nutritious junk

I am not sure why, but its very trendy to miniturize everything.  Betty Crocker has the "mini" dessert bowls (which i actually reviewed for another site, iateapie.net, and yes, i will proabably never purchase a microwavable dessert again since my 12 week baking boot camp!) and then quiznos even came out with these mini "samies" that tout having 200 calories and who can forget classics like mini m&ms which i rarely see anymore (but i genuinly really like!).  So the oatmeal based Quaker company just came out with a new line of these "baked morning minis". 

The one plus to having my baking classes this term at my culinary school in a whole other campus is that its super close to a huge supermarket.  So when i have some downtime, i do some scoping out of new products to review.  I was really excited to try the new flavor of these quaker mini delights! i admit, i wasn't doing back flips over the other ones (i review those as well), but chocolate mint?!

Ah quaker, a very old company that i have an ambivalent relationship with. They do churn out very good products that many other companies tried to emulate (their toasted oatmeal squares was may standard breakfast from age six to sixteen, after that i had to change it up a bit cuase i realized how long ive been having the same breakfast!). And some stuff is, eh...(don't reach for those breakfast cookies.

Ok, i now the picture is of Quaker's 90 calorie granola bars, but this review is actually for their BRAND NEW 90 calorie packs of Granola Bites which are so new, their picture isn't even up on their site (and i left my digital camera back home in la...). These new snacks come in three flavors: peanut butter, cinnamon, and the one i tried, chocolate. It seems every snack imaginable has come up with a 100 calorie pack version and Quaker i guess wanted to stand out and outdo the rest by making their packs 90 calories (rolls eyes...). ok now for probably the most important part, the taste: interesting...let me describe. imagine a malt ball (like whoppers) only instead of a chocolate coating, oats and chocolate (kinda like their granola bars were made into a coating). All in all, pretty tasty but sadly, in no way filling, especially when this pack only contains 15 of these rather small balls. They also really dry out your mouth beacause of that malt ball center, so it leaves you slightly parched. i prefer the bars, but if you crave candy, this would be a healthier alternative.

Rice Cakes and celery are commonly associated with dieters. But here's a news flash for ya: DIETS DONT WORK! its funny, but some of the most notorious "diet foods" out there are actually not that great for striving to get fit and slim. Case 'n point: Rice Cakes. Yes, they are dont have loads of calories and certainly a better alternative to most buttery crackers and white breads but to me, they are still a waste of perfect good calories. First of all, i am not crazy about the taste although i admit i'd rather go for flavored rice cakes with chocolate or caramel (but those are also usually higher calorically as well). Second, they are so not filling and never seem to satisfy me. It like worse the oreos cause at least with oreos, when i go back for more than my "just one", i know they are not good for me so i am more inclined to resist them. But rice cakes have all these flashy signs on them boasting how low cal they are and what not that i'd probably end up bingeing on the whole thing. Third, rice cakes are basically just simple carbs, nothing else. No vitamins, no protein, not iron or calcium, and most importantly, very little fiber. Some may have one or two grams, but my rule of thumb with breads is that it must have at least three, and breads to me are way more satisfying than rice cakes. There are a lot of light breads out there that are way better than rice cakes and will provide you with B vitamins and fiber! So toss that rice cake and the latest "fad" diet book cause hun, a diets wont work, a change in your eating habits will.