Monday Munchies

I'm going to try and start this blog series every week. Inspired by Detoxinista's "What I Ate Wednesday", I wanted to try and do a regular post to give some more insight into my (eating) life and get a conversation going. I hope to do it every Monday (so I can write "Monday Munchies" every week), but most likely I will post on random days whenever I get the chance (like today)...

Last week, I grabbed a single box of Cascadian Farm's oats and honey granola cereal and some 8th Continent Original Soymilk for breakfast. I poured the granola into my coffee cup (standard 11 oz mug) and it filled about halfway. That is a good amount. The box (54 g) has 230 cal (50 from fat), 6g of fat (1g saturated, 1 g polyunsaturated, 3.5g monounsaturated), and 5 g of protein. It has 14 g of sugar, which I think is pretty high in comparison to Honey Nut Cheerios (9g sugar). The flavor of this granola was spot on. The sweetness was not overpowering like you were eating dessert for breakfast and tasted natural. The crunch of the granola was well-maintained after sitting in the milk for several minutes. Even when softened by the milk, the texture still appealed to me.

The ingredients are:
WHOLE GRAIN OATS*, SUGAR*, CRISP RICE* (RICE*, SUGAR*, SEA SALT, MALT*), SUNFLOWER OIL*, WHOLE GRAIN OAT FLOUR*, MOLASSES*, MALTODEXTRIN*, HONEY*, SEA SALT, VANILLA EXTRACT*. *ORGANIC.
(taken from their website)

The molasses and honey and vanilla melded together into a great natural and complex sweet flavor. I liked the use of crisp rice to give it an extra texture dynamic.

What made me like this granola much more than Nature Valley or other granola is the lack of after-taste and after-texture. Whenever I eat Nature Valley granola bars, the bars are just way too crunchy and I am always left with some strange grainy sugar-oat coating in my mouth. Not with Cascadian Farm's granola cereal.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly unless you eat the two side-by-side, but I never liked granola so much as I did with this box just now. Next time and all future times, I think I'm just going to buy this brand. The only thing that makes me hesitate to buy it in the future is the high calorie content for just 2/3 cup (230 calories). I think they could reduce this by reducing the sugar content to maybe 9-10 g. Then again, granolas are typically high calorie and somewhat high sugar content, so this is not that bad for its market.

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Silk is the most common soymilk brand throughout the US, but I prefer a different brand. I've been all into almond milk lately, not for dietary reasons or restrictions, but because I like the flavor. The original almond milk is just really tasty and they get the texture nice and creamy by using carageenan (polysaccharide extracted from seaweed). I'm a researcher so I'm not bothered by these chemical or polymeric extracts used to enhance food (unless they adversely affect your health or their extraction is not eco-friendly).

My favorite brand of soymilk is 8th Continent. I used to drink this more often back in high school, but during my undergraduate years, I had more trouble finding 8th Continent Soymilk. My favorite brand was being edged out by this Silk stuff.

The reason I like 8th Continent better is that it retains more of its soy identity than Silk. I feel like Silk Soymilk was made to really be a milk substitute, whereas 8th Continent is solely trying to be soymilk. It hints at more of the natural soymilk you find in Asian grocery stores. In Asian markets, soymilk is made fresh from real soybeans, water, and sugar. Pandan flavoring may be added as well. 8th Continent gets a bit more of the natural soy flavor than Silk does, and this is why I prefer this brand over Silk.

If you want to taste true soymilk, and not "soy-based milk substitute", I recommend trying out 8th Continent. But don't just take my word for it; 8th Continent is preferred over Silk 2 to 1 in taste tests. Other people know what I'm talking about!

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Another breakfast item that I'm totally digging is the Muller FrutUp Yogurt. I just picked up the strawberry and blueberry flavors at my local HEB for for $1 each. These are lowfat yogurt topped with fruit mousse on top.

Can I just start with OHMYMUFFINS!?!?!?

The flavor and texture of these yogurts are AMAZING. The mousse on top is airy but not empty like what eating Yoplait Whips are like. They have substance. And flavor. I like to spoon straight down from top to bottom to get both layers in each spoonful. The bottom yogurt layer is so silky too. Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh. I already am thinking of how much I need to go back to HEB and buy a buttload more before the sale ends! Lemme just say, forget you, Greek yogurt fangirls. Mousse yogurt is where it's at!

As I was licking the remaining bits of yogurt from the cup (I wanted it all!), I looked at the nutrition facts.

140 calories for a whole cup...not bad...no high fructose corn syrup, check...blueberries actually in the ingredients, yay!...23 g of sugar, a bit high...dextrose...gelatin...Contains...TILAPIA!?!?

Ok, so I was not that shocked. Rather, I was more intrigued. I just thought it funny that tilapia would be inside my yogurt. Never saw that before. I looked back at the ingredients and reread "gelatin." Gelatin is a gelling agent often used in food (think Jell-O) and is typically derived from animal collagen. The FAQs report that gelatin is used in maintaining the texture of the mousse. I had thought the gelatin was used to give the creamy gel texture to the yogurt and that the last ingredient (nitrogen) was used to give the fluffy texture to the mousse. I would imagine nitrogen gas would be bubbled into a fruit puree to aerate it and give it pores. But I guess I was wrong.

Even if nitrogen and tilapia are contained  in this yogurt, I really don't care at all. It's damn tasty.

So those are some products that I've been munching on and really enjoying.

Question of ze day: 
What are your favorite breakfast items? What is a typical breakfast like for you?

Silk: Non-dairy Yogurt

Just had to post this while I'm eating it...

I've tried some different non-dairy yogurts before and have not had too great an experience until now. I have tried the soymilk ones from Whole Soy & Co. The texture was slightly grainy and not thick and creamy like regular yogurt. I have also tried almond milk yogurt from Amande. This was like eating flavored almond milk agar jello (if you know Vietnamese "tat", a firm white jello made with coconut milk and (I think) agar). The texture was not creamy but too light and gel-like.

I have recently bought the Silk "fruity & creamy" soymilk yogurts and these really hit the spot. The first was Black Cherry, which I thought was pretty tasty. But the flavor that prompted me to write this is the peach mango flavor. It's just so good! It is not as creamy as 2% or whole milk yogurt, but has a light creaminess and the right consistency.

http://silk.com/products/peach-mango-soy-fruity-creamy

It's made with soymilk, cane sugar, maltodextrin, peaches, mangoes  natural flavor, tricalcium phosphate (calcium source), pectin, sodium citrate, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), sea salt, locust bean gum, malic acid, Vitamin D2, and Live & Active Cultures

The sugar content, 19g, is lower than most milk-based flavored yogurts (often topping 20-30g of sugar per serving). It also has 6 g of protein, which much be from the soymilk, because no other source of isolated protein is listed in the ingredients. I think this is great because Americans are getting too much chemically-isolated proteins in their diet. We do eat enough meat, nuts, and legumes to give us enough protein. We do not need soy or milk protein isolates. They are usually derived through strenuous chemical and physical separation processes that wastes the rest of the original material and puts the final product through too many chemicals and treatments. If you want more protein, people, don't suffer those chalky powders! Just eat a handful of almonds or a chicken thigh. I assure you that you'll enjoy that better.

This was not endorsed or sponsored  by Silk. I just really liked this yogurt and wanted to share my experience.

Question of the day: Have you tried alternative yogurts/ice creams? What is your favorite brand and flavor?

Happy Springtime!

Random Food Likes

I always come across certain marketed foods, try them out, and am both surprised and delighted when I find that I like them. When I eat consumer foods (i.e., fast food, packaged grocery items) and I like them, I wonder what other people would respond to these foods and with whom could I share my enthusiasm? For lack of such people close at hand, I generally turn to the comical review website, The Impulsive Buy. One late night, I stumbled across this consumer foods review site and laughed so much at its ridiculous comments, which verged nearly on Family Guy kind of humor.

But, I digress.

The reason for this blog post (no, I am not avoiding studying for my GRE, which is in 12 hours and 44 minutes...) is that I would like to share my thoughts on particular food purchases I have made recently.

1. Greek Yogurt: Danone and Fage
You've heard of the Greek yogurt craze. You've seen the yogurt/dairy shelves slowly being replaced by  new number 5, PP, plastic yogurt cartons with strange Greek words on them. Fage??? Oh wait, it's pronounced Fah-yeh. Repeat after me, faaaaaa-yaaaayyyyy. And Danone? It's always been Dannon, but now they're all being European fancy with their Danone. Anyhoo, recovering from pedantic appellations, I have to say that Greek Yogurt is the shiz. It's thick, but not cream cheese-choke you up thick. It's a euphoric kind of thick and glorious texture, with a slight tang of yogurt cultures.

Fage flavors: Cherry Pomegranate, Strawberry Goji, Mango Guanabana (Custard apple), Blueberry Acai, and Honey. (Courtesy of Trendcetera)

I enjoy having my yogurts not pre-blended. By having the fruit spread on the side, or underneath, you can get a scoop where you have an angelic layer of pearl white, plain Greek yogurt, juxtaposed by the deep color of the sweetened accompaniment. Once it enters your mouth, the contrast is enhanced on your tastebuds, as it encounters the tanginess of the yogurt, then the sweetness of the fruit spread. It really is super tasty, and the individual cups are great portion sizes with the right proportions. One 5.3 ox cup is 130 calories, and about 13g of protein, and much less sugar than the regular blended yogurts such as Yoplait of Dannon regular yogurt. I would recommend trying all the flavors.

2. Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill
Is there a word to describe food institutions that combine freshness, natural and organic ingredients, and quality? Would "healthy" and "responsible" suffice? I wish I knew, but until then, I can only describe it by "Sharky's". This place is like an upscale fast food restaurant - better in decor, service, and quality than seemingly synonymous Rubio's Baja Fresh. Sharky's is an all organic (meat, fish, produce), health-conscious Mexican Grill that does not sacrifice flavor one bit.

I've been here twice. The first time, I got an eclectic "wild salmon 'lite' burrito." For only $7.49 here in Aliso Viejo, I got salmon, avocado, cabbage, poblano brown rice, and interestingly enough nori (dried seaweed found in sushi) wrapped inside a whole wheat tortilla. The salmon was grilled to a nice crisp bust still juicy and tender. The inclusion of the nori really gave it almost an obfuscating (definition: confusing, confounding) flavor that was redolent (definition: reminiscent) of sushi. The flavor isn't bad at all, but it's just...interesting.

Second time - today actually - I ordered the kids BBQ salmon rice bowl, which came with a small (less than 3 oz) piece of salmon, poblano brown rice, grilled veggies, a drink (yay Organic Valley lowfat milk!), and a min churro. The brown rice occasionally had an unexpected crunch to it, but was surprisingly still good. The salmon was again cooked perfectly, tender and juicy, but maybe could have used a slight extra brush of BBQ sauce. The grilled veggies were a tad too crispy, but eating it all together with some salsa melded it all together. Overall, a really awesome plate for a kid to have. Nearly gourmet in that it was presented in a large white bowl-plate with a thick rim. They even bring it out to your table. I love the experience and food here. If I could, I would eat this often (and feel good about it!) and force someone to open a store near me in Berkeley!

Kids BBQ Salmon Rice Bowl - $5.92 (tax incl)

Hrm, I'd like to include some more ravings, but alas it has hit the 1:30 am mark here. I really should sleep soon so that I don't impair my test-taking abilities tomorrow afternoon. Well, wish me luck and talk to you all soon!