Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo and Fava Flour
I tried Bob's Red Mill flour in the form of mini flatbreads — I give it a rave review, both for taste and ease of preparation. When you think of garbanzo and fava beans, you don't typically think of bread, pizza crust or cookies, but from now on, you will. With a fresh nutty taste and without the expected gritty consistency, I was very pleasantly surprised by this product. Retails for $5.55.



TeaZazz Green Tea Mint Flavor
If they would have left out the sugar, this would have been one of my favorite products of the year — the concept of carbonating a green-tea-mint-flavored beverage is brilliant! This 20-ounce bottle contains just over 60 calories and 15 grams of sugars; it is refreshing and my only complaint is that the bottle is probably too large. Wait a second, I have another complaint: supposedly, both Amoroso and Melissa Rivers are hooked on TeaZazz … sheesh! Retails for $1.69.



Corozonas Tortilla Chips Squeeze of Lime Flavor
When most people think of tortilla chips, they don't think of health — Corozonas wants to change that. With 18 grams of whole grains in one 1-ounce serving; plant sterols which block our body's absorption of LDL (the bad cholesterol); and, on top of all that, a great taste thanks to just a hint of lime. Retails for $3.29.



Tru Whip Whipped Topping
Cool Whip changed the way we thought about whipped cream; and recently, people started reading the ingredients and starting looking around for alternatives that were all-natural. This new product, Tru Whip, is made with 70 percent organic ingredients, has no trans fats and no hydrogenated oil. It has a nice clean taste and just 30 calories in two tablespoons, and it's gluten-free. If I was Cool Whip, I'd be worried! Retails for $3.29 – $3.99.



B. Lloyd's Salad Topping Glazed and Roasted Pecan Flavor
B. Lloyd's slogan is "NUTS DID IT" — I would suggest that B. Lloyd did it! This is a great product that will add both a touch of sweetness and crispiness to your salads; most other glazed nuts sold in produce departments are so sickeningly sweet, you can't even tell what type of nut you're eating. However, I have a couple of issues with this product: the pull-open package creates a very sharp-edged opening, so watch your fingers. My other BIG issue is with the misleading serving size of half a tablespoon … Come on, a real person is going to put maybe five or six times that on their salad. And as the lid tells you to enjoy this product as a snack, let's say you eat half the can (less than 3 ounces) — you'll be getting roughly 500 calories and 50 grams of fat, but mysteriously 0 grams of sugar, because by using such a small serving size, the company has calculated a negligible amount of sugar on the nutritional info; which, when you consider that sugar is the second ingredient and organic corn syrup the third, is just not fair: so watch your waistline, too! Retails for $2.99/5.5 oz.



Crunchmaster Multi Seed Crackers Original Flavor
These are terrific, just what crackers should be — great taste, great texture and made with 100 percent whole grains. And for the celiacs in the room, you'll be happy to know these are wheat- and gluten-free. My only complaint with this product is: CHANGE THE NAME! Crunchmaster just doesn't sound like a food company (love that resealable bag, though!). Retails for $2.94.


Philip Lempert has gained wide acclaim for his marketing savvy and broad experience. A distinguished speaker, exclusively represented by the Washington Speakers Bureau, he has addressed over 600,000 people over the past 10 years, and is a respected analyst with an uncanny ability to identify and explain trends to both industry and consumers in a thought-provoking and entertaining manner. You can contact him directly at plempert@supermarketguru.com.