Dairy Free Mochi “Filled with creamy coconut milk in a trio of flavors: mango, coconut, chocolate”
Six-piece pack $3.49
I am in <3… I used to yearn for mochi – but no longer, no longer! One piece (and it’s big): 130 calories, 4g fat, 10mg sodium, <1g fiber, 15g sugars, 0g protein. These are freakin’ delicious – go get them now!

The ingredients list is rather decent in that most of the items are pronounceable and recognizable. The only exceptions include: maltodextrin (a food additive usually used to sweeten, so it’s often in candy bars), dextrose (aka glucose), carrageenan (a food additive, vegan, that works like gelatin and comes from seaweed). I will keep a box of these in stock for an occasional indulgence.

While the mochi, above, is the best Trader Joe’s new item, there are some other vegan finds worth mentioning:

Fully Cooked Falafel

For three falafel balls: 320 calories, 19g fat, 490mg sodium, 6g fiber, 5g sugars, 8g protein. The ingredients list is pretty legit, except that it does have enriched unbleached flour and a couple safe, though unnecessary, additives that made me not buy ‘em. So, I have no idea how they taste. If I may offer an alternative, I’d go for Falafel Republic’s falafel instead (sold at Costco) because they have less ingredients and way less calories and fat per serving (compare, for three: 210 calories, 7.5g fat, 630mg sodium, 6g fiber, 1.5g sugars, 10.5g protein).

Organic Oats and Flax (Individual Packets Oatmeal) $3.29 (8-pack)
These individual portions are cool enough — they’re vegan and have minimal ingredients. However, the second ingredient is “organic dehydrated can juice solids.” I’d skip these and opt instead for the “Organic Multigrain Hot Cereal” in TJ’s freezer section, or for Country Choice’s Organic Multigrain Hot Cereal (also sold at TJ’s) since you can choose to sweeten these or not.

Rice & Vegetable Bento Box
$5.99

For 1 serving (5 oz; about two in the box): 190 calories, 4g fat, 280mg sodium, 7g fiber, 3g sugars, 5g protein.

There are nine flavors in this box! 1. pumpkin (kabocha!) with shiso seasoning, 2. spicy long beans, 3. eggplant with miso paste, 4. soba salad with oyster mushroom, 5. shiitake mushroom with edamame and carrot, 6. baked tofu with teriyaki sauce, 7. brown rice with seaweed and sesame seed, 8. curry flavored brown rice, and 9. teriyaki flavored brown rice with vegetable.

I am impressed with how few funky ingredients there are given the amount of different flavors in this box! Some of the funkiness present includes: maltose (a refined sugar), coagulant (magnesium chloride – a chemical compound used in tofu products made from soymilk; it is considered safe), gellan gum (an emulsifier/thickener/and stabilizer). The silly thing is that all of these more questionable, though safe, ingredients appear in the tofu dish, so if you just didn’t eat #6, you’d be golden!).

I also wish the tofu used was organic…

Roasted Seaweed Snack
$0.99/pack

Per serving (1/2 package): 30 calories, 2g fat, 50mg sodium, 1g fiber, 0g sugars, 1g protein. Ingredients: seaweed, expeller pressed canola oil, sesame oil, sea salt.

Seems so weird to snack on seaweed, but ever since my band-mate’s wife got us the stuff for our road trip, I’ve loved it! Mmm tastes like the sea! Take that, Ursula!

Vegetable and Grain Salad (pre-made, in the refrigerator section with the pre-made sandwiches) $4.99
This is basically a bed of cabbage topped with marinated bulgur (in the style of vegetarian kibbeh). I love that the ingredients list is totally legit — nothing weird! Ingredients are: cabbage, cooked bulgur (marinated with olive oil), garbanzo beans, tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh dill, cumin, salt  & pepper. 190 calories, 9g fat & 6g fiber per serving (two total). Too bad this little package is so expensive

Other new products, vegetarian not vegan, that you might want to know about:

Sprouted Multi-grain Bread
This is Trader Joe’s version of sprouted Ezekiel bread. It would be worth to try if you’re interested in trying sprouted grain bread (which I love and have written about here), but only if you’re on such a severe budget that it’s worth the $0.50 cent difference you could use to get Ezekiel bread. The reasons Ezekiel bread is better include: organic, no additives, vegan and 100% whole grain. The Trader Joe’s version has honey, cornmeal and soy lecithin. TJ’s version is $2.99; Eziekel is $3.49

Whole Grain Tortillas $2.49/6-pack
These are new whole grain tortillas that have added flax and rolled oats. They actually seem rather decent except that they are not vegan (they have honey) and they have a few added ingredients that you won’t find in my favorite tortilla brand (you guessed it…), Ezekiel, such as guar gum, baking powder, & cultured wheat flour — none of these are harmful or from animal sources, they’re just simply not present in Ezekiel’s. These are also not organic. Per tortilla: 120 calories, 2.5g fat, 180mg sodium, 4g fiber, 1g sugars, 3g protein. Compare to Ezekiel: 150 calories, 3.5g fat, 140mg sodium, 5g fiber, 0g sugars, 6g protein. (Ezekiel $2.29/pack)

Found any new yummy foods or rediscovered an old favorite?

<3,

The Cranky One

Ever feel you get “slap happy” after too many days with little sleep and many deadlines?  It’s gotten to the point I’m just a liability!  Before class today I could not stop giggling about the word “farfegnugen.” Don’t ask.  Later, I ask my friend what “the birds and the bees” really means.  He then asks the class, aloud, on “my behalf” — thanks, Ryan.  Then I can’t even put on my “happy, happy, I agree face,” so I was probably giving my professor the death stare after he turned down my interpretation of The Bostonians.  wow.

I’d give 12 years old a bad name and I’m 25. How I miss the wisdom of age that comes with getting more Zzzzzs.

So, since I am officially drunk from exhaustion, I shall give you a hodgepodge of topics!  (Plus I really like the word “hodgepodge,” don’t you?

New Food Finds

• Craisins’ Cranberries 100-Calorie Packs, Costco, $5.99 (there was a $2 off manuf. coupon)

36 100-calorie packs for $5.99 comes out to $0.17 a bag! wowza! I like to carry bagged cranberries in my purse and love when they’re pre-portioned because, as with almonds, I have little self-control eating them from the bag and could easily consume hundreds of calories in one sitting!

• Trader Joe’s All-Natural Flavored Waters in Mint and Lime, $0.99

While I’m generally opposed to paying for bottled water, I think this is a good alternative for people who get bored drinking water or have trouble drinking it enough. This also reminded me to brighten up my own water jugs at home by adding lemon slices and mint! How refreshing!

Did You See?

• Paula Deen on “The View” here? Paula is notorious for her fatty, Southern food and she’s written a cook book for families with children.  Barbara Walters asks Paula if it “bothers” her that she’s contributing to “childhood obesity.”  As she literally licks her fingers, Paula answers, “no, not at all” and mentions we should teach children moderation.  While I kind of want to smack her upside the head with a big fried chicken drumstick, I equally throw up my hands and sigh.  Children aren’t the ones with expendable incomes.  It takes an adult to buy the book and then to cook the food.  I’m just sayin.  What do you guys think?
• Jon Krasinski on Conan O’Brien do “the marionette”?  *Swoons*  Watch him be even more adorable than you thought possible here.  What occupation would you have asked him to do a la marionette?

In The News

• Science Daily‘s, “Racial Disparities In Diabetes Prevalence Linked To Living Conditions” (9/30/09) here
• Science Daily‘s, “Eat Soybeans To Prevent Diseases, New Research Suggests” (10/1/09) here

Give-Away Round Up

• Win some Pepper Dog Salsa here
• Win a gift basket with Two boxes of PureVia, Starbucks coffee, body scrub, an aromatherapy candle and a yoga to-go travel deck of cards here
• Win some MD Skin Care products here
• Win some raw chia seeds here
• Win some Perricone Alpha Lipoic Acid Cream Active Tinted Moisturizer here
• Win some pumpkin-based goodies here
• Win some Nature’s Path cereal, Larabars and more here (but you only have until tonight!)

Ever get slap-happy after too many sleepless nights or out of sheer exhaustion?  Ever make a fool out of yourself in class or a meeting?

<3, The Cranky One