We love to try new foods. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in our kitchen. See what you think.
Nature’s Own baked breads and buns are made free of artificial colors and flavors with no trans fat, cholesterol or high fructose corn syrup. We recently had the chance to sample some of their breakfast options.
Oatmeal Toasters are new to their line and are squares (2.3 ounces), a little smaller than a slice of bread, with a soft, chewy texture. Both varieties – Cinnamon Raisin (170 calories) and Cranberry Orange (160 calories) – are made with whole wheat, rolled oats and dried fruits providing 4 grams of fiber. Our tasters raved about them, a nice change for breakfast.
Nature’s Own makes traditional bagels as well as Thin Sliced Bagels. We sampled Cinnamon Raisin Bagels (270 calories and 3 grams of fiber) and Original Bagels (300 calories and 2 grams of fiber). Both were traditional soft bagels (3.7 ounces each). Many find the size of a traditional bagel more than they want. To answer this Nature’s Own Thin Sliced Bagels (1.6 ounces) are perfect with 110 calories each. We sampled Plain (4 grams of fiber) and 100% Whole Wheat (5 grams of fiber). These make a great holder for a scrambled egg sandwich or a lunch sandwich. Half is a perfect toddler portion and our 3-year old tester loved the whole wheat variety.
Who doesn’t like raisin bread? Nature’s own Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread is loaded with raisins. This is not a whole grain bread but 2 slices (160 calories) has 2 grams of fiber.
Many of the breakfast breads we tried were rich in calcium.
- Original Bagel — 800 milligrams (80% of the daily requirement)
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagel – 450 milligrams (45% of the daily requirement)
- Thin Sliced Bagels – 250 milligrams (25% of the daily requirement)
- Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread – 300 milligrams (30% of the daily requirement)
Look for Nature’s Own products when you shop.
Gluten free breads often disappoint. If that has been your experience we would recommend Canyon Bakehouse which began baking gluten free breads, rolls and muffins in a dedicated gluten-free bakery in 2009. All their products are Certified Gluten Free, kosher certified (OV, Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis), and dairy, nut and soy free.
Canyon Bakehouse makes 7-Grain, Cinnamon Raisin, Mountain White, Deli Rye, and Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia breads along with Hamburger Buns and Cranberry Crunch Muffins. We recently tasted 7-Grain bread, Cinnamon Raisin bread and Hamburger Buns. The texture, flavor and mouthfeel for all were excellent. The breads toasted well and you would be hard-pressed to identify the products as gluten free. The last hamburger roll was left in a breadbasket and a bread-loving man grabbed it for a lunch sandwich and commented on how good it tasted — an excellent, blind taste-test for a gluten-free roll.
The nutrition profile of breads were similar to regular bread – 90 calories a slice, 2 grams of fiber and 85 milligrams of sodium for Raisin Bread (100 milligrams for 7-Grain). A Hamburger Roll has 200 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 300 milligrams of sodium.
If you are looking for quality gluten-free baked products, Canyon Bakehouse is an excellent brand.
