Results tagged “spread”

Hellmann's Low Fat Mayonnaise Dressing

By: Lizabeth | Sep 17, 2009

With mayonnaise being made primarily from egg yolks and oil, it's not surprising that even light mayos still have a considerable amount of fat and calories per tablespoon. Because of this, and because I've never really been a big fan, preferring instead to just stick to Miracle Whip Light. However, with myriads of recipes calling for mayo, I thought finding a decent one that wouldn't derail my diet would be worth the effort. Knowing that a fat-free version of mayo would be wrong on some very fundamental levels, I opted instead to try Hellman's Low Fat Mayonnaise.

I opened the green-lidded jar to be greeted with what looked like most other mayo I've tried. There was no odd wobbliness or shiny sheen - just that same creamy texture and slightly yellow color that makes mayo, well ... mayo. I spread a glob onto a slice of sandwich bread and took a bite. It's actually just as bland as any other mayo I've tried, too! There's a slight creaminess, a little bit of something lemony, and that's it. Perhaps I'm immune to mayo's "nuances", but I just wasn't impressed. Where this stuff did shine, however, was in salads. It makes a wonderful creamy base for coleslaw, chicken, tuna, and potato salads, as well as an excellent dip base. It broke when I tried to broil fish coated in it, but remained creamy for regular baking temperatures.

See more on: Condiments , mayonnaise, spread

FitNutz Peanut Butter Mix

By: Ellen | Sep 17, 2009

FitNutz Peanut Butter Mix comes as a powder for easy use and has an extended shelf life. It contains 91% less fat and 74% fewer calories than regular peanut butter. It is gluten free, contains no trans fats, no added hydrogenated oils, is cholesterol free, and is all natural.

It's kind of a strange idea, but quite interesting and definitely worth trying. I ordered a 5-ounce package of the Regular variety ($4.99) and a sample pack (single servings of each regular, pro, and chunky flavors, $1.99). The total price came to $11.98 with shipping - definitely pricey, but worth it to satisfy my curiosity!

One thing that drew me to this product was the fact that you control the consistency of the final spread. If you want creamier peanut butter one day and thicker the next, no problem. I scooped a couple of spoonfuls of the powder into a little cup and added the recommended amount of water. After mixing, I sampled a little bit of the final product before adding it to a sandwich. The taste is nice and peanutty; it's not as sweet as regular peanut butter, but I kind of liked that - it tasted more "natural". Pricey? Yes, but definitely worth a try.

See more on: Condiments , Natural Foods , peanut butter, spread

Smucker's Low Sugar Strawberry and Grape Jelly

By: Lizabeth | Sep 16, 2009

Since there is a large amount of people wanting to avoid artificial sweeteners while still enjoying reduced-calorie version of their favorites, Smucker's has also released a line low-sugar jellies, touting half of the calories of the regular version. Could this be the best option, balancing the yin of fruit with the yang of calories?

I decided to try Smucker's Low Sugar Strawberry Jelly first. I was happy to spoon out a jelly with recognizable seeds, fruit chunks, and a thick, but not overly gelatinized texture. It spread smoothly on my toast, and one taste told me that I had found what I was looking for. The jelly was sweet, with a bit of tartness, and tasted just like pureed strawberries should. The Grape Jelly (which doesn't contain any fruit pieces, and is made only from juice) told a similar story - real, honest fruit flavor with real, honest texture.

See more on: Condiments , jam, spread

Smart Beat Super Light Trans Fat Free Margarine

By: Ellen | Sep 13, 2009

What do you get when you take 80 calories and 9 grams of fat out of margarine? That's what I wanted to know when I picked up a two-pack of Smart Beat Super Light Margarine for $2.49 (for a total of 16 ounces). This spread is advertised as having 75% less fat and calories than butter and margarine. It also contains "essential fatty acids" (2 grams of fat), no saturated or trans fat, no lactose and no cholesterol. With all of this, I was intrigued to see if the taste lived up to the nutritional claims.

This "light margarine" tastes like, well, nothing. It isn't necessarily that it tastes bad, but it's just incredibly bland. It lacks that buttery, somewhat salty flavor that makes margarine and butter products so wonderful. I definitely wouldn't use this as a spread, and it can't be used in baking either as there is a disclaimer at the bottom that says: SMART BEAT is best used as a spread or topping. Use Regular Smart Balance for baking and frying. This means, this product is pretty much useless.

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Wholly Guacamole (Classic)

By: Ellen | Sep 10, 2009

Whenever I go out for Mexican food, my favorite part is definitely the guacamole. Perfect for chip-dipping and full of good-for-you unsaturated fats, this is one healthy addition to any meal. However, restaurant servings are particularly dangerous, as the guac bowl can be unlimited, and you can overindulge in even this healthy food. Where's a single-serve portion of the avocado snack when you need it? Wholly Guacamole provides the answer.

I don't know who came up with the idea of 100-calorie snack packs of guacamole, but they are brilliant. Each 57 gram serving (a pretty substantial portion) provides 100 calories, 8 grams of total fat (12% of the daily value), only 1 gram of which is saturated (5% of the DV), 150 mg of sodium (6% of the DV), 2 grams of protein and 4 grams of carbohydrates, (all 4 grams are fiber). The ingredients are short and sweet: avocados, jalapeno puree, dehydrated onion, salt, and granulated garlic.

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Walden Farms Apple Butter

By: Ellen | Jul 23, 2009

Walden Farms products are definitely hit or miss (and maybe a little bit more miss than hit), but that hasn't deterred me from being adventurous (some would say foolish) in trying their products. Take today, for example, when I decided on a whim to purchase the Walden Farms Apple Butter. Would it taste as artificial as the others, or would this one hit the right notes? I couldn't wait to find out.

The first thing I did was scan the ingredient list to see what I was in store for, and I was met with lots of chemical-sounding compounds. I must say, though, I expected no less from a zero-calorie product. Those ingredients are: triple filtered purified water, apple flavor, dehydrated apple, natural flavors, sucralose, citric acid, cellulose gel, and xanthan gum. Actually, I think most of those are in there to give this product its jam-like consistency, so maybe it's not as artificial as it could be.

I cautiously opened the product and took out a spoonful. I know it seems strange that I chose to eat it straight, but I wanted to get a sense of what it tasted like on its own before using it as a topping or spread. I must say, I was very surprised and pleased with the taste! The apple flavor was surprisingly real (I guess that's because it actually has dehydrated apples in it), and it had a little bit of a cinnamon-like kick at the end. The consistency isn't quite as thick as jam, but then again apple butter generally has somewhat of a different consistency to begin with. It's more of a jello-like texture, but once it's spread on something, you don't notice it. I smeared some on a slice of bread and added peanut butter to another slice for a delicious sandwich.

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Smucker's Sugar Free Breakfast Syrup

By: Emily B | Jul 22, 2009

Smucker's did a pretty decent job with their Sugar Free Apricot Preserves so I decided to try another one of their sugar free products and opted for the Smucker's Sugar Free Breakfast Syrup. I had really high hopes for this syrup, and luckily it delivered.

I had it in mind to use it to jazz up a bowl of canned pumpkin (hello Libby's Canned Pumpkin) by adding some maple syrup and zap it in the microwave. It sounded so good in theory, that I purchased the syrup and went home to try and create my pumpkin syrup mash-up. Let me tell you - this is, by far, the best sugar free syrup I've tried! . Often times low calorie/sugar free syrups tend to be watery and 'un-syrupy,' but Smucker's Sugar Free Syrup is thick and sweet. This tasted amazing in a bowl of pure pumpkin, and I am sure it would be fantastic in oatmeal, on pancakes and in any other situation where syrup is a necessity

See more on: Condiments , spread, sugar free, syrup

Newman's Own Black Bean and Corn Salsa

By: Ellen | May 30, 2009

Salsa can be used for so many purposes - dipping chips, adding to tacos, and even topping salads. While at my friends' house for tacos the other day, I discovered Newman's Own Black Bean & Corn Salsa and I was amazed and delighted at this tasty new find.

The first thing to note is the wholesome ingredients: diced tomatoes, water, black beans, corn, yellow bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, distilled vinegar, salt, spices, chipotle pepper, garlic, and xanthan gum. SImple, easily recognizable ingredients. This salsa adds the spice and corn-bean flavor to whatever you add it to. Check out Karen's Black Bean Salsa Burritos and the Tofu Scramble Breakfast made spicier with this Newman's Own salsa. And the funny "Salute to Paul Newman" for this amazing salsa.

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Hellmann's Dijonnaise Mustard

By: Ellen | May 27, 2009

Hellmann's Dijonnaise Mustard, is mustard blended with mayonnaise - with the low calories of mustard, just 5 calories per teaspoon. I bought a squeeze bottle at the grocery store, eager to try it on my next turkey, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.

On the surface, this didn't look too much different than regular mayo; maybe it was a little less strongly mustard colored, but overall it's appearance was more in common with mustard. And to tell you the truth, it also didn't taste too different from regular mustard, either. It was a tiny bit creamier, perhaps, but I unfortunately I didn't detect much of the distinctive flavor I associate with mayo and so desperately wanted to taste in this spread as well.

See more on: Condiments , mustard, spread

Better'n Peanut Butter

By: Sarah J | May 26, 2009

Better N' Peanut Butter ... really?! With such a strong sentiment, this was a must buy. Better N' Peanut Butter is a peanut butter alternative with 85% less fat and 40% less calories than regular peanut butter. There are also no refined sugars in this all natural spread.

The texture is pretty much exactly the same as your average peanut butter. It's smooth and spreads well. The taste is similar as well, but not exact, being slightly sweeter and not as nutty. Still, the taste is good and it makes a nice healthier alternative the the high fat, high calorie nut butters on the shelf.

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Brummel and Brown Spread

By: Ellen | May 24, 2009

There is just no way I can live without a buttery spread. Real butter comes at a hefty nutritional price. Land o Lakes Salted Butter, for example, provides 100 calories and 7 grams of saturated fat (37% of the daily value) per tablespoon! While wanting to be nutritionally savvy, some things just don't taste right without a touch of butter - mashed potatoes doesn't taste as creamy and delicious, and what roll doesn't taste even better with a little dab of the yellow stuff?

I searched for many alternatives, and found Brummel & Brown Spread. This spread is made with 35% vegetable oil and 10% natural yogurt, which cuts the calorie and fat content substantially but leaves the melt-in-your-feeling like real butter. The flavor is sweet and salty at the same time, with a very slight hint of a yogurt taste, which to me only makes it better. And the consistency is perfect for spreading.

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Justin's Organic Honey Peanut Butter and Natural Maple Almond Butter

By: Ellen | Mar 10, 2009

While I was in the grocery store yesterday, I passed by a man offering free single-serve packets of both Justin's Organic Honey Peanut Butter Squeeze Packs and Justin's Natural Maple Almond Butter Squeeze Packs. What could be better than portable peanut butter? I snapped up a few and practically ran home to try both of them. Before I did though, I checked the Justin's Nut Butter website to make sure that they were not part a part of the peanut butter recall.

I tried the larger of the two, the Maple Almond Butter flavor, first. And let me tell you, this was delicious. Superb. Fantastic. How many words can I use to describe it?! The texture was grainy and smooth at the same time, and the almond butter taste, while not exactly the same as peanut butter, was delicious and complimented perfectly by the maple sugar. I ate this plain in order to fully appreciate the flavors (I cut the packet in half to get all of the delicious almond butter out as you can see from the picture).

This single-serve packet contains only dry roasted almonds, maple sugar, organic palm fruit oil, and sea salt. Furthermore, each 32 gram (2 tablespoon) packet has a portion-controlled 190 calories, 16 grams of fat (25% of the daily value), with only 2 grams of saturated (10% of the DV), no trans fats or cholesterol, 65 mg of sodium (3% of the DV), 3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein. That's a lot of calories and fat - as is usual with peanut butter - so try and make this 2 servings if you must have your (occasional) peanut butter fix.

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Annie's Naturals Organic Honey Mustard

By: Leigh | Jan 17, 2009

I'm always looking for condiments to put a little variety in my regular sandwich rotation without adding too many calories. Annie's Honey Mustard fits the bill quite nicely. It's sweet, it's zesty ... seriously, this stuff can take a turkey sandwich on wheat to a whole new level.

Since my love-fest with Annie's mustard has begun, I've taken some creative liberties by using it in non-traditional ways and creating atypical yet delicious concoctions. I recommend putting some on a chicken breast before baking or making your own French fries with oven-baked potato wedges and using this honey mustard as an alternative dipping sauce to ketchup. What are some ways you use mustard (other than in sandwiches)?

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I Cant Believe Its Not Butter Fat Free Spread

By: Sarah J | Jan 13, 2009

There is already a review of I Cant Believe Its Not Butter Fat Free Spread here on Iateapie.net. I tried it and had the same ill feelings that Lizabeth did. Still the lure of a 5 calorie butter made me go back for round two. This time around, I am singing a different tune.

Gone is the weird 'water' that pooled around the top of my last tub. Yes, the artificial yellow coloring is still the same, but I can look past that. The flavor seemed much different - in a good way. This butter spread seemed thicker and the butter flavor seemed more pronounced, and more salty than last time (not overly so, but in a good way). It was actually pretty similar in taste to real butter. Looking at the packaging, I noticed that the packaging was also different. This new tub has a slightly different label than I remember. Maybe they reformulated their product along with the new packaging (although there was no marketing that stated this).

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Earth Balance Natural Spread

By: Sarah J | Nov 25, 2008

For many trying to avoid butter for health or personal reasons, finding a decent alternative may be a tricky task. Trying to do without the creamy delicious taste of butter is even trickier. Don't even try to go cold turkey. It's impossible! But don't despair. All you need is Earth Balance "Natural" Buttery Spread. This VEGAN butter alternative is made from expeller pressed naturals oils, making it trans fat and cholesterol free. Not to mention it packs in a good dose of healthy omega-3's.

Earth Balance is a MUST HAVE staple in my house. My mom has to watch her cholesterol, one brother is vegan, and the other is a health nut. I am in the middle - I appreciate this healthy alternative to butter and you really can't beat the taste! It is creamy with just the right amount of saltiness, and not the slightest bit fake or oily looking. This stuff spreads just like real butter. At room temp is goes on bread (or anything) really smooth. Somehow, this manages to imitate butter to a tee.

See more on: Condiments , Natural Foods , Vegetarian , spread

Miracle Whip Light

By: Lizabeth | Nov 14, 2008

Democrat vs. Republican. Red Socks vs. Yankees. Miracle Whip vs. Mayonnaise ... These are some of the timeless rivalries that will never be resolved in America. You're either on one side and firmly against the other, or on the fence and hated by both. When it comes to creamy condiments, my family has always been on the side of the Miracle Whip, which has promised better turkey sandwiches with less fat than mayonnaise for decades. Sure, it's delivered on its promise, but with 35 calories and 3 grams of fat per tablespoon, I knew it could do better. Miracle Whip Light promised all of the taste with half of the fat of the original. Would it be able to live up to my already biased expectations?

I decided that the best way to test this would be to simply spread a dollop on a piece of bread - not necessarily how most people eat it, but a way that would give me a clean taste without anything affecting or muddling it. My tongue was met with the sweet and tangy taste that Miracle Whip fans adore and mayonnaise fans abhor. The texture is just like the original as well - it's neither more gloppy nor runnier.

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Kraft Reduced Fat Mayo with Olive Oil

By: Liza | Nov 12, 2008

I try to keep away from any kind of mayonnaise, regular, light, reduced, low-fat, no fat, because I just haven't found one that I like yet. But after watching some very effective marketing on Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil, I gave in and decided to try it. Let me start by pointing out that I love Olive Oil, and I would use it on everything if I could. I was surprised to find that this mayo had ½ the fat and calories of the regular kind and tasted much better than half of the other "light" mayonnaise products out there. It does have a certain unique flavor that makes it different from other mayo and that actually was a plus for me. However, I wasn't crazy about the olive oil taste. Seems to me that whatever kind of olive oil Kraft is using is not a very good kind.

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I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Fat Free Spread

By: Lizabeth | Mar 26, 2008

Dear I Can't Believe It's Not Butter: I have tried your "original" version, which I thought was okay. Certainly, no one would believe it's butter, but kudos on the marketing strategy. Recently, I decided to try your Fat Free Spread. I was enamored by the fact that it was only 5 calories per tablespoon and that bright yellow container is so alluring. But things took a turn for the worse when opened the container.

Everything about this product is unappealing. The color looks dyed, and the texture is more akin to a watery mayonnaise than any other spread that I've used. When I spread this on a piece of toast, it made the toast soggy but it just stood, lurking there, taunting me to try it. I did, and like the fake looking color, the taste is also worse than fake butter/ margarine. It is indescribably awful. I imagine this is what spreading melted plastic on a piece of bread would taste like.

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Smuckers Sugar Free Apricot Preserves

By: Lizabeth | Jan 3, 2008

The first thing that I want to say about this product is that the name is a misnomer. This is most certainly a jelly, not a preserve. There are no fruit chunks in this as there should be in a preserve - despite what they may say. Instead, this is essentially jellified fruit juice. However, for a jelly, I was actually quite happy with the taste. It's sweet, a bit tart, and unmistakably apricot. I detected no odd flavors or aftertastes despite being sweetened artificially with sucralose (Splenda). It spreads well, though you can really tell that this is mostly water. I think that because of this, it soaked into my toast more than usual, which made it seem as if I was eating jam on an un-toasted slice of bread. The solution was to spread the jelly on the un-toasted side, but that felt like a sacrilege.

See more on: Condiments , jam, spread, sugar free

Fifty50 No Sugar Added Strawberry Spread

By: Tanya Patrice | Oct 11, 2006

Fifty50 Strawberry Spread is a low calorie, no sugar added spread, but with "80% less calories than regular strawberry preserves." Strawberry is listed as the second ingredient on the label - after water, but believe me, there is no trace of strawberry taste - the closest this comes is a faint strawberry scent. The Fifty50 Spread also doesn't spread very well - very clumpy - but that is really secondary, because I can't think of a reason to use this - certainly not in place of jam, jelly or preserves.

I also wondered why they referred to preserves on the label. Surely they are not suggesting that Fifty50 spread is similar or even a substitute for preserves! Preserves actually have chunks of fruit in them - and there certainly aren't any pieces of fruit in Fifty50.

See more on: Condiments , jam, low carb, spread