Junk Food Nation, this week I re-learned a very valuable lesson – don’t ever think you know more than the game does.  I play in three NFL Survivor Leagues, and in just Week 3, I am already knocked out of all of them.  Why?  Because I thought I knew more than the game did.  I convinced myself that in order to advance far to defeat the other players, I needed to pick big upsets early to save “good teams” for later weeks.  And that is what led me to choose the Panthers to upset the Giants on Thursday night.  Which clearly didn’t happen as Cam Newton was awful and the Giants PUMMELED the Carolina Panthers decisively.

I thought I knew better than the game did.  I thought, “Short week, on the road for the Giants, missing Nicks, Bradshaw, Dixon, Diehl…the Giants will be reeling, etc. etc.” I convinced myself that the Panthers at home was the upset special of the week.  I forgot the basic axiom of the NFL: Good teams beat bad teams.  And I forgot that Carolina was a very bad team.

Sigh.  Well, I won’t have the Survivor League to bother me the rest of this year.  On to the Week 3 picks!   Last week I was 10-6 last week (woot) which puts me 18-14 on the season.

GIANTS @ PANTHERS: Ugh, let’s not talk about it.

RAMS @ BEARS: Even without Matt Forte, the BEARS should take care of business.

BILLS @ BROWNS: Never bet against Buffalo. BILLS.

BUCS @ COWBOYS: Back at home, the COWBOYS will make everyone forget about last week’s upset (nailed it!)

NINERS @ VIKINGS: Lock this one up – the SF Giants clinched the division yesterday, and the NINERS will go 3-0 after this victory.

CHIEFS @ SAINTS: Jeez, which New Orleans team will show up?  They HAVE to be better than the Chiefs…don’t they?  Don’t they? They are. SAINTS.

BENGALS @ REDSKINS: Redskins are missing huge line help and defensive players…but I think they will win their home opener for no other reason than RGIII.  SKINS.

LIONS @ TITANS: Man, the Titans are bad.  And the LIONS haven’t looked great…but they are better than those Tennessee jokers.

JAGS @ COLTS: Andrew Luck will get two wins this week!  And it’s because Blaine Gabbert is a big sissy boy.  COLTS.

EAGLES @ CARDINALS: The CARDS will take this one at home, because apparently Arizona is better than EVERYONE expected them to be!

FALCONS @ CHARGERS: Scary thought – Matt Ryan figured out how to win NOT just at home within a dome.  I’m riding the FALCONS until they prove me wrong.

TEXANS @ BRONCOS: Interesting…bet against Peyton Manning?  I will here – Texans have top 3 offense and defense.  TEXANS.

STEELERS @ RAIDERS: Steel Curtain meets the Black Hole?  Too bad the Raiders stink. STEELERS.

PATRIOTS @ RAVENS: Statement game here.  I think the PATRIOTS pull the upset after last week’s embarrassment.

PACKERS @ SEAHAWKS: I’ll say it again…Seattle’s stadium is one of the hardest to play in.  But…back to my original axiom.  Good teams beat bad teams.  Russell Wilson?  Please.  PACKERS win.

Today’s junk food: Blue Diamond BOLD Honey Dijon Almonds!

Blue Diamond BOLD Honey Dijon Almonds may not be new to you, but they are new to me.  Off-site, I’ve had Blue Diamonds’ Wasabi and Soy Sauce Almonds, Habanero BBQ Almonds, etc…. I’ve eaten Blue Diamonds’ BOLD line plenty of times.  This is the first time I’ve tried their new Honey Dijon Almonds.  According to Blue Diamonds’ website, these are the newest of the line.

Strangely, I think I’ve only reviewed two other Blue Diamond product before – the Salt n’ Vinegar and the Jalapeno Smokehouse variety. Blue Diamond BOLD Honey Dijon Almonds have large shows to fill.  Sidenote: does anyone ever keep mustard in a random jar with no lid as seen above?  I think not.

Blue Diamond BOLD Honey Dijon Almonds have all the ingredients I like to see: mustard powder and honey powder.  Although I am struck by the fact that there are 6 servings in this can. Usually when I’m eating these almonds, it’s two servings: serving #1 is as many as I can eat at once.  serving #2 is known as “finishing them off.”  (Serving #3 is sometimes licking my finger to swipe all the extra flavor nodules stuck at the bottom of the can, but I digress.)

Wen I popped the Blue Diamond BOLD Honey Dijon Almonds can, it definitely smelled like Honey Mustard…but only slightly so.  I definitely also got a general salty smell.  Interesting…

Each one of these Blue Diamond BOLD Honey Dijon Almonds were encrusted with flavoring, as you can see from the picture above.  And they definitely tasted the part – each crunchy almond delivered a bite of honey mustard right away, fading into the satisfying taste of almond.  Because nuts are harder to flavor than, say, chips, these didn’t pack quite the punch that Snyder’s Honey Mustard Pretzel Pieces have.  Also, some nuts definitely packed more punch than others – the flavoring was a bit inconsistent throughout the can.

Still, these tasted great and the flavor profile itself was spot on.  A nice addition to the Blue Diamond line.

Happy football Sunday!

PURCHASED AT: Walgreens

COST: These were buy one at $3.79, get one free, so these cost…whatever half of $3.79 is.

Thoughts? Please comment below (I always reply) or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. Also, you can always email me at junkfoodguy@junkfoodguy.com. Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy