Food Finds

Clockwise: Millet, Free sample of Fiber 1 (get your’s here!) and Tofu Noodles

I found myself at an organic food store yesterday. Honestly, not a place I frequent much. When we first were looking to move to Maine back in ’05 we were driving up scenic Route 1 when we noticed that parts of our car were starting to fall off from underneath. Spectacular! We had to make an emergency stop at Midas. It was a sweltering hot August day (75 degrees constitutes as “sweltering” in Maine) and sitting in the lobby of a car garage with no AC was anything but what I wanted to do. Unfortunately we had long past the “scenic” part of Route 1, and we were now stuck in a place where their were no stores except car dealerships, a lonely dry cleaning store, and one natural food store.

I walked over to Lois’ Natural Foods alone. Andy would have rather sit in a pool of sweat watching daytime TV on a black and white 10” screen than browse rows of gluten free wheat and granola. I however, jumped at the chance to putter around a store. Like most men, Andy’s idea of shopping is going to a store to get exactly what you’re looking for, paying, and then leaving immediately.

Lately I’ve been collecting recipes for figure friendly meals and some of the ingredients call for some unusual ingredients. Since Andy is out of town this week I used that opportunity to peruse the isles of Lois’s again in search of the following: House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles, Millet and Bear Naked Sierra Trail Mix Granola

House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles – $1.99 for an 8oz bag
These noodles are a hot topic on the Weight Watchers community boards due to the fact they are only 20 calories per serving. Yup, 20. Air is more that 20 calories isn’t it? Hungry Girl also raves about them. And, I found an enticing recipe using Laughing Cow Cheese: Chicken Alfredo. Diet friendly alfredo? I’m in! I am a little weary though. Tofu is on my “do-not-eat-unless-its-the-last-thing-on-earth” list. Not because I’ve ever tried it and didn’t like it, but because I’m scared of it. It looks weird and smells funny. And, where does it come from anyway? Stay tuned for my review later in the week!

Millet – $.49 for 1 pound!
Brietta tipped me off to this grain. I Goggled it, because frankly I’ve never heard of it. Low and behold it’s one of the world’s healthiest foods! It’s packed with fiber, good for your heart and relatively low in calories. It looks like couscous, but smells nuttier. I look forward to making this recipe sometime in the very near future.

Bear Naked Granola – $4.49
I can find this in regular stores, but not the fancy kinds like the sierra trail mix blend. It has pumpkin seeds, raw cashews, raw walnuts, raisins, crasins, chocolate chips!, and sunflower seeds in it. It’s a wonderful addition to low fat yogurt or oatmeal.