I stepped on the scale today

It's adding up. Patio donuts—cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla are my favs; peanut butter on toast; cheese on crackers; honey on biscuits; fried potatoes, eggs and sausage for the breakfast special after Sunday services; the pie lady at the Farmer's Market; bowls of ice cream on the porch with friends; hosting a block party; going to the CIC club for brunch with John and Katie; invites to Arlene and Roger’s peach cobbler. Over my adult life I've lost about 130 pounds beginning in college, but usually 20 pounds here and there (1960, 1983, 1986, 1993, 2006, 2015). And the last time, 2015, it was 30 lbs.! and it's time to suck it up, pull it in, and stop having so much fun.

Gluten free snacks--bleh

There are many people buying gluten free products who don't need to--but I actually bought a snack item yesterday because I thought it tasted better than the "real" product.  At the after-church fellowship hour at UALC, gluten free honey mustard pretzels had been offered.  I'd tried them, and really liked them.  So I bought a bag of Snyder's Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel sticks gluten free to have for snacks before dinner last night with guests.  Now perhaps I over did--I've been known to have a soft place for salty snacks--but I had a lot of stomach distress later in the evening.  So today I looked at the list of ingredients.

Corn starch
Potato starch
Palm oil
Tapioca starch
Dextrose
Sugar
Water
Salt
Cellulose Gum
Onion powder
Baking powder
Soy lecithin
Citric Acid
Maltodextrin
Yeast
Mustard flour
Modified cornstarch
Vinegar,
Spice and herb
Vinegar powder
Honey Powder
Spice and coloring (contains turmeric)
Natural flavoring
Soda

Interestingly, in small print, "We are not connected with "Snyder of Berlin" of Berlin, PA 15530.  This is package is Snyder's of Hanover.  I wondered if they were originally together and so I did a little research and learned that descendants of the Snyders of the 19th century who had their plant in Hanover relocated in Berlin and had different ideas, particularly about potato chips. So there was a split.  But that's neither here nor there; why did the gluten free snack cause me digestion problems when regular (less flavorful pretzels) didn't?  The basic ingredients of pretzels are wheat flour, sweetener (usually sugar or corn syrup), water, yeast, and salt with some egg wash to make them crispy.  In my case, less is better than all the tricks to go gluten free.  I wonder how many people pick up gluten free processed food at the market and don't read the ingredients?

Still have half a bag.  I think it goes into the trash.

Vanilla Lemon Chex Mix

Read this for the instructions; not difficult.  Great for a holiday party.  
http://mylitter.com/recipes/vanilla-lemon-chex-mix-recipe/ 

Ingredients

• 5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
• ¾ cup Vanilla Baking Chips
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, fresh
• 1 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Lakeside’s Herb Class (Wednesday 8:30, Train station)

This week's herb group was on cinnamon. Large crowd probably because the weather eliminates anything else, and everyone knows what it is. We learned all about history and countries of origin, and difference with cassia. Donna Shoemaker submitted the recipe for Cincinnati's famous Skyline Chili which contains cinnamon. We all got a sample. It was delicious. I intend to try it. You can use it over spaghetti; or add red beans, or put it on a hot dog.

We were all big girls (plus 2 men and a boy) with probably combined 900 years in the kitchen, so no amounts were given in the recipe. Ground beef & pork, warm water, canned tomato sauce, tomato paste with water, dried yeast, fresh cinnamon, salt, fresh diced onions, fresh garlic, dash of paprika. Cook all together slowly, low heat 1-2 hours stove top or low in crock pot. If you need amounts, here’s a recipe.

On another delicious topic:

"Trail mix" sounds so healthy. I think it's from that eco-friendly 70s era. But today it means you're not burning up calories hiking in the woods, looking for grubs and berries, but sitting on the couch munching an addictive sweet/salty mix while watching unreality shows.

French toast sticks

I made a breakfast casserole (eggs, bread cubes, ham, Half n Half) and had a lot of crusts left over, so I googled the dilemma, “what to do with bread crusts” and found this.  I had some cinnamon/sugar mix left from making snickerdoodles the other day, so it solved 2 problems.

Out and about on the Marblehead Peninsula

I was at a local bank next to a McDonald's today. Noticed the sign for workers at McDonald's. $10/hour. Ohio's minimum is $7.95/hour, higher than the federal. During the Bush years when it was very difficult to get Americans to work in the leisure industry (seasonal), we had a lot of East European and Baltic college students working in Lakeside. After a full shift they'd ride their bicycles several miles to McDonald's and work another shift. Their ambition was impressive, but after traveling when their 10 weeks were up, they went home--with their money.

The bank drive-through had a video camera, so the employee could see everything I was doing.  Well, I was eating potato chips, so I turned my head away from the camera.

We also have a Wal-Mart Super store about a mile from the bank, from which I can’t leave without having spent $40 when I only needed a few items.  Today I was there sort of early, so in the back of the store where I was browsing bikes I will never buy, the employees were having a pep rally of sorts.  Later when I was checking out, I mentioned it to the cashier.  She smiled and said that those at the register weren’t there.  Then she noted that they are only allowed 2 minutes to get from the back of the store to their registers! (It’s a long walk.) The staff there are well trained, polite and helpful.  Instead of pointing if you ask about something, they walk with you to the right location. Also, as is typical at a Wal-Mart, the merchandise is selected to meet the needs of the area, which in this case, is vacation land with a lot of boats and cottages.

Golf carts are very popular in Lakeside. So are cell phones. Unfortunately, many people my age and older are doing both.

Spinach/kale corn chips

Today I bought a bag of spinach/kale corn chips. Mainly out of curiosity. Lots of vitamin K and vitamin A, and fat and salt to make it palatable. Still tastes like your lawn smells.

All the buzz words. Non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan friendly, nut-free environment.   And I had to break my rule—no food from Mexico.

Cheesy Bread Sticks

1 (10 ounce) can Pillsbury pizza crust dough
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Preheat oven to 425. Unroll pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet and brush with butter. Sprinkle cheeses and spices evenly over the dough.
With a pizza cutter, cut dough lengthwise into 12 long strips. Then cut those in half to make 24 strips. Do not seperate strips. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Recut along each strip and remove from cooking sheet. Serve sticks warm with marinara sauce.
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-cheesy-breadsticks-149066

Sometimes you have to break the bad news. . .

My husband was dabbing some peanut butter and jelly on his Ritz crackers at lunch (with the football design) and he sighed, "I don't think Ritz taste as good as they used to."

"Well, honey, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I've read that as we age, our taste buds start to fade. I'm afraid this is a complaint many people our age have about their favorite foods."

But I don't think he believed me.

The number of taste buds decreases beginning at about age 40 to 50 in women and at 50 to 60 in men. Each remaining taste bud also begins to atrophy (lose mass). The sensitivity to the four taste sensations does not seem to decrease until after age 60, if at all. If taste sensation is lost, usually salty and sweet tastes are lost first, with bitter and sour tastes lasting slightly longer.

Additionally, your mouth produces less saliva as you age. This causes dry mouth, which can make swallowing more difficult. It also makes digestion slightly less efficient and can increase dental problems.

The sense of smell may diminish, especially after age 70. This may be related to loss of nerve endings in the nose. Medline

Helping Wisconsin stay competitive in the global market

Somebody needed to help--might as well be me. Yesterday I bought an 8 oz tub of Rondole spreadable cheddar with horseradish. My goodness that is yummy on Ritz crackers. Not everyone enjoys reading the genealogy of American companies--but I do. Even the companies the libs love to hate, like McDonald's or Wal-Mart started out small with a better idea and better product until they were hated by competitors and socialists.

But what about Rondole Cheese? Here's what I found out and have pieced together in a few minutes.

At around the turn of the 20th century, three cheese factories were established in Wisconsin's rural North Central region--the Hamburg Cheese Manufacturing Co., the Cornbelt Cheese Factory and the Riverside Cheese Factory. These were known for producing outstanding bulk cheeses.

As these factories were handed down through generations of family ownership, competition became increasingly fierce, but not from one another. Family-run cheese companies were under pressure from cooperatives and large processors that had taken cheese production to new levels. Modern manufacturing facilities, huge investments in research and development, and even larger investments in marketing and distribution were challenging the capabilities of many family-operated companies.

In 1969, in an effort to remain competitive, Hamburg, Cornbelt and Riverside merged to create Wisconsin River Valley Cheese Inc. The new concern constructed a manufacturing plant on 80 acres in central Wisconsin, where production would continue on the high-quality cheese products for which the three predecessor companies had become known. Production began in 1970, but just two years later, Wisconsin River Valley Cheese was purchased by Connecticut-based Anco International. In 1974, the company was renamed InoFoods and the Rondele brand was born.

In 1974, InoFoods introduced its first product, a soft spreadable gourmet cheese named Rondele. Soon after its introduction, Rondele began competing favorably against the European imports that had long dominated the spreadable category. Kraft acquired InoFoods in 1990 making enhancements to the production facility, but in 1996, its focus on gourmet cheeses changed and sold InoFoods to Vermont-based Waterbury Specialty Foods.

Waterbury's interests were then acquired by the independent Rondele Specialty Foods, which re-established the product line, refocused distribution and initiated manufacturing initiatives, while driving brand equity. Facilitator Capital Fund, a Wisconsin-based private equity fund, and a group of private investors acquired rondelé in 1998. In late 2004 Lactalis USA, a subsidiary of Groupe Lactalis, the world's 8th largest dairy manufacturer, which included President’s brand, acquired Rondole Specialty foods.

In August 2010 it was announced that Lactalis American Group, which operates manufacturing plants south of Merrill and in Belmont, Wisconsin, received $57,000 in Dairy Manufacturing Facility Investment credits for the $2.7 million expansion at both locations.

“Agriculture and dairy are the backbone of Wisconsin’s economy – contributing more than 10 percent of the jobs in Wisconsin and about $59 billion to our economy every year,” Governor Doyle said. “The Dairy Manufacturing Facility Investment Tax Credits we are announcing today are helping Lactalis stay competitive on the global market, so that it can continue to thrive and support jobs here in Wisconsin.”

Calories do count!

This morning at Wal-Mart I stopped in the bakery section and looked at the cookies. We really don't need them, but, my goodness they looked wonderful. So I picked up oatmeal-raisin and oatmeal-raisin sugar free, which was twice as much, and compared the ingredients. Both had palm oil, which I don't think is good for us, but in small quantities, it's probably not a killer. But look at that fat and calories count! The sugar-free cookie was much higher in calories, and it would be my guess that you'd probably eat more of them too, because they don't have the same flavor and texture. The reverse is true with fat-free--usually a lot more sugar.

Americans are getting really picky about chemicals in food, sustainable and organic crops, and natural this and that. But they continue to get fatter. I think we were much better off with sugar and lard and fewer snacks and desserts than with chemically modified foods that don't satisfy, but are always at hand, so we eat more. If you really want low fat or low sugar, either add water or eat less.

Edy's Slow Churned Snack Size Cups

Speak for yourself, Rick! He says he prefers a 4 oz serving rather than 6 oz. Not me. If these wonderful little snack cups were 4 oz, I'd eat two! Six oz. is just about right. We've tried the coffee, mint choc chip, vanilla bean and chocolate. They are 5/$5 at Meijers. Also, this is 1/2 the fat. Fat free ice cream might as well be frozen skim milk in terms of satisfying a craving, don't you think? Remember the little cups of ice cream we got as kids with photos of movie stars on the inside cover?

Edy's Slow Churned Snack Size Cups

Do you suppose it's the butter?

What a good idea, I thought. Mini bags of microwave popcorn. Only 2 servings in a bag, 4 bags to a box. For some reason, I can't discipline myself to NOT eat the entire bag (4 servings) when I pop microwave popcorn. That I even buy the stuff is a bit of embarrassment, but I weakened when my neighbor came to the door last spring with her grandson "selling" it for his Boy Scout fund raiser. At the lake house I keep a small jar of unbrand popcorn and just pop about 1/4 C in a little oil when I get a snack attack. So I have a pack of 15 from the boy scout--or did have--only 3 are left. But the labels don't lie. The only "flavor" of the minis on the shelf at Meijer's this morning was "Movie theater butter," which we all remember from our movie watching youth (as a teen I saw at least one movie a week because my boyfriend ran the concession stand), isn't really butter but some sort of tinted oil. Corn, palm oil and salt. Yum. The Boy Scout fund raiser pop corn, Trail's End, has canola oil, corn oil and cottonseed oil, but has half the calories of the mini bag popcorn. What to do, what to do. Fortunately, today I'm not hungry after a sensible lunch of rice, asparagus, carrots and peas. And 2 cookies.

Besides, cottonseed oil isn't good for you. Next time I'll buy plain and add butter.

Blogger product endorsement

Alert the FTC--I'm about to do it again. Yesterday I bought an 8 oz. carton of Philadelphia spinach and artichoke cream cheese spread. Oh. My. Goodness. That's yummy. All gone.

Library snacking reflects society

When I returned to work in the mid-1980s, the big discussion, at least at OSU and I assume other academic libraries, was food in the libraries. It was a huge maintenance problem and the trash was a problem both for staff and users. I don't recall much alarm then about health, obesity, and the greening of everything. So we pretty much went to a "no food and drink" policy as a preservation plan (of materials and staff) which soon was chipped away first in Health Sciences, as I recall. You just don't tell doctors, even those in training, where they can eat, drink or sleep. So then came rules about permanent holders, lids, sippy cups, etc. There was a snack machine in the room next door to the Veterinary Library, which the librarian before me raged about (he had other problems, including borrowing money from faculty and not paying it back, and not showing up for work--but oh, he watched that machine!). I've lost track of what the current plan is--the main library at OSU has been closed for renovation for several years. My library was torn down and replaced and I've only been in it once, although I planned it.

Libraries, like churches, give in to society's cultural norms and to common business practices, and are not the moral and ethical touchstones they aspire to be. So now in the 21st century library cafes are becoming popular. Even my local public library has tried to push that one, although you can walk across the street to a shopping center and get a nice cup of coffee served to you. The book, The Survey of Library Cafes, surveyed the current trend (40+ libraries, mostly public), and although I haven't read it, here are some of the highlights:

The study presents data from a survey of more than 40 academic and public libraries. The libraries provide data about their library cafes and other food service operations, such as vending machines. The report has more than 100 tables of data exploring a broad range of issues related to library cafes, such as their finances, impact on patron traffic, staffing and maintenance. Data is broken out for academic and public libraries, and by size of library, for easier benchmarking.

Some of the findings of the report are that:

- Snacks account for nearly 71% of the income of library cafes, though lunch adds a not at all negligible 20.83% of total revenue and breakfast chips in with another 8.33%, according to The Survey of Library Cafes.

- Salads in this era of health consciousness chipped in only a mean of 4.5% of sales, more in the public than college libraries. All salad sales came from the larger libraries, those with more than 600,000 annual patrons.

- The average price of a cup of coffee in the library cafes was $1.49, perhaps reflecting the Starbuck-ization of the library café. This figure also takes into account those libraries that gave their coffee away.

- More than 40% of the library cafes offered outdoor eating. Close to 65% of the libraries in the sample had vending machines, with an average of only about three vending machines per library.

So, libraries contribute to obesity on the one hand, then buy books on dieting and alarmist titles about an obese population on the other. I'd have to look at it to see if these cafes are subbed out to private contractors or they use library-hired staff, but either way, the building is paid for by you, the tax payer, and it competes with your business community which also has to pay taxes to support the library. Nice job if you can get it.

It looks terribly expensive for the compiled data--55 pages and 80 euros! I'm wondering if authors' intention is to provide library directors, like ours, data to convince their board and voters that they need the next bond issue to open a cafe, yada, yada:

"This report gives extensive data on library cafe sales volume, best selling products, impact on library maintenance costs, reasons for starting a cafe, affect on library traffic and many other issues regarding the decision to start and manage a library cafe."

My secret fat

Today I got a warning in my e-mail, and an offer to buy a book promoting the secret to weight loss, telling me that we’re getting fat because of “MSG and other excitotoxins.” That’s not my problem, but I'm sure it will sell some books. This morning I stepped on the scale and it announced the bad, bad news. Since our trip to Italy this summer (6 months ago) I’ve put on 10 lbs. And that’s why my favorite, all wool, beautifully made, brown tweed Pendleton pants suit doesn’t fit as cold weather slips into Ohio. Now, there may be MSG in my food, but my problem is MGS, not MSG. More Gratuitous Snacking. Boxes of crackers have mysteriously made their way into my grocery cart, as have blocks of sharp cheddar cheese. I discovered an oreo cookie knock-off made with peanut butter for the filling. Three or four of those in the middle of the afternoon have given me just the MGS lift I needed. And let’s not forget my healthy breakfast of a sliced apple and ¼ cup of walnuts. The ¼ cup has grown to ¾ cup. And where in the world did those huge asiago bagels come from that I individually packaged and froze? They sure knocked out some plans to eat only 3 or 4 vegetables for lunch.

No, buying a book of diet secrets won’t be part of my plan.

Backstory: In September 2006 upon returning from my sister-in-law's wedding in California, I determined to lose 20 lbs by February 1, 2007 and I did. In the processes of giving up some favorite things (see my Thursday Thirteen), I also stopped snoring, had fewer back strains, and fewer colds (although that may be a coincidence). Just to make the personal political, let me remind you that the billions of dollars of your tax money the federal government is currently spending on programs and research to get the overweight poor and low-income quintiles to change their diets are destined to enrich only the USDA and HHS government workers if my experience changing my own habits and tastes is anecdotal evidence worth noting.

Where is the laundress when you need her?

Last week I did some ironing--and tackled a bit more this morning. The Laundress seems to be rather erratically blogging these days. I don't know if she had as much laundry as she claimed, but it was always interesting.

The 20 lbs I lost 2 years ago have been creeping back since our trip to Ireland last September, to which was added all that pasta in Italy in June. So I got out some cotton slacks that were too big for me the winter of 2006 but now are bulging where they shouldn't. There's a rule of thumb in weight loss--5 lbs is a dress size (assuming you aren't obese). This rule doesn't work for slacks, at least not for the pear shaped maiden/woman. For slacks, it's the rule of thigh, not thumb. I'd guess 7 lbs, and you've blown it. Although it probably depends on where you carry your weight. Say what you want about Hillary's legs, but this is the healthiest body style--slim waist, heavy thighs and legs. Sure, you don't get those Hollywood or modeling jobs, and no one chases you at the beach, but you also are less likely to have heart attacks, diabetes and breast cancer as you age.

This week I packed up at least 5 or 6 pair of slacks and jeans that ranged from size 4 to 8, (expensive brands have a come-on of smaller size tags), all purchased at the Discovery Shop for about $4 each. Some were wool, some cotton, some poly-whatever blend. I'm back in the 10s, at least until I can get control of that craving for Pumpkin ice cream that is only available this time of year. In the fall I'm like a squirrel preparing for a long winter.

The house is loaded with food I don't usually keep on hand. We got the bad news Monday that our house guests won't be coming--she's in the hospital in Alexandria, VA with pneumonia. And since they live in Huntington Beach, CA, they aren't too happy about that. So having too much food around is a small problem compared to what these dear loved ones are going through. It's never fun to be hospitalized, but if you have to be, better close to home where you have your own doctor, and your kids are near by.

So if your prayer list isn't already jammed, please add a total stranger, sister Kate.

My plan isn't working

Snacks don't bother my husband. And he doesn't bother them. I can buy him a 3-stack box of Ritz Crackers and he will carefully eat maybe 5 of them a few times a week, carefully spread with peanut butter and no-sugar jelly. One box lasts and lasts. That is, unless I get the munchies. My weakness is salty, crunchy snacks, and since our trip to Ireland in September I've taken on a few pounds that just don't want to leave. So if I buy him snacks, I usually have him hide them. Except. If I purchase the individually wrapped crackers, then I tend to leave them alone.

But today I bought him an 8 pack of Lance Captain's Wafers, Grilled Cheese flavor. I had a late breakfast/lunch because I had a 10:30 doctor's appointment. So I was sort of grazing--recovering my strenth from being poked and hooked up to a machine wearing one of those barely there gowns and freezing to death. Hmmm. Comfort food. Wonder what a grilled cheese flavored cracker snack tastes like? So I opened one. My goodness, that was yummy! Who in the world spent hours in the food lab taste testing cheese flavors so it would taste just a bit like your mother's slightly charred grilled cheese on a cast iron skillet smeared with a little margarine or Crisco? Can I get that job?

Are they good for me? Not as bad as you might think, except for the fat and sodium. At least there's no cottonseed oil. Look at the ingredients.

Ingredients:
Enriched Wheat Flour (Containing Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following Vegetable Oils: Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Palm Oil, Soybean Oil), Dairy Whey, American and Cheddar Cheeses (Cultured Milk, Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Salt, Reduced Lactose Whey, Malt Syrup, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Butter, Buttermilk Powder, Nonfat Dry Milk, Whey Protein Concentrate, Sodium Phosphate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Soy Lecithin, Cream, Artificial colors (Contains FD&C Yellow #5 and FD&C Yellow #6), Lactic Acid, Peanuts. CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, SOY, PEANUTS. 200 calories, 90 from fat. But it does have calcium and iron and 4g of protein.

Lip smacking, snacking good! And I do feel so loved--nothing like something from the kitchen.

Could it be our choices?

Would more government regulation of the fast food industry really protect Americans from obesity, which is now a bigger health problem than smoking? Would posting calorie count and fat content at casual dining places influence most consumers?

Grocery store food is labeled. There's a reason for these "loss leaders" being on the front page of this grocery store flyer--a store with low prices and no loyalty card to jack up the cost to the consumer. I'll take a wild guess--no one buying 8 liters of pop and assorted varieties of chips is reading labels for calories content, sodium and calories. Even if sold at a loss, if these items bring people into the store, and they then pick up other items, even broccoli and carrots, the manager has chosen well. The cashiers, stockers, office staff, truckers, packagers, ad designers, marketers, the utility companies, the rental agent, the stockholders and eventually the farmers will all be paid a living wage. (I'm so old I remember when milk was a loss leader--but that was before global warming and corn in the gas tank!) Now it's pop*, chips, beer, and bottled water. There's a tiny column on the inside of the flyer which reveals what a good deal we can still get at the grocery store: seedless cukes from Canada, $1; 1 lb bag of mini-carrots, $1; 3 lb. bag of onions, $1; 3 lb. bag of potatoes, $1; 8 oz. pkg of whole mushrooms $1; cantaloupe $1; pears, $1/lb.; Gala apples, $1/lb.

I use as much processed food (canned and frozen) now as I did when I worked. Using frozen instead of canned often cuts down on sugar and sodium**, and sometimes there is better protection of nutrients than using "fresh" produce that's been out of the field or off the tree for a long, long time. (I think my "fresh" turnip greens have been in the frig over 2 weeks and the cabbage more than 3, and the peppers are looking sad.) In my opinion, we'd all do better and consume fewer calories if we'd cut back on variety and choices--stick with the basics and contribute your own preparation. However, that action would put people out of work, so there's a trade-off.

*The cost of corn syrup should soon be forcing soda drink prices through the roof, too.

**In the U.S. diet, 77% of sodium comes from processed and restaurant foods, 12% occurs naturally in foods, 6% is added at the table, and 5% is added during cooking. (figures may be dated: J Am Coll Nutr. 1991; 10(4):;383-393 via JAMA)--but they weren't checking my kitchen--I add way more salt than the average cook.

When you absolutely, positively have to have a salty chip snack

Heat some vegetable oil--maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch in a small sauce pan. Cut up a corn tortilla (I use Azteca) into strips (scissors work better than a knife) and drop them into the oil for a few minutes, watching carefully. When they start to darken just a bit to a golden color, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle salt. Enjoy, but wait a few seconds or you'll burn your tongue. Tip: like pancakes, the first batch isn't very good--don't know what that principle is called, but the 2nd, 3rd and 4th should be just fine. One day I was helping with lunch at church during advent and we made these to go with bean soup. I thought it might come in handy for an emergency snack attack. I've tried this with flour tortillas and sprinkled with sugar/cinnamon, and that's yummy too, but I rarely crave anything sweet.