Since we are going to be on the subject of granolas: I like to have a basic low fat granola type recipe on hand like a Muesli with dried fruit and seeds.  Drying fruit like pears in an oven for 2-3 hours at 250 degrees allows pears to increase natural sugars and is wonderful added to a oat blend muesli. Take 3 pears peel and cut, slice into thin slices and place on a rack over a cookie sheet and  bake at 250 degrees for 2-3 hours. Cool at room temperature  overnight and store in a plastic container for 2-3 days and add them to the cereal when ready. Here is the recipe:

• 3 cups of quick cook or rolled oats
• 3 teaspoons of sunflower seeds or pepitas
• 3 teaspoons of chopped walnuts
• 3 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon  ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons of dried  currants,  raisins or cranberries
• 1 teaspoon of dried lemon peel
• one sliced dried pear

Mix together in an airtight container. Serves 2.

As the cereal aisle is getting bigger, the boxes are getting smaller. There are so many product choices for breakfast cereal so I thought I would choose the ones which are a great choice for your family. These picks are low in sodium and sugars but long on taste.

So get your milk ready or soy and lets explore quickly a few labels which I think are worth noting. First, remember where sugar is on the label.  We like  fourth position. The dietary sugars are the added sugar to the product. Total carbohydrate means the starch in the product like the grain itself.

Quaker Oats seems to get an applause for low sugars and low sodium . In the squares category, looking at your serving size is the first step. In thiscase, 1 cup which is a good serving. is 210 calories per cup , 5 gms of fiber  with 9 gms of sugar.  Sugar is the 4th ingredient (we like that)  with 190 mg of sodium. A good nutritional deal!

Mix together in an airtight container.

I was really impressed with another oldie but goodie- LIFE cereal.  At 120 calories per 1 cup, 160 mg of sodium,  6 gms of sugar . The fiber was low at 2 grams of fiber but adding some bran or oatmeal to the cereal will boost fiber. Keeping sugar low at our first meal is always a healthier approach.

Next on the list is Cheerios. We will start with the un-sweet version. Coming in at 190 Kcals with milk and 1 gram of sugar you cannot beat this cereal for healthy eating . Realize you can add fruit and some raisins and still be a great choice for diabetic at 2/3 cup serving. A great pantry staple, this cereal will not raise blood sugars as mush with higher fiber and less sugar. Heart Healthy as they say on the box and very low fat.

Now for granolas for they come in all shapes and sizes. We will start with a favorite of mine which is Post Great Grains.

A granola with less fat, I like the whole line of Post’s great grains. 250 kcals for 1 cup with 8 gms of sugar per cup . There is a higher fat content inGranola.  Granola  has nutsin the mix which are good monounsaturated fats and contribute to the calories. In Great Grains we have 6 gms of fat or aproximately 50 kcals from fat per serving. This is a good deal.

Nature Valley Pumpkin and Flax granola has a low sodium content of 45 mg per serving,  lower fat content than most granolas, and 10 grams of sugar per 3/4cup serving. Once again, calories will be higher with granola at 240 kcals per 3/4 cup , 300 calories with milk.

I was impressed with the taste and content of Honey Bunches of Oats product. At 170 kcals with milk with 20 kcals from fat, 135 mgs of sodium and 6 gms of sugar per serving. I would nominate this cereal as a very good product hitting all bases.

FlakesRaisin Bran

This is a carbohydrate and sugar landmine and we need to determine the pick for healthy eating  as well as providing enough  for that last spoonful of cereal in the bowl!  So I went with the health food store products now readily available in all supermarkets. Uncle Sam  cup serving at 190 calories , sodium is low at 120 mg, and dietary sugars  8 gms with 6 grams of protein. This is  a tasty cereal with the sugar coming from the raisins and a subtle sweetness from the flakes. A low sugar, sodium and  low fat product.

Lastly, this would not be a fair review without including the BIG Three in Raisin Brans. We must restrict the serving size to keep sugar intake lower- sorry!   So Kellogg’s Raisin Bran with an abundance of raisins (they  are not kidding -there  are two scoops per serving!)  as  a 6 oz  serving  ( one box serving) adds up to 140 calories, 150 mg of sodium and 13 gms of sugar. So I hope you will try these cereals and love to hear your thoughts!

Next Blog: ICE CREAM

Hi! I’m Dee Krupnick,  a Registered Dietitian  (MSRD) with a lot of culinary training and want to help you shop better and healthier. Great dishes and meals are created from a market visit. I also incorporate the products into recipes which I think you will enjoy. So a  blog was in order. I also have a designation Certified Specialist in Oncology  (CSO) and worked with many patients towards an improved lifestyle, through nutrition and shopping wisely.

New kids on the block: corn syrup free, fruity and 10 grams of sugar per tablespoon.  Everyone loves jam. On toast, with peanut butter, on crackers and when mixed in butter we have a wonderful whipped flavored butter. Today we applaud Smucker’s for their use of cane sugar  in their new fruit spreads. The Natural line is jam like and wonderful tasting. Orange Marmalade and Raspberry are great. The “Simply Fruit” is another wonderful fruit spread sweetened with fruit juices at 8 grams of sugar per tablespoon.

I have a special passion to supermarket shop. I utilize my nutrition knowledge from the produce aisle to canned goods and the frozen food section.  This blog will be there to encourage and  educate you the consumer. As author of A Connecticut Kitchen, I do come from a state with lots of fresh produce but also a winter which can be demanding, and being house bound and not able to shop was a frequent occurrence . This brings me to my point. A stocked pantry is important. How we stock it is equally so when we shop.

Whether you are a busy mom holding down 2 jobs, with no free time, weather standing in your way or the thought of shopping is just another chore to see my money fritter away, the pantry will save you every time. On my blog I will feature an award gallery for the manufacturers who took the time to produce healthier and tastier products for the consumer. They are RD approved, having tried the product and used it in my kitchen.

We all love something sweet and what better way to start my blog then with a product that I felt good about and use it myself. I know sugar is sugar, whether it is fructose from HFCS or sucrose but it is the portions we are consuming which causes obesity.  Fructose from corn is an invert sugar that is produced cheaply and can be sold in greater quantities, into products such a soda.

Research shows that sucrose  does not block leptin, the hormone of satisfaction.  Leptin supposedly acts on the hypothalamus blocking the drive to eat. In the case of fructose  (HFCS) or  high fructose corn syrup, it appears this satiety producing event does not occur and is a possible factor in the rising obesity in this country alongside the bigger portions of soda and other products being consumed with HFCS.  More research is needed regarding this topic, to do or not do fructose or table sugar sucrose in a healthy diet regimen, but for sure, watching caloriesbad

“High Fructose Corn Syrup, Energy Intake and Appetite Regulation”  Am J Clin Nutr December 2008 vol 88 17385-17445

I decided to create a biscotti and a compound butter with orange marmalade recipe.  The great alternative to butter can be an Earth Balance brand non dairy butter spread  which does not contain potassium sorbate  an additive.  The biscotti are almost non fat, for I use 2 egg whites and one egg and add chopped corn and cornmeal for alternative take on cornmeal bread in a biscotti. These are easy to make. The pink peppercorns are a berry from the Peruvian Peppertree and have a slight sweet peppery taste great and are great paired with orange marmalade.

Can be found in a gourmet shop where green and black peppercorns and other spices are found.

Orange Marmalade Spread

• 1 stick of butter softened or 6 ounces of Earth Balance Spread
• 2 tablespoons of Orange Marmalade
• 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
• Mix together in a food processor and whip for one minute. great on toast, cornbread or crackers.
• Copyright 2013 Connecticut Kitchen
• Corn Biscotti  (adaptation from Eating Well magazine)
• 1 cup of frozen corn or fresh corn cooked and shucked
• 1/ 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon  of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 2  teaspoons of hot sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients together . Whisk the eggs and tobacco sauce together and add to the dry ingredients. Then add the corn. Mix well. Working on a floured surface roll into 2 eight inch long logs and place on parchment or foil line cookie sheet and bake until firm to touch, about 25 minutes. Take out of the oven and slice. Put the sliced biscotti back into the oven to bake and dry at a reduced temp of 275 degrees for another 30 minutes. Let cool and serve.

Stay tune for rating the Tomato Sauces on the next blog.