I have my sister, Greta, to thank for my latest and most potent addiction ever. A couple of months ago I was at her house and was hankerin’ for a little something crunchy and perhaps salty to snack on. She nonchalantly reached in her cupboard and produced the most crispy, crunchy, satisfying, irresistible, “can’t-possibly-stop-eating-til-the-entire-box-is-gone” treat: “Nut-Thins Rice & Nut Crackers.” Has anyone tried these stupid things? I wish I hadn’t! I can’t stop eating them! Why, Greta? Why’d ya do it??

I love, love, love the pecan flavoured ones. The ingredients list is pretty clean, and they’re backed by the Celiac Disease Foundation, being gluten-free and all, which I appreciate. The label states that a 30 gram serving (16 crackers) is a mere 130 calories, so you can grab more than a handful. Oh yeah? Well how ’bout 1600 crackers, because that’s about how many (give or take a few thousand), that I’ve downed in the last couple of weeks! Seriously. Crack cocaine might be safer than these crackers. Maybe it’s just me. Perhaps I have no willpower whatsoever. Perhaps I am a willpower weakling? Or perhaps I am so tired of hibernating through these winter months that I’m just drowning my sorrows with salty snacks. I dunno. All I do know is that for the last couple of weeks I’ve had to bump up my workouts at the gym to two-hour, cracker-calorie-incinerating sweat-a-thons, thanks to Greta and her so-called “hospitality.” When I said I wanted crunchy and salty, why couldn’t she have offered me a dill pickle?

Like I said, it might just be me, but if you want to try them for yourself, I found Nut Thins at Loblaws in the natural section. Manufacturer is Blue-Diamond Growers. Good luck to you.

Anway, I can’t wait for FRED’s show, Dan for Mayor, to premiere tonight at 8:30 pm EST. Don’t forget, Janet and I make an appearance in the 4th episode, slated for March 22nd.

The show is from the writers of Corner Gas, and it’s called Dan for Mayor. Remember dumb Hank in Corner Gas? He was played by the non-dumb and very cute Fred Ewaniuck, who now stars in Dan for Mayor. I love the premise of the show (I’m quoting this from an interview with Ewaniuck that was published on the Macleans magazine website): “Dan is an aging slacker who snaps into reality when his ex-girlfriend announces she’s getting married. Stunned by the news, Dan, a bartender, announces big plans of his own: he’s running for mayor. Dan recruits his best friend to manage his campaign—Ewaniuck describes it as ‘the blind leading the blind’—and sells his beloved Pac-Man arcade game to pay the electoral deposit.”

The show looks really cute and funny. I can’t wait to start watching it, and not just because Janet and I are in it, either! You’ll see us in episode #4, which is schedule for March 22nd. I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck we could possibly be doing in this sitcom, right?? Well, I won’t give it away, but let’s just say we look really “dreamy” in it.

Thank you so much for your support of our burgers. More J&G products to come!

3. Nature’s Path Optimum Cereal with Blueberries and Cinnamon (YUM!). I don’t think this tastes like a healthy cereal at all. It has everything I like in a cereal: crunch-power, texture, little itty bitty blueberries with a hint of cinnamon, and just a touch of sweetness. I love cinnamon enough to marry it, so when it’s in cereal (did I mention I love cereal?), it’s divine! Bonus: 7 grams of fibre and only 9 grams of sugar per cup. More info on Optimum Cereal here: http://www.naturespath.com/products/cold%20cereals?tid=5&brand=All&nutri=All

2. Kashi Go-Lean Crunch. I’d describe these crunchy clusters as a combination of Sugar Crisp cereal (again, from my sugar-coated youth) and granola. They aren’t kidding about the crunch part (not recommended after recent dental work) and this cereal doesn’t get soggy in milk. It’s filling and keeps me feeling satisfied for a long time, likely because of the dynamic dietary duo of high fibre (8 g per cup) plus high protein (9 g). The sugar content is a bit higher than the Optimum Cereal above (13 g vs 9 g), but it’s still respectable. More info on Go-Lean Crunch here: http://www.kashi.com/products/golean_crunch_original

1. Drum roll, please!! My ultimate favourite could-eat-it-every-day-and-usually-do healthy cereal? Kashi Cinnamon Harvest. Think Frosted Mini Wheats without the “frosted” part, since the Kashi folks tucked a little hint of sweetness, in the form of organic cane juice, throughout (not just on top of) these tasty little pillows of warm, spicy cinnamon and organic whole wheat. Not only do I love it for breakfast, it’s the perfect bedtime snack when made with warm milk…and just what’s recommended when your stomach’s growling at night—a blend of whole-grains and protein! I do have one complaint about this cereal though, and I know I’m not alone. There seems to be quite a variation from box to box in the cinnamoniness (I know, not a word) and sweetness. I wish it was more consistent. The cinnamon fairies were definitely snoozing when my last box of Cinnamon Harvest was produced…I could barely taste the spice (so I sprinkled some on myself! Not ON MYSELF, like on my pyjamas, but on the cereal ALL BY MYSELF
More info on Cinnamon Harvest here:
http://www.kashi.com/products/kashi_whole_wheat_biscuits_cinnamon_harvest

I’ve found all three cereals mentioned above in the health-food aisle of my local grocery store. Please give them a try and let me know what you think!

We’d LOVE it if you’d visit Leslie’s blog and cheer her on! This is a very big deal to Leslie, since she’s made a firm commitment to lose weight and change her eating habits once and for all, so we’re sure she’d appreciate your support.

Here’s where you’ll find her:
http://eatshrinkandmeetleslie.blogspot.com:80/

By the way, should they decide to make a Hollywood movie out of Leslie’s journey, I’m wondering who will play me????? I often have people tell me I look like “a younger Morgan Fairchild” (thank God for the “younger” part…isn’t she in her sixties??) or Marla Maples. People tell Janet she looks like Leah Remini from King of Queens. I posed this question to Leslie and she said, “I see you two being portrayed by Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bullock.” Now you know why we love Leslie!!

Eat, Shrink & Be Merry, Season 3, Food Network Canada
Begins Friday, September 4th
Show Times:
Fridays: 8:00 am, 11:30 am and 7:30 pm
Saturdays: 9:00 am

At this time, the burgers are in the L.A.-area, Seattle, western Canada and Ontario Costco stores only. (Ottawa Costco stores should have them in a week or two. Patience!) Hopefully it’s just a matter of time before many other regions across North America jump on the burger bandwagon.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been getting tons of positive feedback. Thanks so much for your emails and phone calls!! I personally can’t wait for our other products to hit store shelves, especially the unbelievably delicious Ultimate Veggie Burger that Greta has somehow miraculously concocted in her very own kitchen. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, high in protein and fiber, containing two super-grains (chia and quinoa). There’s really nothing like it anywhere. Honest! And best of all, it tastes super-great!

Stay tuned for more updates…

Oh, and one more thing: For those of you who watch our Food Network TV series, the third season of Eat, Shrink & Be Merry will begin airing some time in September. Loads of great recipes and loads of fun. It might be our best season yet!

Our chicken burgers are gluten free, have no preservatives, MSG or artificial ingredients, and they’re made with 100% whole muscle, boneless, skinless chicken, which means they don’t have any of that cheap-o  “mechanically separated” chicken or bread-crumb filler.  As a bonus, each burger contains a poultry 9 grams of fat!

Because our burgers are already cooked, they won’t shrink down to a puny little disk when you heat them up. No siree, they’ll stay plump and moist and totally scrumptious! You can grill ’em, bake ’em, pan fry ’em or pop ’em in the microwave for 50 seconds and dinner (or lunch) is served!  They’re fuss-free fabulous food that your family will love. Our burgers taste great on a bun with all of your favourite burger toppings, but we like eating them bun-less, with a knife and fork!
 

Please check them out this weekend if you’re visiting a Costco store. You won’t be disappointed!

What: Janet & Greta’s Gourmet Chicken Burgers (did we mention they have little bits of roasted vegetables in them?)

Where: Costco stores across Canada; Seattle-area and Los Angeles-area Costco in the US.

How much: About $12.00 for a box of 8 burgers (bargain!)

So he tried a simple experiment: He limited his sugar intake to 20-25 grams per day. Not easy, but doable. (Just to give you an idea of how much sugar is in stuff: 50 grams in a Coke, 40 grams in a large glass of orange juice, 11 grams in a serving of Kellog’s Frosted Flakes, 14 grams in a 100 gram serving of Activia Strawberry yogurt, 2.3 grams in a 10 gram serving of ketchup, 39 grams in a grande Starbuck’s Cinnamon Dolce Latte.) And whaddya know? The fat melted off! In one month, he lost 17 pounds. “It basically just melted off,” he said. Interesting.

So the next time you’re reaching for a banana-chocolate chip muffin to go with your latte, just remember the famous words of Confucious: He who eat too much sweet, have too much seat!