Frozen Friday - Trader Joe's - Bibimbap Bowl

Trader Joe's Bibimbap Bowl features marinated beef, vegetables, and a spicy chili sauce on a bed of white rice.

A 10.7-oz bowl was $3.49.

Sonic Debuts French Toaster Breakfast Sandwich

In a sweet maple-y twist on their Breakfast Toaster sandwich, Sonic debuts the new French Toaster Breakfast Sandwich.

The French Toaster features the same egg, cheese, and choice of sausage, ham, or bacon of the Breakfast Toaster, but instead of Texas toast, there's two slices of thick French toast with a bit of maple flavor baked in.

Starbucks Adds New Flat White to Coffee with Milk Line Up

Starbucks adds the new Flat White to complement their selection of espresso with steamed milk beverages.

While it's not very common here in the States (at least not under the Flat White name), the flat white is a drink thought to originate over in Australia (or New Zealand, depending on who you ask) back in the 1980s. A flat white is made with finely foamed steamed milk and espresso, which probably sounds a lot like a latte to most of you.

Review: Carl's Jr. - Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich

Carl's Jr.'s Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich features folded eggs, a round thick slice of ham, a slice of American, and a slice Swiss cheese between two slices of toasted sourdough bread.

I bought one for $2.99.

Sonic Goes Mini with New Lil' Doggies and Lil' Chickies

Sonic goes with snackable mini hot dogs and chicken sandwiches in new Lil' Doggies and Lil' Chickies.

Lil' Doggies each feature a mini hot dog with several topping combos, including:

Krispy Kreme Serves Up New Nutella Twist Donuts in Puerto Rico

The latest for Krispy Kreme in Puerto Rico is the new Nutella Twist donut.

There's not too much information available regarding the new donuts but they appear to be yeast twist donuts either covered in chocolate icing and drizzled with Nutella hazelnut spread or covered in Nutella and drizzled with chocolate icing.

Wendy's $1 Key Tag Good for Free Frosties for All of 2015

Wendy's is once again offering their Frosty Key Tags for $1. The key tags are good for a free Jr. Frosty with any Wendy's purchase throughout 2015.

Additionally, 90 cents from every key tag purchase goes to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a non-profit charity that helps find families for children in foster care.

Review: Sonic - Breakfast Toaster

Sonic's Breakfast Toaster features American cheese, eggs, and a choice of sausage, bacon or ham on thick Texas toast.

I bought one with bacon for $2.99.

TGI Friday's Offers $10 Dine & Drink Deal

TGI Friday's kicks off the New Year with a $10 Dine & Drink deal where you can choose from a selection of entrees paired with a drink for $10.

Whether you're looking to eat better as a resolution or to indulge, TGI Friday's has included both health-conscious and decadent entree and drink options to the Dine & Drink menu.

Krystal Offers New Hushpups

Krystal introduces new Hushpups as a new limited-time side item. A variation on hush puppies, Hushpups feature Krystal's signature onions in the batter and are made from scratch.

Review: Firehouse Subs - Hook & Ladder Light Sandwich

Firehouse Subs’ Hook & Ladder Light features hot smoked turkey breast, Virginia honey ham, Monterey Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, deli mustard, and light mayo on a light wheat roll.

I purchased one for $5.49.

Church's Chicken Offers $2.49 2-Piece Meal Deal

Church's Chicken's latest promotion is the 2-Piece Meal Deal starting at $2.49 for a limited time at participating locations.

Review: Carl's Jr. - All-Natural Burger

Carl's Jr.'s All-Natural Burger features a grass-fed beef patty, a slice of cheddar cheese (the non-processed kind), vine-ripened tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, bread-and-butter pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise on one of their Fresh Baked Buns.

It's normally $5.39 at my local Carl's Jr., but I received this one courtesy of Carl's Jr.

Starbucks Japan Offers New Orange Chocolate Mocha with Orange Whipped Cream

Starbucks Japan hits the winter trail this month with the new Orange Chocolate Mocha and Orange Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino.

The Orange Chocolate Mocha features steamed milk and espresso mixed with mocha syrup and Valencia orange syrup topped with orange whipped cream, orange peel, and orange sugar (that's a lot of orange there).

Red Lobster Introduces Big Shrimp Festival Deal Starting at $15.99

Red Lobster's latest promotion is the new Big Shrimp Festival, which offers what the chain is calling "some of the largest shrimp ever offered on the menu." 

Review: McDonald's - Triple Cheeseburger

McDonald's Triple Cheeseburger consists of three beef patties, two slices of American cheese, ketchup, mustard, dehydrated diced onions, and pickles on a plain toasted bun. It's only available at select locations.

I bought one for $2.49.

Three New Girls Scout Cookies for 2015

The Girl Scouts will be debuting three new cookies this cookie season and two of them are gluten-free. The new trio of cookies include Toffee-tastic, Trios, and Rah-Rah Raisins.

Dunkin' Donuts Breaks Out New Turkey Sausage Flatbread for the New Year

Aiming at those with New Year's resolutions, Dunkin' Donuts introduces the new Turkey Sausage Flatbread as well as a Turkey Sausage Wake-Up Wrap.

Each features turkey sausage, egg, and reduced fat cheddar cheese in varying amounts with the flatbread being the larger of the two.

Review: Skippy - Creamy Natural Peanut Butter Spread with Dark Chocolate

Skippy's Creamy Natural Peanut Butter Spread with Dark Chocolate is basically creamy peanut butter mixed with dark chocolate and cocoa.

It was $3 on sale for a 15-oz jar.

The Coffee Bean's New Mexican Chocolate Drinks Are Only $2 on 1/13/15

The Coffee Bean offers a trio of new Mexican Chocolate drinks and will be discounting them to $2 on January 13th.

The new drinks include a Mexican Chocolate Latte, Mexican Chocolate Ice Blended, and Mexican Hot Chocolate. They each feature the flavor of chocolate with notes of cinnamon with a slight graininess that's common to Mexican hot chocolate.

Carvel Brings Back Oreo Mint Ice Cream

Oreo Mint is once again being featured at Carvel for a limited time as they kick off the New Year. In addition to hand-scooped and soft-serve ice cream, they've also added the new Oreo Mint Deluxe 8" Cake and Oreo Hidden Treasure Cone.

The new cake features layers of fresh-made chocolate and mint ice cream separated by Oreo cookie pieces and topped with fudge and Oreo cookies. It's available for $19.99.

Review: Pieology - Cheese Pizza

Pieology is a chain of custom, fast-fired, artisan-style pizza joints that have been all the rage lately (at least here in L.A.). I tried their Classic Cheese Pie, which comes simply topped with olive oil, red sauce, and mozzarella.

It was $6.45 for the roughly 11.5-inch pizza.

Baskin-Robbins' January 2015 Flavor of the Month

Baskin-Robbins kicks off 2015 by celebrating their 70th birthday with Icing on the Cake ice cream, January's flavor of the month.

Mint Chocolate Swirl Shake Back at Arby's

The Andes Mint Chocolate Swirl Shake is back at Arby's for a limited time at select locations.

The shake features mint chocolate syrup mixed with Arby's vanilla shake base, decorated with a chocolate swirl, whipped cream, and broken pieces of Andes Mints.

Frozen Friday: Marie Callender's - Meat Loaf & Gravy

Marie Callender's Meat Loaf & Gravy frozen meal features two slices of meatloaf in a "home-style" gravy with sour cream & chives mashed potatoes and corn.

It cost me $2 on sale for a 14-oz box.

Dairy Queen's 2015 January Blizzard of the Month

Dairy Queen combines Oreos with their Confetti Cake Blizzard for the new Birthday Cake Oreo Blizzard in celebration of Dairy Queen's 75th anniversary.

This month's Blizzard of the Month features Oreo cookie pieces and confetti frosting mixed into Dairy Queen's signature vanilla soft serve. In case you're feeling extraordinarily festive, you can also get the flavor as part of a Blizzard Cake.

New Veggie Sliders at White Castle

White Castle's famed Sliders go vegetarian with new Veggie Sliders. The new item features a mini Dr. Praeger's veggie burger with a choice of either Honey Mustard, Ranch, or Sweet Thai sauce, on a slider bun.

Review: Popeyes - Blackened Tenders

Popeyes' Blackened Tenders are a non-battered, non-breaded version of their chicken tenders covered in blackened seasoning. They used to call them "Naked Tenders."

I got an order of three tenders for $3.99 (but they actually gave me four and threw in a biscuit as well. Bonus!)

Subway 2015 January Specials

Those of you hoping for the return of the $5 Footlong in 2015 are going to be disappointed this month. Instead, Subway has introduced a new and (supposedly) improved version of their grilled chicken strips.

Papa John's Offers "Buy Any Large Pizza, Get a Free Large 1-Topping Pizza" Deal

Coinciding with the NFL playoffs, Papa John's is offering a deal where you can get a free large, 1-topping pizza, when you buy any large pizza at regular price.

Review: Jack in the Box - Enchilada Monster Taco

Jack in the Box's Enchilada Monster Taco features a crunchy taco with a seasoned meat filling, lettuce, melted cheddar cheese, and enchilada sauce.

I bought one for $1.89.

Jack in the Box's $4.99 Chipotle Chicken Club Combo is Back

The Chipotle Chicken Club is back for a limited time at Jack in the Box as part of a value combo with fries and a drink for $4.99.

The sandwich features a battered and deep-fried spicy chicken filet, American cheese, hickory-smoked bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, and chipotle sauce on toasted sourdough bread.

IHOP Brings Back All-You-Can-Eat Pancakes to Kick Off 2015

In a bit of an annual tradition (and to totally torpedo your New Year's resolution to eat less), IHOP's All-You-Can-Eat Pancake deal is back starting Friday, January 2, 2015.

McDonald's Singapore Thinks An American Breakfast Means You Put Cheese & Onions on Eggs

McDonald's Singapore's new American Breakfast Platter is essentially the same as the chain's Big Breakfast (which also happens to be offered in Singapore), except the scrambled eggs are topped with a slice of American cheese and caramelized onions.

Review: Popeyes - Ghost Pepper Wings

Popeyes' Ghost Pepper Wings feature bone-in chicken wingettes and drumettes that are marinated for 12 hours in "an exotic blend of peppers" (including ghost peppers) and then battered, breaded, and deep-fried.

I paid $3.99 for six wings and a biscuit.

Jack in the Box Adds New Enchilada Monster Taco

Jack in the Box adds the new Enchilada Monster Taco to their Monster Taco line up.

The new taco features an extra-long crunchy taco shell with a seasoned meat filling topped with shredded lettuce, melted cheddar cheese, and enchilada sauce.

Krispy Kreme Introduces new Triple Chocolate Donut

Krispy Kreme introduces the new Triple Chocolate Donut to welcome 2015. Additionally, there's also the new Vanilla Spice Latte.

The Triple Chocolate Donut features a yeast donut topped with milk chocolate icing, mini chocolate chips, and white chocolate ganache drizzle. Inside is a dark chocolate Kreme filling. You can expect to find it for about 99 cents (may vary).

Taco Bell Testing Oreo Molten Lava Cake

Taco Bell is testing Molten Lava Cakes topped with pieces of Oreo cookies as a potential future dessert.

The new item is testing in Indianapolis for $1.99. It features a round chocolate cake with a liquid chocolaty center topped with what looks to be whipped cream (or maybe Oreo creme?) and crushed Oreo pieces.

Review: Arby's - Jalapeno Hushpuppies

Arby's Jalapeno Hushpuppies are basically small, deep-fried balls of cornbread with sweet corn and diced jalapenos in them.

It cost me $1.79 at my local Arby's for an order of five Hushpuppies.

Dunkin Debuts New Chocolate Croissant and Tomato Mozzarella Supreme Bagel

To warm up the New Year, Dunkin' Donuts introduces two new menu items: the Chocolate Croissant and Tomato Mozzarella Supreme Bagel.

Free Appetizer at Outback on January 2, 2015

As a tie-in to their sponsorship of the 2015 Outback Bowl, Outback will be offering a free appetizer with any purchase at participating locations on Friday, January 2, 2015. Which appetizer you can get depends on which team wins the Outback Bowl.

Review: Barilla - Tomato & Basil Whole Grain Penne

Barilla's Tomato & Basil Whole Grain Penne is a shelf-stable meal of a tomato & basil sauce over whole grain penne pasta.

A 9-oz box was $2.

The Best New Fast Foods of 2014

Since I pretty much ate every new thing that came out of the major national fast food chains this year, here's a list of the best new fast food each chain put out in 2014:

Review: Corner Bakery Cafe - Pesto Cavatappi

Corner Bakery Cafe's Pesto Cavatappi features strips of grilled chicken and cavatappi pasta tossed in a pesto cream sauce and sprinkled with toasted bread crumbs. Crunchy garlic bread comes on the side.

An entree-size order was $8.99.

Popeyes Debuts New Ghost Pepper Wings

Popeyes goes for heavy heat with new Ghost Pepper Wings. Once regarded as the world's hottest pepper (it's now in third place), the ghost pepper measures over 1 million Scoville heat units, or a little over 900 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.

Pizza Hut Korea's Christmas Meal Looks Like a Stack of Presents

It's past Christmas but I just thought this was interesting: Pizza Hut Korea is offering new Christmas Tree Boxes as a 3-course meal in celebration of the holidays. The boxes look like green presents (complete with a red bow) and are stacked in a pyramid to resemble a Christmas tree.

Frozen Friday: Trader Joe's - Speculoos Cookie Butter Cheesecake

Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter Cheesecake features a vanilla cheesecake on a Speculoos Cookie crust, topped off with a layer of smooth Speculoos Cookie Butter.

A 22.5-oz cake was $6.99.

McDonald's Offering $2 Triple Cheeseburger in Select Markets

McDonald's is offering a $2 Triple Cheeseburger in at least some markets.

Like the name sounds, it's basically their standard Cheeseburger but with two extra patties and one extra slice of cheese (which really kinda makes it a McTriple since it doesn't have one slice of cheese per patty).

Taco Bell Working on a New "Quesalupa"

Taco Bell is working on a new dish called the "Quesalupa." Ostensibly a quesadilla crossed with a Chalupa, I haven't been able to pick up too much information regarding the possibly upcoming menu item but have reached out to Taco Bell for comment (I'll keep you guys updated if I hear anything back).

Here's what I've been able to put together so far:

Review: El Pollo Loco - Chocolate Churros

El Pollo Loco's Chocolate Churros are basically a chocolate version of their more traditional cinnamon churros.

An order of two 8-inch churros cost me $1.19.