improved my performance and I had forgotten I had taken out the caffeine boost, because I just did not feel the lag. Being able to accomplish what I wanted to do and being satisfied with my performance and energy level, it resulted in being in a better mood. Just getting restful sleep can improve your mood and I thank HealthyCell for that. The only supplemental food that I have in the morning with my breakfast, is flax seed. I enjoy the digestion benefits from the fiber to the Omega-3 fatty acids. I still continued eating Flax seed both whole and ground, even though there are ingredients that fulfill the nutritional values and benefits in HealthyCell, I just enjoy the taste and texture my yogurt gets from the seeds.

Retail Price Point: $29.90 via Amazon for a box that yields a 30-Day supply of 120 pills (60 in the AM and 60 for PM use).  User of the product takes 2 pills in the morning and 2 pills in the evening.

Connect with the CellHealth Institute and check-out HealthyCell at:

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from HealthyCell.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Swaggable: Detour Neapolitan Whey Protein Bars

I always seem to be playing catch-up and somehow think if I hurry up in the morning and make concessions, like not eating a real breakfast, I can get ahead of everything I need to do. You would think I would learn but I always have an excuse on why cutting on breakfast the other times did not work, but will work again today. I’ve fooled myself many times so I started resorting to having meal replacement bars, energy bars, snack bars, protein bars…..well anything that fills the hunger hole but trying to fill it with something nutritious. I like fast too but the last thing I want to do, is go to a drive-thru somewhere to purchase something in a bun that will hinder me more when it comes to nutrition and energy.

I have consumed many bars from Luna to even store brands. The amount I pay never reflects the taste some of them have that I then label them “diet bars” because they taste so poorly, that you only can eat 1/4 to maybe 1/2 of them on a brave day. It’s called the “I make this bar so bad, starving a little feels better” diet plan.

I was happy when I was accepted to try out Detour bars that showed a big 15 grams of protein on their package. Being derived from whey, I like this because sometimes when I am running errands with my Husband, we share a bar together and I don’t always need the full 15 grams. I get the bar and it makes me think of those ice cream bars I had back when I was a child.

Opening package time: The scent is pleasant and sweet with a hint of chocolate. They dip the bar in a milk chocolate “flavored” coating and then a white design on top so the product looks pleasing. I slice a square off and notice that the texture within the bar does not resemble the picture on the product card. I look at the back of the packaging and notice it may be the “soy chips”, so that may be why.

Taste Test: You have a bar that is not too soft or hard when you bite, just a little granular in texture but many of these energy/protein bars tend to be mealy. The texture is not so off that it prevents you from eating it. When I think of Neapolitan, I think of the three flavors commonly associated, Strawberry, Vanilla and Chocolate. The bar’s flavors, both natural and artificial start to taste fruity and then comes that taste, almost like film that covers your tongue with the artificial sweeteners. It’s over powering and starts to permeate up to your nose.

I can say I have had worse but unfortunately this is not a bar I would seek out due to the ingredients list. Great that it’s low in sugars, 4 grams for this “light” version versus 8 grams for their normal bar but the sucralose and list of artificial ingredients does not justify the price point. The market is flooded with these bars that if you are “going to play ball”, you need to hit it on the mark when it comes to flavor and this is me even being flexible on texture. I have had bars with simple ingredients that taste better and my body can absorb with ease, but this lab experiment on the Detour packaging will leave my system going, “huh”.

I received the above products from Swaggable free of charge. I am not obligated in providing a favorable/positive review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the products, which may differ from yours.

Influenster brings you the New Aveeno Active Naturals, Positively Radiant Intensive Night Cream

Being a member of Influenster (www.influenster.com) has it’s perks from receiving and reviewing items, to the large database they have with reviews from members on pretty much anything from beauty items to snack foods.

I received the Aveeno Active Naturals, Positively Radiant Intensive Night cream with vitamin B3. The products features 5 factors that will boost your Radiance. What I like already are the claims listed on the package that the cream will improve:

• Tone
• Dullness
• Brown Spots
• Texture
• Blotichness

The vitamin B3, also known as Niacinamide is featured in many beauty products and this is why:
Niacinamide improves the appearance of aging and has a soothing calming effect. You will notice acne products also contain this ingredient because of the inflammation associated with those nasty blemishes, to products made to combat the dryness associated with Rosacea. Niacinamide, also helps the skin produce less facial oils and this may help acne suffers too. Vitamin B3, stimulates the production of collagen and this helps with fine lines and wrinkles. It improves the surface of the face by usually combining the B3 vitamin with other ingredients, for better absorption and Aveeno has done this with this night cream.

The directions are simple, you just smooth cream over entire cleansed face and neck. I used a quarter size and found that was sufficient for overall coverage and even though this is a cream with impressive claims, it is not heavy or oily on the face.

I have been an Aveeno user for years and every time Costco has the Aveeno body lotion in their coupon book, I am there to stock up. Their products are mild but also effective. If the bottle states something will last for 24 hour, it does!

I went into this testing trial with high expectations when it came to the proven results and used the product for a total of two weeks. I was impressed already by the Total Soy-Complex added because of the benefits associated with soybeans, but also the price point. Target stores has this product priced at an affordable $14.99 per unit and each bottle has 1.7 ounces.

The Results:

I have combination skin and that in itself can be challenging because what satisfies the dry areas, usually annoys my oily ones. The normal areas of my skin just flaunt and ignore what is happening to the rest of me! Having skin with such an attitude frustrates me. I find myself “patting” my face with different creams for each “type” of skin that sometimes I confuse what I have on my left or right hand and figure at that point, I just pat lightly all over my face and hope whatever lands anywhere will help. Aveeno’s Intensive Night cream took the game away and thank goodness because I was about to just have a fit and flip that game board over. The cream is good no matter if it lands in Oily-ville or the Dry-lands of my face. Again, Normal-place just ignores the rest of me. I found on week #1 that my face looked the same from my forehead to my chin. My cheeks tend to be sensitive and because I suffer from environmental allergies, I’m sure that is from doing what I am not suppose to do, rub my eyes. The reddish inflammation I experience was minimized drastically so that “punchy eyed” look was lessened. My skin reflected a more even tone both in texture and appearance. Okay, so far I see no reason to stop usage.

Week #2: I find myself happy because I have not experienced any clogged pores or residue build up from Aveeno’s Intensive Night Cream. I can say my face is not dull and has a glow that seems to last through out the day and after I wash my face, so it’s not just the product making me believe I have it through application. I have some freckles on my cheeks and they are the same color as before I began the cream, so for brown spots that come from freckles or post-acne marks, I did not notice anything when it came to changes there. I say for getting 4 out of the 5 claims with just a two week use, it is a great night cream to add to the make-up bag at the $15 price point. You add a coupon at time of purchase and that makes me smile more……but not too much because I’m fighting fine lines here people!

I received the above product free of charge from Influenster.  I am not obligated in providing positive/favorable feedback, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product, which may differ from yours.  Need more information on Aveeno: Visit their Facebook page at- https://www.facebook.com/aveeno?fref=ts or on-line at- http://www.aveeno.com/