Holy Crap Cereal (Product Review)

Holy Crap mixed into yogurt (pre-soak)

Holy Crap is an organic cereal that is a mixture of just a few simple ingredients (all organic):

• chia seeds
• hulled hemp hearts
• buckwheat
• dehydrated fruits (cranberries, raisins, apple)
• cinnamon

The product was first made popular by the television show Dragons' Den. In fact, I heard about it for the first time on the show. The Dragons had fairly positive feedback about the taste of the cereal, so I was really interested in trying it out -- especially because it's supposed to be pretty healthy.

Holy Crap Cereal - "Dragon's Blend" made popular on the TV show Dragon's Den

The cereal is made in British Columbia, but is now available in stores throughout Canada (shipping available to the US). The local grocery store sells it for $10.99 per 225g bag, which is pretty darn expensive considering you get about 8 servings out of the entire bag if you follow their suggested serving size (28g). Then again, this is in comparison to regular grocery cereal --- if you're comparing it to organic cereals, you fall in a similar price range.

That being said (and for full disclosure), I had actually been fortunate enough to pick up some samples from the company when they were giving them away at a 5K/10K race(!) I was super excited and couldn't wait to try it. :)

This is what it looks like in the bag, before hydration. Hmm.

In the mix: Chia seeds, hemp hearts, buckwheat, dehydrated fruit (apple, cranberries, raisins), cinnamon

They have two suggestions for preparation: soak with a bit of milk, or stir into yogurt.
I added it to my favorite yogurt mix (non-fat Liberte plain Greek yogurt and Source lemon-meringue-parfait yogurt...yum!). I actually am not a fan of raisins or cranberries so I picked around those when I was scooping from the bag. Hee. (Side note: the company also sells a product called 'Skinny-B' which is basically the same thing as Holy Crap, but minus the dried fruit.)

My favorite yogurt mix: Liberte 0% Greek with Source Lemon Meringue Parfait

Let soak for 15 minutes until everything got hydrated.

Time to eat. It was a really interesting texture in the yogurt. The chia seeds have a bit of a slimy/slippery quality to them (but not in a bad way), while there was a bit of a bite from the hemp hearts and buckwheat. There was only a small amount of apple and cinnamon, which didn't really add or detract much from the texture of flavor profile.

Hydrated Holy Crap in yogurt

This cereal doesn't really have a strong flavor --- I thought at first maybe it was the flavor of my yogurt overpowering the flavor of the cereal, but then I tried it again just soaked in a bit of 2% milk, and again there wasn't a distinctive flavor. I definitely preferred it in yogurt rather than in milk though.

The main highlight of this cereal, for me, is the nutritional value rather than the flavor. High in fiber, a source of omega fatty acids, a source of iron, and low in sugar... this cereal definitely beats out most other cereals from a nutritional standpoint.

Holy Crap - ingredients and nutritional info

Final verdict?

This cereal is definitely a super healthy food choice and a quality product, but is not remarkable for its flavor. I would buy it mainly for the nutritional benefit, and that it adds a neat texture to my yogurt. Their website also features some recipes that suggest using it in baked goods, salads, and beverages -- definitely looks to be worth a try too.

Because a lot of it is just chia seed, you could probably make a comparable replica of the cereal using chia seed and your favorite dried fruits (... hmmm!). It is on the pricier side when compared to regular grocery cereals, but is reasonably priced as an all-organic product. I definitely liked this product and would eat it from time to time. I'm not a big fan of dried fruits, so I am glad they thought of making 'Skinny-B', which I will definitely check out soon.


TL;DR

Pros

• Healthy: high in fiber, source of omega fatty acids, source of iron, etc.
• Good quality ingredients (all organic)
• All "real" ingredients -- no additives or preservatives, no flavorings (but requires refrigeration after opening
• Friendly to various diets: no sodium, low sugar, gluten-free, kosher

Cons

• Pricier than most regular cereals (~$11 per 225g bag; yields about 8-9 servings)
• Taste is OK, but not remarkable
• Requires a small amount of wait-time for cereal to soak (10-15 minutes) - not ideal if you're the type that rolls out of bed and out the door

Diddy Riese (Los Angeles)

Diddy Riese in two words: Cheap and (orgasmically) delicious.

Located just blocks away from the UCLA campus, this cookie & ice cream shop always has a long line-up of students waiting to grab a treat. You'll see most people getting their dirt-cheap ice cream sandwiches ($1.75) which features two of their fresh-baked cookies with a sizable scoop Dreyer's ice cream sandwiched in between.

There was a relatively short line-up when we showed up around 2pm on a weekday; we must've missed their lunch rush. I've seen that line go half a block down the street post-dinnertime, so try to avoid it around that time if you can.

Front of the store: waiting in line to place our orders

We were served after only about 5 minutes. I went with a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie + chocolate with white chocolate chip cookie + cookies & cream ice cream. IT WAS SO HARD TO DECIDE. But it was a solid choice. (Side note: Diddy Riese has a sandwich builder on their website... which is pretty cute and awesome at the same time)

There isn't a whole lot of seating, just a couple of chairs out front. We ended up snagging a seat there to people-watch while inhaling our ice cream sandwiches.

YUM. The cookies were baked to perfection; a little crunchy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside, just the way I like them. I was glad I picked one chocolate cookie and one "plain" cookie to balance the flavors and to get a chance to try one of each.

Custom Ice Cream Sandwich ($1.75). My picks: chocolate with white chocolate chip cookie + cookies & cream Dreyer's + white chocolate macadamia nut cookie

The texture of the cookies were perfect for ice cream sandwiches in the sense that they were firm enough to hold up the sandwich during the 15 minutes (er..2 minutes?) while you devoured it, but not too firm such that ice cream squishes out the sides when you bite. They were just right.

The Dreyer's cookies & cream flavor went really well with my cookies too... such a great combination! I was actually very (and in hindsight, disproportionately) pleased with myself for making those picks -- haha.

The guys who worked there were friendly and very efficient. My server told me that he knew that all the ice cream sandwiches were good, but he really thought he made the best. I laughed and could not contest. There was a ridiculously large scoop of ice cream in my hand: Yup, looks like the best to me!

By the time we were finished eating, we were already thinking about buying some extras to-go. Unfortunately ice cream does not travel well. But we were happy to just pick up some cookies, so we lined up again.

Lining up again to buy some cookies. Friendly and fast workers!

Cookies!

Dirt cheap: $0.35/cookie, $1/three, $4/dozen. No brainer. We picked up a dozen. Lots of other great choices, which I was delighted to try later in the day. The best in my books was still the white chocolate macadamia nut. Honorable mention to the chocolate-based cookies and the somewhat underrated sugar cinnamon.

Diddy Dozen for $4(!)

Then I saw it. Brownies for $0.75 a piece. I looked at our bag of cookies. Then at the menu board. Then considered my waistline. And then I made the most reasonable judgement call. Could not pass that sh*t up. One brownie, please.

Brownie ($0.45)

Awesome! Best call ever. I ate a bit of this immediately, on the way back to the car (see: bite mark). Moist, fudgy, delicious. The brownie was definitely very sweet and very rich but really just what you want in a brownie. The nuts were a nice addition too.

And with that, I concluded my sugar-coma-inducing adventure to the infamous Diddy Riese. After visiting this place, I can see why it is so popular and why it has become a landmark eatery of LA. If you are in the area, you must stop by for an ice cream sandwich. Must.

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TL;DR
Food 5/5 - Perfect ice cream sandwiches! My pick: white chocolate macadamia nut cookie incorporated into any sandwich form. Chocolate with white chocolate chip is a close second.
Value/Price 5/5 ($1.75 per ice cream sandwich)
Ambiance 3/5 - Casual.. it's an ice cream joint! 
Service/Wait 3.5/5 - Only downside is the possibly very-long wait during peak hours. Staff are efficient and friendly
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Overall 5/5

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Diddy Riese Cookies
926 Broxton Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-0448

Montreal Bagels (Calgary)

Montreal-style bagels are a wonderful type of hand rolled, wood-fired bagel that don't seem to have gotten to be popular quite yet in Calgary. The flavor of the bagel is usually sweeter than your typical grocery-store bagel, as they have been boiled in honey-sweetened water. They are also comparatively chewier and denser than your typical bagels, which give the bagels a bit of a bite and an interesting texture of crunchiness and chewiness after you toast them.

Sesame Bagel ($0.90)

Cut over to Montreal Bagels, a fairly hidden gem of Calgary. Having loved the famous St-Viateur and Fairmount Bagel bakeries in Montreal, I'd thought that bagels of equal quality would be hard to find elsewhere (especially Eastern Canada)......WRONG. These folks make some amazing bagels in this small shop. The owner apparently used to work for St-Viateur, and sure enough, the quality of the bagels at this Calgary establishment up to snuff.

It is a pretty inconspicuous place with just a few parking spaces out front, it's not really the kind of joint that you drive past, press your face against your car window, and demand to try sometime because of a flashy sign or exciting menu board. It just says Montreal Bagels. And damn straight that's what it is. Once you walk inside, you will see their wood-fired oven in the back, a small display case in the front, a few straggling tables and chairs for sit-down customers (that you never see used), and their plain-jane menu board.

Front of Montreal Bagels

Wood-fired oven and workers in the back

Your options are: plain, sesame, poppyseed, and multigrain. 90 cents a piece, or you can get them by the half dozen ($4.25), or dozen ($8). Tuesday special gets you a dozen for $7. There are also a few other "prepared" sandwich options on the board (with butter, cream cheese, lox, etc), but I don't think I've ever seen a single customer seated at the few tables that are at the front of the store. This is more the type of place where you pop in and out of and enjoy your goodies at home, or in my case, enjoy in the car on the way home (more on that in a second).

Simple Menu Board (Tuesday Special is $7 for a dozen, at the bottom there)

If you show up at the right time, you can snag a bagel that is still hand-searingly-hot-out-of-oven. Yum. And that's exactly what has happened a few times now when I've gone early in the afternoon. The folks that work there are very friendly and they will offer to make up a fresh batch for you if they have just run out of a certain flavor and you are willing to wait 20-30 minutes. Side note: this place is cash-only.

My favorite is the sesame bagel, with the poppyseed as a close second. Whenever I get a superfresh batch, I can't help but eat one immediately in the car because they smell so damn good and are nice and crunchy-chewy and warm. My recommendation for once you get them home is to toast them, smear them with herb & garlic cream cheese (Boursin is amazing) and top with smoked salmon. Delicious!

In the car, tearing into the bag for a fresh-out-of-the-oven bagel

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TL;DR
Food 4/5 - Authentic Montreal-style bagels -- such a surprising find in Calgary! Steady supply of fresh-out-of-the-oven bagels available frequently throughout the day. My pick: Sesame Bagel
Value/Price 5/5  ($0.90 per bagel)
Ambiance N/A
Service/Wait N/A
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Overall 4/5

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Montreal Bagels
103 8408 Elbow Drive SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 212-4060