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Crackers, they seem like such a simple food, but have you ever taken the time to read the ingredient label of some of the popular cracker brands?

Many of them are loaded with artificial ingredients, fats, and added sugars.  No wonder they're so tasty!  But I don't need Ammonium Bicarbonate, High Fructose Corn Syrup AND sugar, as well as partially hydrogenated oils (transfat) in my snacks.

Enter Simple Truth

If you're not familiar with Simple Truth, it's a Kroger brand featuring organic items and products with "cleaner" ingredients.  The brand is USDA organic certified and you'll find a range of products in the dairy, meat, snacks, and other aisles in a Kroger store.

With a healthier cracker in mind, I recently picked up a box of Simple Truth Fig & Thyme Crisp Crackers.  The combination of savory and sweet enticed me and in addition to the fig and thyme, the crackers also have flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and millet baked into them.  Delivering a very satisfying cracker crunch, they're a bit thyme-forward on their own, but the herbal notes balance out nicely when the cracker is topped with a slice of cheese or a bit of fig jam.  Suggested cheeses to go with these crackers are goat, cheddar, and brie.

Available at Dillons for $4.49 for a 5.3-ounce box, I'm giving Simple Truth Fig & Thyme Crisp Crackers 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  They have a nice crunch with the sweet and savory flavor going on and will dress up any charcuterie board.  It's a nice change of pace cracker with a healthier nutritional profile and is worthy of a repeat buy.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

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Pouch foods, also known as meals ready to eat (MRE, a label borrowed from the military), became a staple for the U.S. military in 1981.  Survivalists and preppers soon started demanding commercial pouch food products and their convenience has attracted a much larger consumer base since.  As the commercial offerings of pouch foods improved in both quality and variety, so too has their popularity.  In addition to those survivalists and preppers, pouch foods are now in favor with resort campers, remote vacationers, and even business travel pros who pack a few meals in their luggage for when things don't go quite as planned. 

Heat-and-serve pouch foods are handy as heck, easily portable, take up less storage space than canned, plastic packaged, or boxed foods, and won't break, shatter, or spill if dropped.  Having a small portion of your pantry dedicated to pouch foods is something you may want to consider, even if just for the 'available in the event of an emergency' aspect of it.

Today I'm reviewing Market Street Classics Premium Chili with Beans.  Other Market Street options include beef stew and chunk chicken breast.

Featuring pinto and kidney beans, it is a bean-forward chili.  The portion of beef crumbles is less-than-generous and the gravy is rather bland, heavy on the tomato, but light on the spice.  The overall texture of the chili leans mushy, not unlike Hormel, perhaps the worst chili on the planet.  Thankful to have the availability of pouch foods in my pantry, especially in a food emergency, I still came away a bit disappointed in the taste, especially for a so-called 'premium' product.

Available on Amazon and eBay starting at about $6 a pouch and up (depending on the seller), I'm giving Market Street Classics Premium Chili with Beans 3 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  With two servings per 15-ounce pouch, it's a convenient product, but unfortunately not the tastiest and a bit pricey.  I need to explore other pouch food options before making this a repeat meal.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Related: Food Review: Southgate All Beef Chili with beans

Enjoy this post?

If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation.  Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike

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Regular readers know that I don't get hung up over name-brand products.  Sure, there are a few name-brand products out there that are the best of their kind, but 8 times out of 10 and especially when it comes to food, a discount or store brand is pretty much if not every bit as good as the name brand, especially when considering the price.

Today I'm testing that 8 out of 10 ratio with a discount brand I've never tried before, Loretta.  A label under the corporate umbrella of Bektrom Foods, Loretta offers a full range of products such as baking mixes, pancake mixes, oatmeal packets, dinner sides, rice and noodle sides, instant potatoes, and some spices.

4.4 ounce box, vs. 4.7 with Better Crocker and other brands

I'm a fan of Au Gratin potatoes, c'mon, who doesn't love potatoes and cheese, right?  So in picking up some boxed potatoes recently, I grabbed the Au Gratin potatoes made by Loretta.  Prepared using the stovetop instructions, the first thing I noticed right off the bat, was how the sauce packet did NOT blend well with the hot liquid.  Stirring to incorporate, it was clumps of cheese in some hot water, butter & milk, NOT a cheese sauce developing.  The word, "gloppy" comes to mind.  Continuing to stir well beyond "occasionally" per the instructions, the potatoes were tender at the 15-minute mark.  The sauce thickened, but never did distribute evenly.

Inconsistent cheese sauce, didn't thoroughly incorporate.

The taste of the potatoes was OK, but because of the sauce's inconsistency, the cheese sauce's coverage wasn't even, so some bites were cheesier than others.  As far as the potatoes go, while they were tender, the portion is smaller than what you get with Betty Crocker as well as my personal discount brand favorite Chef's Cupboard (Aldi), each of those weighing 4.7 ounces.

This is a discount brand that isn't worth the discount price.  If you see Loretta Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes on the grocery store shelf, pay extra money for the name brand or a store/discount brand you've tried and trust, as Loretta doesn't fit in my 8 out of 10 guideline.  I'm giving these boxed potatoes 2 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars, they are not worthy of a repeat buy.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Enjoy this post?

If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation.  Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike

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This isn't a discount brand I recommend. 

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Chili is ALWAYS best made from scratch, but there is a place for the canned stuff in my pantry.

In a pinch, canned chili is a quick and convenient meal that's hearty and will satisfy a chili craving.

But not all canned chili is created equal.  Hormel instantly comes to mind as a canned chili that is not worthy of a repeat buy with a less-than-generous amount of meat, mushy beans, and a bland gravy.

Adding to my pantry, I recently picked up some Southgate All Beef Chili with beans.  I've never tried this brand before, so I figured it was worth the gamble to sample and besides, it couldn't be any worse than Hormel.

Chili over white rice

Prepared on the stovetop and served over white rice - my favorite way to enjoy chili - this is pretty good stuff for a canned chili and a discount brand at that!  The portion of ground beef was decent, there was also a good amount of beans that were firm, not mushy, and bringing it all together was a very pleasant-tasting gravy.  With a nicely balanced tomato base, you get the notes of chili pepper, onion, cumin, garlic, and oregano.  

A 15-ounce can of Southgate Chili will cost you $1.25 at Dollar Tree.  It's very reasonably priced and it tastes good making it worthy of a repeat buy.  This chili without question tastes better than Hormel and I know that's not saying much, but I would put it up against Campbell's Chunky Chili, Wolf Brand Chili, and Walmart's store brand Great Value as better tasting.  I'm giving Southgate All Beef Chili with beans 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  Compare the $1.25 you'll spend on the Southgate to the $1.79 for Hormel, $2.26 for Wolf, and $1.63 for Great Value.  Southgate is worth having a couple cans in your pantry.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Enjoy this post?

If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation.  Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike

follow me on Twitter @Bacheloronthe1

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I love sausages of all kinds, beef, pork, chicken, links, patties, ropes, etc.  The meats are super versatile as well, you can incorporate sausage meats into just about any kind of dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and usually features something served hot, so this morning I fired up the skillet to heat up some Echrich Smok-Y Beef Sausage.

Already fully cooked, all you have to do is heat them up to your liking.  If convenience is your thing, you could do so in the microwave.  I prefer some caramelization from a stovetop preparation or a slight char from the grill which provides a more umami experience.

Sausage needs caramelization from the stovetop or some char from the grill.

A standard breakfast link size, the recommended serving is two links, but we all know serving sizes run small, so by throwing four links in the saute pan with a bit of olive oil, the sausages were done to my liking in just a couple of minutes.

These are smooth, dense links, much akin to a hot dog, rather than a traditional grind that you get with a pork sausage.  The beef flavor is simple and straightforward, aided by autolyzed yeast, an ingredient that adds another savory component to the meat.  I found the smoke element to be lacking as were any garlic, onion, or other spice notes.

Costing around $5.88 for 10 links at the mainstream grocery store, I'm giving Eckrich Smok-Y Beef Breakfast Sausage 3 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars.  They have a solid beef flavor but lack robust smoky and spicy notes, making them a borderline repeat buy.  These are mini all-beef hot dogs.  Grilling would bring out more smoky flavor and they would be pretty tasty served up Pigs In A Blanket style.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Enjoy this post?

If you appreciate the food review you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation.  Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike

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In honor of National Burrito Day on April 6th, Fuzzy's Taco Shop will offer a free Smother with all burrito purchases for Fuzzy's Rewards Members at all participating locations. The Smother includes the guest's choice of queso or fire-roasted salsa smothered over a giant burrito. The National Burrito Day promotion is available for dine-in, to go and online ordering but not valid on third-party delivery orders. To become a Fuzzy's Rewards Member, download the Fuzzy's Taco Shop app and start earning points towards free food! For a full list of locations and hours, please visit www.fuzzystacoshop.com. 

Bachelor on the Cheap

Grilling Good Eats is available on Amazon, ebook, and paperback!

Order today and you'll get your copy!   Recipes and grilling tips for flank steak fajitas, onion bombs, bird bites, grilled crab dip, and much more!

• This is a grilling 'how to' resource for beginners, weekenders, and experienced hands alike. There's something for everyone here, consider this a blueprint for backyard grilling.
• Order today on Amazon!

https://www.amazon.com/grilling_good-eats

It's Another Dose of YUM!

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Bachelor on the Cheap

Grilling Good Eats is available on Amazon, ebook, and paperback!

Order today and you'll get your copy!   Recipes and grilling tips for flank steak fajitas, onion bombs, bird bites, grilled crab dip, and much more!

• This is a grilling 'how to' resource for beginners, weekenders, and experienced hands alike. There's something for everyone here, consider this a blueprint for backyard grilling.
• Order today on Amazon!

https://www.amazon.com/grilling_good-eats

It's Another Dose of YUM!

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Bachelor on the Cheap

Papa John's is the 4th largest pizza chain in the United States based on the number of restaurant locations.  Ahead of them are Little Caesar's (#3 and a bit of a surprise), Dominos (#2), and Pizza Hut at #1 (no surprise there).  According to Scrape Hero, a data company, Papa John's has 3,119 restaurants in all 50 states as of February 20, 2023.

I'm not a huge fan of Papa John's, I consider their pizza quite average.  They are fairly creative with their menu and of the four above, my pick would be Papa John's.  But average pizza from the big chains is why I prefer to buy local.

Food Review: Papa John's new Papa Bowls - 09/20/2022

The 'Bowls' (they're actually rectangle-shaped carry-out containers, but what else are you going to call them?  The new Papa John's Carry Out Container Pizza is here!....  Nope, that just doesn't have a ring to it.) are packaged inside a cardboard sleeve, then placed inside a small pizza box for safe travels. Read On...

Food Review: Papa John's Pepperoni Stuffed Crust Pizza - 07/26/2022

So Papa John's kicked their regular stuffed crust (just cheese) up a notch back in April, here's the description from their website:  Just when you thought our stuffed crust couldn’t get more epic. Our original fresh dough is hand-stuffed with our signature pepperoni and melty cheese then baked into a seasoned crust. Finished with your choice of topping.  Read On...

Food Review: New York Style Pizza from Papa Johns - 02/15/2022

Papa Johns is always tinkering with their menu and they recently added the NY-style crust as an option in late December. Available through March 13, 2022, the NY Style pizza is a classic that reigns supreme for many pizza lovers, and the ability to "fold."  Read On...

Food Review: Papa John's Papadias - 11/24/2020

Papa John's has a variety of these flatbread sandwiches on the menu to choose from: Buffalo Chicken, Philly Cheesesteak, Grilled BBQ Chicken and Bacon, Meatball & Pepperoni, Italian and a new offering, Double Cheeseburger. There's also an option to create your own!  Read On...

Food Review: Papa John's BBQ Meats Pizza - 01/31/2019

The 'Bowls' (they're actually rectangle shaped carry out containers, but what else are you going to call them?  The new Papa John's Carry Out Container Pizza is here!....  Nope, that just doesn't have a ring to it.) are packaged inside a cardboard sleeve, then placed inside a small pizza box for safe travels.   Read On...

Food Review: Papa John's Pizza "The Works" - 01/04/2019

So I was craving pizza last night and having enjoyed a few adult beverages, doing a carry-out order was not an option. My freezer is currently void of pizza, so that too, was not an option. That leaves delivery.  Read On...

Related: Papa John's - Derby, Wichita

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Enjoy this post?

If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation.  Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike

follow me on Twitter @Bacheloronthe1

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If you can, please join the 1% of readers who give, helping BachelorontheCheap.com expand on that great content, providing product/service/food reviews, cost comparisons, safety alerts, recalls, etc. 

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$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike