From Soup To Nuts – A Full Day’s Menu

A great way to start off your day is with a delicious and nutritious bowl of cereal. The perfect combination of great taste and healthy eating can be found in a line of products from Barbara’s Bakery (OU, parve and dairy). Opened in 1971 by a 17-year-old baker, Barbara’s Bakery produces fruit juice-sweetened cereal, multigrain cereal bars, cookies and whole wheat saltine crackers.

In our house, the all time favorite is Multigrain Shredded Spoonfuls. We have been buying them for over two years and a box never lasts more than a day or two. A Quaker Square lover in our office is now buying the Shredded Oats on a regular basis. We also tried the Organic GoGo grahams in two flavors.

A bowl of Barbara’s cereal with a serving of fruit will give you enough natural energy to start your day right. You can find Barbara’s products in your local supermarket or kosher grocery.

If you’re looking for a perfect lunch, look no further than the refrigerator section of your local grocery. Light Lite Foods (OU or OK parve) has a full line of meatless products to fit your every mood. Want deli? Try their Old World Bologna or Three-Peppercorn Style Pastrami – all parve. Looking for something to sink your teeth into? Try their Salisbury Steak or Seasoned Chick’n. They also have Organic Tempeh and Smart Ground Burgers and Sausage. All their products are soy based and most are vegan.

While these products last quite a while in the refrigerator, you can also freeze them to have on hand, and never be without a healthy and tasty meal. They’re great for taking on trips as well. Light Life products can be found in your local kosher grocery or supermarket, or on the web at www.lightlife.com.

At some point in the day we all need a snack. Since we are looking at healthy eating for the main meals, for a snack you probably want something sweet and tasty. A few months ago we received a package from Emstron Candies (Vaad Hakashrus of Denver, dairy). Inside was the most incredible handcrafted almond toffee we had ever tasted. Now that is not an exaggeration, and it is not because we had never tasked toffee before. This is a great treat – they use the finest ingredients and combine them in a recipe that has been perfected over more than 40 years. It is rich and creamy with a taste of buttery chocolate. Enstrom Toffee can be purchased in their stores in the Denver area or on the web at www.enstrom.com.

Now for dinner – everyone’s favorite – pasta. We found a Canadian company that produces organic pasta that even your most picky eater will love. Rizopia Food Products (COR, parve) are made with rice and water – that’s right – rice. In my house we tried the organic corn rice fusilli and the organic brown rice spaghetti. My family loved them. I have to admit I was a little nervous, but it was a hit – the house smelled like corn on the cob and the kids enjoyed the taste. To find out where they can be purchased in the US please contact them at www.rizopia.com.  

It seems that the only thing we left out was liquid refeshment – have no fear, we have that as well. The Hansen Beverage Company (OU Parve) has an incredible array of natural sodas in great flavors. While we like the kiwi strawberry, key lime and root bear, without question our favorite was Vanilla Cream. Produced in old style glass bottles this line includes the vanilla, orange cream, black cherry and others. My picky nine year old has asked for the vanilla cream on a regular basis since he tried the sample. The full line of Hansen products cane be found on their website at www.hansens.com.