peanut butter bites

I made some peanut butter bites this week. Recipe was courtesy of my trainer. I believe he got it from vshred.com.

I changed the recipe a little bit, but only because I thought coconut would be a good addition. Also, I didn't have unsalted natural peanut butter. I bought some previously, but it was incredibly difficult to stir so I ditched it.

This recipe is based on the one he sent to me, which I doubled. This makes 24 peanut butter bites. If you want only 12 bites, just cut this in half.

My calorie count came out to about 150 calories each, which I feel it quite high; however, they're very satisfying and fairly filling. These are great to have when you have a junk food craving and they keep very well in the fridge. Protein is 4 grams and sugar is 6 grams per bite.

4 TB honey
1 1/3 cup unsalted peanut butter (I used regular creamy peanut butter)
2 cups rolled oats (not instant or steel-cut oats)
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut
1 cup ground flax seeds (flax meal)

Combine all the ingredients and then put in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes. This makes it easier to roll them.

Roll them into 24 bites and then store in the fridge or freeze.

ON Protein Cake Bites

I recently found two new Cake Bites flavors:  Fruity Cereal and Cookies & Cream.  I'm always up for trying a new protein product so I grabbed a couple.

Cookies & Cream are on the top of the picture and Fruity Cereal on the bottom.  I like the way they look. The Fruity Cereal ones look kind of fun and pretty, with sparkly sprinkles on top.

Below are the Fruity Cereal ones. Inside they're kind of a coral color. I was glad the inside coloring wasn't weird. I've bought other flavors in the past, like Chocolate Mint, and the inside color tends to be very different from what's shown on the package (Chocolate Mint seems to be either puke green/olive drab or neon green, with no in-between). I noticed, however, that they no longer show the inside of the cake bite on the wrapper. I'm thinking maybe they got a lot of complaints from people thinking they'd gone bad or something.

I really like the taste of these. They do, indeed, taste like fruity cereal! Fruity and sweet. They remind me a lot of Fruity Pebbles cereal from my childhood. This is one I'll buy again for sure. My husband seems to like them, too.

Here's the Cookies & Cream flavor.  The inside color looks the way it should, although they all seemed to have these big air bubbles. I noticed, too, that they are hard to break apart cleanly. They have what would appear to be a chewy texture, more so than Fruity Cereal. It was almost like pulling apart taffy. They don't have that same texture when eating them, though.

As for the taste, they're good. I didn't get much of a cookies and cream flavor, though, except for the cookie crumbles on the outside. I wasn't all that impressed. At least not enough to buy them again. I'd choose another flavor over this one.

Nutrition is pretty consistent across the flavors. Generally about 200 calories for the package of three bites, with 20 grams of protein. What I like about these is that there are three in a package, which means you can just have one if you're feeling like a snack, or have all three if you want to treat it as a meal. (Three of them together are filling!)

Pricing is pretty much the same everywhere from what I can tell. Single bars run about $2.49, while a whole box of 12 runs $24.99. Basically, buying them buy the box gives you two free packages. Considering how expensive some protein bars are, this isn't a bid deal at all. And these are actually the same price as the Quest bars I like. I used to be able to get the cake bites at Walmart; however, it seems as though they stopped selling them.

Cake Bites

I've recently discovered a couple new flavors of Cake Bites:  Berry Cheesecake and Chocolate Mint.

Cake Bites are protein snacks with a whipped consistency. I've tried other flavors and found them to be quite good. The thing I really like about Cake Bites is that you get three in a package, which means you can take one out and put the package away. (Obviously that doesn't happen in my house, but I'll pretend for the sake of this post.) I also like the soft texture. They're not hard/chewy like a regular protein bar, so they're easy on the teeth.

I was very excited to see Chocolate Mint flavor in the supermarket.  I love chocolate and I love mint, and I especially love chocolate and mint together. Mint chocolate chip ice cream was my favorite, and Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies are something I really can't have in the house because I'll destroy them pretty quickly. (Even though I can only have a few at a time because of the sugar content, I pace myself so that I can easily eat the whole box in a day. Not that I've done that...)

I apologize if the pictures looks a little fuzzy. I'm experimenting with making a collage in Photoshop.

I really like these; however, the color on the inside is not quite like it shows on the package. The picture I took doesn't really capture the strange color, but it's close. I took a bite and was like, "Hmm. That's...weird." But yeah, they still taste great.  There are 230 calories in a serving size, which is the whole package, 6g of fat, 20g of protein and 4g sugar.  I find they're really filling, so I try (TRY) not to eat the whole package at once. I can, but then I'm pretty full and wanting to take a nap.

I also tried the Berry Cheesecake flavor. As you can see they have a white coating. These smelled so good when I opened the package! They tasted good, too. I'd say they taste like they're supposed to. I didn't notice any weird aftertaste. The color isn't quite as off as the Mint Chocolate ones are, but it's not quite as lovely as what's on the package. The nutritional content is pretty similar to the others, but there are 240 calories--just slightly more.

Overall, I'd definitely buy these again. Not only because they taste good, but I really like having three pieces. It makes me feel like there's more, even though it's just a mind trick. But having had weight loss surgery, I sometimes have to play mind tricks.-

Protes Protein Chips: Zesty Nacho

I wanted to like these. I really did. But I don't.

I like trying new protein foods and most of the time I like what I buy, but sometimes I get a dud and it makes me really regret that I spent $x.xx. That's what happened this time.

I've long loved Doritos and I was hoping maybe these would be a good substitute. Yes, I totally realize they're protein chips and they won't taste just like a Dorito-- that's the reality of most protein products--but at it's at least somewhat likely they'll be a little cheesy tasting (no pun intended).

I can only describe these as vaguely spicy cardboard. I've never eaten cardboard, but I can imagine that if I did and I added some spicy seasoning to it, it would taste like these chips. It seems like the manufacturer watered down cardboard, rolled it out flat, cut it into triangle, added some nondescript seasoning and them left them out to dry.  My guess is it has something to do with the type of protein they use, which is pea protein; I'm not a fan of peas.

The stats are decent:  120 calories, 4g fat, 7g carbs, and 15g protein.

Final answer:  I love the crunch and the thickness, but that's about all I can say. I wouldn't buy these again.

FlapJacked Mighty Muffin with Probiotics

So, I saw this in Walmart this weekend and decided I needed to try it.

I was standing in front of the protein bars struggling with whether I should buy some or not. They're good for after my workout, but I tend to eat them like candy bars and they rarely make it until after my workout. I've come to the realization that it's just one of those things I can't keep in the house anymore.

Anyway, I spotted these protein muffin mixes. It's a muffin that you mix with water and microwave, all within its own container. They looked interesting and I liked the idea of a muffin in its own container that I could microwave at any time. I checked the nutritional information and saw that it has only 7 grams of sugar, which isn't bad. The calories are a bit high at 220, but it has 20 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. The cost, if I remember correctly, was $2.39. That's about the same as a Quest protein bar. There were a couple different flavors:  Chocolate Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter, S'mores, and Double Chocolate. I bought the Double Chocolate flavor.

I have to admit that I wasn't able to save the muffin for when I was actually hungry or wanting something sweet. (I'm not a delayed gratification-type girl; I want it now!) I opened it up and stirred the mix around. I noticed there were some nice chunks of chocolate in it. I mixed in 1/4 cup of water and stirred with a fork until smooth. I then stuck it in the microwave uncovered. I started at 35 seconds, since I couldn't find the wattage on my microwave. It wasn't quite done, so I stuck it in for another 22 seconds.

This is what came out. It looks a bit inconsistent, but it was cooked all the way through. I ate it with a fork. Mainly because I didn't want to wait for it to cool and didn't want to burn my fingers. As far as texture, I wouldn't call this a muffin. It's more like cake. There were melted bits of chocolate in it and it tasted like warm chocolate cake. It was pretty good.  It was very filling and definitely would satisfy me if I was wanting dessert.

If you want to read up on them, there's the website:  https://www.flapjacked.com/collections/mighty-muffins

chocolate almond protein balls

For the last couple years I've been buying protein powder, only to let it go to waste . I keep buying it because I get into a funk about my diet--I get tired of eating X food, grocery shopping, trying to decide what to eat, etc., or I start overeating just about everything--and then decide I'm going to go back to something similar to my pre-op diet: two protein shakes per day, plus a meal. So, I spend some money on protein powder, make one or two shakes, quickly realize that they don't fill me or satisfy me the way they used, and then stop making shakes. Then the protein powder sits in the cabinet forever, until such time I toss it or either give it away or resell it. Then I start the cycle all over again. And now that I'm 3.5 years our from gastric bypass surgery, I really don't need protein shakes anymore anyway; I typically get all my protein from food with little effort.

I finally decided that I'm going to put the protein powder, as well as some ingredients haunting my cabinets, to use by making protein balls.

They're super simple to make and you don't have to bake them, either. You can use pretty much any kind of protein powder, nut butter, and mix-ins you want. Just keep the same measurements I stated below. I used chocolate protein powder, almond butter, and rolled oats to make these.  If you like a strong, more traditional almond flavor, you could add a little almond extract. Otherwise it will taste more like almond butter. I also added some cinnamon.



Chocolate Almond Protein Balls

Make 12 protein balls

1 cup rolled oats (not instant oats)

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (my scoop is 80 cc)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 TB almond butter (or another nut butter--up to you!)

4 TB milk (more or less, as needed)

1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

 

1. Put the rolled oats, protein powder and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Add the almond butter and mix it up. (You could use your hands, which will mix it better, but you might want to spray your hands with some non-stick cooking spray first; it's gets messy!)
3. Add the almond extract if you're using it. This will give it more traditional, sweet almond flavor, but you might prefer the natural flavor of the almond butter.
4. Add the milk and mix. You may add more or less. It depends on how dry the mixture is and how well it hold together.
5. Scoop out some of the mixture. Press it together in your hands and then roll it into a ball. How well it holds together will determine if you should add more milk or some water. It should hold together and be a little sticky, but not runny or crumbly. In other words, it should hold its shape.
6. Store these in the fridge in an airtight container for about a week.

This recipe using almond butter from Aldi and Syntrax Nectar Sweets Chocolate protein powder is about 73 calories and 5g protein per protein ball. This will vary depending on the type of nut butter and protein you use.

ice cream tastings

First of all, Happy Easter! I'm home sick, so I figured I'd finish this post I started a couple days ago.

Awhile back I tried one of the new light "ice cream" products that came out and it didn't blow me away.  (Actually, it was an ice cream alternative, to be fair.) Since then, I've seen Halo Top all over Facebook and recently was told about Enlightened. Both of these are light ice creams that claim to be a better ice cream:  less sugar, fat and calories, and more protein.

This past week, one of my co-workers bought five pints total of Halo Top and Enlightened and brought them to work for a late-afternoon ice cream tasting. She's a body builder and is very health conscious, so leave it to her to find better alternatives to high-calorie and high-fat snacks. She miraculously found it on sale for less than $3.00 a pint (standard price is $4.00+).

Here's what we tried (links included since I hadn't planned on a blog post and have no pictures):

Enlightened:  Sea Salt Caramel:  This was good. I'm not usually a fan of this flavor in general, but I thought it was pretty good. The texture was like real ice cream and the flavor was better than the Halo Top Sea Salt Caramel.

Halo Top:  Sea Salt Caramel, Pistachio, Oatmeal Cookie, and Chocolate Almond Crunch:

Sea Salt Caramel: I didn't like the texture, which was like ice milk. And it seemed very artificially sweet.

Pistachio:  I didn't taste any pistachio flavor at all. It was basically sweet and green with a non-descriptive flavor. Texture was more like ice cream, though. It would have been nice if they added some actual pistachio nuts to it, too.

Oatmeal Cookie:  This was my favorite of all the ice creams we tried; everyone agreed. It has a good oatmeal cookie flavor and there were chewy bits of rolled oats. And the texture was like real ice cream. (This was the winner.)

Chocolate Almond Crunch:  I didn't taste the chocolate ice cream at all. All I could taste was almond, which was more of an almond extract flavor. The crunchy almonds were nice, but it just piled on more almond flavor, which wasn't needed. It was very sweet, but the texture was good.

My own personal taste test

Fresh off the Friday afternoon ice cream tasting, I decided to try a pint of Enlightened Brownies & Cookie Dough ice cream. I got it at my local grocery store and it was $4.99 a pint. I normally would not spend that on ice cream, even Ben & Jerry's, but I wanted to try something new and was excited about diet ice cream that might possibly taste good. This is a brand new flavor and it's not even on their website yet, so I have no link to post.

Here is the nutrition label. As you can see, it has only 6 grams of sugar, but there are sugar alcohols in there to make up for that. It also has fiber, is low in calories, and has some added protein (milk protein isolate).

This ice cream freezes VERY hard. I couldn't get a spoon into it at all. I don't know if it's my freezer setting, or if it's the ice cream. I had to microwave it for about 30 seconds at full power to soften it up so I could scoop it. Even then, chunks of it broke off and it didn't scoop very smoothly. Also, the core of the container was melted while the outsides were soft and the inner ring was hard.  That was bizarre.

I measured out the correct serving, which is a 1/2 cup. No, a serving is not the full pint! Although it would have been prior to weight loss surgery. Also, it gives the total calories for the whole pint on the lid. And even though this has 7 grams of protein per serving, you will not get brownie points (ha!) for eating the whole container under the guise that you're "getting in your protein." (It's not like I thought of doing that...)

This tasted good and had a good texture to it. It was somewhere between ice milk (blech!) and ice cream. It didn't taste as good when it started melting, so you might want to eat this before it melts. I didn't find it unpleasantly sweet. It has lower sugar, but also has sugar alcohols to add more sweetness. The ice cream didn't taste all that chocolatey, but that's pretty standard with light ice cream. Considering cocoa powder isn't high in calories, I'm thinking the could have added more to give it more of a chocolate punch.

Onto the chunks, which is the most important part of any ice cream (for me). It had some decent brownie and cookie dough chunks, and also had chocolate chips. It didn't mention chocolate chips on the container aside from the cookie dough, so it was puzzling at first, but it was a nice surprise. I'm a lover of chunky ice cream, so I was happy that I could actually see the chunks and they had some bite to them. Prior to surgery, my ice cream of choice was one that was more chunks that ice cream. Actually, I often added more to whatever ice cream I bought. When I was a kid I used to take chocolate ice cream, or whatever was in the house actually, and add cereal, peanut butter and sometimes hot cocoa powder or chocolate milk mix. Yes, all at once in the same bowl.

I mentioned earlier that it gives the total calories for the whole pint on the lid. See what it says on the back of the pint?  It tells you to go ahead and eat the whole thing. I'm not usually a stickler or the food police, but this just seems wrong to me. I understand it's basically the same amount of calories for the whole pint and one serving of a premium ice cream, but still. I don't think a company that's supposed to be making good-for-you ice cream (it says it right on the container!!) should be encouraging people to gorge themselves on a whole pint of ice cream in one sitting.

I would buy this again; however, I definitely would wait until I could find it on sale. I'm not enough of an ice cream eater to want to spend $4.99 a pint. Not on light ice cream, anyway. Also, I would have to limit it to half a serving due to the sugar alcohols. If you think it will bother you, or already know that it does, eat just a couple spoonfuls at first to test the waters. I find that some sugar alcohols bother me and others don't, and that's mainly why I don't eat light ice cream or other "diet" snacks. I'd rather eat one or two spoonfuls of the real thing, both for the taste and satisfaction.

I definitely did not taste any of these ice creams with the notion that they would be identical to Ben & Jerry's or Haagan Dazs ice cream.  How can they be when these ice creams have a fraction of the sugar, fat and calories? I went into this knowing that these are substitutes for the real thing. That said, most of them were disappointing. Although, a couple were good enough that I would buy them again. If you're someone who really misses ice cream, you might like to try these.

Do you eat light ice creams or snacks? Have you found ones you like? Ones that are ghastly? Let me know in the comments!

ON Protein Cake Bites

I saw these in the store and decided to try them. I'm always up for trying new protein bars and snacks; however, I find I need to be very careful with them, as I tend to treat them like candy bars and not the meal replacements/supplements they should be.

I don't normally like the birthday cake flavor of protein bars, but thought I'd give these a try. The idea of three "cakes" I could spread out over the day was an intriguing thought. Plus, this was the only flavor the store had.

Three cake bites (the whole package is one serving) contains 240 calories, 7g fat, 20g protein, 25g carbs, and 5g sugar (includes 3g sugar alcohol). The protein is a blend of milk protein concentrate and isolate, and whey protein isolate. My only complaint about these is that they don't have any fiber.

I really liked these. They didn't have any of the weird aftertaste I've gotten with other birthday cake flavored protein bars. (Oh Yeah! brand comes to mind.) I wouldn't say these are light and airy like the package implies. It doesn't say light and airy, but typically something that has a whipped texture tends to be lighter. They seem to be about the same texture as most protein bars. I thought the portion size was generous, but maybe it's because the idea of three separate cakes is tricking my mind.

When I tried these I wasn't hungry. So was I a good girl? Did I spread the three bites out over the course of the day? Hell no. I was delusional to think I could do that, which is why, if I decide to have them, I'll eat them when I'm actually hungry. Since I wasn't hungry, I felt like a stuffed pig afterwards (flashback to old, bad eating habits pre-surgery...).

I've since seen these in another store and they also had Chocolate Dipped Cherry and Red Velvet Cake. I bought the cherry, but not the Red Velvet. The cherry ones were covered in a chocolatey coating. They were delicious and if I buy them again, this is the one I'd buy. It really tasted like chocolate cherries, although they were a tad on the sweeter side. Not overly so, though. Nutritional content is the same as the birthday cake flavor.

Overall, I would say that these probably aren't great for a new post-op since it's not pure whey protein isolate and are kind of high in carbs, but I think they're find for someone further out like me. Just my opinion! I plan to not buy these too often since I am very likely to use these like candy and not as a meal replacement like I should.

You can find them in GNC and online here:  Optimum Nutrition. Vitamin Shoppe may have them, but I haven't checked. I probably shouldn't anyway...

Pure Protein Plus Bar

I know I've been quiet for a bit, but I had some things come up at home lately. I'll be posting about that soon. I'll also go back to my weekly cookbook project now that I'm getting back to cooking meals. For now, though, here's a review of a protein bar I picked up last week for an out-of-town trip.

I had to go out of town last weekend and had to stop at the drug store to get some Advil, a birthday card, some snacks for the trip, and pick up photos I had printed. I decided to grab a couple protein bars since I've been really off my game with protein since my tummy tuck.  I saw this one and decided to grab it.  I bought the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor since that's all the store had (drug stores don't usually have a good selection of quality protein bars and flavors).

It's got 21 grams of protein, 200 calories, 15 grams of fiber, and only 2 grams of sugar. There's also 4 grams of sugar alcohols. I normally avoid sugar alcohols as they tend to not agree with me, but I knew 4 grams wouldn't cause any problems.

I've had the Pure Protein ready-to-drink protein shakes before and found them to be very sweet, so I never really used them as a new post-op unless that was all that was available.  I should have remembered this and just walked on by these bars.  I think they were going for a bar that has the look and feel of a Quest bar, but they missed the mark. Big time. It looks like a Quest bar and the texture is somewhat similar, but the taste....barf. I don't even know how to describe the taste, really. It didn't taste anything like chocolate chip cookie dough. The "chocolate chips" were kind of like little flakes that had some crunch to them. The ingredient list says "chocolate flavored chunks," but these were absolutely NOT chunks. I ate about 1/3 of the bar and threw it out.

I would say if there's absolutely nothing else you can find in the store and this is your only option to get a big chunk of protein in for the day, go for it. Otherwise, if you have the time and inclination, go to another store and get something else.

Pure Protein Crunch, Double Chocolate

I saw these in the grocery store and decided to give them a try. They remind me of candy, so I thought this would be a good substitute since I really don't need to be eating candy.  It's a new product by Pure Protein.  I don't care for their protein shakes, as they're quite sickeningly sweet. I also don't care for their bars, either. But I thought I'd give these a try. 

I tried the Double Chocolate flavor. Apparently they make a peanut butter flavor, too, but my store didn't have them.

 

As you can see, they're small, but there's a lot of them in the bag. This is about 1/4 of the bag I'm holding in my hand.  I felt like the portion size was good for the price. I want to say they cost $1.99, but I can't remember. It wasn't more than that, though.

I really like these. They're crunchy, very chocolaty, and satisfying. Are they filling? Nah, not really. But they will likely satisfy your sweet tooth.  I can see myself bringing these to the movies. Before my surgery, I would stop at the drug store on the way to the movies to grab a huge bag of M&Ms. Then when I got to the movies I'd get a big popcorn and a diet soda (yes, I know, but I actually LIKE diet soda).  Nowadays I get a small popcorn, sometimes get a small bag of M&Ms (or none at all), and bring bottled water with me. 

new Quest bars: oatmeal chocolate chip and blueberry muffin

I've been looking forward to the new Quest protein bar flavors and they're finally here!

This morning I had to go get new tires.  Correction:  I had to get an alignment and get my tires balanced, but ended up needing all new tires. I had a feeling that would happen, since it's been 2 years since I got my last two tires and who-knows-how-many since I got the other two done (way more than 2 years!).  So, $813.00 later, the vibration is gone, the thumping noise is gone, my car is no longer pulling to one side, and it's a really smooth ride.

While I was waiting for the tires to be installed I walked the plaza. There's a Staples (it was warm and humid in there so left pretty quickly), a Dress Barn, Big Lots, GNC, and a few other stores.  I decided to stop in GNC to see if they had the new Quest bars. They did!  I grabbed two of each, plus four other flavors.

I wanted to dive into these right away, but I waited a bit.  This is why I try not to buy protein bars--I tend to treat them like candy bars, when I should really save them for after a tough workout or as a meal replacement.  I was able to wait until I got home, but not too long thereafter.

The Blueberry Muffin is delicious and sweet. It tastes like blueberries, just like it should. And it has little bits of cobbler pieces.  Not really sure what the "cobbler" really is, but it tastes good.  The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip was good. There were some little bits of oatmeal and chunks of chocolate. The oatmeal seemed almost non-existent, though. And it seemed a little heavy on the cinnamon.

I decided to make cookies out of them, like I'd seen on another website. All you do is cut each bar into 8 pieces and bake them at 325 for 6 minutes. About halfway through the baking time you smoosh them down with a spatula or spoon to flatten them. Makes me feel like I'm eating cookies and it allows me to trick myself into eating less. Note:  These cookies are small, about the size of a 50 cent coin.

The verdict?  I like the Blueberry Muffin better as a bar and the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip better as a cookie.

power crunch protein energy bar: chocolate mint

I tried a new protein bar this week:  Power Crunch Protein Energy Bar, Chocolate Mint flavor.  I found it in Bed Bath & Beyond.  It was less than $2.00, which is a good price for protein bars;  some can run to almost $3.00.

The package says it's an energy bar, but I can't figure out where the "energy" comes from.  I don't see caffeine listed, or anything else that would tell me it's supposed to give me energy.

It has 13g of protein and 5g of sugar, which means I won't have an upset stomach from too much sugar.  It has 205 calories.  My calorie intake is about 1,350, so this fits into my diet.

I really like this.  It's basically a take on the crème filled wafer bar.  You know, the mega sweet ones they sell in the cookie isle?  I really liked the texture and the size of it, and it reminds me of Girl Scout cookies. You know, the outrageously addictive Thin Mints?  Obviously it doesn't taste exactly like that.  If it did, that would mean it's loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners.  But it's really good and tastes minty.  And it's crunchy, which is a nice change from most other protein bars. I would definitely buy this again.

power crunch protein energy bar: dark chocolate

I found something new at the Vitamin Shoppe:  Power Crunch Protein Energy Bar.  It's 1.5 ounces and it looks just like a chocolate candy bar, which is why I bought it...

When I broke the bar in half, I thought there were almonds in it; however, I read the wrapper and it turns out they're Proto Whey Crisps.  Basically, crisp rice-like crunchies made out of whey protein isolate.  It made it a little more interesting to eat.

It tastes very close to a dark chocolate candy bar and it's quite big. Sure, it doesn't taste exactly like a real chocolate bar, but it's very close for someone whose had weight loss surgery and really doesn't eat this stuff anymore. And the crispies inside don't really have a taste.  They just lend some texture to the bar.

Here's the nutritional stats:

These were pricey at $2.59 each, but they're worth it for a once-in-awhile treat. This is something I'd tuck into my purse when going to the movies.  I'd rather pay $2.59 and get some protein out of it, than pay $4.00 for a small bag of M&Ms.