Macaroni and Peas

I was recently given an opportunity to review samples of the new apple sauce created by Luvli Foods called Smashies. Yes, they contacted me and offered the samples. No, they are not paying me.

So why review the product? Well, Smashies is an organic applesauce in a squeezy pouch. Macaroni and Peas is all about fast, healthy foods. Sugar free, organic applesauce in a pouch is both of those things.

Packaging

Smashies Package

Right now, I can find applesauce in my grocery store in jars and individual packages. Smashies comes in pouches like those juice drinks…but with a screw on cap instead of a straw.

Jars contain more than one serving, sometimes up to 32 ounces (that’s 8 servings). Most jars are made of glass with metal lids. That’s good because both are recyclable. That’s bad because glass can break. Trust me, it is not fun to clean up a huge jar of applesauce after you drop it trying to get it out of the fridge.

The individual packages are usually in 4 ounce (that’s one serving) plastic containers. That’s good because it keeps portion sizes under control. That’s bad because the plastic isn’t always recyclable and the individual packages tend to cost more per ounce than jars.

The Smashies pouches contain 3.2 ounces of apple sauce. That’s less than one serving of fruit. The pouches themselves are pretty sturdy: I couldn’t rip them open. The pouches are recyclable too. The screw on cap is easy to use, but does pose a choking hazard for kids under 3 years of age.

Flavors and Ingredients

Applesauce comes with or without added sugar and in many flavors. In generally, applesauce doesn’t contain as much fiber as an apple because the skin has been removed.

Unsweetened or “no sugar added” applesauce is my personal favorite. Not only do I like the flavor (not too sweet and a little tangy), I love that every calorie counts. The ingredients on these types of applesauce contain apples and ascorbic acid (read: vitamin C). Sometimes they contain added natural flavors.

Some applesauce is sweetened, usually with sugar or high fructose corn syrup. I’m not a big fan of sweetened applesauce. Not only does it contain a fair number of unnecessary calories, it’s overly sweet. Obviously, diabetics should watch out for sweetened applesauce. Anyone watching their calories should probably avoid sweetened applesauce as it contains considerably more calories than unsweetened applesauce.

I am always a little baffled when I see the flavors available in “applesauce.” Raspberry, mango, strawberry, you name it and there’s an applesauce flavor that covers it. Personally, I prefer that my applesauce tastes like apples.

Many flavored applesauces contain added sugar. If they don’t contain added sugar, they often contain artificial sweetners. I’m not hands down against artificial sweetners, but I don’t like the idea of including them in foods that really don’t need any sweetening.

The Smashies flavor I tasted is called Snappy Apple. It’s an unsweetened applesauce with a tangy kick. It’s got apples, ascorbic acid, and natural flavors. A single pouch has 50 calories, 10 grams of sugar (all from the apples), and 25% of the vitamin C needed in a 2,000 calorie diet.

Extras

Smashies is also certified organic by the USDA and it’s kosher. Granted, most applesauce is kosher…no meat, dairy, or alcohol.

I really don’t care if it’s organic or not. Organic simply means certain pesticides weren’t used and that the apples weren’t genetically modified. There are two chances for pesticide residue to be removed during processing whether the apples are organic or not. First, the apples are washed when they enter the plant. Then, the apples are peeled. Since pesticides are topically applied, peeling them removes almost all of the pesticide residue.

Although I don’t think genetically modified foods are bad in any way, I don’t know of any genetically modified apple strains. So it’s not like any of the other applesauces come from genetically modified apples.

What did we think?

I gave a Smashies pouch to my son with his peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch this weekend. My son is a 6 year old first grader who loves fruit. Apples are actually his favorite.

We don’t do a lot of applesauce because I have a horrible habit of breaking jars and portion control isn’t exactly easy with a huge jar. Plus, both jars and individual packages are more expensive than fresh apples. It’s always been hard for me to justify paying more for something that’s not as nutritionally dense.

My son recently lost his four front teeth - top and bottom. That means it’s basically impossible for him to eat an apple without someone slicing it up. I have crowns on my top two front teeth. I can’t bite into apples or corn on the cob the way you probably can.

As a result, applesauce has become an appealing alternative to one of our favorite fruits. I wondered if I’d have to explain how to eat the Smashies. Apparently, slurping applesauce comes more naturally to a six year old than to me. He slurped it down in the blink of an eye.

Smashies tasted just like ordinary unsweetened applesauce. I have to admit, the pouch thing was unusual, but it worked. No mess and no fuss.

Details

Don’t take my word for it. Check out what other bloggers are saying about Smashies. I’m told there will be more flavors available in the spring.

Smashies go on sale in October of 2008. Look for them in your local grocery store.

My son loves mushrooms. I am always kind of perplexed by this. I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms. I know tons of kids who hate them and many adults who aren’t exactly keen on them. I’ve determined that my son, who is an eternal daddy’s boy, gets his love of mushrooms from his dad.

Even though I’m not big on mushrooms, I cook them on a pretty regular basis. Here’s what I know:

Image Credit: Franky DeMeyer

Mushrooms are not vegetables. They’re actually fungi. I know that makes ‘em kinda gross to you and me, but chances are your kids will either find it really cool or they won’t care.

They aren’t nutritional powerhouses, but they do have some value. Most are a pretty good source of fiber, various vitamins, and several minerals.

Most mushrooms you’ll see in your grocery store are grown in commercial mushroom farms. Mushrooms are usually grown in compost or another fertile medium. They like it cool and dark, so many farms are underground.

Since many types of mushrooms can be poisonous, gathering them from the wild isn’t the best bet. Stick to store bought mushrooms.

Mushrooms are very porous. Essentially, that means they suck up a lot of moisture - whether that’s water used to wash or butter used to cook. Don’t wash mushrooms. Instead, brush the dirt off gently with a pastry brush or paper towel.

I figured I’d share my favorite ways to cook mushrooms.

1. Pizza: Mushrooms on pizza are yummy. Plus, most kids love pizza. Introducing an unfamiliar food with an old favorite makes it more likely that the kids will try it and enjoy it.
2. Sauteed Mushrooms: Cook sliced mushrooms in a mixture of olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Keep ‘em moving in the pan and try not to let ‘em get too mushy.
3. Pasta: Add sauteed mushrooms to store bought or homemade pasta sauce. Serve over your favorite pasta or add to lasagna. Chop ‘em up very finely (use an electric chopper to save time) to disguise them.
4. Stir Fry: Mushrooms cook very quickly, especially over the high heat used in stir frying. Add them last and cook for just a minute or so.
5. Salads: Add fresh, raw mushrooms to salad. They’re especially good in chopped salads (all veggies like carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and tomatoes…no lettuce).

What’s your favorite way to cook mushrooms? Do your kids like ‘em? Do you?

I had a lot of questions about juice. I did some research and figured I’d share what I found with you.

What’s the difference between 100% juice and juice drink?

Obviously, 100% juice has 100% juice. There are no added sweeteners, no added water, etc. It could be one or more types of juice, but it must all be juice.

Juice drinks (you can substitute beverage, punch, cocktail, etc. for drink) contain less than 100% juice. In fact, they contain anywhere from 10% to 99% juice (anything less than 10% can’t even be called juice drink). The rest of the drink is water and sweeteners.

Check the label to find out how much juice is in your juice drink. Ingredients must be listed in order of volume with the big stuff first. So the higher juice is on the list, the better.

What’s with the “from concentrate” juice?

Concentrating juice involves removing the water. Think of the orange juice concentrate your mom used to use. Add the frozen chunk of juice concentrate and water, stir, and viola! You’ve got juice!

This is good for a few reasons. Super fresh fruits can be made into juice near the place they were harvested. That means the juice captures the fruit at its ripest and freshest. The juice is then concentrated to make it easier and cheaper to ship.

Once it gets to wherever it’s going, water is added to the juice concentrate. The amount of water used is the same as the amount of water originally removed, so the nutritional value of the juice is the same. Juice like this must be labeled “reconstituted” or “made from concentrate.” It can still be labeled as 100% juice though.

Why is apple, pear, or grape juice listed as the first ingredient in other types of juices?

These juices are naturally very sweet. That’s part of the reason kids love ‘em. They’re used to sweeten tart or acidic juices like cranberry juice. By using a sweet juice, manufacturers don’t need to add sugar or other sweeteners.

What are the nutritional benefits of juice?

Well, juice generally has many of the same benefits of fruit. Some of the common goodies in juice are:

• Potassium: This acts as a counter balance for sodium in your diet. It also lowers blood pressure.
• Vitamin C: The big C helps heal bruises and cuts. It’s great for preventing infection. Plus, it helps your body absorb iron from your diet.
• Vitamin A: This one helps with eye and skin health.
• Antioxidants: Fruits are loaded with antioxidants. These help prevent the damage to your cells that occurs when your body uses oxygen.

Why is a serving of juice so much higher in calories than a serving of whole fruit?

An apple contains about 75 calories. There are about 3 grams of fiber, which translates to 12 calories. There’s a tiny bit of fat and protein, but most of the remainder is sugar. There are about 11 grams of sugar.

Six ounces of an unsweetened apple juice contains about 90 calories. It’s all sugar – about 21 grams worth. That’s because the fiber (and tiny bits of fat and protein) are removed when the juice is made.

It takes more than one apple to make a serving of apple juice. So you end up with more sugar (and more calories) in juice.

Are juices as good for you as whole fruits?

Juices aren’t quite as good as whole fruits. Assuming your juice doesn’t contain tons of added sweeteners, you’re still losing the fiber from whole fruit. Fiber helps move food through your system. It can also make you feel fuller and more satisfied.

The part of fruit that contains fiber is removed when making juice. As a result, juice lacks fiber and any vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants that were in the fibrous parts of the fruit.

Juice is not all bad though. It does have loads of vitamins and nutrients. If you have a choice, go with the whole fruit. Juice is a decent alternative if your kid doesn’t like the fruit in question.

Stick to 100% juice when you can and make sure you control the servings. Juice still has loads of calories and shouldn’t be provided in unlimited quantities. A serving is usually 6 oz or ¾ cup.

Should I choose white or wheat instead? Choosing a bread for your family is not easy when you’re faced with the rather daunting selection of breads in your local grocery store. Not to mention all the natural and organic varieties found in specialty stores.

Why all the hype about whole wheat?

Whole grains are a great source of B vitamins, Vitamin E, magnesium, iron, and fiber. Like most plant based foods, they also contain phytochemicals and antioxidants.

Whole wheat bread is made by grinding the entire grain of wheat, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. Most of the vitamins and minerals in a grain of wheat are found in the germ and bran.

Most whole wheat bread contains added sugar or high fructose corn syrup. It’s used to help activate the yeast and sweeten the bread. The amount of sweetener used is minimal, so don’t panic if you find out your favorite bread contains high fructose corn syrup.

All that being said, the best bread you can choose is fresh whole wheat bread without added sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

But I don’t like whole wheat!

Most people that don’t like whole wheat chalk it up to one of two reasons: texture or flavor.

Wheat bread’s texture is somewhat grainier and more dense than white bread. When the whole grain is ground up, it forms bigger and sharper particles than you’d see in white bread flour. These sharp particles can slow down the formation of gluten, which makes bread chewy and helps hold its structure together.

Some people say wheat bread tastes somewhat rancid to them. Wheat flour will go rancid far faster than white bread because of the higher amount of oil in the grains. To guard against this, keep your wheat bread in the fridge.

I love the smooth, soft texture of white bread!

I do too! I’m all about the soft breads. White bread is so smooth and fluffy because only the endosperm is ground to make white flour. The smaller, softer particles allow gluten to form properly.

If you don’t want to sacrifice the fiber, vitamins, or minerals in wheat bread, you can try a bread made with fine ground wheat bread. Sara Lee Soft and Smooth is the best I’ve tasted. Its taste and texture is very similar to white bread, but it’s got the benefits of being a whole grain bread.

For the perfect compliment to a delicious bread, try your favorite peanut butter!

Unless your child is allergic to peanuts, you’ve probably got a jar of peanut butter in your kitchen. Chances are you go through peanut butter like it’s going out of style. I know I do.

If “choosy moms choose Jif,” Peter Pan is the “simple pleasure you never outgrow,” and you can “fuel the fun” with Skippy, what kind of peanut butter should you feed your kids?

What’s in peanut butter anyway?

Most peanut butter contains roasted peanuts, oils, salt, and sugar. Shelf stable peanut butters often contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. These oils extend the shelf life and help prevent the peanut butter from separating. While that’s good for manufacturers, its not so good for your heart. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils are also known as trans fats.

Warning! Even if nutrition label says 0 trans fats, check the ingredient list. The FDA allows companies to put 0 on the label when it’s 0.5g or less. That means your peanut butter could still contain some trans fats even if they’re not listed on the nutrition label.

Why add sugar and salt to peanut butter?

The salt enhances the flavor of the peanuts. The sugar makes the peanut butter sweeter. Different peanut butters have different ratios of sugar and salt.

Don’t all peanut butters taste the same?

No! I have a passion for peanut butter, as evidenced by a whole blog post about peanut butter. I tasted five different brands of peanut butter with the help of my family.

Jif: The roasted peanut flavor comes out more strongly in this peanut butter. It’s also a little saltier. It does contain sugar and fully hydrogenated rapeseed and soybean oils. There are less than 0.5g of trans fats in a 2Tbsp serving. Unlike the other peanut butters I tried, Jif also contains molasses and mono and diglycerides.

Skippy: This peanut butter was very thick and had an odd aftertaste. My son did not like it at all. I can’t put my finger on what’s off about it…it almost tastes rancid. It also contains sugar and hydrogenated cottonseed, soybean, and rapeseed oils. Even though it contains hydrogenated oils, it contains less than 0.5g of trans fats in a 2Tbsp serving.

Peter Pan: A tad sweeter than Jif, this peanut butter was thick and mild. No strong roasted notes or raw peanut taste. Like the other non-refrigerated peanut butters, it contains hydrogenated cottonseed and rapeseed oils and sugar. Again, there is less than 0.5g of trans fats in a 2Tbsp serving.

Smuckers Natural: This peanut butter came with a layer of oil on top and had to be stirred pretty thoroughly before it was remotely edible. Even then, it was very runny and sticky. There were some distinct roasted notes and it wasn’t too salty. It was too grainy, especially for a creamy peanut butter. It needed to be refrigerated after opening. The only ingredients in this peanut butter are peanuts and salt. The oil you see on top is peanut oil.

Eastwind Organic: I found this one in the health market section of my grocery store. Like the Smuckers Natural, it had to be stirred very well and refrigerated thereafter. It was very sticky and bland with a very strong raw peanut note. Though the label says it contains salt, you’d never know it from the flavor. The ingredient statement on this one specifies roasted peanuts and sea salt.

What’s with the organic/natural peanut butter?

The obvious answer is that it’s organic and/or natural. The less obvious answer is that it doesn’t contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenation is by its very definition artificial. Natural peanut butter often needs to be refrigerated because there aren’t any preservatives.

It may also separate and need to be stirred back together before use. Don’t stress, there’s nothing wrong with the peanut butter. It doesn’t contain any stabilizing ingredients…that’s part of why it’s natural.

Now, I’m not a big fan of organic just for organic’s sake. Organic or not, natural peanut butter doesn’t contain nearly as many chemicals or preservatives as shelf stable peanut butter.

Should I buy organic/natural peanut butter then?

It depends on how much you use. If you go through peanut butter at the same pace my family does, it may be worth your while to buy natural. My kid consumes a lot of peanut butter and I feel better knowing exactly what he’s eating.

Natural peanut butter has a much shorter shelf life (that’s why it usually has to be refrigerated) than the shelf stable kind. So if you don’t use much peanut butter, you may want to stick with the longer lasting variety.

On the other hand, natural peanut butter is often more expensive than your standard shelf stable varieties. With food costs rising, you can’t ignore the price of peanut butter.

How much do different peanut butters cost?

The five brands I checked were priced as follows:

• Jif: 18 oz for $2.28 - that’s 12.3 cents per ounce
• Skippy: 16.3 oz for $1.88 - that’s 11.5 cents per ounce
• Peter Pan: 18 oz for $2.33 - that’s 12.9 cents per ounce
• Smuckers Natural: 16 oz for $2.59 - that’s 16.2 cents per ounce
• Eastwind Organic: 16 oz for $4.22 - that’s 26.4 cents per ounce

What about nutrition? Aren’t organic peanut butters better?

Kinda. Organic peanut butters don’t contain hydrogenated oils and therefore contain no trans fats. Even though most peanut butters say 0 in the trans fats column, they contain some hydrogenated oils which means they contain less than 0.5g of trans fats per serving.

Here are the calorie, fat, sugar, and salt counts in the peanut butters I checked out (all are in 2Tbsp servings):

Jif: 190 calories, 16g of fat, 3g of sugar, and 150mg of salt. The label shows 130 calories from fat. However, 16g of fat times 9 calories per gram of fat is 144 calories. I checked the rest of the label and found the calories were off by 10 - there are 200 calories per 2Tbsp.

Skippy: 190 calories, 16g of fat, 3g of sugar, and 150mg of salt. This label shows 140 calories from fat, but it’s the same as Jif at 144. At least this jives with labeling regulations - companies are allowed to round down on their labels. The total calories is off by 10 as well.

Peter Pan: 190 calories, 17g of fat, 3g of sugar, 140mg of salt. The label shows 140 calories from fat, but when you calculate it, you get 153 calories. I checked the rest of the label and found the caleries were off by 15 calories. There are 205 calories per 2Tbsp serving.

Smuckers Natural: 210 calories, 16g of fat, 1g of sugar, and 120mg of salt. The label shows 150 calories from fat, which is actually more than the calculated value of 144. In addition, there are only 200 calories per 2Tbsp serving.

Eastwind Organic: 200 calories, 16g of fat, 1g of sugar, and 25mg of salt. The label shows 145 calories from fat, which is the most accurate number so far. In addition, the calories are acurate.

All of these are very similar nutritionally. Unless you’ve got a real problem with salt, you probably don’t need to worry about which one you choose. Many of the shelf stable brands offer low calorie, reduced fat, reduced sugar, or reduced salt varieties as well.

My kid is allergic to peanut butter! What are my options?

If your child is allergic to just peanuts, try almond or cashew butter. It’s definitely more expensive, but it tastes very similar to peanut butter and obviously doesn’t contain peanuts. Check the label before you buy it just to be sure it’s peanut free.

However, if your child is allergic to peanuts AND tree nuts (almonds, cashews, etc.), it’s harder to find a substitute. Several companies make soy nut butters, which don’t contain peanuts or tree nuts (again, check the label). I have no idea how they taste, so if you’ve tried them, let me know what you (and your kid) thought.

Now that you know all about peanut butter, go out and use it! Tell me which kind you like, how you use it, and how quickly you go through it.

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Image Credit: Sean Locke