Look at two of the hottest food trends—whole grain and gluten-free. Every one of us needs more whole grain in our diet, and one out of 133 people have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that requires a gluten-free diet. (Still more have simple wheat allergies.)

Corn and rice, among other grains, are naturally gluten free. Chex cereals is the first mainstream, gluten-free cereal line, with Rice Chex, Corn Chex and new gluten-free Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex and Cinnamon Chex.

We recently sat down with a box of “Simply Nutritious Honey Nut Chex With A Touch Of Honey.” WIth 8g or more of whole grain per serving, it is a healthier sweet treat than almost any other processed sweet treat (doughnut, breakfast pastry, raisin bagel), and nicely crunchy, eaten on the go from a plastic snack-size bag. We enjoy it.

But as we spend out days scrutinizing words and labels, we have two questions:

The new version of Honey Nut Chex is gluten-free and made of corn.

This recalled our favorite Abraham Lincoln quote: “You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” We don’t know if there were ever nuts in Honey Nut Chex, but has anyone else noticed they’re missing?

The waffle evolved from its birth over
a 13th century fire to a 20th century
toaster waffle. Photo by Kelly Cline | IST.

National Waffle Week is the second week in September. That means this is your weekend to celebrate waffles. We have some suggestions, of course.

Don’t waffle: There’s still time to have a “waffle frolic” for Sunday brunch or chicken and waffles for dinner!

You can mix just about anything into a base of rolled oats and call it granola. Dried fruit and nuts are most popular. Sweeteners are the “wet ingredients”: agave, applesauce, brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup. Spices run the gamut from “everyday” flavors like cinnamon and vanilla to cardamom and nutmeg. Some people get healthy with wheat germ and flaxseed. You can make Asian granola (sesame seeds, crystallized ginger), Florida granola (orange zest), Trail Mix granola (raisins, cashews, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds) or anything that inspires you.

Granola Girl keeps it simple: Currently there are just two flavors—Maple Pecan and Cranberry Almond—both with near-universal appeal (both have nuts). The flavor profiles are delicate—nothing overwhelming, yet everything in perfect balance. They are sweetened very lightly, as well. The granolas are baked with canola oil and are so moist that no milk or yogurt is needed. These are not “crunchy,” baked-until-crisp granolas, yet the texture of the oats is chewy and lovely. That’s why we find them so different and so much more appealing than many of the less distinctive granolas we try. While not certified organic, they’re made with organic oats and oat bran.

No need to add milk to this moist, yummy granola.

Instead of bacon with your pancakes, you can now
have bacon in your pancakes—and chocolate, too.

You can now buy Vosges’ buttermilk pancake mix, dotted with chunks of Mo’s Bacon Bar. Or, buy the candy bar directly and chip it into your own pancake recipe. It’s a fun hostess gift, and it may even be “Man Bait,” as our friends at Das Foods, makers of the Maple Bacon lollipop (and other “shamelessly delicious” lollipops—stay tuned), might call it.

A container of Mo’s Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix is $12.00 and makes two batches of eight, five-inch pancakes. Can you have extra bacon on the side? Absolutely! Try some artisan bacon brand, though. If you don’t already buy it, you’re in for a real treat. It tastes so much better than mass-marketed brands.

Now we’re waiting for the chocolate bacon ice cream.

As you might suspect from the name, the mixes were dreamed up by a dad—in fact, two dads, who happen to be brothers. Often, when the men were put in charge of feeding the kids, they found themselves making pancakes. They put their heads together to determine how to make the best pancakes for their broods, and knew they had found the right recipe when the kids kept demanding “Daddy cakes.” (Hopefully, the kids won’t be demanding a royalty on the name.)

Now a line with a broad variety of flavors, Daddy Cakes is a gourmet convenience food that’s worth the extra shekels. There’s no need to add eggs, milk, oil or anything but water to the mix; in five to ten minutes you’ll have a smokin’ stack of flapjacks (we mean that figuratively, of course—keep your eye on the temperature of that frying pan). You can add a couple of eggs and vegetable oil for a fluffier pancake; but we found that they were just as delicious either way, so save the ingredients and the calories.

Read the full review and check out all of the flavors of these easy-to-make mixes.

Starbucks made the first move in early February, announcing an oatmeal “breakfast pairing” with a tall latte or a tall brewed coffee for $3.95 (among several breakfast pairings).

Called the Jamba Economic Boost Plan, the $1 oatmeal offer (generally priced at $2.95) is available through the end of March. Download a printable coupon for use at participating locations at OatmealForABuck.com, and enjoy the organic steel-cut oats plain (for maximum health benefits) or with the typical brown-sugar crumble and a choice of three fruit toppings.

- See why oatmeal is so good for you, and learn what is and what isn’t a whole grain, in our review of whole grain breakfast cereals.

Earthborn Steel-Cut Oats, a NIBBLE Top Pick.

We recently tasted all seven chocolate varieties in one sitting and found the original Deep Chocolate to have the most satisfying chocolate flavor (it contains chocolate chips). In retrospect, that’s not much of a surprise: the semisweet chocolate flavor of the chips is taken away when white chips, PB chips, pomegranate and fig are substituted in the other flavors.

Vitalicious, the manufacturer apprises us that you can walk off the 80-100 calorie VitaTops in 13-15 minutes. Share a muffin top, coffee and a stroll with a friend.

A box of chocolate VitaTops goes on our list of Valentine gifts for people you love too much to send a box of chocolate. Gift certificates are available. Read the full review at http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/nutri/breadstuffs/vitalicious-vitamuffin.asp.

The newest type of egg is the pasteurized shell egg. A regular hen’s egg is pasteurized in the shell without cooking the egg, eliminating the potential danger of egg-borne illness caused by salmonella bacteria. Dishes that use raw eggs can be enjoyed without risk; those who enjoy licking the spatula full of brownie batter can do so; and people with illnesses who avoid foods with possible contaminants can enjoy eggs to their hearts’ delight. Many hospitals and nursing homes are already using the products, which are just making their way to retailers. If you want them, make your voice heard at your local supermarket. The “P” stamped on the egg signifies that it is pasteurized. Learn more at SafeEggs.com.

Read about the different types of eggs in our Egg Glossary. You won’t believe how many different types there are!

A healthy, hearty bowl of Holly’s Oatmeal.

It should. Oatmeal a whole grain cereal. A diet high in whole grain foods (2.5 servings per day) is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke. If you think your current cereal or bread is whole grain, read our article on whole grain cereals)—you may be surprised.

Oatmeal tips:

- Try to avoid turning your bowl of health food into a high-glycemic nightmare. If you crave sweetness, instead of topping it with brown sugar, try an artificial sweetener and fresh fruit, like half a banana or some strawberries (strawberries are pricey right now, but there are bargains to be found).

- Don’t scrimp on the quality of your oatmeal. As with any other food, you get what you pay for, and the specialty brands are better than the mass marketed brands. (Try Bob’s Red Mill, which can be found at Whole Foods Markets, natural food stores and other specialty stores.) It you don’t like the “mushiness” of rolled oats, try steel cut oats. They take a while to cook (there’s no “quick-cook” version), but it’s worth it.

- Best of all, try Holly’s Oatmeal, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week and a winner of THE NIBBLE Outstanding Artisan Award. If this textured, flavorful mix of different whole grains, almonds and dried fruit doesn’t convert naysayers into oatmeal lovers, nothing will. The small gift boxes may seem pricey ($6.99 for a 16-ounce box yields 8 portions, or 81¢ a serving—of course, a fraction of what you’d spend on a muffin or croissant). But you can buy it in bulk bags for the same price as any other oatmeal. One serving of Holly’s Oatmeal has 38g of the 48g of your daily whole grain requirement and there’s a gluten-free variety, too.