Do Healthy Desserts Even Count as Dessert? Not this one.

22 Jul

Do Healthy Desserts Even Count as Dessert? Not this one.

Fabe’s Bakery Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins Review

I’m not going to tell you my favorite Ralph’s store because it’s already competitive enough. Busy and crowded. Most people come from the Studio City gym and walk around in workout clothes to show off their bodies.

Why I like my Ralphs.

Well, that last part’s okay – amusing, even – but I do like to control the  Reduced Item section in the back. Let me pick out my favorites first. I think all or most Ralph’s stores have a sale cart or reduced corner tucked away somewhere, but this one is like a treasure hunt, looking for goodies.

I’ve found very reduced plants, (some of which last for years!), sunscreen (I’m a fanatic, with Irish skin, living in Los Angeles), tea, cake mixes, little stuffed animals for when I’m feeling in need of a hug, and of course, glorious food. Baked goods of all kinds, all half price. Huge platters. Really good 3 layer cakes they make there. Etc.

baking powder biscuits from vintage Swansdown cookbook. Dig that plate!
baking powder biscuits from vintage Swans Down cookbook.  Dig that 40s geometric plate!

Fabe’s Bakery Muffins

So anyway, it was a bad night for finding my usual finds, and I had to try something, so I picked Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins by Fabe’s Bakery, which is local, the label says, in Salinas CA. Fabe’s sounds like fave, so that was a good start. The label has a picture of an older lady and says it’s naturally sweetened, and moist and irresistible.

No. It’s resistible.

Dry, grainy, possibly oily. Maybe it’s too healthy for me, maybe not. But it’s not good enough for the calories.

Ralph’s can be really annoying when returning items, so I just tossed them out once I found them still in the fridge a month later.

The Vegan Mouse says Fabe’s cake was horrible. 🙁 Very sad, because vegetarians deserve dessert, too! Fabe’s, keep trying!

Photo adapted from Bake Like a Champion, vintage Swans Down Flour booklet, 1936

Last Bite

One star. Now I feel sad, because update: Fabe’s Bakery closed in 2014. 🙁 Not my fault, I hope. The epitaph says:

They were all trans fat free and most are dairy and egg free. Fabe’s All Natural Bakery prided itself on giving health-conscious consumers great-tasting desserts while also offering individuals with special dietary needs a variety of options to choose from including Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan, Wheat-Free, 100% Whole Grain and Organic.

My humble thoughts: you have to make dessert out of something. Add some things.

ByDonna L. Barstow

Cartoonist and lover of everything chocolate related, in no particular order.

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