[sweet tooth]

Just wanted to know if other Canadians are having trouble finding products listed in the program - other than Canadian bacon?

I haven't been able to find fat reduced ricotta, or a number of the sf products. I did buy a sf syrup, but when I looked at the ingredients, the syrup was mostly juice.

Let me know if others are having the same problems, or whether I am off my nut.

Could be, I guess.

[ozziesgirl]

Where did you get the syrup? I heard from another Canadian on here that she gets Torani's SF syrups at The Second Cup. I think Starbucks has them too but not sure. I can't find reduced fat ricotta but i was able to find Light. For that matter, that is the only kind of cheddar I have been able to find as well. No low or fat free, just light.

There are a LOT of Atkins products at health food stores but most arent' SBD legal due to all the fat. I never looked at the nutrition info but they do have Atkins SF maple syrup and raspberry syrup.

The rest of the products are pretty much whole foods so they are easily available. What else have you had trouble finding? I had a hard time finding Canadian Bacon believe it or not. Still haven't found it but at least know it is pretty much peameal bacon. :P

[Ruthxxx]

Reduced fat Ricotta IS light. I don't use the syrups but they are available at Second Cup, even in tiny Brockville, Ontario. Canadian bacon is a problem? Geez! Even in the wee village of Delta, it's available all the time. Maybe we have more hogs around here? Light Laughing Cow can be bought in B. but I've yet to find a low fat cheddar - just LF mozz and Swiss.
I'm not sure where you chickies live but maybe it's an Ontari-ari-ari-o thing.

[ozziesgirl]

Probably an Ontario thing. They seem to have more, even in the smaller towns. However, I am sure I am not looking in the right place for Canadian Bacon because my mom used to eat it all the time. I'm not even looking mostly because I hated it when I was a kid so I think I might hate it now, but who knows.

Ok good, I am glad light ricotta is low fat. What about the cheese? Is Light the same in that aspect as well. I was able to get the partly skim mozza and light cheddar. That's pretty much all I eat. I don't eat it a lot so I'm not too worried. Haven't yet found light Laughing Cow cheese though.

Thanks for the head up Ruth!

[sweet tooth]

Thanks for the info...I remember seeing the sugar free vanilla at Second Cup, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I was filing the memory with respect to my coffee because I love the vanilla lattes. The sf syrup I bought at either Sobey's or Save on Foods. I have been stopping at either on the way home from work lately, so bought it at one or the other.

Where do you get the light ricotta? One of the other ladies at work and I have looked at a lot of places and have only been able to locate the regular. I have been using it, but sparingly.

I am also fortunate with the Canadian bacon...I work at a college that teaches trade programs, one of which is meatcutting. I get the instructors to do up special lean meats for me, and special packages of lean bacon.

Have any of you tried bison? We have several bison herds around the acreage where we live, so bison meat is plentiful here. I was reading the info on it and it is even more lean that chicken or fish. We tend to eat quite a bit of it instead of beef. Slightly different texture in a roast, but when I serve to company, most people don't know that they have eaten bison and comment on how tender it is.

The only problem that I have is with the DS's girlfriend who is currently living with us. She claims that she can tell the difference and doesn't like it, but when I tell her it is beef she eats it...then I have to feel guilty for the lie.

[Ruthxxx]

I get low fat ricotta at A&P. Bison burgers are great. Around here, they are available under the President's Choice label (PC) at Loblaws, Freshmart and Independant.

(I am telling DS's girlfriend to "Get over it!" but think you have a workable solution!)

[beachgal]

Ladies, if the cheese has 6 g. of fat or less per ounce, it's fine, no matter what they are calling it!

We ought to start a shipment of SBD foods to Canada! Actually, you guys up there get a lot more than I do in my tiny town in the States...we are so remote!

[Chubbamuma]

I haven't been able to find the lowfat riccota up in Northern Alberta yet. Also can't find I can't believe it's not butter spray. Canadian Bacon, is that the same as back bacon? If so we have it in abundance!

The bison up here are really tender as well, the gameieness (is that a word) is pretty much fed out of them, they feed on pretty much the same as a cow would. If it was a wild one, then there would be more of a difference in the meat.
Sweettooth, tell your DS's girl that if she doesn't like it, don't eat it. It's not your responsibility to make sure she doesn't starve is it?

[sweet tooth]

Chubbamama - We must be in the same boat. I am in Edmonton, and have searched everywhere for lowfat, or reduced fat ricotta. I haven't looked on the label yet to see how many grams of carbs are in the regular, but I am planning to do that tonight.

I also have not been able to find the Can't Believe it's not Butter Spray, so have been using the olive oil spray instead, or greasing pans the 'old fashioned way' with the actual Can't Believe it's not Butter from the tub.

Have you been able to find fat reduced Laughing Cow Cheese? Another item that I cannot find. The book didn't specify reduced fat Laughing Cow, so I just presumed that it didn't come in reduced fat cause I couldn't find it.

Love the bison that they have here. We live on an acreage and many of the farmers around us have converted to bison herds and also raise deer. One of our DS's school buddies raises deer. They also aren't as gamey, probably because of the feed. I don't mind it, either, but I prefer bison. We have lots of supplies for bison, and not as expensive as in the stores, so we have been converting to it over the past 2 - 3 years.

[MittenNKim]

Originally Posted by sweet tooth

I haven't been able to find fat reduced ricotta, or a number of the sf products. I did buy a sf syrup, but when I looked at the ingredients, the syrup was mostly juice.

Peggy & SweetTooth... I buy the reduced fat ricotta at Sobey's, which used to be IGA. That's also where I buy the Laughing Cow Lite cheese.

I also buy sugar free syrups at coffee shops -- I made a post about this some time ago, because I discovered that Second Cup carries Torani s/f syrups. And I found DaVinci s/f syrups at a privately owned coffee shop in town. You just need to do some phoning around to the non-chain coffee shops in your city to see who carries what. I can guarantee you'll find s/f syrups somewhere.

Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray is NOT available in Canada. I always buy a few bottles when I go down to the US for a shopping trip (I drive to North Dakota, three hours south of Winnipeg).

You should note... if you have Sobeys, ask to talk to the store manager to see if they can bring in some of the products I've listed here. If they ship them to Winnipeg Sobeys, they should carry them elsewhere or probably would bring them in. Actually, this is the same for most supermarkets -- they don't carry things if they thing there won't be a demand for them. If people ask for them, and they sell, typically a supermarket will bring something in.

That is unless it's a product that they can't get at a reasonable price, or isn't approved to be in Canada. Like the CBINB spray - it may just be too costly to bring it to Canada.

[beachgal]

Ah, Winnipeg! That's where my Bobie (grandmother) lives! Do you drive into Fargo? Love that place. :

I haven't seen any ricotta that's called "Reduced Fat". What we get is "Part Skim Ricotta", rather than the Whole Milk Ricotta. It's the same as the mozzarella...part skim and whole are the choices we have.

Laughing Cow definitely makes a Light version, in plain and two other flavors. It's good!

Hope you guys have better luck with Kim's great descriptions!

[sweet tooth]

Sobey's is one of the places that I do shop. I have scoured the shelves in two of the stores and cannot find light ricotta or the reduced fat Laughing Cow. Shopping day is tomorrow, so I am going to take another look.

One thing that I remember, now that I think of it, is that I found all kinds of flavours of sf syrups (for coffee kind) at The Grocery People. If anyone has one of those stores near, take a look because they are much cheaper there than at places like Second Cup.

[Heidi]

Useful thread, thanks for all the info.

I've been using a President's Choice brand spray, Too Good To Be True Butter Flavour Spray, from Loblaws or Zehrs or No Frills, instead of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray. I think it must be similar but I haven't had the original to compare. They also carry an olive oil flavour and a canola oil spray.

Hope these aren't Ontario-only products.

[Chubbamuma]

Sweettooth, I'm just about to leave for the trip down to Edmonton! Only 5 hrs north of you, Lol.
We don't have Sobey's but do have an IGA, I just wish I could afford to shop there..... Perhaps I'll do a little bit of "special food" purchasing there if they have l/f laughing cow or l/f riccota?

[sweet tooth]

You must be around Grande Prairie area, then.

I'm with you, though. I do find Sobey's a bit on the expensive side. We have been shopping there quite a bit over the past few months, though, because there is one handy on our way home. Either that or Save On Foods (both I find on the expensive side). They are repairing a bridge by our house, so we have to travel a different and lengthy way to work these days and there are no low cost stores on the way.

If you are in Edmonton for a while, try The Grocery People on Yellowhead Trail (just east of 149 St.). They have some fairly good buys and unusual selection of foods.

Have fun.