Monday, August 14, 2006

Nana's "No's" Cookies


When we received these cookies as samples, we were all pretty excited. Nana's "No's" are all-natural cookies that contain "no refined sugars, no dairy, no hydrogenated oils, no cholesterol, no eggs, no added salt, no GMOs, and no cane or beet products." All that sounded pretty good to us, and the cookies also looked really yummy so we dove right in.

Our first bite was of Nana's No Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookie. Now Nana claims that "each bite is bursting with chocolate chips and home baked flavor" that is "so good, so moist, and so delicious" that "you will not miss the wheat." Well, Nana, we missed it. This cookie was just plain bad. The chocolate flavor was bland at best, and the cookie itself was reminiscent of cardboard (both in flavor and texture).

Hesitantly, we moved on to Nana's No Gluten Ginger Cookie. Nana claims that this cookie is a "perfectly spiced treat" with "specially blended flavors of ginger and sweet cinnamon." We, however, should have stuck with our instincts and thrown this "thing" out before we even tried it. If possible, this cookie was even worse than the Chocolate Chip. Not only was it almost completely devoid of taste, it instantly crumbled into sawdust in the mouth. Awful.

One more complaint, the cookies come one in a pouch masquerading as one serving (an actual serving size is half the cookie--even if you ARE disciplined enough to only eat one serving, what the heck are you supposed to do with the other half?).

In case the nutritionals interest you, the Ginger Cookie will hit you with 180 calories (for sawdust? hardly worth it!), 5 grams of fat (0 saturated/trans), 85 mg of sodium, 32 g of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. The Chocolate Chip will cost you 140 calories with 5 grams of fat (1 saturated, 0 trans), 80 mg of sodium, 22 g of carbohydates, 2 grams of fiber, and 7 grams of sugar. As a ridiculous aside, the "No Wheat" Cookies state that they are made in a facility that manufacturers products containing (among other things) wheat.

The cookies come in several other flavors, but we weren't taking any more chances. When it comes to Nana's, it's probably best to just say "no."

Thursday, August 10, 2006

LesserEvil Maple Pecan Popcorn



These days, I'm so busy that I only post if a food so totally commands my attention that I'm forced to proclaim its praises to the world. Such a food has entered my ken this morning.

Today I opened a box of LesserEvil Maple Pecan Popcorn. Now, I'm already a fan of the other flavors of LesserEvil popcorn, so why am I so excited about a new flavor? Is it really that good? you ask. Well, yes. It IS that good. It has a sweet, buttery, crunchiness that is out of this world with the same impressive "LesserEvil stats" of only 120 calories, 2 grams of fat (0 saturated/trans), 140 mg of sodium, and 14 grams of sugar while packing 3 grams of dietery fiber per 3/4 cup serving.

While these facts alone would probably make me jump for joy, they wouldn't merit a shelving of all other projects in order to inform you of this great product. Nope, what compelled me to write about these fantastic little kernels is that they contain cholesterol-lowering plant sterols! Yes, you read correctly--this delicious snack is actually HEART HEALTHY! WOOO HOOOOO! What will the geniuses at LesserEvil come up with next?!?!?!

Try it now: LesserEvil Maple Pecan Popcorn