Cascadian Farms Cereal Whoredom: Cinnamon Crunch and Multi Grain Squares

When the reality of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) started to sink deep down into my cranium, I thought it meant RIP to my cereal whoredom forever. Admittedly, right now I still buy cereals like Apple Jacks & Froot Loops for the family, but it’s in a weaning-off, dwindling down kind of way.

I haven’t forced them to go cold turkey, yet the purchases of the crap cereal are happening less and less. There will indeed come a time when that stuff won’t be in my house at all.

But alas! Cascadian Farm is cereal whoredom approved.

I’ve been on the lookout for healthy knockoffs of mainstream cereal for the family to stuff into their hungry jaws. In the past it hasn’t gone well. It led to rogue cereals of pure nastiness. But organic companies are finally starting to step up their tasty game.

Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Crunch is an excellent alternative to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It’s got a light kiss of cinnamon, a nice crunch and less sugar, but still totally satisfying. The amazing thing is, you can taste that it’s organic’y. The absence of artificial crap really shines through and makes it taste that much better.

Cascadian Farm Multi Grain squares is comparable to Multi-Bran Chex, but Cascadian’s flavor is waaaay better and comes with all the tasty perks of organic and non-GMO, along with all their other products (according to their website).

See that! I’m making progress. My family is transitioning away from crap cereal and my own personal cereal whoredom is no longer in jeopardy. It shall remain intact.

Cascadian has some other stuff out, too, like Fruitful O’s and their new Chocolate O’s. But I can’t speak on the taste. I haven’t tried those just yet.

But hold on there! There’s two drawbacks you gotta know about: Cascadian comes in smaller packages and can be pretty dang expensive for the size — close to $4 per box, if not more. But it’s still worth you picking up at least one box if you haven’t already. Give it a try and allow your taste buds to experience the healthy, fanciful flavor. If cereal isn’t your thing, just keep any kids in mind that cling to you frequently. Young children are skilled at cereal hoovering, so you may as well make it better for them.

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Morningstar Farms Grillers California Turk'y Burger Review

After having a wonderful experience with Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik'n Veggie Patties, I decided to try the California Turk'y Burger Grillers. Morningstar says, "with a great blend of avocados and tomatoes, this juicy, California-style veggie turk'y burger is a delicious hit from coast to coast. Throw it on the grill, then get to gobbling." These had a ringing endorsement from my boyfriend's parents, too, so I picked up a 4-pack box for $4.59.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 patty (67 grams)
Calories: 90
Total Fat: 5 grams, 8%
Saturated Fat: 0.5 grams, 3%
Sodium: 390 mg, 17%
Carbohydrates: 7 grams
Fiber: 5 grams, 22%
Sugar: < 1 gram
Protein: 9 grams

I must say, the description is pretty accurate! I loved how juicy these were, and the tomato/ avocado blend was perfect. Because this is "turk'y," it tastes somewhat different from the "beef" patties from the company - in a good way! I gobbled mine up right away, without any extra seasoning, and it was delicious.

Each burger provides 90 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of which is saturated (8% and 3% of the daily value), 390 mg of sodium (17% of the DV), 5 grams of fiber (19% of the DV), less than 1 gram of sugar, 9 grams of protein, and 15% of the DV for iron.

The ingredients list is a little lengthy, but the nutrition facts for this veggie burger, plus the taste, means I'll be buying this again. These are my new second favorites - second only to the Chik'n!

{Website: Morningstar Farms}

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Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik'n Veggie Patties Review

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up a 4-pack of Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik'n Veggie Patties. At $4.59, my purchase didn't break the bank, but I was hoping I'd made the right decision as I've had some poor experiences with chicken substitutes. The website says, "Made with natural ingredients, these perfectly seasoned chik'n veggie patties are grillable, tender, juicy and delicious no matter how you dress them up."

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 patty (67 grams)
Calories: 80
Total Fat: 3 grams, 5%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 350 mg, 15%
Carbohydrates: 7 grams
Fiber: 5 grams, 19%
Sugar: 0 grams
Protein: 9 grams

I got home and heated up one burger for myself and one for my boyfriend. We were so hungry that we did these in the microwave, not on the stove. I zapped the patties for about 2 minutes and served them up with a salad - sort of like a "faux chik'n" salad. We've sampled a lot of veggie burgers, and I must say these were some of the best. They were chewy and really flavorful - plus they actually tasted almost like chicken! They were good in the microwave, so I'm sure they'd be even better on the stove or grilled.

Each Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik'n Veggie Patty provides 80 calories, 3 grams of total fat (5% of the daily value), no saturated fat, 350 mg of sodium (15% of the DV), 5 grams of fiber (20% of the DV), and 9 grams of protein. The ingredients list is "all natural" but in the way that highly processed soy protein concentrate and textured wheat protein, the 1st 2 ingredients, are "natural."

Thanks to the delicious taste and stellar nutrition facts, Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik'n Veggie Patties get two thumbs up from me . The price is a little high, but it's worth it.

{Website: Morningstar Farms}

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Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame Goji Blend Review

The packaging of Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame Goji Blend declared that this was a "Heart Health" snack, "Rich in Antioxidants." From the nutrition facts to the stellar ingredients list, and taste, this product is great all the way - except that the one thing the packaging doesn't tell you is how much antioxidants is present - how can you proclaim "Rich in Antioxidants" and then not say how much in there.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 ounce (30 grams)
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 3.5 grams, 5%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 140 mg, 6%
Carbohydrates: 15 grams
Fiber: 7 grams, 28%
Sugar: 5 grams
Protein: 11 grams

But what we do know is that a 30 gram serving of Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame Goji Blend provides 120 calories, 3 grams of total fat (5% of the daily value), no saturated fat, 140 mg sodium, 11 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber (28% of the daily value) and 5 grams of sugars. The ingredients are soybeans, sea salt, organic goji berries. That's it! Boy, I was hoping this would also be tasty, because I might never touch chips again if that's the case.

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And it wasn't bad at all. The first thing you have to get over is that it doesn't taste salty - and I'm used to all crunchy snacks being salty. There is a hint, but I did find myself wishing that there was a little more ... but then again, not really (The 2010 US Dietary Guidelines mention us watching sodium specifically, and I'm a member of that 1300 mg per day category - which means 1 serving of this is already a little more than 10% of the RDA). The Gofi berries - which provide the antioxidants - contribute an interesting change in texture, from the crunchy soybeans. They give off a little pop of sweetness also. This snack might be an acquired taste for some, because it's not what you are used to. But I say - get used to it because the nutrition - especially for a snack can't be beat.

I bought a 3.5 ounce bag (3.5 servings) for $2.59 which is quite expensive, so I hope they sell this in bulk somewhere. Plus I bought it at Mother Earth Natural Foods Store, which has some out of this world prices. But I will definitely be keeping this in stock - I'm more of a crunchy snacker than a chocoholic, so I can see this saving the day over and over again.

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