Sample Portions Are Too Small

Grazing through Sam's Club is a good way to kill a Sunday afternoon. Even though the store was practically empty, there were quite a few sample stations scattered through the grocery departments. We ambled across the first in the cleaning section where we picked up single load sizes of laundry detergent. But the real jackpot started when we reached the cheese area.

Browsing among the gourmet cheeses, wishing we had remembered to bring a cooler to stave off the 110 degree heat wave, we were offered several bites of yumminess. The first, a nice sized slice of brie on a whole wheat cracker round, was buttery and smooth. Along with this, the boy and I were given another round topped with a fabulous spinach and artichoke dip. (Jeff skipped this one since he's not fond of spinach or artichokes.) The sample lady said the dip was meant to be served warm, but it was plenty good at room temperature. My son cast his eyes over the tub of rich goodness several times, so it is probably just as well that we didn't bring a cooler, since we're trying to eat healthier and a large tub of dip is not on the menu. The guys also had a bite of maple cured bacon as we continued our meanderings through the cheeses and into the fruit section (where we picked up an 18 ounce package of dark, ripe, luscious blackberries for only $4).

As we wound our way among the frozen food aisles, we were handed samples of mini chicken sandwiches served with two flavors of Pringles chips, Bagel Bites pizza, and Hot Pockets breakfast combos with sausage, egg, and cheese. Of the three frozen food items, the breakfast pockets were definitely the best. The eggs were fluffy and the cheese was melty without being runny or tasting artificial. The sausage added a little interest, but didn't overpower the sandwich. We decided we would purchase these during the school year to eat when we were running late in the morning. In addition, they come in the Lean Pockets variety which comes in under 300 calories - perfect with a cup of coffee and a glass of o.j.

Continuing through the frozen foods we passed up samples of pizza since there were actually people waiting for them to come out of the toaster oven at the sample stand. (These were nearly the only other customers we saw in the store!) However, when we arrived at the refrigerated section we were greeted with samples of Activia yogurt and Special K granola which we promptly combined. Being loyal Yoplait eaters, Activia was new to us. The vanilla was smooth and creamy with a little acidic after bite. It was particularly good with the granola mixed in for some texture and crunch.

Moving into the pantry items section we seemed to run out of the sample stands that so densely populated other parts of the store. However, much to our delight, as we reached the front and headed to the cash registers we came across one final sample for dessert - gourmet popcorn. Jeff tried the cinnamon, our son had caramel corn, and I went for the zebra - which was caramel corn drizzled with white and dark chocolate. The zebra was hands down the best, but all flavors were pretty expensive. The going rate was three (small) bags for $10.88, which seemed like overkill to me - after all it was just doctored popcorn!

Actually, the popcorn reminded me of a recipe I just cut out from a women's magazine for caramel corn. Chop six caramels and microwave them with two tablespoons corn syrup and half a tablespoon water. Stir every 30 seconds until it all melts together, and then pour the mixture over 10 cups of low-fat microwave popcorn in a large bowl. Spread the coated popcorn on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for four to six minutes. The recipe says one cup equals 53 calories and 1 gram of fat. Of course, drizzling chocolate over the top might defeat the purpose, but dark chocolate does have antioxidants, so it's good for you - right?

Ultimately, we left Sam's Club sated from multiple snack bites, but not much poorer since we limited our purchases to some cleaning supplies and those blackberries - which we devoured after dinner!