Wildwood Organics Royal Thai Baked Sproutofu

Wildwood Organics Royal Thai Baked tofu is similar to the smoked tofu in terms of texture. They both have the water pressed out of it and are already flavored and the tofu is dense and chewy. The Royal Thai Baked Sproutofu is a combination of flavors such as lemon grass, ginger, cilantro, and red peppers.  The package is vacuumed sealed and comes with 2 ready-to-eat servings. Again, the 3 ounce looks pretty small, but with all the water pressed out, these dense tofu blocks are packed with 15 grams of protein and are really filling. Eat with your stomach and not with your eyes and you will be really happy with this product. Since I feel like my meal is small when I enjoy these tofu blocks, I like to incorporate lots and lots of vegetables to my meal to make it seem like my meal is bigger. With this Thai flavor, it works excellent for homemade Thai dishes. Following a Thai theme, I whipped up a Peanut Butter Boy sauce and dipped the tofu in it. Now THAT was delicious. In the future, I can see myself using this to make tofu pad thai and tofu kabobs. You really can’t go wrong with Wildwood Organic sproutofu line — just pick a flavor you enjoy. I enjoy both the smoked and baked varieties equally. Many flavors to choose from: Baked Aloha, Savory Baked, and Teriyaki Baked. One serving of 3 ounce is 150 calories, 3 WW, 5 grams of fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 290 milligram of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of sugar and 15 grams of protein.

The #1 Selling Flavored Tofu in the West!
Made with Sprouted Soybeans for Enhanced Nutrition

Retails: $3.99 per 6 oz package @ Whole Foods
My Cost: Free
Calories: 150 per 3 ounce
WW: 3

Whole Foods Black Chia Seeds

I first learned about Chia seeds over at Heather Eats Almond Butter which linked me to Mizfit’s post. I’ve been seeing Chia Seeds popping up in many bloggers posts recently. I know you can get them at chiaseedsdirect with free shipping (US residents only), but I did not want to commit to a 4.5 lbs bag before even try it out so naturally I ventured to Whole Foods to pick some up. I spotted this 8 oz container around the bulk bin section. It was decently priced at $5.99 for 8 oz. Whole Foods also carries the Navitas Natural Chia seeds for $8.99 (8 oz) and the Chia powder for $11.99 (8 oz) so you have more option to choose from. Once in contact with moisture, Chia seeds form this gummy gel around itself, which is good because it means it will expand in your stomach to make you fuller for longer. And if you like thicker oatmeal, do what Heather does and pour 1-2 tbsp into your morning oats to create a omega-3 packed, thick and creamy oat bran. I personally do not think it had much of a flavor itself so it can be added to basically anything. Be sure to check your teeth before you head out after you eat these because they can stick in-between your teeth without you noticing. Heather and Mizfit does a better job at describing all the wonderful benefits of Chia seeds so please do check out their posts. Here is my attempt to list a few:

*Easily digestible and does not need grinding like flaxseeds
*High in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid
*High in protein and fiber
*Rich in vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium etc.
*Gluten-Free

Nutritional Information: One tablespoon (15g) is 80 calories, 1 WW, 5 grams of fat (0.5 saturated), zero cholesterol, zero sodium, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, zero sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Retails: $5.99 (8 oz) @ Whole Foods
My Cost: $5.99
Calories: 80 per tablespoon
WW: 1

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Panda All Natural Soft Raspberry Confection

I never knew I was a licorice lover until my friend offered my some strawberry flavored ones they sell in the tubs from Trader Joe’s.  I fell in love with them, but I rarely buy them since I don’t need them in the house taunting me all the time. I spotted the Panda All Natural brand at Whole Foods in single serving packages so I decided to treat myself to the fruity raspberry flavor. In my mind I thought I got myself a raspberry flavor licorice bar, but nowhere on the package do I see the word licorice. “Raspberry flavored bar” and “soft raspberry confection” are the words on the package. Maybe there is some technicality to the term licorice? First bite into it I knew why it is not label licorice, because it isn’t — duh! Or if this really is licorice, then I don’t like it. The texture is like a soft chew, but a little firmer. Nothing like my beloved TJ’s licorice. The flavor is suppose to be raspberry, but I don’t think it has a pure raspberry flavor. It is sort of a mix berry/prune flavor. The bar is pretty thick and solid rod and about 6 inches in length. When I bit into it, there was a noticeable color difference between the outer layer and the inside. I thought it was some sort of filling at first, but it’s not. Not particularly delicious. Each bar (32g) is 100 calories, 2 WW, fat-free, no cholesterol, 65 milligram of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 gram of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. Ingredients: Molasses, wheat flour, citric acid and natural flavor. Panda All Natural Licorice also has other very interesting flavors as well.  I am intrigued by the Panda Filled Licorice which is their original flavor licorice with flavored fillings such as strawberry, caramel, banana, and chocolate. I’m going to take a pass on this one, but might consider their other REAL licorice varieties.

The unique Real taste of Licorice Premium quality, soft licorice All Natural ingredients

No added colors
No added salt
No artificial flavors
99 % fat free
No preservatives
Kosher certified Suitable for vegan and vegetarian consumption

Retails: $0.69 each (32g) @ Whole Foods
My Cost: $0.09 (on sale plus coupon inside Whole Deals Booklet)
Calories: 100 each
WW: 2

Ak-Mak 100% Whole Wheat Crackers

Ak-maks are whole wheat crackers that are made with 100% organically-grown stone ground whole wheat flour, clover honey, sesame oil, real butter, sesame seeds, yeast and salt. These thin stone-ground crackers are super light crispy with a great nutty flavor from the sesame seed. Enjoyable by itself, but goes amazing with everything and anything. Some suggestions include hummus, laughing cow cheese, and nut butters. Crumble it up a bit and you have yourself a nice salad or soup topper. My current obsession is Ak-mak with laughing cow cheese. So incredibly delicious. One serving of 5 crackers are 115 calories, 2 grams of fat (<0.5 saturated), no cholesterol, 220 milligram of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 0.6 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein. Ak-mak are no small 1″ by 1″ crackers. They are actually a decent size, about 2″ by 5″ which is a good size to spread your topping of choice. They are awesome and cheap at Trader Joes too!! I was surprise that they run for the same price at Whole Foods too. Ak-mak is simplicity at its best. No preservatives. No artificial flavors. No chemicals. One of the best tasting healthy crackers out there on the market. One of my favorite finds of 2009!!

Retails: $1.39 per box @ Trader Joe’s
My Cost: $1.39
Calories: 115 per serving (5 crackers)
WW: 2

Ito En Oi Ocha Japanese Green Tea

When I am at Mitsuwa or Nijiya (they have an awesome food court), I always pick up one of my favorite bottled green tea — Ito En Oi Ocha. I’ve enjoyed this tea for ages and now I have noticed that Whole Foods started carrying the 16.9 fl oz bottles for $1.99. Except for 20 milligram of sodium and 140% vitamin C (based on a 2,000 calories diet), the rest of the stats are zero across the board because this is genuinely an iced green tea that is crap free. So glad that one of my favorite iced tea is getting the spotlight in one of my favorite magazines. Everyday with Rachel Ray (June/July) did a feature on the best bottled green tea (page 56), and It En Oi Ocha came out on top as the best green tea. The judges describe this tea as “rich yet clean and bright”  with a perfect balance of “pleasant toastiness.” I couldn’t agree with them more. BTW, the Japanese markets,  carries the larger 2 liter bottles for $3.99 ($2.99 when on sale). And Costco carries a Kirkland/Ito En green tea bags as well. 100 tea bags for about $12 bucks. What a steal!! Although not the same as the Oi Ocha line, the tea from the tea bags taste great as well.

Retails: $1.69 (16.9 fl oz) at Mitsuwa
My Cost: $1.69
Calories: 0
WW: 0

Better Whey of Life Non-fat Yogurt

Better Whey of Life is such a cute name for this product! The play on words is cute. Better Whey of life offers 5 flavors, plain, peach mango, french vanilla, acai mix berry, and strawberry banana. All of them are enhanced with whey protein, contains 30% less sugar than regular yogurts, contains FIBER, probiotics, and made with nonfat milk w/ no added growth hormones. I had the pleasure of trying out 2 of the flavors.

French Vanilla: Since this is a non-Greek yogurt, I expected it to be watery and runny. I was pleasantly surprised that it was thicker than I expected, but not as thick as normal Greek yogurt. The vanilla flavor tasted natural, which I like, and the yogurt has a tart and tangy taste. One 6 oz cup is 145 calories, 2 WW, 0.5 grams of fat, 5 milligram of cholesterol, 80 milligram of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of protein. The protein content in here is 3x as much as normal yogurts, but about the same  as Greek yogurt. Compared to traditional sugary yogurts, Better Whey of Life has 2/3 the amount of sugar which is a plus by my standards, but some may complain that the yogurt taste too tart. Fiber in yogurt is rare to comeby so kudos to them!!

Strawberry Banana: Taste like a tart and tangy strawberry banana smoothie. I ate this on top of a Kashi blueberry waffle along with some frozen fruits. It was a very delicious and filling breakfast that lasted me a good couple of hours. Taste great by itself so I can only imagine how great and filling it would be if I incorporate this in a smoothie or freeze and make my own fro-yo. The nutritional facts are pretty much the same for all the flavored varieties. The plain variety has a little less sugar and calories and a little higher in the protein department.

I think Better Whey of Life is a great way to incorporate protein in your diet if it is lacking. I can see myself eating this post workout to help build my lean muscles instead of busting out the blender to make a protein shake since it is a pain to clean. As a breakfast item, mixed with high fiber cereal and fruits galore or on top of a Kashi waffle with fruits, it keeps me full for a long time. Great staying power. Love the high protein, fiber, and less sugar content of Better Whey of Life yogurts. My only complaint is that the expiration date on the cups smudge and wipes of very easily. One of the yogurts I picked up had the expiration date rubbed off completely and my other one had a partial rub off, but I could see it expires in June, so it was safe to eat. Plus, I got this at Whole Foods which I trust whole-heartily. Check out their website for $2.00 off 3 coupon. With the coupon, it comes out to be around $1.00 per 6 oz cup which is not too shabby if you want to try it out. If you find that the taste is too tart for you, don’t let a good thing go to waste, dump it into a blender with some naturally sweet fruits and make yourself a protein packed smoothie.

Retails: $1.69 @ Whole Foods
My Cost: Free w/ Coupon
Calories: 130 to 145 per 6 oz cup
WW: 2

Applegate Farms Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets

Applegate Farms came out with a new gluten-free, casein-free and dairy-free chicken nuggets. Their chickens are raised antibiotic free, as well as fed a vegetarian diet. The breading on the nuggets are actually comprised of rice and corn flour — not wheat flour. I followed the directions for reheating in the microwave, paper towel on bottom, heat 1/2 way, flip, and continue heating. After I was done, the paper towel soaked up a lot of oily residue that was seeping from the nuggets. For a more appealing effect, I should have baked them in the oven instead. When I did the taste test, I had to do a double take on the box to make sure I was really eating chicken and not some imitation meat. The inside of the nugget look brownish and the texture is different from any nuggets I’ve ever had. The texture is like pureed meat put back into a nugget form. The size of each nugget is pretty small, slightly larger than a half-dollar coin. One serving of 7 pieces is 170 calories, 4 WW, 9 grams of fat,(1.5 grams saturated), 35 milligram of cholesterol, 350 milligram of sodium, no fiber, no sugar, and 12 grams of protein. To be honest, I’ve never heard of Applegate Farms, but after reading the information on the box I know why. They don’t spend a lot of money on advertisement and rely on word of mouth to spread the word about their products. I like that philosophy in a company. If they have a good product, people will talk about it and recommend them to friends and family. This shows how confident Applegate Farms has in their products. Check out “our story” page to find out how wholesome this company is. Although I did not particularly enjoy the gluten-free nuggets, I am so glad I found out about this company. I really look forward picking up some other Applegate Farms products at Whole Foods next time. Browsing through their website, they have convinced me that they only serve the best to their customers.

Snippets from their “Promise Page”

– animals are never given antibiotic
– livestock are given vegetarian diet with no animal by products.
– no hormones or artificial growth promotants
– all products are all natural and organic
– minimally processed
– products never contain artificial nitrates or nitrites
– deli meat, hot dogs, burgers, and bacon are gluten and casein free
– no mystery meat (products are made from organic whole muscle meat)

Retails: $5.99 @ Whole Foods (8 oz box)
My Cost: Free
Calories: 170 per 7 pieces
WW: 4