Saturday, April 28, 2012

Product reviews: Wrap bread x2, and the peanut butter of doom

This post may give an insight into my vulnerability to supermarket specials. Hopefully, it will also give some insight into the following three products. One of the three is likely to become a bite-sized household staple...I wonder if you can guess which?




These wraps are marketed on the basis of their high fibre content. They contain 30% rolled barley flakes, along with wholemeal wheat flour and a reasonably long ingredient list beyond that (including things like canola oil, white vinegar, apple juice concentrate, baking powder, and the normal string of presevatives and added vitamins).


Each 45g wrap has 437 kilojoules / 104 calories, 5.4g protein, 2.2g fat, 10.6g carbohydrate, and 10.4g fibre. That is quite a lot of fibre, as the following picture highlights!


I really liked the taste and texture of these wraps. The barley makes them slightly chewy, and they have a mild nutty taste that I enjoyed. They were great with salad and hummus, with a spread of tahini, and even with honey.

In the end, though, the fibre content was a disadvantage for me. When you consider that fibre guidelines are in the range of 20g - 30g per day, one wrap can almost give half of your daily requirements. This might be good for people who eat a low fibre diet, but for people who eat lots of fruit, grains and vegetables, it's fairly easy to get to 20g of fibre without trying. Moreover, I quite often eat multiple wraps a day. Doing that with these wraps might, I think, end in some discomfort!


I also found these to be quite expensive, at $6 for a pack of 5 (at Woolworths). I bought them when they were available at 2 for the price of 1, but I'm not sure I would be able to justify them at their regular price.

All in all? I really enjoyed these in terms of how they are to eat, but they are probably too high in fibre and too expensive for me to consume regularly.



Mountain bread wraps are probably the wraps I buy most regularly. They are wraps you can happily eat two of - they are light and versatile, enjoyable at lunch or for snacking, and plain or with fillings. Mostly, I buy the rye or barley varieties for regular use, and enjoy the slightly harder to find spinach and tomato and basil flavours for variety.

When I saw the chia seed version, there was no doubt that I would buy them. These wraps are also quite reasonably priced, at $4 for a pack of 8 (or $2.50 if you buy packets in bulk from the Mountain Bread website).


The ingredient list is simple, albeit wheat based (for those that are bothered by that) - simply wheat flour, chia seeds, water, and iodised salt.


The serving suggestion is also for 2 wraps, something that makes me feel better about my tendency to eat that many in one go. A single wrap has 160 kilojoules or 75 calories, 2.8g protein, 0.5g fat,  13.7g carbohydrate, and 0.8g fibre. It also provides 110mg of Omega-3 fatty acids and 240mg of Omega-6 fatty acids (a fish oil tablet would give 300mg of Omega-3, as a point of reference).


In this instance, slightly more fibre and 'density' to the wraps would have been nice, but I did greatly enjoy the chia seeds. They gave a slight crunch and made the wraps fun to eat.


I note that the Mountain Bread website also refers to a new spelt flavour, so I will be keen to try that too at some stage. In the meantime, I will be adding this chia seed variety to my Mountain Bread rotation.




I didn't want to buy this. In fact, I really, really didn't want to buy it.

I reminded myself that I don't like regular commercial peanut butter. I reminded myself that it tends to make me feel sick, because inevitably I eat it off a spoon and regret it. I reminded myself of the odd sweet-salty nature of commercial mixes, that contrasts so poorly with the much nicer and much simpler 100% peanut versions.

I held out for several months. I knew I would probably give in eventually. After all, it was a commercial peanut butter, but it was whipped. Fluffy! Like peanut butter in mousse form...and we know I have a weakness for anything in mousse form.

And then it was on special for half price. $3 instead of $6. I gave in.


I am nothing if not predictable.


This really was fluffy, and mousse-like, and all the things I'd hoped for. It also made me feel a bit sick, and it was too sweet and salty.

I guess Kraft is predictable too.

The ingredient list on the whipped peanut butter is pretty similar to that for regular commercial peanut butter - there is sugar, and salt, and oil - so the main difference is in the whipping. I don't know how they do it, but this pictured jar is 375g, and a jar of the same size with regular peanut butter is 500g. Spoon for spoon, the whipped variety is thus slightly lower in calories and fat, although I wouldn't say it is any better for you.


I'm glad I tried this, though, because I have now got it out of my system. I'll stick with the 100% peanut versions from now on!

Any new product discoveries in your world recently?
Or have you tried any of those pictured here?

32 comments:

  1. hmmm i still think I want to try the whipped PB!

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    1. Well, it drew me in despite all attempts, so it does have a certain captivating appeal!

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  2. I saw an ad yesterday for whipped peanut butter. Isn't that a way of selling less peanut butter and more air for the same price?

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    1. See, I need you with me in the supermarket :P

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  3. Yeah, I'm not going to fall for that peanut butter. Just a gimmick to make us pay more for less, with extra crappy ingredients stirred in. I love how you keep giving into these things and then I get to feel even more sure I never will, after reading your reviews! Keep it up; you're saving me money and precious tummy space ;)

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    1. Well, at least one person is benefiting :) If only I could heed your advice about cereals, rather than reading about your disappointment and then repeating the mistake. I'm quite terrible!

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    2. Bahahaha! It's like you don't even trust me.... :P

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    3. Or I have no will power at all :)

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  4. I'm too much in love with ABC paste to even consider going there! Though the Chia wraps - a definite maybe.

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    1. Yes, the wraps were the definite winners. I'd stick with the ABC paste, so much better than this peanut butter that there is not even a comparison to be made!

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  5. I love the sound of the chia wraps though I don't buy mountain bread much - it is one of those things we never get through as there is usually other bread about. The whipped peanut butter sounds like a gimmick - I much prefer my 100% peanuts and don't understand why the need to adulterate them with other ingredients - so whipping gives it no more attraction to me (alright a little curious but not enough) and I agree with other comments about just selling you more air than peanuts seems wrong.

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    1. It is definitely a gimmick, but one that pulled me in with no trouble at all :P Hopefully the experience will teach me to stay firmly in the 100% peanut camp from now on.

      Interestingly, I'm much fonder of wraps than regular bread...possibly because I like the texture more, but I'm not entirely sure. I like bread sometimes, but would only have the regular sort a couple of times a week!

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  6. I would like to try that whipped peanut butter. It sounds fabulous. I usually don't buy Kraft peanut butter though because I find it too sweet but my teenagers can eat it by the spoonful xx

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    1. It's funny, isn't it? My two younger siblings are the same, they spread it on so thickly it makes me feel a bit ill just looking at it. This whipped variety is still sweet, but the whipping changes the experience somewhat!

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  7. great reviews! those wraps look really good to me!

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  8. I wish they made whipped almond butter! I never really cared for pb all that much.

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    1. Me too - whipped almond butter would be amazing! Whipped anything other than peanut butter actually :P

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  9. I think I would definitely be intrigued by a whipped peanut butter as well. It does sound pretty delicious!
    I just got a sample of yogurt smoothies so I am looking forward to trying this.

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    1. Ooh, yoghurt smoothies sound delicious! I hope you blog about them :)

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  10. whipped peanut butter?? now that is an odd thing. I was musing on some peanut butter bread just before. Why is it the commercial ones make you sick and the 100% peanut ones I'm absolutely fine slapping it on as thick as a small childs hand? I don't know...but 100% it is. (or unhulled goodness :-)

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    1. I know - the difference between commercial peanut butter and 100% peanut versions is such that they're almost unrelated products! It took me to adulthood to realise that I even liked peanut butter. I did discover it before the tahini though :P

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  11. My husband calls me a victim of marketing...I'm always buying the newest products. I haven't seen that pb before...and I'm a total pb lover, but not sure how I feel about it. I found sweet potato tortilla chips at Trader Joe's lately and love them! They've been my new product splurge of the week :)

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    1. That makes me feel better - I'm not the only one! Sweet potato tortilla chips would draw me in too, they sound great :)

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  12. Hmmm, not convinced I'll try any of these products. I had wondered about the whipped peanut butter but it doesn't sound all that great.

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    1. No, it really isn't! Use me as a horrible warning and hold on to your willpower :)

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  13. The Chia wraps look like worth a try! :)

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  14. Ooh, I guessed the chia wraps as the winner!

    I am staunchly opposed to whipped peanut butter, and I get a bit vituperative whenever we pass it in the shop. It costs more, but you get .... less. To me, that just seems like madness!

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    1. You know me well ;) Except, I need you in the supermarket with me to prevent me deviating from my natural tastes to money spent on air. Sigh.

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