As with any gluten free snack, it's important to take into account the limitations of creating a healthy, yet satisfying product. Urban Foods' Superfood Bites in Tart Cherry/Apple contains quinoa, chia, flax, oats, etc. 

Pros: Attractive, compact packaging. Gluten free. Heart-healthy. Low sugar. Low GI (glycemic index) I'm sure. Sodium free (a pro only if you are watching your sodium intake). Guilt free. Contains 4g of protein per serving, which is excellent for the serving size.

Cons: Deleting the sodium means this product is missing a vital component: taste. (Did no focus groups give feedback before this went to market?) Urban Foods Superfood Bites are excruciatingly bland. The smallish, bite-sized pieces are fine if you have no jaw or dental issues. Can be expensive, depending on your retailer, just like all the other GF foods out there.

Only a few "bites" were in the bag; the rest were smashed down to the consistency of loose oats. This isn't the fault of the manufacturer, I imagine that pouches like these go through some punishment before and after they get to the grocery store, then endure more jostling on the way home.

Even though the product has almost zero taste, does the flavor that remains actually taste good, you ask? Yes, it does, although as stated, the intensity is dialed waaay down. Does the product taste like "tart cherry," as stated on the label? Not at all. Calling it standard "cherry" would have been more accurate. The apple flavor is also pretty undetectable.

Would I buy it again? Yes, in a pinch, if the other GF products were all gone or I wanted something different: no gluten, no sodium, low sugar, low flavor. What did I end up doing with the Superfood Bites? I poured some of the "dust" into my morning oatmeal, to which I also added lots of other flavorful things. It worked out. 3 stars.

Triscuit Wheat Berry Clusters are curious and interesting snacks. I tried a 5 oz. pouch, and at least at my local grocery store, these are located with other crackers, including Triscuit crackers.

Pros: Pleasant taste, great sweet/salty balance, nice crunch, a little fruity, healthy, satisfies sugar craving without going overboard. Plant-based, non-GMO, a great idea, convenient, portable, attractive on-trend packaging.

Cons: Depending on your dental situation, for some people the snack might be somewhat difficult to chew, because some of the wheat berries are harder than others. Also these remind me of "people dog biscuits." In addition, they can be addicting and it's easy to eat most of the 5-serving bag. So watch out.

Overall, Mondelez Global, Inc., I like your product. Please figure out a way to make it a bit easier to chew, for more of the people, more of the time – and soon you'll have a larger, more loyal client base. 4 stars.​

When frozen pizza is required, usually Freschetta or DiGiorno fill the bill. I saw Oprah's O, That's Good! pizza and was instantly intrigued. After all, it boasts crusts that are one-third cauliflower, "baked to a delicious, golden brown ... so good, you'd never know the difference!" Flavors: five cheese, uncured pepperoni, supreme and fire-roasted veggie. I bought 3 (everything except pepperoni). 

Pros: Price was within average range for frozen pizza. Celebrity ownership/endorsement. Attempts to be healthy.

Cons: Like the cheap-level supermarket pizzas, this one unfortunately comes with a dry, cardboardy crust and skimpy ingredients. I was NOT impressed and will not buy it again. Huge waste of money.

I figured, if Oprah – a celebrity who has wrestled with weight issues for years and has plenty of money to eat out (and must be a foodie) – approved the recipes, the product HAS to be good, right? (Well, that line of thinking works with most Newman's Own products.)

Evidently, no rigorous taste-testing or focus groups were used. Maybe there was a tight deadline, perhaps the test kitchen cooked these on pizza stones and added fresh parsley, possibly there was special lighting, or it could be that Oprah was on a tight schedule, so only had time to take a bite of each flavor before signing off.  

People will buy anything once, and you can fool some of the people some of the time, but I won't be fooled again – unless a "new and improved" version comes out and online reviews rave about the update. The pizza is not inedible. It's not horrible. I didn't throw it away. However, it was a major disappointment. Back to take-n-bake and Freschetta!

2 stars.

Hot Shot MaxAttrax Ant Bait stations come in handy when ants appear in your home or office. I am surprised how well they work, because usually I use the ant baits provided by a pest control service. I recommend putting 2 per small room or problem area. The ants don't die immediately, but most die after about 2-4 days. You can see them start to get stomach aches and slow down, then they start to disappear. A few little scout ants might stick around, so leave the bait in place for a while. Try to leave all or most of the ants alone; don't kill a bunch of them or wipe away their "invisible" ant tracks, because they leave messages for each other. It also takes a while for them to walk into the bait and enjoy the "party." Once they discover the "feast," they invite their little friends. Once you've used the baits for a few days, if ants appear in another spot, you can move the baits as needed. The product is supposed to last 6 months, according to the packaging. If desired, you could put the stations in a zipper bag until needed again. 

Pros: Effective – eradicates within 2-4 days (at least in my experience), but for sure by a week they should be gone. Easy to use. No mess, gel or sprays to deal with. Most of the ants leave on their own so there's not much "cleanup." There is no odor. Inexpensive for a non-professional product that actually works.

Cons: Doesn't kill immediately, just like other baits. However, it's worth the short wait, as this (according to the packaging) kills the queen (at some point). The only way to kill immediately is to spray ants directly. 

A rare 5 stars.

Best-selling Maybelline Great Lash Mascara has been around for decades. The reason it's so popular is a great basic formula that does the job without a bunch of bells and whistles. 

Pros: Goes on well, very few clumps, cleans off easily with eye makeup remover or water and washcloth. 
Cons: Because it's not waterproof, it runs a bit  when you cry. If you rub your eyes or swim, it's much worse. Stings a little if it gets in your eye while applying.

Unlike most companies that need to keep their people busy, Maybelline hasn't messed with a good thing (which I really appreciate!). Although the logo and colors have changed, the product and applicator have remained the same shape for many years. The wand is just the right size. (Exactly like Cover Girl Professional Mascara before the company changed its packaging.) 

Preferred shade is dark brown, which can be difficult to find. For a while, Maybelline offered a curved brush version, which was excellent. I guess they didn't sell enough, so it's no longer available. You can bend the straight brush, but the final result is pretty small. 4.5 stars.

Kleenex Slim Packs are wallet style, portable, multi-use packets for anyone to use. They fit in purse, pocket, car, backpack, gym bag, office desk, etc. 

Pros: Perfect size tissues. Sheets are larger, softer and overall preferable to little Kleenex Go Packs. Easier to remove due to wallet-style design. Nicer packaging utilizes thicker, higher quality plastic. Available in groups of 3 or 6 packets.
Cons: Kleenex Slim Packs can be hard to find at local large chain stores, such as Target and Walmart. Often stores stock Kleenex Go Packs, but not always these. If the store does carry these, they are often not placed in the expected location, so there could be a need to ask store personnel.

These are just great! If there wasn't the hassle factor of obtaining them locally, they would receive 5 stars. I know they're available online. But I'd rather pick them up from a local retailer. 4.5 stars.

Pros: Contains a lot of healthy ingredients. Nice fragrance that is not too "loud."
Cons: Requires approximately 28 sprays per day to almost detangle; contains fewer ounces than the competitor's product I usually use.

I ran out of my go-to leave-in, which is Joico Daily Care Leave-In Detangler. I've bought Kenra Daily Provision leave-in conditioner before, and wasn't happy, but since there were no other options after about 30 minutes of looking, I purchased it again to get me by until I could order the Joico online (unfortunately, Ulta rarely has it on the shelf anymore). 

Findings: Yes, this product does work, barely. Its label claims the following: "hydrates, detangles and adds shine..." Well, if you use enough of it, it will detangle about 75% of the way, but then you have to either really carefully comb your hair using a detangling brush, or add more product to achieve the required detangling effect. Will I continue to use this? Yes, until I can replace it with Joico. Will I use it after that? Only for a backup. Would I buy this again? Hope not. 2 stars.

Pros: Consistent quality and purity
Cons: Softgels can be hard to swallow for some

Fish Oil offers lots of potential, sometimes unproven health benefits (heart, brain health/mood, lower blood pressure), and Nature Made is a trusted company that's been around since 1971. Nature Made Fish Oil 1000 mg/300 mg Omega-3 has been one of my go-tos for many years, ever since I departed from another superior company, GNLD. Nature Made Fish Oil seems to be an excellent product with good, consistent quality. Because I have found the size of these softgels to be harder and harder to swallow recently, I've decided to try one of the company's smaller-sized offerings, Nature Made Fish Oil Pearls, which are more concentrated. I called Nature Made and explained the situation. They suggested the pearls and treated me beautifully! Their excellent customer service means they're a keeper in my book! Do I believe this product actually benefits me by helping my heart and mood? Yes. 4 stars.

After purchasing a preowned car, we learned that it had been inhabited by a smoker. I've aired the vehicle out and purchased an industrial-strength scent "bomb," but so far, the weather has been too hot to use it. In the meantime, I've bought a few Febreeze Car Smoke Odor Eliminators. Why? They don't last long, unfortunately – maybe 2-1/2 weeks each. Procter & Gamble doesn't put very much liquid product in the device, and it evaporates quickly in hot weather. The contraption works reasonably well, but does not eliminate the smoke smell. Rather, it fools your brain into thinking that you don't smell the smoke. It masks most of the odor. It's a decent temporary fix, but the product seems to me to be mislabeled or deceptive, since does not address, reduce or fix the problem. No, I have not tried other scents, because I figured this would be the strongest. I'll let you know if I do. 2 stars.

How would I describe Carmex Original Lip Balm? It's not like Vaseline, a lip gloss, or waxy like Chapstick – instead, it's slightly "melty." 
– Pro: It can be worn alone or over other lip products. 
– Con: It gets pretty soft if kept in your pocket. 
Other formats include a squeeze tube version and a round metal container. I've tried the squeeze version: 
– Pros: 1) It can stay in your pocket or a hot car for hours just fine. 2) It has a slightly more pronounced cool menthol feel, which is refreshing. 
– Cons: 1) You need to clean off the applicator after each use, 2) When the product is almost gone, there's still a fair amount of balm remaining that can be tough to extract. 
My preference? The stick version. 4 stars.