• Time Out New York
    • Time Out New York Kids
    • Time Out Worldwide
    • Travel
    • Book store
    • Subscribe to Time Out Chicago
    • Subscriber Services
  • Time Out Chicago
  • Ad Space
    (728 x 90)
  • Search
  •  
    • Home
    • Around Town
    • Art & Design
    • Books
    • Clubs
    • Comedy
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Gay & Lesbian
    • Home & Living
    • Kids
    • Music
    • Opera & Classical
    • Restaurants & Bars
    • Sex & Dating
    • Shopping
    • Spas & Gyms
    • Sports & Rec
    • Theater
    • Travel
    • TV
    • RSS
      • TOC blog full feed
      • TOC blog category feeds
      Sections
      • Around Town
        • Freebie of the week
        • Public Eye
      • Art & Design
      • Arts & culture and the economy
      • Books
      • Classical & Opera
      • Clubs
      • Comedy
      • Dance
      • Film
        • Films of 1999 revisited
        • Oscars 2009
        • South by Southwest Film Festival
        • Sundance 2009
        • Sundance 2010
        • Toronto International Film Festival 2009
        • Twilight
      • Gay & Lesbian
      • Internet
      • Jobs
      • Kids
      • Media
        • Radio
      • Miscellaneous
      • Music
        • Blues Fest 2009
        • Lollapalooza 2009
        • Lollapalooza 2010
        • Lollaparties
        • Pitchfork Music Fest 2009
        • Pitchfork Music Fest 2010
        • SXSW 2009
      • Politics
        • Inauguration 2009
      • Promotions
      • Restaurants and bars
        • $1 Beer
        • Dining & Libation Society
        • Eat Out Awards
        • Eat Outings
      • Sex and relationships
      • Shopping and style
        • Fashion Focus
      • Spas, fitness and health
      • Sports & Rec
        • Player to Be Named Later
      • Television
        • Fall 2009 TV
        • TV: 24
        • TV: Battlestar Galactica
        • TV: Caprica
        • TV: Chuck
        • TV: Top Chef
        • What's on TV Tonight
      • Theater
        • Jeff Awards
        • Steppenwolf Theatre Company
      • Time Out Chicago Kids
      • Travel
      Podcasts
      • Promotions
      • $1 Beer
      • Dining & Libation Society
      • Eat Outings
      • Back of the Book
      • Fall 2009 TV
      • TV: Caprica
      • TV: Chuck
      • What's on TV Tonight
      • Fashion Focus
      • Lollapalooza 2010
      • Lollaparties
      • Music: The Infinite Loop
      • Pitchfork Music Fest 2010
      • Public Eye
      • South by Southwest Film Festival
      • Sundance 2010
      • Toronto International Film Festival 2009
      • Twilight
      Recent posts
      • Windy City Soul Club at Empty Bottle: Photo gallery
      • Mardi Gras with Jesse Jane at enclave: Photo gallery
      • LINES Ballet: Live review
      Time Out Chicago links
      • TOC Twitter stream
      • TOC Flickr group
      • TOC Comedy Facebook group
      • TOC Eat Out crew's delicious page
      • TOC Books' Goodreads page
      Ad Space
      (120 x 240)
      Time Out links
      • Time Out New York Blog
      • TONY Kids Blog
      • Time Out London
    • Tools

      • Print
      • Share this
        • Delicious
        • Digg
        • Facebook
        • reddit
        • StumbleUpon
  • The TOC Blog TOC RSS Feed

  • « Previous Next »

    TOC staff taste-tests Starbucks’ new, healthier foods

    Posted in Restaurants and bars by Jacob Nelson on June 30th, 2009 at 3:30 pm

    When you think about where to find fresh, healthy baked goods, Starbucks isn’t the first place to come to mind (unless you’re thinking, “Oh, right, there used to be a café that sold these things until Starbucks ran it out of business”). Today, however, the coffee empire relaunches its food line with lighter and healthier options, plus natural ingredients in its bakery items, claiming it has “eliminated the unnecessary stuff” like artificial flavors, artificial dyes, artificial trans fat and high-fructose corn syrup from its recipes. Starbucks says its bakery items now have “15 percent fewer calories, 5 percent less fat and 8 percent less saturated fat.” After taking a few bites of almost all the new treats*, we’re ready to tell you what tickled our taste buds and what tasted like health food.

    marshmallow-dream-bar_small

    Marshmallow Dream Bar - $1.75
    You can’t really go wrong with this one, and Starbucks’ take on it (not as sweet as you might expect, comes in at 210 calories total) proved to be an almost unanimous TOC favorite. Someone noted that Starbucks took a minimalist approach to the crispy-rice treat, spreading small, whole marshmallows throughout rather than stuffing it till overflowing. I personally prefer my treats to be of the overflowing variety, but Rice Krispies connoisseurs, this one might be for you.

    outrageous-oatmeal-cooki_low

    Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie - $1.50
    TOC
    Editor-in-Chief Frank Sennett:
    Big, moist, chewy, full of regular and golden raisins, smooth mouthfeel—this is a winner. It’s supposed to be healthy? Tastes like a treat. I eat a lot of McDonald’s oatmeal cookies (which should disqualify me from reviewing foodstuffs), and this cookie kicks Mickey D’s ass—except, I do like the bit of crunch the McDonald’s version provides. Otherwise, I would totally switch my allegiance to the Starbucks cookie. Unless they’re a lot more expensive than three for a buck. (They are, aren’t they?)

    starbuckssmoothieStrawberry Banana Vivanno Smoothie (includes “strawberry puree, a whole banana, whey protein powder and 2% milk) - $3.95
    Web Editor John Dugan:
    Ultimately, I want a smoothie that tastes of fruit, not weird-ass powders and gingko bombs. The Vivanno has some whey protein powder in it, but I never would have known—it’s smooth and natural tasting as a combination of milk, ice and strawberries should be. It’s got a whole banana in it, if your mom asks.

    very-berry-coffee-cake_low1

    Reduced-fat Very Berry Coffee Cake (”chock full of whole juicy blackberries, blueberries and raspberries”)- $1.95
    Recommended by the Starbucks barista, this coffee cake was indeed full of berries, but they didn’t look whole to me, and they didn’t taste especially juicy. Instead, the berries made the cake look as if it had the chicken pox, which may be why it was one of the least-touched items on the table.

    blueberry-streusel-muffin-1_low

    Blueberry Streusel Muffin - (”bursting with plump, Oregon blueberries”) - $1.85
    With the Streusel Muffin, on the other hand, the taste of blueberry was front and center. Though it had a crumb-cake topping, the muffin wasn’t as sweet as you’d expect it to be, which makes it easier to get through the whole thing without fearing an impending sugar crash.

    blueberry-oat-bar_low

    Blueberry Oat Bar - $1.95
    Associate Online Producer Jessica Johnson:
    Definitely drier than all the other snacks, but the blueberry center was subtle and not overly sweet. It was a nice little bite and certainly seems a lot less sinful than the cakes and Rice Krispies–type treat.

    Gluten-free Valencia Orange Cake (has fewer than 10 ingredients) - $1.95
    Features Editor Laura Baginski:
    Moist and dense with just a kiss of orange flavor, this cake is delicious enough to win over even the non-gluten-averse—if only it didn’t pack a whopping 16 grams of fat and nearly 300 calories. Yowza.

    Perfect Oatmeal (has fewer than 10 ingredients) - $2.45
    I don’t know if I’d call it “perfect,” but this oatmeal is actually pretty good. It’s not too mushy or watery, and comes with ample supplies of brown sugar and dried fruits to kick it up a notch in the texture and flavor categories.

    *A few things we didn’t try: The revamped Banana Walnut Bread (sold out) and the Farmers’ Market Salad. If you happen to try either out, feel free to comment below.

    Tags: Starbucks
    • E-mail this to a friend
    • del.icio.us
    • Digg
    • Facebook
    • Google
    • MySpace
    • Yahoo! Buzz
    • TwitThis
    • StumbleUpon
    « Previous: Live review: The Feelies at Millennium Park, Pritzker Pavilion

    » Next: Race report: Big Foot Triathlon blows through Lake Geneva
    1 comment
    1. Posted by LIBBY MARCUS on August 25th, 2009 at 7:53 pm

      WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOUR
      CHERRY TART AND LEMON TART?
      i CAN’T SEEM TO FIND THEM
      ANYWHERE.

    Leave a comment
    Required
    Required (will not appear on site)


    The TOC Blog is for both our writers and readers to talk about what's going on in Chicago. We hope you'll take the opportunity to comment on posts here, with the following caveats:

    • Comments here are moderated. We reserve the right to delete any comments we find offensive, potentially libelous, or just plain nasty. In other cases, we may just edit them.
    • Commenters who frequently post offensive, libelous or nasty comments run the risk of being banned from commenting.
    • Comments are often posted by those using fake names or those who wish to remain anonymous. So take all comments here with a grain of salt. Or an entire salt lick, in some cases.

    If you have any questions about this policy, please e-mail John Dugan, our Web Editor, at jdugan@timeoutchicago.com.



      • Subscribe now and save 87%!
      • For just $19.99 a year, you'll get hundreds of listings and free events each week, plus our special issues and guides, including Cheap Eats, Great Spas, Fall Preview, Holiday Gift Guide and more!
      • Time Out Covers
      • Time Out Chicago respects your privacy. We will only use your e-mail address in order to contact you regarding to your subscription and to send you our weekly e-newsletter. We will not share this information with anyone.

  • Ad Space
    (320 x 53)
    Ad Space
    (300 x 250)


  • Ad Space
    (160 x 600)


  • Ad Space
    (160 x 600)
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit & Advertising
    • Get Listed
    • We're Hiring
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services
    • Site Map
    • Home
    • Art & Design
    • Books
    • Clubs
    • Comedy
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Gay & Lesbian
    • Home & Living
    • Kids
    • Museums & Culture
    • Music
    • Opera & Classical
    • Restaurants & Bars
    • Sex & Dating
    • Shopping
    • Spas & Gyms
    • Sports & Rec
    • Theater
    • Travel
    • TV
    • Visit our sister sites:
    • Time Out New York
    • Time Out New York Kids
    • Time Out London
    • Time Out Worldwide
    Copyright © 2000–2010 Time Out Chicago