Archer Farms Glazed Apple Fritters

I found these tasty breakfast treats to be on par with any other mainstream apple fritters, particularly ones you'd find in the see-through plastic display cases at donut shops and convenience stores, alongside the bear claws and other pastries.

Each time I type the word "donut," I'm torn between spelling it the short and, admittedly, incorrect way—which is now widely accepted, by the way, even in dictionary entries—and the traditional, longer way, which kind of makes sense because it actually has the word "dough" in it. Of course, they haven't much to do with nuts, so the need for the word to make logical sense is not a particularly solid argument for the more traditional spelling, if you ask me. In the end, I usually opt for the shorter version these days, because I am a pragmatist...and perhaps a little lazy.

No such problems arise with the word "fritter." It's fun to say, and it sounds more like a dessert than a "donut" does in my opinion. Plus, there's fruit. Fruit's tasty and good-for-you, right? Right. So, anyway, at least it's a good excuse to go ahead and enjoy these pastries despite their 360 calories and quarter of your daily saturated fat.

They're yummy, moderately appley, and soft enough to pass for...well, I won't say "fresh-baked," but will opt for a slightly more vague "packaged in the not-too-distant past." Seriously, they're pretty good. 8 stars is not a bad score from me at all.

These fritters are worth 8 out of 10 stars.

Simply Balanced Organic Mango Lemonade

This isn't really a winter item, but it's definitely worthy of a review. I could see it being a huge hit in the summer time since it's incredibly refreshing, as most lemonades are.

It's not super sugary, syrupy sweet, but it's sweet enough that it will hit the spot if you're craving something at that end of the spectrum. It's got the sweet and sourness of normal lemonade, but also the mango puree adds a bit of extra tartness.

The balance of mango flavor and lemonade flavor is pretty spot-on here. If you absolutely hate mango or mango juice, this probably isn't the product for you. But by that same token, the mango flavor isn't overwhelming either. Whenever I see "puree" in ingredients lists, there's a little red flag that raises in my mind, and I worry that the product will be full of sediment that collects on the bottom of the bottle. A little shaking normally solves the problem, but not always. Thankfully, this beverage was thin and smooth, just the way I like it.

In addition to being organic, the ingredients list is short and simple. I'm not the most health-conscious consumer in the world, but I'm always happy to see that I'm not eating unpronounceable weirdness. The Simply Balanced line is usually pretty good at keeping things...well, simple. This product is no exception. Even that bright orange color comes from beta carotene, the naturally-occurring pigment in carrots.

In general, I'm a big fan of juices and sweet beverages, but I've certainly seen my share of sub-par drinks from Archer Farms. This isn't one of them. This is exactly what a mango lemonade should be.

I give this drink 9 out of 10 stars.