I'm not sure about the lamb shanks. I've never used them, but they look fairly lean, which is what determines whether they are Core or not.
Technically, there aren't any crackers that are Core, but I've found some Triscuit-type crackers that only contain whole wheat and salt. I consider this to be the equivalent of shredded wheat cereal, as long as the crackers are eaten with cheese or another protein and the portion is reasonable. There are also some Ryvita-type crackers that are considered 0 points for a sensible portion.
You can have brown rice and a serving of Core cereal (w/milk or yogurt) in the same day. You are just not supposed to have more than one serving of either rice, potatoes, or pasta in the same day, and you have to choose only one of those types of food. That is, you can't have rice and potatoes in the same day, unless you count the points for one of them.
That said, I was told that you needn't count the potatos in, for example, a Core vegetable soup, unless they are a main ingredient. Also, if you had some dish that contained both brown rice and potatoes, it would be okay to eat a reasonable serving of that and consider it Core.
Hope that helps.
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