nutritious junk

There may be things that we are lacking in life, but vessels for carbs are not one of them.  We’ve got bagels, muffins, bread, buns, cookies, cakes, and all in a zillion different sizes, flavors and more.  If only we could create world peace with baked goods…I don’t know how that could happen but it’s an interesting idea.  But today I will be focusing on only one bread type.  The English muffin.  Having been born in English I have had some damn good English muffins, or crumpets as it were.

Sometimes I’m jealous of little kids because their abundance of toys to play with. Especially on a rainy day when there’s nothing to do and all mindless entertainment fallbacks have gotten old. Where’s your easy bake oven and bedazzeler when you need them? This is the problem my sister and I ran into while we were visiting my parents in Michigan. So she sat with me as I started writing one of my reviews. The day before I had walked aimlessly around the mall with my parents and as we were walking we came across a group of people giving something away. Who doesn’t like free stuff?

Muffins are HUGE diet disasters. not because they are loaded with calories from mainly sugar and butter, but because there is usually a preconceived notion that they are a healthier alternative to other pastries. BUT, a krispy kreme regular glazed doughnut is only about 220 calories when most muffins are at least 400 calories. Hand me the kreme! Sorry, i digress...anywho, zen bakery offers their great fiber cakes which to me are basically mini-muffins. They are only 80 calories each with a whopping 13 grams of fiber! they come in yummy flavors like blueberry and apple-cranberry (but honestly, i prefer the blueberry). They might taste gritty eaten cold, so i suggest warming them up in the toaster oven or microwave (thanks Al for the tip!). You can find them a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, online, or at the zen bakery itself (located in L.A.). A word of discretion, DO NOT BUY THE MUFFINS! the muffins from zen bakery are 220 calories, look for the fiber CAKES. The muffin man should get a hold of this stuff...

I was skimming my local Orowheat bakery outlet for my usual light whole wheat bread when i stumbled upon this bread (apparently, Alvarado St is owned by orowheat). Its made out of whole wheat flour and such and nothing is refined and no oils are added (the company boasts). And apparently, if your watching you GI (Glycemic Index) this bread is only 5.o (the scale is 1-100, so i guess five is pretty darn low). So nutritionally, i must say i am impressed! 50 calories per slice, 3 grams of fiber, no bad, not bad... Now the taste: is pretty good. Kinda nutty and suprisingly a little sweet. However, i must say a slice is rather thin. Its a great break if your sick of Wonder Light or Orowheat Light, but its kinda hard to find (i mean i found it in an outlet!) so just look around (rumors are that some safeways have it...).

Bagels are cool. I mean they look like donuts (or oversized cheerios), come in a variety of flavors, and you can eat em for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! But, they are usually calorie packed and some came rack up to as much as 400 calories! Although most have little to no fat, its usually the dense white flour that adds a lot of carbs to them. So thankfully, Western Bagel has churned out "The Alternative Bagel" or bascially, a lower calories, lower carb bagel. Now looking at the label, this bagel looks good: 110 calories per bagel and with a good source of fiber (made with whole wheat flour, not white). And, its tastes pretty good too! i thought it would be airy and kinda weird, but it tasted like a bagel. When i looked at some other "regular" bagels' lables, i realized Western Bagels little trick: their bagels are only 2oz whereas most other bagels are three, four, and even five oz! But most bagels seem too big to me anyways, so i am content. They come in a variety of flavors but my favorite in cinnamon spice!

One of my favorite daily staples (along with veggies and fruit) are these tortillas! Before i get in to the taste, these are nutrtional power house. Low in fat (2 grams for the regular size), low in calories (50), and the best part, super high in fiber (a whopping 8 grams!). When i fisrt discovered them, they only had one flavor, the regular whole wheat. That flavor is good, wholesome tasting, and although not EXACTLY like an ordinary tortilla, i find the texture to actually be better than most flour tortilla's i've tried. But, a few years ago the company expanded and now make them in a larger burrito size (only 80 cals for this HUGE tortilla) and cme out with awesome new flavors, garlic 'n herb and green onion. Both are great, i cant even chose a favorite. The really great thing too is that there is endless ways to use them. I usually have about two wraps a day with them, but i've had success at making awesome pizzas, chips, enchilladas, etc....Check out their websites for more recipies and to order if no stores around your area carry them.http://www.latortillafactory.com/index.aspx

hey guys, about the nasty comments i ve been recieving i am simply going to brush them off, i wont delete them because as a journalist for my university paper, i am a firm believer in freedom of speech. i am moving on, and if you cant deal with my first grader spelling, then sorry but i dont have time to proof read all my posts and give them to a copy editor. Anywho, let me move on by introducing you to my diet secret that i think is under-rated. that is the amazing Arnolds/Orowheat light bread. At 40 calories a slice (and not a teensy thin slice some other brands offer) you get an impressive dose of fiber (about 3.5 grams). Whats so great about the bread, besides that its tastes good, is that its so versatile. You can go savory and make an assortment of different sandwiches with it or garlic bread, or...you can go sweet and use it to make cinnamon toast (with some butter spray cinnamon, and splenda), replace it instead of cake in a trifle (with berries and fat free whipped cream), or even make mock blueberry muffins by folding in some blueberries and pure vanilla extract and putting it on the skillet to warm up. Its usually in the bread aisle but its also available on amazon. This bread puts atkins to shame!

Being half Israeli and visiting Israel so often, i am always exposed to pitas stuffed with falafles and the like. In some cases this Mediterrainian type cuisine it actually pretty healthy. I must admit Israel doesn't boast many obese or fat people for that matter. But at least the pitas I've seen around here (in the States) can be loaded you what i like to call, "stupid calories" meaning its basically all from refined, white flour. Thankfully, there is a product called "The Alternative Pita" which offers a very impressive 7 grams of fiber and a mere 110 calories per pita! ok, so we know the nutrition is good, but how is it in terms of taste? Well, to be honest, I have had better pita, but the better pita was freshly baked and from a steet vendor in Israel (who can compete with that?). For a pre-package pita it was pretty good and didn't taste like it would be reduced cal food. What I really like about the pita is the possibilities it has! you can go savory and put some low fat cheese and fresh tomato sauce with some basil, stuff it with your favorite protein fillings, etc..or you can go sweet and spray some butter-spray (or Pam) and dust some cinnamon and splenda on it! Its about the same price as the rival regular pitas, so it'll keep your wallet nice and fat (although it'll leave you slim, i promise)