FitSugar

Free Sample Alert: Kashi Cookie

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Kashi, one of my favorite brands, is giving away free samples - yay! And this time it's cookies! Its new TLC Tasty Little Cookie combines the seven whole grain blend Kashi is famous for with ingredients such as peanuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, cranberries, walnuts, shredded coconut, flax seeds, and dark chocolate. Get your free sample of a chewy cookie at Kashi.com, and when you do let me know what you think below. Testers beware: at 130 calories per cookie, these cookies are not low calorie. But if you're looking for a sweet fix, they do make for a healthier option than most cookies on the market.

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Food Review: Protein Bakery Cookies and Brownies

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:00:00 -0700

Healthy sweets can be healthy in different ways. In the case of Protein Bakery, it's not because the treats are low fat or low cal. Rather, they shun the artificial additives and are designed to satisfy your hunger more than the typical junk food. These handmade, gluten-free goodies use all-natural ingredients, including rolled oats instead of wheat, whey protein, brown sugar, eggs, and butter.

For this taste test, I sampled three of Protein Bakery's baked goods, including the brownie with chocolate chips, the blondie with chocolate chips, and the coconut-chocolate chip cookies. To find out what I thought, read more.

I was a bit surprised that these "healthy" desserts have so much sugar - only 10 percent fewer carbohydrates than a typical brownie or cookie, according to Protein Bakery's website. The brownie has 380 calories, 21 grams of fat, and 12 grams of saturated fat; the blondie comes with 360 calories and 19 grams of fat; and each chocolate-coconut cookie (they come two per pack) has 130 calories and 7 grams of fat.

In terms of flavor, these were tasty but not the most delicious things ever. The coconut-chocolate chip cookie was definitely my favorite: It had a perfect chewy texture with a delightful crunch from the coconut and just a touch of cinnamon. The blondie tasted a lot like a Tollhouse cookie and was better than the brownie, which was just kind of boring, but both had an oddly dense texture that made them taste unhomemade.

However, I will say that these desserts were far more filling than typical brownies and cookies, so I wasn't tempted to pig out. I ate them gradually, having a quarter of a brownie here and half a cookie there, and shared them with my family. Which made me wonder: Why are Protein Bakery's serving sizes so darn big? As you can see in the photo below, the brownie was enormous: about three inches wide and an inch thick. (That's only a quarter of the blondie in the top photo.) If Protein Bakery is trying to make healthy treats that fill you up better than other sweets, I don't understand why they'd sell such gluttonous portions.

Want to try these brownies and cookies for yourself? Though some retail outlets carry Protein Bakery, your best bet is to order them online. If you taste them, be sure to tell me what you think.

How Often Do You Eat Sugary Sweets?

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0700

I definitely have a sweet tooth and crave cookies, cakes smeared with frosting, and anything else you'd find at a bakery. I satiate my cravings by having a piece of dark chocolate each day. I'm also a big fan of sharing a little dessert if I'm out to eat. Of course now that's it's warmer out, I love to take my girls out for ice cream or frozen yogurt on the weekends. So what about you?

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Alternative Baking Company

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Are you a cookie lover? Then have I got a cookie for you. If you haven't yet, you've got to try the cookies made by Alternative Baking Company, Inc.

All their cookies are vegan, which means they are made without eggs, honey, milk, or butter - but I tell you, you wouldn't know it unless I told you. Since the cookies contain no animal products, they are also cholesterol free. Even though it is a vegan cookie, it is still a cookie with fat and a considerable amount of calories.

Alternative Baking Company uses no artificial ingredients, refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, or preservatives. The cookies are made with organic wheat flour, but they also make wheat free cookies using organic barley flour.

Check out the multitude of flavors: Explosive Espresso Chip, Peanut Butter Persuasion, Phenomenal Pumpkin Spike, and Outrageous Oatmeal Raisin. My two favorites happen to be wheat free - Mac the Chip (made with chocolate chips and whole macadamia nuts) and Snickerdoodle (delightfully cinnamon flavored).

Want to see the nutritional breakdown for one of these cookies? Then read more

Serving Size	1/2 a cookie
Calories	250
Total Fat	10g
Saturated Fat	4g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	200mg
Carbs	35g
Fiber	3g
Sugar	20g
Protein	4g

So really it is the breakdown for 1/2 a cookie!!! The Alternative Baking Company has faith in you that you can eat just half a cookie. These cookies will satisfy your sweet cravings and they are made with ingredients you trust and have heard of (unlike other cookies).

Fit's Tips: Look for them at your favorite health food store. Can't find them? You can order them directly from the Alternative Baking Company website.

Would You Like Nutritional Info Printed on Your Food?

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Thanks to Giggle for this one...

Apparently there is a lot of buzz about a cookie that has the nutritional information printed right there on the frosting for everyone to see while you chow down. Would this stop you from overeating? Would you enjoy buying food with the nutritional information printed directly on the food? I'm curious what you think, Cookies with nutritional information printed in the frosting -- Cool or not?

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Weekend Well-Being: Bake Something Healthy

FitSugar — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 09:00:00 -0700

I care a lot about what I put into my body, but I still crave sweet treats. The cookies, cakes, pies, and muffins you buy at the store can be loaded with fat and sugar. Most of them are made with white flour and refined sugars, which offer you no nutritional value whatsoever.

I love to bake my own treats, but never have time during my busy week. Plus for me, baking is a time I can relax, and have fun with my girls (it gives my husband a chance to hit the gym or watch sports). Plus it's a chance to teach them about healthy eating, and also learn some math skills like measuring.

I love to bake a big batch of something on Sunday so I can enjoy it for a few days that week. I can have it for breakfast, a late afternoon snack, or pack it in my kids' lunch (the girls love that).

Want to see one of my favorite recipes? Then read more

For 1 loaf of Banana Walnut Bread you'll need:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Sucanat
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup apple sauce (instead of oil)
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (save some for the top of the bread)

Preheat the oven to 350.
Unpeel and mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork.
Add the egg and apple sauce and stir well.
Mix in the flour, Sucanat, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
Stir in most of the walnuts, leaving 2 handfuls left.
Grease an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with canola oil spray. If you don't have the spray, just take a paper towel, pour a little canola oil on it and smear that on the pan.
Pour batter into the pan and top with the remaining walnuts.
Bake for 45 min to an hour, checking it with a knife or toothpick to make sure the inside is cooked.

Fit's Tips: For breakfast or an afternoon snack, try toasting a slice of Banana Walnut Bread for a minute, and then spread some almond butter on it. Delicious, satisfying, and between the walnuts and almonds, it's a great way to get some protein.

Speak Up: Cookie Monster Tossed His Cookies

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:30:00 -0800

After my recent poll about mall Santas being forced to lose weight, I was reminded of how in 2005, the folks behind Sesame Street decided that the beloved Cookie Monster needed to kick his cookie habit. Did you know that "C is for Cookie" has been replaced by the slightly less catchy "A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food"?

The Cookie Monster is not the only one who cleaned up his act: Elmo now exercises, and Big Bird washes his hands more. I'm surprised they haven't stuck Oscar the Grouch in a recycling bin and gotten Count von Count to see a shrink for his obsessive compulsive disorder.

I never warmed up to this idea. I loved the cookie monster growing up, and I can't say that it ever inspired me to eat as many cookies (along with inedible objects) as I could, but that is just me. What do you guys think about this? Do you think that changes such as making Santa skinny or taking cookies away from monsters will actually help to lower the rate of childhood obesity? Or do you think they should go ahead and give the Cookie Monster back his cookies?

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Girl Scout Cookie Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:00:00 -0700

It's that time of the year again. They're posted on nearly every street corner, and with more stands than there are Starbucks these sweet temptations are unavoidable. Yes, I'm talking about Girl Scout Cookie season.

I am not going to tell you to avoid them, since I've got a box of Thin Mints chilling in my freezer as we speak, but just be aware of the choices you make with this breakdown and practice moderation and self control. In case you didn't know, there are two bakers that make the cookies, ABC and Little Brownie, so I've added all variations from both bakers.

To see the full breakdown then read more.

Cookie	Serving Size	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Calories	Sugar (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)
All Abouts	3 cookies	7	4	150	9	21	less than 1
Caramel deLites	2 cookies	7	6	140	13	19	1
Cinna-Spins	15 cookies	2	1	100	8	19	less than 1
Do-Si-Dos	2 cookies	5	1.5	110	8	15	less than 1
Lemon Chalet Cremes	2 cookies	6	2	160	12	24	0
Lemonades	2 cookies	7	4	150	9	22	0
Peanut Butter Patties	2 cookies	8	5	150	10	17	less than 1
Peanut Butter Sandwich	3 cookies	6	2.5	160	8	26	less than 1
Samoas (Little Brownie Bakers)	2 cookies	8	5	150	11	19	less than 1
Shortbread	4 cookies	4.5	2	120	4	19	less than 1
Sugar Free Chocolate Chips	3 cookies	9	3	160	0	22	2
Tagalongs (Little Brownie Bakers)	2 cookies	10	4	150	8	14	1
Thanks-A-Lot	2 cookies	6	3.5	150	9	22	less than 1
Thin Mints (ABC Bakers)	4 cookies	8	6	160	11	22	less than 1
Thin Mints (Little Brownie Bakers)	4 cookies	7	4.5	150	10	20	1
Trefoils	5 cookies	7	2	150	6	20	less than 1

Food Review: Luna Berry Pomegranate Cookie

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:00:00 -0700

There are times, mostly in the afternoon, when I just need a cookie. Although I am craving a sweet treat, I often need my 3 p.m. snack to do more than satisfy my taste buds; I either need something to help me make it through until dinner or to fuel an after-office workout. I just tried a Berry Pomegranate Luna Cookie ($1.29) by Lunabar to see if it was up to doing double duty. The chewy cookie contains 9 grams of whole grains - not bad for a cookie. As you can tell from the photo, the cookie is fairly small and easily divided in half, making it easy to eat half prior to working out and the leftover half after.

To see what I thought of the taste and texture, read more.

I liked this cookie, and after eating half before a swim, I shared the second half with my girls and they gave it a thumb's up too. It is not too sweet, and the berry flavor is just strong enough. The chewy consistency works with bits of oats providing texture. The half cookie I ate before working out helped me power through; I feel the second half would quell the post-workout hungries that often arise while making dinner after a session in the pool.

Here are the ingredients and nutritional details.

Serving Size	One cookie (40 g)
Calories	140
Total Fat	2.5 g
Saturated Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	100 mg
Carbs	27 g
Fiber	4 g
Sugar	11 g
Protein	3 g

Ingredients: Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Oat Flour, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Dried Blueberries (Organic Blueberries, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Organic Sunflower Oil), Organic Fig Paste, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Organic Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, Organic Flaxseed Meal, Organic Icing (Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Rice Extract, Organic Vanilla Extract), Organic Goji Berries, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Baking Soda, Citric Acid, Sea Salt.

Luna has fortified its cookies with extra vitamins. One cookie provides 25 percent the recommended daily intake (RDI) of calcium and 50 percent of folate, the B vitamin that helps protect against birth defects. You can find the Luna cookies at Whole Foods and other health food stores. Has anyone tried the other two flavors, Peanut Butter Chocolate and Chocolate Mint? I'm interested to hear how they taste.

All-Natural Cookie Love

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:45:00 -0700

Nestle's refrigerated cookie dough is an brilliant idea, and it's tempting to buy because they make it so easy to make "homemade cookies" in a flash. If you peek at the ingredients though, you'll find the dreaded partially hydrogenated oil. So what's a cookie lover in a rush to do? Check out Cookie Love. It's a family-owned cookie company that sells all-natural frozen cookie dough.

The cookie dough contains only ingredients you would use to bake the cookies yourself. This way you can get that fresh out-of-the-oven taste, without all the work. If you don't have the time to bake them, you can also order premade cookies.

I baked up a batch of the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies. Want to see what they look like and check out the nutritional info? Then read more.

Believe me when I say that these were one of the best cookies I've ever tasted. They were sweet and chewy, and they had a smooth peanut butter taste.

The roll of dough made 12 cookies. Check out the nutritional info for one cookie in four of their most popular flavors.

I know these aren't exactly healthy and something you'd eat every day, but for a treat, they really satisfy your cookie craving without hydrogenated oil. Plus I feel good eating them knowing they're made just like my grandma would make them.

	Chocolate Chip	Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip	Triple Chocolate Chip	Oatmeal with Dried Cranberries
Calories	170	180	180	160
Total Fat	8g	10g	9g	7g
Saturated Fat	3.5g	4g	4g	2.5g
Cholesterol	20mg	25mg	20mg	20mg
Sodium	160mg	90mg	115mg	135mg
Carbs	23g	20g	22g	23g
Fiber	less than 1g	1g	1g	1g
Sugar	14g	12g	15g	12g
Protein	2g	3g	2g	2g

You can order frozen dough (that gets shipped to you the next day) or fresh baked cookies by calling 802-425-8181. One roll of frozen dough costs $7 plus shipping, or you can order a dozen cookies in a cute lunch box tin ($29.95), or an 18-cookie sampler ($21.95). I know these are a little pricey, but their homemade taste and ingredients make them totally worth it.