Product Review: Mr. Wheat Crispy Wheat

Many of you have heard on the message boards about a product called "pop rice" -- those who rave about it say it's amazing. (See, here's Michelle at Sangria Sisters raving about it!) Those of us who don't have the same Amish Markets around can't seem to find it anywhere to buy locally. My friend Nikki at Bariatric Foodie gave me a package to try - sent with love all the way from Baltimore's Amish (Ha! The Amish have a website!) Or you can also buy the traditional CocoPop popped rice on the CocoPop website.

So, anyway taste-testing Nikki's pop rice put me on the hunt here in Michigan for a similar product.

Imagine my delight when I found a worthy substitute with Mr. Wheat Crispy Wheat. I found them at my local Meijer store (a grocery/department store located in Michigan) but I see they are also available on Amazon (and lots for flavors are available than I found locally). I think they were about $2.50 per package and I found sea salt and apple cinnamon flavors.

So lemme try to explain what they are.

They are sorta, kinda like a rice cake.... only not thick and hard. They are large saucer-like puffs of processed brown rice that are light as air and practically tasteless. They have practically no calories (only about 15-20) and are the perfect vehicle for things like tuna salad, peanut butter, taco toppings, etc.

Mr. Wheat Crispy Wheat is made of wheat and rice flour mixture just like the original version. Still only 16 calories each too.  So, even though it has a different name and brand, it tastes exactly the same as the ones Nikki sent me. The only difference is that these have a flavoring on the outside of them for a bit of flavor-punch. The Apple Cinnamon goes great with PB&J. The Sea Salt will be great for more savory dishes (maybe I'll make some chicken salad this week).

The ones I found are smaller than the original Amish version. The one above was SO cute... just a tiny round puff of wheat that worked perfectly for a PB&J treat. But not just any plain old PB&J will do here folks. I broke out the special stuff!

I have fallen in love with Whole Foods Cashew Butter. OMG! Seriously delicious!  And last month when I went to Mackinaw to enjoy Michigan's fall colors, I picked up a jar of homemade Michigan Blueberry Jam (at $9 per jar - ouch!). No the jam is not sugar free, but I'm using so little of it at once, I choose to use it anyway. Those who dump shouldn't try this stunt.

Need some topping ideas? The CocoPop website has an interesting list. Maybe some of these might not be 100% WLS-friendly, but at least it'll give you some ideas to run with:

• Plain Hummus with Mustard, hot sauce
• Nutella topped with marshmallow fluff
• Jelly, Jam, many different kind of butter (Honey, Apple, olive)
• Bruschetta
• Tuna topped with Cheese
• Cream Cheese (Jelly added on top)
• Cinnamon Raisin Peanut butter
• Ice cream &Toppings
• Pizza sauce, any pizza toppings & Top with cheese
• Cooked ground beef, Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese & Taco sauce
• Use with Chili, guacamole, salsas & other dips
• Peanut butter with jelly or topped with sliced bananas
• Margarine sprinkeled with Cinnamon & sugar
• Use the same as a tortilla shell for a tostada
• Chessecake fillings
• With any flavor of pudding

I highly recommend checking out the Mr. Wheat Crispy Wheat popped wheat snacks. A great alternative to a slice of bread for your favorite sandwich toppings!

~Pam