gr8nola

Yes, most granola is not exactly healthy, even though its easy to think it is.  Grains, nuts, fruits, its good for you right?  Uh-huh.  Look at the nutrition stats and serving sizes, and realized that your "health food" isn't exactly that.

There are a slew of companies trying to make healthier granola though, less sugar added, not loaded with oils, non-GMO, etc.  gr8nola is one of those companies.

"We're redefining granola for the modern, health-conscious consumer. Discover the gr8ness inside every bite!"

gr8nola uses whole grain oats, extra virgin coconut oil, and other goodies like flaxseed (fiber! omega-3s!), sunflower seeds (vitamin E!), coconut (unsweetened of course, for iron and fiber!), turmeric (anti-inflammatory!), etc, etc.  All good things, but, I'm kinda more about taste than uber focused on nutrition.

I didn't actually know this, but gr8nola launched into success back in 2014, when invited to the Google microkitchen fair (where employees trial products and vote on what to have in our little micro kitchens).  I'm not sure if I attended that year, or if I tried the granola, but, it won, and has been featured in some of our campus since (not the one I work in though).  Yadda, yadda, scaled up production, now at lots of Bay Area campus, etc, etc.

Individual Portion.

But none of that is how I discovered gr8nola.  I recently won a contest (!) and little bags of gr8nola were part of my winnings.

I do sometimes get really, really hooked on granola (like the kind they have at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, I'm seriously obsessed!), so I was eager to try it out.

The granola now comes in 4 varieties: origina, "coco cacao", golden turmeric, and matcha green tea, I was provided with only the original.  I appreciated the portion controlled, re-sealable packaging.

All varieties lack clusters.  I know this is a style thing, but since I like to use granola as a finger snack food, I like having clusters.  This style was more suited for sprinkling on top of yogurt.

The Original.

"Our signature flavor. Whole grain oats, heart-healthy almonds, ground flaxseed and delectable honey for the perfect touch of sweetness. Whether eaten with milk, on top of yogurt, smoothies or straight out of the bag, gr8nola is a smart, simple way to add crunch, flavor, fiber and nutrition to your diet."

I didn't find this very munchable from the bag.  First, as I said, no clusters, but also, it just was very ... homogeneous.  No large chunks of nuts, seeds, or fruits to go for.

The flavor wasn't plain however, it was heavily cinnamon spiced.  A bit much, really.  I'm personally not a fan of sunflower nor flax seeds, which were also in the mix.

But the dominant flavor?  Stevia.  It tasted artificially sweetened.  I know the goal is low sugar, and I use artificial sweetener myself, but, this was too much.

I tried with milk, and it was better, but I think it would be best suited for a topping on a fruit crumble, where the cinnamon would be a more natural element.  Even then though, you need to want the Stevia taste.

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Enlightened Ice Cream

Healthy ice cream.  One of the latest food trends.  One I've had very little interest in.

Years ago, I did go through a "healthy" phase, where I did care about fats and calorie counts, and I remember discovering Arctic Zero (it was brand new on the market at the time), and I was so excited.  It sounded too good to be true.  200-400 calories in ... an entire pint?!  Full of protein?  OMG.  And then I tried it.  It was not creamy, it didn't really resemble ice cream, and, well, I didn't try any other products in this market for years, even though it has been a hot market.

I like creamy, high fat, actually tasty ice cream just too much.

But I was given the opportunity to try Enlightened bars, so I figured I'd give the concept another try.

Enlightened makes "Good-for-you" ice cream, available in pints and novelty bars.  Same concept at Halo Top and the like, <100 calories per serving / 400 calories per pint, high protein, low sugar.  In Enlightened's case, it is actually made with dairy.  And I'll be honest, some of the flavors, particularly for pints, sound great: "Movie Night", popcorn ice cream with chocolate bits and caramel swirl? Marshmallow Peanut Butter? French Toast? Glazed Donut? Bananas Foster?  Yes, please!  They also, of course, make all your classics, chocolate, vanilla, etc, etc, and all the "modern classics" like sea salt caramel, birthday cake, cold brew coffee, and more.  Plus bars, in many of the same flavors.

It was a bar I was able to try, along with many co-workers.

We were decently impressed, but I still won't go purchase these.

Packaging.

The bars come 4 to a box, individually wrapped.  We tried the Sea Salt Caramel flavor.

Sea Salt Caramel.

"Salty this ice cream is prettier than you’ll ever be? One bite and all will be forgiven. Silky ribbons of caramel swirl threaded through sea salt caramel ice cream."

At first glance, it fared pretty well.  It did have a lovely swirl on it!

It was actually better than I imagined, although it was more finicky than regular ice cream, texture wise.  You definitely needed to let it soften up, more than normal ice cream (which is always *better* soft, but isn't necessary).  You also needed to lick it rather than bite it, again, more than regular ice cream, as biting into it made it come across as grainy.  But when it was melty, and soft, and you licked it, it was creamy and smooth, nearly like normal ice cream.

The ice cream had a slight sweetness to it, more interesting than a plain vanilla, but not strong in the caramel.  The caramel ribbons were really tasty, sweet, and gooey, in a way that added some interesting contrast.

It wasn't a decadent normal ice cream at all, but for 80 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 5 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of protein it would be crazy to pass this up if you are concerned with reasonable ice cream choices!

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Pret a Manger, UK

I finally, finally went to Pret a Manger.  After walking by a zillion times, on nearly every street in London.

Why?  Because I attended an evening reception for a conference I was at, and they had the nerve to not serve dessert (!).  My sweet tooth needed something.  And Pret was on the way back to the hotel. 

Likely ... there is a Pret on the way back to anywhere in London, as they seemed to be on every corner.  If you are unfamiliar, Pret is a chain of cafes in the UK, serving coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and more.  Sandwiches are pre-made and packaged, but they say are made on site each day (unlike Starbucks sandwiches that are boxed up and mass produced ... somewhere).  Yes, it is in the

Anyway.  They have locations in other places now, including in the US (Boston, New York, Chicago, DC), and a few other countries, but the majority of the stores are still in the UK.

Pret's Mince Pie: Mature Mincemeat / Shortcrust Pastry / Icing Sugar .

"Handmade in Yorkshire, Pret’s Mince Pies are made in small batches to a traditional recipe. The mincemeat was made in July and has been gathering flavour ever since. Topped with a Pret star and a dusting of icing sugar, these pies are a classic festive treat."

Mince pie.  Uh-huh, I know.

Why would I get mince pie of all things?  I think it was marketing, after days of setting mince pies on colorful signs out front of nearly every shop.  Nero.  Pret.  M&S.   Everywhere was advertising the mince pies, along with gingerbread this and that.  'Twas the season.

I can't say that I have much of a history with mince pies.  I think the only ones I really ever had were in Sydney, at the Sheraton on the Park, where they were the best of the mediocre desserts.  And they were made better by whipped cream.

But I also don't really have many chances to get mince pie.   Our Starbucks, Peets, etc are certainly not advertising them in the way the British do!

I got the last one.  Oooh, they are popular!  The cashier even said, "You get the last one! Your lucky day!"

The pie was ... well, ok.  Not great.

The crust was shortcrust, better than a tart shell, softer, buttery-er, sweeter, but still not as good as real pie crust.  More like a soft shortbread cookie.  It was ok.

The star on top was made of the same crust I believe, and was my favorite part.  Sorta sweet, buttery, and crumbly, and it would have been nice to dunk it in some whipped cream.

The thing I didn't care for was the filling.  Oops. Yeah, why did I think I wanted mincemeat?    The assorted colored raisins were fine I guess, but, raisins.  But the whole thing was heavily orange spiced.  Way too much orange for me.  But again, um, what was I thinking?

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