Taste Test Tuesday: Kashi Cocoa Beach Granola

Imagine a little taste of cocoa, coconut and almonds all wrapped up in a high fiber, higher omega-3 granola. I had to go to a couple of grocery stores to find this new cereal, but it was worth it. This morning I enjoyed a serving of this new granola (only 1/2 cup) with 1/2 cup of light vanilla soy milk.

I literally measured this out so I could get an idea of whether this suggested serving size was truly "enough" to satisfy my morning hunger. I probably would be more likely, left to my own devises, to pour 3/4 cup of the cereal instead of 1/2 cup.

How did it taste?
This granola has a very pleasant flavor with subtle tastes of almonds, coconut and cocoa all coming through. Lowfat or skim milk or soy milk compliments this granola nicely.

What's in it?
The first seven ingredients include:

• Kashi Seven Whole Grains & Sesame Blend (rolled oats, barley, hard red winter wheat, rye, triticale, long brain brown rice, buckwheat, sesame seeds)
• Evaporated cane juice syrup
• Expeller pressed canola oil
• Almonds
• Gum Arabic
• Coconut
• Cocoa

All of this translates into a cereal that contributes an assortment of helpful nutrients such as fiber (7 grams with 3 grams soluble fiber), omega-3s (.4 grams), monounsaturated fat (4.5 grams), and protein (6 grams). Here's the breakdown:

1/2 cup cereal = 230 calories, 9 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 2.5 g polyunsaturated fat, 4.5 g monounsaturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 140 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 35 percent.

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• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
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Fall Baking Part 2: Chocolate Chip Orange Scones

Do you like your daily dose of dark chocolate first thing in the morning? This scone will fix you right up! The original recipe called for all white flour (we used 1 cup of whole wheat and 3/4 cup of white flour), 5 tablespoons of stick butter (we used light margarine with plant sterols and froze it to make it easier to crumble into the flour). Instead of half and half we used fat free half and half and I added some orange zest to boost the flavor.

By making these changes we cut the calories (in these still delectable and satisfying scones) by about 50 per scone and we trimmed off 4 grams of total fat and 4 grams saturated fat per scone. Cholesterol plummeted from 19 milligrams to 2.

Chocolate Chip Orange or "Halloween" Scones

Photo: Elaine Magee

5 tablespoons light margarine with plant sterols added (whipped butter can be substituted if butter is preferred)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (or pulse regular size chocolate chips briefly in food processor)
1 tablespoon orange zest, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons fat free half and half

1. Place each individual tablespoon of margarine on a piece of wax paper or foil and place in the freezer to chill for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with canola cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the frozen butter, breaking each tablespoon into about 8 pieces each. Beat on medium-low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips and orange zest. On low speed, beat in the orange juice and fat free half and half just until a dough is formed.
4. On a floured surface, pat scone dough into a 9 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut out 8 scones and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown (about 12 minutes). Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Yield: Makes 8 scones

Nutrition information per scone: 183 calories, 4 g protein, 30 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 2 g monounsaturated fat, 1.2 g polyunsaturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g fiber, 307 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 25 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .2 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = 1 grams.

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• Fall Baking Part 1: Overnight Brown Sugar Pecan Coffee Cake
  
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
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Makeover Monday: Dutch Pancakes Go Under The Knife

Sunday morning meant my dad would make Dutch pancakes for the family. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, they are a lot like much bigger and much thicker crepes. Powdered sugar would dust the pancakes (and my mouth) as I recall. He used a mix that relatives of ours would send him periodically from the Netherlands. But it was on my first trip to the Netherlands when I tasted Dutch pancakes in a country restaurant attached to an actual windmill that ground wheat... that I really developed an appreciation for this traditional Dutch food.

You can make a more savory Dutch Pancake and top it with bacon and sautéed apples or with cheese and herbs or you can make a sweet rendition with fruit and whipped cream or powdered sugar. When I say they are "big" I mean imagine the biggest cast iron skillet you've every seen. That's how big they are.

The following recipe is for a whole-wheat lower fat version of Dutch Pancakes made with a 10-inch nonstick skillet though (a little more practical portion size wise).

Whole-Wheat Dutch Pancakes

Photo: Elaine Magee

Ingredients:

1 large egg, high omega-3 if available
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 1/4 cup milk of choice (light vanilla soy milk, fat free half and half, or 1% lowfat milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt (this can be reduced to 1/8 teaspoon for a total of 158 mg sodium per serving)
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
Flavorings (optional): a teaspoon of finely chopped lemon zest or fresh herbs could be blended into the pancake batter, depending on the desired pancake flavors.
Canola oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. In blender bowl, combine egg, egg substitute, milk and salt and pulse until smooth. Pour flour into blender bowl and pulse again until smooth, scraping sides of bowl to incorporate all of the flour. Stir in any flavorings if desired.
2. Begin heating a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. Coat bottom of pan generously with canola cooking spray and immediately pour in 1/2-cup of batter. Tilt the pan to spread batter evenly over the bottom. When bottom is well browned (about 1 1/2 minutes), flip over the pancake with a spatula and brown the other side (1-2 minutes more). Remove pancake and keep warm or serve.
3. Repeat step #2 with remaining batter, stirring batter often until batter is used up. Serve them with cinnamon spiced apples or fresh fruit for a breakfast entrée or dessert or sprinkle shredded cheese of your choice over the pancake when you are browning the second side and it will melt nicely.

Yield: Makes 4 large pancakes (4 servings)
To make 8 pancakes, just double the recipe ingredients.

Nutrition information per pancake (plain): 134 calories, 9 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 2.3 g fat, .9 g saturated fat, .8 g monounsaturated fat, .6 g polyunsaturated fat, 56 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 233 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 15 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .1 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = .5 gram.

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• Healthy Breakfast Ideas and Recipes
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Best-Tasting High-Fiber Cereals

The Results Might Surprise You

Consumer Reports is at it again, thankfully, and this time they rated high-fiber cereals for their "sensory quality". I'm sharing the cereals below that had an "excellent" or "very good" sensory rating. Each of these seven top-rated cereals has at least 7 grams of fiber and the amount of sugar ranges from almost none (Shredded Wheat) to 18 grams per serving (Great Value Raisin Brain-the grams of sugar include the raisins).

I'm really excited to see these results because some studies have suggested health benefits to including a high fiber cereal and this is one of those health habits that is relatively do-able for most people.

Recent research suggests those who eat more whole grains are at lower risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Cereals made with refined grains have generally not been linked to health benefits, like a lower risk of death from heart disease, as whole-grain breakfast cereals have. Refined-grain cereals do not lower the risk of gaining weight or having a higher BMI (body mass index), but whole grain-rich cereals do.

I personally enjoy a high fiber cereal a few times a week either as a quick breakfast or as an afternoon snack. This is one of the few ways that I work in some nonfat milk too. Now I have a few new cereals to try. I have a neighbor who belongs to Costco and is forever asking me if I would like him to pick something up for me. Now I can send him on a hunt for their Spiced Pecan cereal.

I'm also a Raisin Bran girl so I'm especially looking forward to trying the Raisin Bran Extra Cereal by Kellogg's. Here are the top-rated 7 cereals as reported in Consumer Reports October issue:

	Fiber(g)	Sugars(g)	Calories	Sodium(mgs)
Excellent Sensory Rating
Kirkland Signature Spiced Pecan (Costco), 3/4 cup	7	11	190	100
Very Good Sensory Rating
Kashi GoLean Crunchy Fiber Twigs, Soy Protein Graham & Honey Puffs, 1 cup	10	6	140	85
Archer Farms High Fiber (Target), 1 cup	10	14	150	90
Kellogg's Raisin Bran Extra! 1 cup	7	13	190	350
Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size Wheat 'n Bran, 1 1/4 cup	8	<1	200	0
Great Value Raisin Bran (Walmart), 1 cup	7	18	210	350
Barbara's Bakery Ultima Organic, 1 cup	12	9	170	280

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Recipe Makeover: Asiago Bagel Breakfast Bake

Don't you just love the Panera bakery/sandwich chain? Apparently their asiago bagels are totally yummy. I make it a habit to only order whole-wheat bagels, so I can only speak for their whole wheat/whole grain selection. Anyway, they have a wonderful recipe for "Asiago Bagel Breakfast Bake" on their website and I thought I would give it a Recipe Doctor makeover.

It calls for their asiago bagels but we can use whole-wheat bagels and the whole "asiago" taste will still come through because the recipe also calls for 6 ounces of asiago cheese (although I dialed this down to 4 ounces)! We are also using half higher omega-3 eggs and half egg substitute and we are using reduced fat versions of the Jack or cheddar cheese and the milk.

Here are the savings!

Per serving:

	Original Recipe	Light Recipe
Calories	420	330
Total Fat (g)	22	12
Saturated Fat (g)	11	6.5
Cholesterol (mg)	273	143
Fiber (g)	1.8	5

LIGHTER WHOLE WHEAT ASIAGO BAGEL BREAKFAST BAKE

Photo: Elaine Magee

Ingredients

4 large eggs, higher omega-3 if available
1 cup egg substitute (you can use the southwest flavor option if desired)
2 cups fat free half and half or 1% lowfat milk
1 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon or ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Freshly ground black pepper to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon)
6 ounces reduced fat Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup grated or shredded asiago cheese (add more if desired)
4 large whole wheat or whole grain bagels, cut into bite-size pieces

Directions

1. In large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, egg substitute, fat free half and half, tarragon, paprika and pepper (add more to taste).
2. In medium bowl, toss the cheeses together (whichever ones you are using). Coat a 2-quart casserole dish or 9 x 13-inch baking dish with canola cooking spray or coat lightly with canola oil.
3. Layer half of the bagel pieces in prepared dish then half of the cheese then repeat the layers with the remaining bagel pieces and cheese. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread mixture then cover the dish and keep in the refrigerator overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Bake casserole, uncovered, until the top is golden brown (about 1 hour).

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Nutrition Information per serving: 330 calories, 22 g protein, 34 g carbohydrate, 12 g fat, 6.5 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated fat, 2.5 g polyunsaturated fat, 143 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 735 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 33 percent.

Related Topics:

• Healthy Breakfast Ideas and Recipes
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Frugal Friday: Get a Nutrient-Packed Breakfast For A Buck!

Slow cooked oatmeal made from scratch, served with brown sugar crumble and a choice of bananas, blueberries and blackberries or apple cinnamon...hungry for breakfast yet? Well, until the end of March, you can get steel cut oatmeal with real fruit for one dollar at Jamba Juice (a smoothie chain based on the west coast). They are calling it their "Oatmeal-fueled Stimulus Plan."

Here's the catch...you have to visit the website, www.oatmealforabuck.com and print out the coupon.

I probably don't have to tell you that oatmeal is a great breakfast choice - it's a good source of fiber and protein, so it tends to keep you satisfied through the morning. The fruit topping and brown sugar crumble will be sure to satisfy your morning sweet tooth too (if you have one).

The suggested price of the oatmeal is $2.95 - so during the month of March you are saving 2 dollars!

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• Heartier Benefits Seen From Oatmeal
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• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox!

Taste Test Tuesday: Fiber One Toaster Pastry

Well, it's finally happened...pop-tarts have gone whole grain! Well, not all of them, but now if you want your toaster pastry to contribute 5 grams of fiber (3 from soluble fiber), you have an option - Fiber One Toaster Pastries.

I found two flavors in my supermarket, brown sugar cinnamon and strawberry, but there is also blueberry. Whole grain wheat flour is the first ingredient with water as the second and corn syrup as the third. Sugar is the fourth item listed in the ingredient list with high fructose corn syrup as the fifth and vegetable oil (palm, canola) as the sixth. That sure sounds like a lot of sugar to me and with 16 grams of sugar per pastry, it comes to 33.5% calories from sugar.

1 pastry =

190 calories
4 grams protein
36 grams carbohydrate
34% calories from
sugar
4 grams fat
1 gram saturated fat (0 trans fat)
5 grams fiber
140 mg sodium

How did it taste?
I'm used to whole grain everything so I hardly noticed they were packed with fiber and that the pastry looked more "brown" than usual. The brown sugar cinnamon flavor was definitely on the sweet side and would probably satisfy most pop tart-loving teens.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Helping Your Kids Eat a Healthy Breakfast
• The Most Important Meal of the Day

Taste Test Tuesday: Smart Ones Morning Express Breakfast Quesadilla

What to do when you only have a couple of minutes to prepare breakfast but you don't feel like the typical bowl of cereal but a more substantial egg-type entrèe? Weight Watchers is hoping you'll reach into the freezer for their new Morning Express line of Breakfast entrèes. I'm not a fan of frozen entrèes in general, but I realize many people rely on them, particularly people who live alone. So, I try to taste the new entrèes that come along that I think some of you out there will be curious about.

This morning I followed the directions on the box and popped a Breakfast Quesadilla into the microwave for 2 minutes. There are two things I look for in a breakfast and this product had both - at least 5 grams of fiber and at least 5 grams of protein. I look for this because it helps make the breakfast more satisfying physically through the morning. The Breakfast Quesadilla contains 13 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. The protein is mainly coming from egg whites; the quesadilla also contains cheese, turkey bacon and vegetables.

It totals 220 calories with 6 grams of fat (25% calories from fat) and 3 grams of saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, and 710 mg sodium. The sodium seems rather high for a food with only 220 calories, but that's one of the reasons I'm not crazy about frozen entrèes. It was nice to see the 2 grams of monounsaturated fat though.

How did it taste?
Actually, it tasted pretty good. There wasn't anything unappetizing about the texture, like you might anticipate in a frozen item with eggs, and it seemed like a good amount of food for me (my stomach isn't ready for anything substantial until at least 10 am.)

Related Topics:

• WebMD Slideshow: The Best and Worsdt of Fast Food Breakfasts
• Breakfasts of Champions