Taste Test Tuesday: Kashi TLC Dark Mocha Almond Granola Bars

If you like the flavors of dark chocolate, coffee and almond, and who doesn't, you'll probably love these new chewy granola bars by the Kashi Company. They are a petite snack size with each bar contributing 130 calories along with 3.5 grams of fat (.5 grams of saturated fat), 6 grams of protein, 21 grams of carbohydrate, 6 grams sugar, and 4 grams of fiber.

They don't seem as sweet as the mainstream chewy granola bars, like the Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, which are a little smaller in size and contain a little more saturated fat (1.5 grams) and sugar (7 grams) but less protein (1 gram) and fiber (1 gram).

What are the first 5 ingredients?
These Kashi granola bars feature the Kashi seven whole grains and sesame blend along with brown rice syrup, roasted salted almonds, soy protein isolate, and dark chocolate.

How do they taste?
I enjoyed the diversity in flavors and textures in these bars, from the crunchy almonds and granola to the soft nuggets of dark chocolate. They would serve nicely as a snack or treat to tide you over until your next meal. But if you are using them as breakfast, definitely pair them with some additional whole foods like nonfat milk or yogurt. This will increase the calcium and protein in the breakfast and will help make the breakfast more satisfying over the next several hours.


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Taste Test Tuesday: Corazonas Pacific Rim Barbecue Potato Chips

For those times when you want something to crunch on that resembles a potato chip but doesn't have as much fat and calories...these potato chips might do the trick. They have 40% less fat than regular potato chips and a serving contains .4 grams plant sterols (similar to the plant sterols added to some margarine).

They're crunchy and have a nice texture but best of all they have a great flavor. This brand makes potato chips in several different flavors but the barbecue flavor option was the most popular with my family.

The first five ingredients are: russet potatoes, canola oil, sugar, contains 2% or less of the following: natural plant sterols, and maltodextrin.

Each ounce contains:

130 calories
6 g fat
.5 g saturated fat
2 g fiber
17 g carbohydrate
2 g protein
160 mg sodium

A popular brand of regular barbecue potato chips has 150 calories and 10 grams of fat and 200 mg sodium per ounce!

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Taste Test Tuesday: Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps

I've tasted my share of "veggie" chips over the years but these new Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps are, in my opinion, one of the best tasting so far. There are several flavors in this line of veggie crisps but I tasted the "garlic & herb field" flavored ones.

Each ounce of these veggie crisps has the equivalent of 1/2 serving of vegetables baked in them, according to the mother company that makes them (Frito Lay). So just what vegetables are being "baked in?" Would you believe pumpkin? The main vegetable appears to be potato, however.

The first six ingredients are:

Rice flour
Potato flakes
Corn oil
Modified cornstarch
Dehydrated vegetables blend (pumpkin, tomato paste, onion)
Whole oat flour

How do they compare to an ounce of ruffled potato chips?

1-ounce of the Crisps	1-ounce of Potato Chips
(about 12 crisps) contain:	contain:
130 calories	160 calories
5 g fat	10 g fat
1 g saturated fat	1 g saturated fat
2.5 g polyunsaturated fat	3 g polyunsaturated fat
1.5 g monounsaturated fat	6 g monounsaturated fat
2 g fiber	1 g fiber
90 mg sodium	160 mg sodium
10% Daily Value for vitamin A	0% Daily Value for vitamin A
10% Daily Value for vitamin C	10% Daily Value for vitamin C

So they are lower in calories with half the fat but high in fiber with about the same sodium and saturated fat levels.

Let's be honest, there is no way these chips are as good for you as eating vegetables in their whole state, but they do appear to be a better options compared to regular potato chips.

Maybe with the extra gram of fiber, people will be satisfied with an ounce of these high flavor chips. Hey, it's possible!

If you try this flavor or one of the other flavors, let us all know what you think!

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Taste Test Tuesday: Weight Watchers Giant Mint Fudge Ice Cream Sundae Cone

These are one of the better low fat ice cream treats in the frozen dessert aisle for sure. The chocolate cone is definitely unique and so is the mint ice cream that fills it. But Weight Watchers had me with the "2 Points Per Cone" written on the box. Each cone is very tasty and satisfying with one serving being a perfectly sized portion.

The low fat mint ice cream is made with milk fat and nonfat milk, sugar, polydextrose, maltodextrin, cellulose gel, and a few other ingredients, while the chocolate cone is made with mostly bleached white flour, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, natural and artificial flavors, oat fiber, and canola oil. This tells us that 4 grams of fiber per cone is coming from a couple different directions and that sugar is the second or third ingredient for the ice cream and the cone. A quick glance at the grams of sugar per cone plus a bit of math and now 43% of the calories for this yummy dessert comes from sugar. Here are the rest of the nutritional numbers.

Each cone contains:

140 calories
3 g protein
27 g carbohydrate
15 g sugar
4 g fat
1 g saturated fat (0 g trans)
Less than 5 mg cholesterol
4 g fiber
70 mg sodium

I would buy these again, perhaps occasionally, because they are enjoyable to eat and one serving doesn't get me too far up in calories. Although the % of calories from sugar is a bit higher than I would like, the grams of fiber is surprisingly high as well.

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Taste Test Tuesday: Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Bars

Chocolate Chip Chewy Bars

There's a new granola-type bar on the supermarket shelf! And this one gives you 35% of your daily fiber (or so the package says). It looks like a candy bar, it almost tastes like a candy bar... is it a candy bar with fiber?

Well, let's look at the first 5 ingredients:

• Chicory root fiber
• Rolled oats
• Crisp rice cereal (rice flour, sugar, malt extract, etc..)
• Sugar
• Semi sweet chocolate drops

While the first few ingredients are more like a cereal, the last two are more like a candy bar. Put it all together and you've got a chewy bar with 23% calories from sugar and 30% calories from fat. Each 120-calorie bar also contributes 9 grams of fiber, 10% Daily Value for calcium, 20% Daily Value for vitamin E and zinc.

Here's the nutritional information per bar:

120 calories
4 g fat
2 g saturated fat
0 g trans
55 mg sodium
26 g carbohydrate
7 g sugars
2 g protein
9 g fiber

If you are looking for a chew cereal-based bar that is really high in fiber but also high in flavor and you don't mind that it has around 20% calories from sugar and only 2 grams of protein...this is a snack bar for you!

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Taste Test Tuesday: Skinny Cow French Vanilla Truffle Bars

They look like big fudgesicles but without the fudge, although they have a chocolate drizzle on the outside. These are the new low-fat ice cream bars by Skinny Cow and they are probably going to go over really big with the vanilla-loving crowd.

The first ingredient is skim milk, followed by two types of sweetener - sugar and corn syrup. Each 100-calorie bar contains 12 grams of sugar (48% Calories from sugar), and 1.5 grams of saturated fat mainly from the coconut oil and palm oil used to make the chocolate drizzle (13.5% calories from saturated fat). That's the bad nutritional news. The good news is, each bar only contains 2.5 grams of total fat along and contributes 3 grams of fiber and 0 grams of trans fat and sugar alcohols. People who are sensitive to the intestinal side effects of sugar alcohols (gas & cramping) will appreciate this.

If you are in the mood for something chocolaty and cold, this probably won't do the trick. But if you love the taste of vanilla (and tend to order vanilla lattes or vanilla shakes), this could be an ideal 100 calorie treat or snack for you.

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Taste Test Tuesday: Nate's Taquitos (100% Vegetarian)

They taste like they have chicken in them but the box says they are 100% vegetarian...Vegetarian Taquitos aren't exactly an appetizing thought to most carnivores but these frozen appetizers definitely taste better than they sound.

Each serving of 3 taquitos contain 230 calories, 8 grams of fat, .5 gram saturated fat (0 trans fat), 10 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 430 mg sodium.

So if they aren't made with chicken, what's in them? Besides the corn tortilla, the top 3 ingredients are salsa Verde, textured wheat protein, and soy cheese.

If this "chicken style" taquito doesn't grab you, Nate's also makes a "beef style" taquito, along with a more straightforward black bean & soy cheese taquito. Haven't tried these yet but I wouldn't hesitate to give them a whirl since the chicken style ones were pretty darn tasty.

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Taste Test Tuesday: Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars

If you don't like chewy granola bars then you've probably already discovered the Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars. For years I've seen the "variety" box available with three different flavors. The times I've bought them for camping trips or marathon dance competition weekends, I always tried to grab one of the peanut butter packs before they were all gone - they are definitely my favorite flavor. I like that they aren't too sweet but have a wonderful peanut butter and toasted oat flavor.

Well, the other day at Target I actually came across a whole box of the peanut butter flavor! These crunchy granola bars have a nice peanut butter flavor and a crunchy (bordering on crumbly) texture. There are two granola bars in one pack (6 packs per box) and most people eat both in one serving.

This adds up to 180 calories and 11 grams of sugar, 30 grams of carbohydrate, 7 grams fat, 1-gram saturated fat, 5-gram protein, and 190 mg sodium. Both bars only contribute 2 grams of fiber, however, even though whole grain oats is the first ingredient.

The first four ingredients are:

Whole grain rolled oats
Sugar
Canola oil
Peanut butter

Nature Valley products are not impacted in any way by the recent peanut butter recall. Their website states, "Nature Valley does not source peanut butter from the plant that has been implicated."

If you have a favorite granola bar, tell us about it!

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Taste Test Tuesday: South Beach Living Fiber Fit Cookie Packs!

Got a sweet tooth craving but want to keep your extra calories and grams of sugar to a minimum and your grams of fiber to a maximum? Well, there are two new cookies on the supermarket shelf that might just come in handy. Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk and Double Chocolate Chunk are manufactured under the "South Beach Living - Fiber Fit" product line and I've got to say, they had me at the 5 grams of fiber and the 5 grams of sugar. They do taste pretty good (I prefer the Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk) and the 6 mini cookies per pack seem to quell most sweet cravings.

They are made with mostly semisweet chocolate, whole grain wheat flour, high oleic canola oil and oat fiber with sweetener coming from several different directions - sugar, maltitol (a sugar alcohol), sucralose (Splenda) and acesulfame potassium.

The 5.1-ounce box contains 6 individual packs and they are often on sale for about $2.50 or less, so keep your eye out for the sales.

South Beach Living Fiber Fit Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1 package: 100 calories, 5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 1 g protein, 5 g fiber, 5 g sugar (2 g sugar alcohol)

South Beach Living Fiber Fit Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1 package: 100 calories, 5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 1 g protein, 5 g fiber, 5 g sugar (2 g sugar alcohol)

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Taste Test Tuesday: Cheddar Chex

100 Calorie Snack Pouches

In bright red letters you see, "70% less fat" in big print on the package of 100-calorie Cheddar Chex snack pouches. Then underneath that in smaller print you see, "than regular potato chips."

One pouch of this snack won't get you too far if you are extremely hungry, but it will be a nice sideline to a healthful sandwich or quick nibble when you just need something tasty to munch on. To be honest, I was hoping for maybe two grams of fiber per pouch but alas, it adds up to 1 gram. Also be forewarned that there are quite a few food-coloring additives in this product, courtesy of the orange powder posing as cheddar flavoring.

If you want to limit the packaging involved with this product, you can buy it in a big bag instead of pouches. Just pour what you need into a small snack bag (for lunch bags) or in a small bowl (for snacks).

The first 4 ingredients:

Degermed yellow corn meal
Whole wheat
Vegetable oil (soybean, canola and/or rice bran)
Sugar

1 Pouch = 100 calories, 2 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g fat, .5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans, 1 g fiber, 170 mg sodium. 22.5% calories from fat

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Non-Candy Halloween Options

Be the non-Snickers house this Halloween!

Photo Credit: Elaine Magee

You just know plenty of your neighbors will be passing out the predictable Snickers and Milky Way bars, so it leaves the window wide open for you to offer something refreshingly different this Halloween.

Each year I look for desirable snack packs (that aren't too high in calories, fat or sugar) that the kids can put in their school lunch bags or boxes for something a little different. This year I found snack-size bags of pretzels, popcorn, and flavored mini rice cakes.

And if you have a lot of preteens and teens that trick or treat in your neighborhood, I can guarantee that packages of gum will go over really well with this discerning group. You can find 10-packs of sugar-less gum at places like Target for about $2.50, which computes to about 25 cents a pop. And speaking of 25 cents a pop... handing out quarters also seems to go over well with kids old enough to save up for their own toys and treats. If you want to have some mini toys for the littler ones, you can find all kinds of fun things at your nearest party store (like bouncy balls, miniature games, or glow stick necklaces).

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