Puddings try for trendy, but fall short on flavor

Kozy Shack Simplywell Puddings. Dark Chocolate, Lemon Ginger, Green Tea Chai, Pear Mangosteen and French Vanilla. $3.59 per package of four 4-ounce cups.

Bonnie: As a health-conscious consumer, I was hoping to really like these puddings. They're a good source of prebiotic fiber, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin E; gluten-free; made with low-fat milk; and contain no preservatives. One 4-ounce refrigerated cupful contains only 100 calories and 3 grams of fiber.

It sounded great, but unfortunately, the taste didn't match the nutrition. Although lemon and ginger are two of my favorite flavors, the Lemon Ginger contained way too much ginger extract, and both the Pear Mangosteen and the Dark Chocolate had an off flavor. The French Vanilla and the Green Tea Chai are better and the ones I suggest you try if you buy single-serve pudding.

Carolyn: There are many great words I associate with pudding — indulgent, delicious, comforting, classic. But healthy, natural, gourmet, trendy? Never. Kozy Shack is trying to change that with pudding snacks with some of the health benefits (added fiber and vitamins) and flavors (Lemon Ginger, Green Tea Chai, even Pear Mangosteen) that yogurt eaters and natural and gourmet foodies have long been offered. Among yogurt makers, only Rachel's approaches Simplywell's flavor adventurousness.

These new puddings are neither as tasty nor as creamy as classic Kozy Shack. But they also aren't as bad as I thought when I heard they were low in fat, naturally flavored, a good source of prebiotic fiber and named Simplywell.

The Pear Mangosteen is the best-tasting, although the combination tastes more like banana. The fake-tasting, anemic vanilla is the one to definitely avoid.

Batter Blaster Pancake & Waffle Batter Mix in a Can. $4.99 per 18-ounce can.

Bonnie: I laughed when Carolyn told me she wanted us to test pancake batter in a dispenser can. I certainly didn't expect to like it. But scouring the ingredients list on the Reddi-wip-like can, I didn't find anything — other than propellant — that I wouldn't put into pancake batter. And the ingredients are both organic and kosher.

The nutritionals are comparable to frozen pancakes, except for the sodium, which is about twice as high. At 21 cents per pancake, this is also a bit pricey.

Would I buy this? Not unless I had overnight guests and needed a conversation starter as much as breakfast!