Zen Bakery Apple Cranberry Fiber Mini Cakes

Trader Joe’s  Apple Cranberry fiber mini Cakes or Zen Bakery Apple Cranberry fibercakes, whatever you want to call it, it’s all the same. I’ve tried the Blueberry Fibercakes before and  I was not totally in love with them. I thought they were too dense and not enough blueberry flavor. This time, I picked up the Apple Cranberry flavor and was pleasantly surprised. Did they revise their recipe? The fibercakes are still very dense, but it had more moisture and really tasted more like a muffin. On top of each fiber cake are 2 plump raisin-like cranberries. They taste sour and tart. Inside, there are white fruit pieces that I assume are apples. They taste very sweet, but not much of apple flavor. Also, there are small dried up cranberry pieces in the muffin as well.  I absolutely love putting these inside my Greek yogurt in the morning. The protein in the Greek yogurt along with the whopping 13 grams of fiber makes my breakfast low calories and filling. The package says each cake has 2 grams of sugar in it, but I think it taste sweeter than just 2 grams of sugar. Each fibercake (57g) is only 80 calories, 1 WW, 1.5 grams of fat, zero cholesterol, 180 milligram of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of fiber ( 1 gram soluble, 12 grams insoluble), 2 grams of sugar and 5 grams of protein. Simple ingredients like: wheat bran, white grape juice concentrate, whole wheat flour, apples, cranberries, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), cinnamon and salt makes these fibercakes a winner in my books. These do not contain preservatives, so they go bad pretty fast. I keep them in the fridge immediately after I return home. There seems to always be condensation that collects on top of the plastic when I refrigerate them, so I wipe the container down daily to avoid my fibercakes going moldy.

Retails: $4.49 per 6 pk @ Trader Joe’s
My Cost: $4.49
Calories: 80 each
WW: 1

P.S: Check out these awesome giveaways:
Nutridel & Flax Matters

Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs

Kashi cereals were on sale this past weekend at incredible prices. I tweeted about it (@theskinnyplate),  hope some of you caught the deal. I made out like a bandit with 3 Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs, 1 Kashi Honey Sunshine Pillows and 1 Kashi U cereal. The 7 Grain Puffs have 0 sugar and is a blend of hard red winter wheat, long grain brown rice, oats, barley, triticale, rye, buckwheat, all which are whole grain and also sesame seeds. If no sugar is not really your taste, Kashi also has a Honey Puff as well — Kashi 7 Whole Grain Honey Puffs. These puffs reminds me of the Nature’s Path Kamut Puffs, mixed along with the company’s other “puff” cereal varieties. The Kashi puffs are not as big as the Nature’s Path puff cereals and have a couple different shapes and sizes to it. The cereal has a very toasty and nutty flavor to it that I absolutely adore. Since this is a mixed grain cereal, the flavor is more complex and not as uniform as just a single grain cereal such as the Nature’s Path Kamut puffs that I previously got. No sugar in it which is perfectly fine for me. I like to eat these plain as well as bulk up my other higher in calories and sweeter cereals. Makes the perfect summer breakfast when I add them  into my Greek yogurt with some frozen fruits. Who needs movie theater popcorn when your have Kashi 7 Grain Puffs? I like to eat this in a big bowl like popcorn on movie nights. Don’t need any salt and butter to cover up the blandness [in popcorn] when I can enjoy a big bowl of whole grains puffs that has such a nice nutty flavor to them.  The texture is similar to a rice cake with each “puff” separated and bagged. A one cup serving (19 grams), 1 WW, 70 calories, 0.5 gram of fat, zero cholesterol, zero sodium, 60 grams of potassium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Taste-wise, I prefer the Kashi Whole Grain puffs because it offers a more complex flavor, but I would not get these at retail price since the Arrowheadmills Puff cereals (6oz) runs for about $1.69, Nature’s Path Puff cereals (6 oz) $1.99, whereas the Kashi 7 Grain Puffs (7.5 oz) runs for a little under $3.00 at most stores regularly. Notice how Vons/Pavilions sells these for $3.49 regularly? Yeah, I never shop there unless I know the item is on sale because they retail their items for much higher than other grocery stores.

Kashi® 7 Whole Grain Puffs cereal is a pure blend of Seven Whole Grains and Sesame seeds. That’s it. The grains and seeds are steamed at nearly 1000°F for only 15 seconds so the grains retain more of their nutrients, fiber, and individual shapes. During this process the sesame seeds burst, imparting a unique flavor to the cereal. We think you’ll appreciate the distinctive taste and heartier texture of our puffs!

• 19g Whole Grains*
• Low Fat
• 0g Sugar
• 0mg Sodium

Treat your taste buds to the purest form of whole grains and sesame seeds. Nothing more added, nothing taken out.

Ingredients: Kashi Seven Whole Grains & Sesame® blend (Whole Hard Red Winter Wheat, Whole Long Grain Brown Rice, Whole Oats, Whole Barley, Whole Triticale, Whole Rye, Whole Buckwheat, Sesame Seeds.)
Allergen Statement: CONTAINS WHEAT INGREDIENTS.
Diabetic Exchange: 1 Carbohydrates
Kosher Certification: OU

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 cup (19g)
Servings Per Container: About 11
Amount/Serving	%Daily Value*
Calories 70
Calories from Fat 5
Total Fat 0.5g	1%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Trans Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 0mg	0%
Potassium 60mg	2%
Total Carbohydrate 15g	5%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Soluble Fiber 0.6g
Insoluble Fiber 0.6g
Sugars 0g
Protein 2g
Vitamin A	0%
Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	0%
Iron	2%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Retail: $3.49 @ Vons/Pavilions
My Cost: $1.00 (super on sale)
Calories: 70 per cup
WW: 1

P.S: Get your free sample of Kashi here.

[Me] & Goji Custom Artisanal Cereal

I apologize for this MUCH delayed review. I got to mix my own personal [Me] & Goji mix months ago and it arrived at my doorsteps in record time. Ever since it arrived I banished it away in far corner of my pantry, putting boxes and cans in front of it to get it out of my line of sight. Goji, it is not you, it’s me. My name is Stephanie and I am a cereal addict. There, I said it. I’m so good with portioning everything else out, but the cereal box, or in this case, the cereal capsule just has this spell over me. I keep on digging in it, one handful after another. Cereal is my kryptonite. I have no self control when it comes to cereal and with artisanal cereal like [Me] & Goji, I knew I would be trouble once I break it open. Low and behold, I ate 1/5 (aka 3 servings) of the canister mindlessly once I opened it. With the jumbo canisters containing 15 servings, I did some major caloric damage, but it was worth it because, yes, it was THAT good. I wish it was as easy as buying all your favorite cereal and mix ins and mix it yourself, but honestly, the ingredients that [Me] & Goji uses are so fresh and delicious I have no idea where I would purchase something comparable.

The Skinny Plate’s Ultimate Goji Mix contains: Artisanal Cereal (multigrain oat bran, rye, spelt, barley, amaranth, wheat germ), Shredded Wheat (bite size shredded wheat), multigrain o’s, ground cinnamon, choco goji, coconut, mulberry, goji, pineapple, mango, pistachio, walnuts, and chia seeds. I felt like I put everything and the kitchen sink in my mix, but I was no where near covering all the bases [Me] & Goji offers as ingredients for your customizable granola and cereal. With 7 bases, 19 grains/extras, 14 dried fruits ,and 14 nuts and seeds as add ins, the possibilities are endless. Best of all, they have some awesome ingredients that I have not seen anywhere else. [Me] & Goji gets props for having a lot of unique add ins. It was so fun playing with the site. Their website is so interactive and user friendly that even kids will have no trouble making their own mix. Follow three simple steps to create your very own personalized your own cereal or granola. Step one: pick a base. Step Two: add fruit, nuts, seeds & more. Step 3: they hand-mix & ship it to your doorstep. The personal signature from the actual “mixer” of my mix is a very nice touch. [Me] & Goji features a large running nutritional information chart and running cost on a capsule on the left that updates automatically, big cereal bowl where you add your selection by dragging and dropping, a compost bin for you to remove any unwanted selection, and cute leaflets on top of each ingredient that give you a description and possible benefits of your ingredient once you click on it. If you are like me, you can spend hours reading up on each ingredients and being all wishy washy on my selections. In the end, don’t forget to give your mix a kick ass name. Love your mix? Reordering is a snap since each recipe has a personal id.

Wahhh… is it just me or is this post getting REALLY long. I can’t help it. [Me] & Goji is so good I can’t stop talking about it. Now I want to describe to you my favorite ingredients. I would seriously consider ordering a whole capsule of just the Artisanal cereal. So FREAKING good! The flakes are fresh, crunchy, barely even sweet, with a really great nutty flavor and 6.5 grams of fiber per serving right off the bat.  I love how the cereal base are really low in sugar because they know that some of the add ins such as dried fruits and chocolate covered items already have a lot of sugar so that balances everything out. Sweet on sweet is not good. The non-sugared up shredded wheat and multigrain o’s really let the whole grain flavors shine through. The goji berries don’t really taste like much, but these are big and plump and not dried out like the one I normally get. The pistachio and walnuts seems to be raw and not roasted. All natural, fresh and delicious. The coconut comes in the form of huge flakes are are so full of flavor. The pineapple crystals are plump and delicious and the mango are perfectly chopped up into little pieces. Does not seem to have added sugar. Mango flavor is just bursting out when you chew on it. Chia seeds are just chia seeds, lots of benefits, but don’t taste like much.   I’ve never had mulberries before, but I thought they were meh.

Like most customizable granola and cereals, [Me] & Goji tends to be on the pricey side if you get carried away with tons of add ins. As far as comparing to online customized granola and cereals, the prices here are very competitive and reasonable. Don’t forget that [Me] & Goji comes is gigantic capsule. If you compare just the basic cereal, which are PHENOMENAL, goji is very competitive as well. This picture is self explanatory:

My mix is 262.3 calories per 3/4 cup serving, 5 WW, 9.8 grams of fat (0.7 gram saturated), zero cholesterol, 136.8 milligram of potassium, 39.7 grams of carbohydrates, 9.4 grams of dietary fiber, 8.8 grams of sugar and 8.2 grams of protein. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Interested? Here is the id: 110139. Summer special makes shipping very reasonable. The first capsule is $4.99 and each additional capsule is $0.99. Round up your families, besties and co-workers to save a bundle on shipping.

Am I the only one raving about [Me] & Goji? Of course not. Food & Wine Magazine just named [Me] & Goji “Best Natural Cereal.” Congrats. You guys really deserve this title.

Retails: Varies @ [Me] & Goji
My Cost: Free
Calories: 262.3 calories per 3/4 cup (or varies)
WW: 5 (or varies)

PROBARS

PROBARS are “Whole Food Meal Replacement” which are 100% vegan and are made with organic ingredients. Each PROBARS contains at least 15 whole foods to help you sustain your energy through the day weather you are an athlete or eating small chunks as a snack in-between meals. PROBARS have either peanut butter or almond butter as well as natural sweeteners to “glue” the bar together. No preservative or chemicals. Depending on the flavor, the 15 whole foods are somethings like raw sunflower seeds, flax seeds, raisins, sesame seeds, cashews, almonds, dates, rolled oats, fennel seeds, etc. Sounds like all the good ingredients us foodies love and adore.  The ingredients lists are long, but not in a bad way, just packed with real and all recognizable ingredients. Each bar is wide and pretty much a square shape. The 85 grams in each bar is a lot bigger than other bars on the market. Just for a quick comparison, Clif bars are 68 grams, Luna Bars are 44 grams, Larabars are 45 grams, and Pure bars are 48 grams. The bar does not crumble like a granola bar, but are easily breakable. Has a crunchy and chewy texture.    I would describe these as a hybrid of a Larabar and a KIND bar.

Cocoa Pistachio: A sweet and savory combination of delicious roasted pistachios, unsweetened dark chocolate, peanut butter, raw coconuts, sesame seeds, just to name a few ingredients.  You can’t go wrong with pistachios and chocolate, right? Lots of whole nuts and seeds. I took great caution to give them a good chewing. The unsweetened dark chocolate were a little melted, but still good. The bar contains 400 calories, 9 WW, 25 grams of fat (7 grams saturated), zero cholesterol, 350 milligram of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

Maple Pecan: I really like the maple flavor mixed with the nuts and grains. I ate this for breakfast which kept me going for hours without snacking. Very tasty! One bar is contains 400 calories, 9 WW, 22 grams of fat (5 grams saturated), zero cholesterol, 200 milligram of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Nutty Banana Boom: Another flavor I like to eat in the morning. Taste like someone baked a batch of banana bread with an overdose of nuts and seeds. Naturally, a more nutty and seedy version of banana bread. Delicious. The bars contain 380 calories, 9 WW, 20 grams of fat (6 grams saturated), zero cholesterol, 70 milligram of sodium, 150 milligram of potassium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Apple Cinnamon Crunch: Another one of my favorite flavors. The apple pieces are delectable and the cinnamon flavor pairs nicely with the apple taste. A nuttier version of a slice of apple pie. The bar is 370 calories, 9 WW, 19 grams of fat (5 grams saturated), zero cholesterol, 90 grams of sodium, 130 grams potassium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Sesame Goji: Abundant in sesame seeds and goji berries.  Love the nutty taste of the sesame seeds. The goji berries did not really taste like anything, but I still love my goji berries. The bar contains 400 calories, 9 WW, 24 grams of fat (5 grams saturated), zero cholesterol, 360 milligram of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

Koka-Moka: Great chocolaty bar with mocha flavor. Great pick-me-up in the middle of the day. The bar contains 360 calories, 8 WW, 18 grams of fat (5 grams saturated), zero cholesterol, 30 grams of sodium, 210 milligram of potassium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 24 grams of sugar and 9 grams of protein.

Really high in the calorie department so I tend to eat half of it at a time. Even as a snack, I think 200 calories on a bar is too high for me. I normally break my Larabars and Clif bars in half. Eating only 1/4 of the bar seems pretty dinky tho.  PROBARS are made with tons of good stuff of foodie approved ingredients, but too much of a good thing can be bad for you so watch our for those calories if you are not particularly active.  All the ingredients in PROBARS are recognizable and good for you, but the portion size is gigantic for everyday eating. Good thing I hear that PROBAR is coming out with a lower in calories food bar called fruition in August 2009. PROBARS are perfect for those active people who hike and camp all day without access to “real” food. Then again, these are marketed as “The Whole Foods Meal” so the high calories is justifiable. In the spirit of trying out PROBARS for what it is, a meal replacement, I substituted a couple of meals with PROBAR and I am happy to report that they did keep my satisfied like a meal would have. I did not feel full, but I did not feel hungry either.

Retails: $3.29 @ PROBARS
My Cost: Free
Calories: 350 to 450
WW: 8-10 WW

P.S: Check out these wonderful giveaways:
MixIt and Blogerversary

EnviroKidz Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs

These EnviroKidz Organic Peanut Butter Panda puffs taste really similar to Babraba Peanut Butter Puffins, except it is a tad sweeter. Obviously aimed towards kids. Shape is round little balls like Kix. Equally as addicting as Puffins, but I still love the big puffy shapes of Puffins the best. These little balls are gluten free with real peanut butter coating. I like snacking on this cereal dry and adding them in my “yogurt mess.” Delish. One serving of 3/4 cup is 130 calories, 2 WW, 2.5 grams of fat (no saturated, no trans), zero cholesterol, 140 milligram of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 7 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein. Envirokidz also has a Leapin’ Lemur cereal that is a combination of coco/peanut butter corn balls mixed together. Not the most healthy cereal around, but they are too good to resist.

Made with love and…

Organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, organic peanut butter (peanuts,
salt), organic canola oil, sea salt, Tocopherols (Natural Vitamin E) added to preserve freshness.

Retails: $2.89 at Trader Joe’s
My Cost: $1.89 with coupon
Calories: 130 calories per 3/4 cup
WW: 2

Enjoy Life Granola: Very Berry, Cinnamon & Cranapple Crunch Granola

Enjoy Life Foods is a brand dedicated to the people with food allergies in their life. Enjoy Life products are certified gluten-free and free of the eight most common allergens. They contain NO: wheat/gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish or shellfish. Also made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites. Back in April, Enjoy Life Foods revamped their old granola recipe and made a crispier and crunchier granola that has 23 grams or more of whole grains per serving. They come in  3 different flavors: Very Berry Crunch, Cranapple Crunch, and Cinnamon Crunch.

Very Berry Crunch: I like this flavor the best. The berry flavor is strong throughout the product. The taste reminds me of Special K’s red berries cereal. This looked more like a cereal more than a granola to me. Granola tends to have big clumps here and there, but this particular bag was just in a million individual brown rice flakes and rice crisps. There is nothing wrong with that, I’m just pointing that out.

Cinnamon Crunch: Has a nice crunch to it with good cinnamon flavor and nice dried raisins throughout the bag. Again, don’t expect granola clumps, just individual flakes and crisps. Since the granola is so fine, I think it would be awesome if you mix in 1/2 granola, and 1/2 regular cereal just to offset the high calories, but still get to enjoy a bowl of granola for breakfast.

Cranapple Crunch: Very tart tasting from the cranberries. Big plump cranberry present in the bag. I was surprised at the texture since I was expecting it to the the same as the Very Berry and Cinnamon Crunch. The Cranapple looked like granola the most since it did have big chunks here and there and they did not looks like “flakes.” The smaller pieces looked like bread crumbs and the bigger chunks were just the smaller pieces “glued” together.

Glancing at the ingredient lists the base of the granola is mainly brown rice flakes, brown rice syrup, brown rice bran, and rice crisps with added ground flaxseed and dried fruit. I’ve never had a gluten free granola before and to be honest, I can’t tell that these are gluten free if someone served it to me blindly. The only thing I noticed was that they appear to be much smaller pieces than regular granola.

One serving of 1/2 a cup (52g) is 170 to 180 calories, 3 to 3.5 WW, 1.5 to 3.5 grams of fat, zero cholesterol, 10 to 20 milligram of sodium, 34 to 35 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 9 to 11 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein. Also, it includes thiamin 70%, niacin 10%, folate 10%, zinc 10%, vitamin C 6%, iron 35%, riboflavin 15%, vitamin B6 15%, magnesium 20%, and pantothenic 10% (all based on a 2,000 calorie diet).

P.S: Here is a coupon for in store use. And enjoy 10% off with the promotion code “enjoy10off” at checkout when you order from Peanut Free Planet.

Retails:  MSRP $4.99 to $5.49
My Cost: Free
Calories: 170 to 180 per 1/2 cup
WW: 3 to 3.5

MixMyGranola

One of the FRESHEST tasting granola I’ve had in a long time. Just buying the base of the granola is worth it, not to mention you get to customize all the goodies inside and name your creation. “TheSkinnyPlate’s Fab Mix” includes French Vanilla Granola (absolutely divine), organic dates, dried papaya, amaranth seeds, chia seeds, organic coconut shreds and lost of LOVE!! The capsule is even signed by the mixer himself which adds a personal touch. This is a fabulous granola mix if I do say so myself. The French Vanilla Base is fresh and delicious and the coconut shreds makes this mix heavenly. I LOVE IT!! One serving (57g) is 254 calories, 5 WW, 9 grams of fat (2 grams saturated), zero cholesterol, 41 milligram of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein. Big thanks to Raul for letting me create my own mixes. Half the fun of MixMyGranola comes from mixing your own mix. The interactive site lets you add and subtract ingredients to your own liking. On the side, it tabulates everything and gives you a running nutritional information chart. With 4 bases, 19 fruits, 17 nuts and seeds, and 20 extras to pick and choose from, it is a nightmare for the indecisive people (aka me). It literally took me hours before settling with my two mixes. I tired many combination making my granola the healthiest it can be and then changing my mind and made it into a very indulgent granola before I settled for a happy medium. I was afraid that my “mumbo jumbo” mix would not taste good since I wanted to added everything in it, but I don’t think anyone can go wrong since the all the ingredient are top notch. I found myself picking at it all throughout the day and by the end of it, more than 1/2 the capsule was gone.  All the ingredients were evenly mixed in, but with all my picking, I ended up with a lot of coconut shreds, amaranth seeds, and chia seeds on the bottom. I ended up using them as mix-ins for my Pumpkin Bran Muffins and it turned out amazing. This is really sad, but with my lack of self control, I am REALLY hesitant in opening my second mix. My second mix is called “TheSkinnyPlate’s Ultimate Yogurt Toppings” which includes, Low-fat granola, dried melon slices, chocolate mini morsels, hemp seeds and lots of Love. One serving (57g) is 237 calories, 4 WW, 4 grams of fat (2 grams saturated), zero cholesterol, 42 milligram of sodium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

After I ordered my mixes, about a week later, MixMyGranola added 16 brand new enhancers like spirulina powder, green tea powder, and mangosteen powder all with their unique properties and benefits. It’s like adding boosters in your Jamba Juice, only this is in you granola. I like the concept, but I wonder if it will turn the granola into a funky color. The sleek capsule holds an impressive eight servings (2 ounce per serving). Since MixMyGranola offers a flat rate $4.99 shipping cost, next time, I am going gather as many friends and family as I can before placing my order. More than anything, I think MixMyGranola will make an excellent gift item.

Retails: Varies @ MixMyGranola
My Cost: $1.76 w/ e-certificate
Calories: varies
WW: varies

Zen Bakery Carrot Cake Muffins & Blueberry Mango Cranberry Bran Muffins

Zen Bakery makes awesome high fiber bran cakes and muffins. I have only tried the blueberry bran cakes and avoided the muffins since they don’t have the same about of fiber. Someone brought home some Zen Bakery Carrot Muffin from Whole Foods and I fell in LOVE. These are HUGE muffins that are moist, delicious and full of flavor. These muffins looks like they are the 500 to 600 calories types, but the entire muffin is only 220 calories which isn’t so bad considering the size of it. One serving is only 1/2 the muffin, but it does a good job keeping me satisfied as long as I drink a big cup of water with it. The fiber content is only 3 grams, but I love the taste of texture of Zen Bakery’s muffins over the bran cakes which can be too dense at times. One serving of 1/2 a muffin is 110 calories, 2 WW, 1.5 grams of fat, no cholesterol, 160 milligram of sodium, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein. In my attempt to recreate the Zen Bakery muffins, I came across a few websites, but they all attempted to recreate the bran cakes, and not the muffins. With a little trial and error, I hope I can create delicious Zen Bakery-like high fiber, low calorie muffins at home. Please e-mail me if you have a psudo-Zen Bakery muffin recipe. I’d love to try it out! On my recent Trader Joe’s trip, I also picked up the Zen Bakery  Blueberry Mango Cranberry Bran Muffins to try out. These bran muffins are not as moist and are more dense than the the Carrot Cake Muffins, but they are delicious and keeps me super full with 5 grams of fiber per 1/2 a muffin. I noticed that the posted nutritional facts are a little different from the nutritional facts on the package. Hope Zen Bakery updates their website soon. According to the website, one serving of 1/2 a muffin is 110 calories, 2 WW, 2.5 grams of fat, zero cholesterol, 210 milligram of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of dietary fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. On the package it said 6 grams of fiber. I feel so happy when I get to eat this gigantic muffin for breakfast for only 220 calories and it keeps me full until lunch time.

If you only shop for Zen Bakery exclusively at Trader Joe’s, then you my friend, are missing out on a whole lot of other goodies Zen Bakery cranks out. Did you know that Zen bakery makes scones, oatmeal cookies, cinnamon raisin rolls, and PB carbo chocolate chip cookies as well? Although their stats are not as great as the muffins and bran cakes, they are still better than normal coffee shop and bakery counterparts.

P.S: Keep them in the fridge if you don’t want them to go moldy on you.

Retails: $5.99 @ Whole Foods
$4.49 @ Trader Joe’s
My Cost: $5.99 & $4.49
Calories: 110 per 1/2 muffin
WW: 2

The Healthy Baking Company Heart Thrive

The Healthy Baking Company offers two great vegan friendly products — Suncakes and Heart Thrive. Heart Thrive are vegan energy bars that come in adorable heart shapes which are calcium fortified whereas Suncakes are a big hockey puck-like disk that contains 2 servings. I got the pleasure of trying some of their Heart Thrive energy bars out and they tasted great. Two hearts per package and one heart per serving. You can eat one and call it a snack or both of them as a “meal-on-the-go.” The texture is quite similar to Clif bars, only a little more moist and dense. The simple ingredient list is very impressive as well. The principle ingredients of all the heart thrives are: oats, dried fruit, brown rice syrup,natural fruit juices, brown rice flour, soy protein concentrate, soy flour, rice bran and calcium citrate. They are low sodium, low glycemic, wheat-free, dairy-free, no GMO, low fat and only 3 WW. Now, onto the flavors. The Healthy Baking Company offers their products in these wonderful flavors: Dates, Poppyseed, Raisin, Cranberry, Apple, Apricot and Chocolate Chip. My favorite Heart Thrive flavor has to be the dates one. It has a strong date flavor which is mixed with dried plums, dried apples, dried pears as well. I could tell that it was not purely dates in here, but date lovers will like this bar. Moist and chewy with embedded oats. Very filling. I was going to have this as an element for breakfast, after 3/4 done, I was already satisfied and didn’t even touch my other parts of breakfast. One serving (56g) is 158 calories, 3WW, 1.5 grams of fat (0.18 g saturated), no trans fat, no cholesterol, 13 milligram of sodium, 33 gram of carbohydrates, 5 gram of dietary fiber, 11 grams of sugar, 6 grams of protein, and 189 milligram of calcium. The other flavors taste great and are similar in the nutritional front (plus or minus a little). Each package of Heart Thrive supplies nearly 30% of your daily protein, dietary fiber and calcium. How wonderful is that. They store really well in the freezer so you can order them in bulk (cheaper) and keep them in the freezer for a convenient “grab-and-go” breakfast item. Delicious, healthy and convenient. How much better can it get? Even if you are not vegan, I’d give Heart Thrives a try. For the best deal, order them from their website here.

P.S: Enter my name when you order so they know where you got your information. Let me know if you do order some, I’d like to know your experience.  The Heart Thrives are the best!

Retails: $1.66 each @ The Healthy Baking Company
My Cost: Free
Calories: 154 to 167 each serving
WW: 3

Food For Life: Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin Flourless Spread

Never had Food for Life Ezekiel products before, but now I’m hooked. These Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Flourless Sprouted Grain bread were on sale at Pavilions the other day so I knew I had to pick them up. I was intrigued by how flourless bread would taste like. Made from freshly sprouted organically grown grains. 100% flourless.  The bread is not as soft as normal bread, but since I always toast my bread, the minor detail did not bother me. Each slice is 80 calories, but the slice is tiny and pretty thin. Regardless, I still liked it. The whole slice of bread was filled with sweet raisins, but the cinnamon flavor is lacking a little. It tastes wonderful by itself, but sometimes I spread some cream cheese on it just to add a different texture to it. Pretty filling considering the small size of it. I have to learn to sense fulfillment with my body and not by the looks of things. Who knew sprouted whole grain bread could taste so good. Finding new products at the grocery store can be very exciting sometimes. I look forward to picking up more Food For Life products in the future. One slice is 80 calories, 1 WW, 0.5 total fat ( no saturated or trans), no cholesterol, 65 milligram of sodium, 120 milligram of potassium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Retails: $2.99 at Pavilions
My Cost: $2.49
Calories: 80 calories per slice
WW: 1