Review: McDonald's - Chicken McBites

Following the footsteps of KFC, McDonald's is out with new, limited-time Chicken McBites which are battered and deep-fried bite-sized pieces of chicken breast.

I got a "shareable"-sized 10-ounce box for $4.99.

Review: Klondike - Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bar

The Klondike Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bar is a relatively recent variation on your standard chocolate and vanilla Klondike bar where instead of vanilla, there's mint chocolate chip ice cream instead and the chocolate is dark instead of milk. Nice, right?

A box of 6 bars goes for $5.29 at my local supermarket but is around $3.00 to $4.00 on sale.

Review: Popeyes - Spicy Cajun Wings

Popeyes' Spicy Cajun Wings are a limited-time menu item featuring marinated, battered, and deep-fried chicken wingettes and drumlettes.

I picked up 6 pieces for $3.99 which is a little bit more than the 50 cent wing promotion KFC is running.

Frozen Friday: Jose Ole - Steak & Cheese Flour Taquitos

Jose Ole frozen Steak & Cheese Flour Taquitos (aka Flautas) are a convenient, microwavable option for taquitos.

They come in a 22.5-ounce box of 15 taquitos for $6.49 a box or around $5.00 on sale.

News: Popeyes - New Garlic Pepper Wicked Chicken

Popeyes has a new limited-time menu item out, a new take on a previous limited-time offer, Garlic Pepper Wicked Chicken.

Taking the same thin strips of chicken breast as Wicked Chicken, the new dish tunes the formula by marinating the strips in roasted garlic and cracked black pepper.

To promote the new, limited-time item, Popeyes is offering an order of Garlic Pepper Wicked Chicken, Cajun fries, a buttermilk biscuit, garlic parmesan dipping sauce, and a mini bottle of Tabasco sauce for $3.99.

News: Papa John's - Free Pizza if America Correctly Calls Super Bowl Coin Toss

Papa John's has a neat promotion going on where Papa Rewards members stand to gain a free large, 1-topping pizza and two-liter bottle of Pepsi MAX if America correctly calls the Super Bowl coin toss ("heads" or "tails").

You can enroll in Papa Rewards and place your vote for "heads" or "tails" at the Papa John's website.

News: Nature Valley Introduces New Protein Bars

Nature Valley, best known for its granola bars, is extending its line with all-natural Nature Valley Protein Bars which feature 10 grams of protein, five grams of fiber, and less than 200 calories per bar.

The new bars come in two flavors: Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate and Peanut, Almond, and Dark Chocolate.

A box of 5 chewy bars carry a suggested retail of $3.89.

Review: Domino's - Parmesan Bread Bites

Domino's Parmesan Bread Bites are a new menu item largely overshadowed by the launch of Domino's Stuffed Cheesy Bread. Parmesan Bread Bites feature oven-baked, bite-size breadsticks lightly sprinkled with a blend of Parmesan and Asiago cheese, seasoned with garlic and more Parmesan.

I picked up 16 bite-sized pieces for $2.99.

News: Hardee's - New Country Fried Steak 'N' Gravy Platter

Hardee’s is out with its new Country Fried Steak ‘N’ Gravy Platter. The platter is one of those big breakfast options with a breaded, deep-fried beefsteak smothered in sausage gravy, Hash Rounds, a folded egg, and a house made buttermilk biscuit.

The new Country Fried Steak ‘N’ Gravy Breakfast Platter is available at participating Hardee’s restaurants starting at $2.79. Prices may vary by location.

News: Taco Bell Rolls Out First Meal i.e. Breakfast

Having touted its last night "Fourth Meal," for quite some time, after years of testing, Taco Bell is rolling out its "First Meal" breakfast menu (according to NRN) in 10 states and about 750 locations including California.

Apparently they tested "spicy" and "unique" items and customers want milder fare for breakfast so it's taco sauce for you if you want to liven up your breakfast.

The breakfast menu features 11 new items including 4 breakfast burritos (various combinations of breakfast meat and eggs), a sausage and egg wrap, hash browns, Cinnabon Delights, Seattle's Best coffee and Tropicana orange juice. I actually tried a few of the new breakfast items last year and you can check out some details and my thoughts here.

Breakfast hours vary by locations, but generally fall between 8am and 11am.

Taco Bell is looking to complete a chain-wide rollout by 2015.

Here's the complete menu with suggested prices (may vary):

Review: Taco Bell - Cheesy Gordita Crunch

Taco Bell's Cheesy Gordita Crunch is basically a Crunchy Taco with a pepper jack sauce wrapped in a soft Gordita shell and bound together with a melted blend of pepper jack, cheddar, and mozzarella.

It sells for $2.19 at my local Taco Bell or you can get one as part of a $5 Big Box Meal.

News: Cold Stone Creamery - New "Hot for Cookie" Dessert

For a limited-time, Cold Stone Creamery adds new "Hot for Cookie" to its line of plated desserts.

The treat features a blend of warm and cold by pairing a baked chocolate chip cookie and warm cookie dough topped with French vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, and chocolate shavings.

"Hot for Cookie" joins a line up of ice cream served with brownies, churros, chocolate cake, and funnel cake but only for a limited time.