The Hostess 100 calorie muffin product line concept was intriguing to me since I am a big fan of Hostess 100 calorie cupcakes (the chocolate one which brings back fond childhood memories with less calories). My husband surprised me one day with a package of the Hostess 100 calorie blueberry muffins, and then I saw their banana muffins listed on the package, so I had to try those as well!

In case you haven't opened the box to one of these Hostess 100 calorie products before, I want you to be prepared. These are the world's tiniest cupcakes and muffins! Each Hostess 100 calorie muffin or cupcake is going to be only a little bigger in diameter than most bottle caps.

The good news is that those 100 calories entitle you to eat three of these Hostess cupcakes or muffins. So if the psychological benefit of being able to say "I just ate three Hostess chocolate cupcakes" or "I just ate three banana muffins" is important to you, you're going to love this product! If you are looking to feel full, that's not going to happen.

The Hostess 100 calorie blueberry muffins taste very sweet and are like a smaller version of the Dunkin Donuts Reduced-Fat Blueberry muffin which I treat myself to every now and then. The Hostess 100 calorie banana muffins are also very sweet and very banana-y.

I am okay with muffins that look like they could have been from the old Disney classic movie "Honey I Shrunk The Kids". What I am not okay with is that there is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in all the 100 calorie Hostess offerings (which means there's trans fat in them there hills). So yes, because of bonehead government labeling laws that allow a food that has less than .5 grams of trans fat to be labeled "trans fat free", Hostess proudly and legally can claim "0 grams of trans fat" on its product packaging. Of course, in fairness to Hostess, they are not alone in being able to make this claim courtesy of the government.

While .5 grams is a trivial amount of trans fat, there is no safe amount of trans fat!

And if you have a couple of "0 grams of trans fat" items in a day, that are not really "0 grams" at all. It can easily add up to the number that experts have said is an issue - over 2 grams of trans fat per day.

So the way I look at it, is that if I am going to eat any pseudo trans fat free food, it has to be incredibly worth it, and I have to watch out for similar foods during the rest of my day. So between the Hostess 100 calorie muffins and the Hostess 100 calorie chocolate cupcakes, it's no contest. I'll take the Hostess cupcakes. They are one of my favorite "in case of chocolate emergency, break glass" items to have on hand that won't do me much damage.

Sorry Hostess, I've got to pass on the muffins, and save your Hostess 100 calorie cupcakes for special occasions.

Miracle Fruit Berry contains a harmless glycoprotein which temporarily gently binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing bitter and sour foods (such as lemons and limes) consumed later to taste sweet. It can also be used to prepare sugar free desserts.

The Miracle Fruit Plant (Synsepalum dulcificum) is a plant first documented in 1725 during an excursion to its native West Africa. Local tribes picked the berry from shrubs and chewed it before meals. Miracle Fruit berries contain a harmless active glycoprotein which temporarily gently binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing bitter and sour foods, such as lemons and rhubarb, consumed after eating miracle fruit, to taste sweet. It is extremely simple to use: just chew the fruit or dissolve one "tablet" on your tongue and the effect will last from 10 minutes to 2 hours, depending mostly on what you eat. When the effect wears off, everything tastes as before (lemons are sour again).

Miracle fruit is safe and has no known side effects (well, lemons taste sweet!). It has been used for centuries (in Africa) and for decades in the US and Asia. Miracle Fruit is available as fresh fruits or freeze dried extract which can be stored for a much longer period of time. Miracle Fruit berries can be chewed before eating sour fruit (grapefruit, rhubarb, lemons, strawberries and similar) or used in combination with special recipes to make sugar free desserts. The desserts can be made without sugar and artificial sweeteners, pure freshly squeezed natural fruit juices are more than enough to make any dessert extremely sweet. Besides desserts, Miracle Fruit can also be used to prepare sugar free cocktails, 100% natural lemonades and other delicious drinks. Innovative chefs like Ian Kleinman of Westin, Colorado, are using Miracle Fruit powder and tablets to make innovative foods like Miracle Fruit gum and miracle fruit popsicles.

Miracle Fruit first caught attention of party goers. Numerous Miracle Fruit parties have been organized worldwide, some of which received wide media coverage in newspapers like New York Times and The Guardian. Foods served at a typical Miracle Fruit Party include all sorts of citrus fruits, dark chocolate, wine, beer, cocktails, and essential fresh strawberries, kiwi and rhubarb. Miracle Fruit can also improve the taste after chemotherapy. Results are inconclusive but it seems to work in around 50% of all cases. It also has endless possibilities as a sugar substitute for diabetes patients. They can finally enjoy in desserts without sugar and controversial artificial sweeteners, some of which have been rumored to cause health problems.

In Japan, Miracle Fruit tablets have been on sale since 2006. Miracle Fruit Café's, serving sugar free desserts and Miracle Fruit berries have become very popular in Japan in the past two years. Tablets are of medicinal quality and produced in a pharmaceutical clean room. They contain no artificial additives (such as colorants or preservatives).

Miracle Fruit is also known as Synsepalum dulcificum, Frutto dei miracoli, Fruta maravillosa, Fruto milagro, Fruta de milagro, Frutamilagrosa, Sideroxylon dulcificum, Mirakelfrukten, Mirakelfrukt, Mirakelbær, Mirakelbaer, Wunderbeere, Mirakelbes and Le Fruit Miraculeux.