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9 Healthy Snacks For When Cravings Strike – Stick To Your Diet

October 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

9 Healthy Snacks For Those Times When Cravings Strike

We all have those times when the “growlie monster” in our stomach says “feed me and feed me now!”  It doesn’t care that you only ate lunch an hour ago or that you’re not having your next meal for several hours.

Or even worse than the “growlie monster” is the devil child itself – cravings.  It’s when your mind is screaming at you to eat a bag of salt & black pepper potato chips, dig into a pint of yummy Ben & Jerry’s, find that bag of Kit Kat’s you’ve hidden in the back of the pantry, or is practically forcing you to pull into the nearest fast food restaurant for a burger & fries (never the side salad with light dressing)!  But you know you don’t want to do that because you’re trying hard to eat healthier and lose weight.

Yes, I know we’re only supposed to eat when we are truly hungry and that cravings may or may not mean “I’m hungry.” But, tell that to my body when I’m in “full-on” craving mode.  Sure, drinking a glass of water helps – for the 15 seconds it takes to drink it.  Taking a walk helps, but a 3 hour walk until my next meal isn’t going to happen.  Taking my mind off cravings by keeping my hands busy with something else….well that seemed like a good idea until I took a knitting class where bringing in snacks was encouraged.  Who says you can’t knit and eat at the same time?

Instead I’ve come up with nine favorite “go to” snacks that are healthy and filling, and most importantly, calm my cravings and banish the “growlie monsters” without throwing my calorie consumption into a tailspin:

Mary’s Gone Crackers Sea Salt Sticks & Twigs With Laughing Cow Light French Onion Cheese for dipping (150 calories for one serving of “Sticks & Twigs;” 35 calories for a wedge of Light Cow Light Cheese) – TOTAL CALORIES: 185

Salsa With Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (140 calories for a serving of Kettle brand Blue Corn TortillaChips; 30 calories in ¼ cup of Tostitos medium salsa) – TOTAL CALORIES: 170

100 calorie pack Emerald dry roasted almonds (handy to keep stashed in a desk drawer, purse, or in your car to keep the “monster munchies” at bay) – TOTAL CALORIES: 100

Grape tomatoes (forget about counting out a measly 10 for a snack – an entire container is less than 100 calories!) – TOTAL CALORIES: 90

StarKist Tuna Salad Lunch To Go Kit (the package says it’s a lunch item but at 200 calories for the entire kit it’s more like a snack than lunch to me because there has yet come a day where I can eat a 200 calorie lunch and still not be screaming hungry) – TOTAL CALORIES: 200

Single serve bag of 100 calorie popcorn sprinkled with 1 or 2 teaspoons parmesan cheese (about 8 calories per teaspoon) – TOTAL CALORIES: 116

Sliced apple sprinkled with 1 teaspoon sugar and a liberal dusting of cinnamon (95 calories for a medium apple, 16 calories in a teaspoon of sugar, 0 calories for the cinnamon) – TOTAL CALORIES: 111

Baby carrots with red pepper hummus (about 60 calories for 15 baby carrots; 80 calories for 2 tablespoons Athenos Red Pepper Hummus)  - TOTAL CALORIES: 140

String cheese dipped in cocktail sauce (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it – it’s really good!)  (about 80 calories in 1 stick of regular and about 60 calories in 1 stick of light string cheese; about 15 calories in a tablespoon of shrimp cocktail sauce) – TOTAL CALORIES: 95

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Healthy Eating, Tasty Snacks Tagged With: , , , ,

Special K Fruit Crisps Review

March 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Special K has added to their arsenal of products with strawberry and blueberry fruit crisps.
special k strawberry fruit crisp

They are shaped like a cereal bar but have a crispy outer shell and fruity filling that is similar to the Pop tarts I loved as a kid.

On the plus side:
- each foil wrapped packet of 2 crisps is 100 calories – an okay calorie count for a snack or for a light dessert
- there’s no high fructose corn syrup in them (I personally think high fructose corn syrup is horribly bad for us)
- they’re an easy-to-eat “on the go” snack
- the filling is tasty and there’s a decent amount of it

On the minus side:
- while the filling tastes good, the crispy outer shell is kind of bland
- they are not filling (less than 1 gram of fiber and only 1 gram of protein in each serving) so I don’t recommend eating them if you’re really hungry.
- there’s not much nutritional value in them (the aforementioned pitiful 1 gram of protein per serving and only 2 percent of the recommended daily allowance of iron)
special k blueberry fruit crisp

They come in two flavors: strawberry and blueberry.
While I think the bars aren’t a great nutritional choice, they hit the spot when I’m looking for a little something sweet which would be obvious to you if you saw me right now since I’m writing this review while looking at the empty box.

Will I buy them again? Yeah, probably even though they’re not exactly healthy and nutritious. I love to have a little something sweet at night and it takes me a lot longer to eat these than it does to shovel in 100 calories worth of chocolate.

If you want to try them, print out this coupon first. You’ll save $1 off one package of either the strawberry or blueberry flavor. But don’t procrastinate! The coupon is only good until April 21, 2010.

What are your thoughts on the Special K fruit crisps? Have you tried them yet? If you did, did you like them? Will you buy them again?

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Food Finds, Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , ,

Skinny Cow Truffle Bars Review

March 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Skinny Cow Truffle Bars are a scrumpdillyicious ice cream treat!  They’re 100 calories each and are so good I could eat the whole box; not just over the course of a week or two; but in an hour or two!

That makes them not so “skinny” for me but if  I could learn to control myself just a little bit then it will be safe for me to keep them in the house for an ice cream treat that’s not several hundred calories (a.k.a. Ben and Jerry’s triple caramel which is 290 calories for a 1/2 cup or about 3 bites!).

Skinny Cow Truffle Bars come in 4 flavors:

French Vanilla

Chocolate

Caramel

White Mint

I’m a vanilla kind of girl so the French Vanilla Truffle Bars are my favorite, but they’re all good. skinny cow truffle bar

If you want to try them but aren’t sure what stores in your area carry them, use Skinny Cow’s handy product finder guide and you’ll know exactly where to go find them (jog, walk, or bike there; or run around the parking lot for a while after driving there so you’ve burned at least 100 calories by the time you buy them so you can immediately eat one guilt free!).

I’ve saved the best news for last – it’s a coupon for a $1 off your favorite flavor of Skinny Cow Truffle Bars!  Just fill out a simple form (takes about a minute) on the Skinny Cow website and the coupon is yours!

http://www.skinnycow.com/myproducts/bars.php?myflavor=truffle_vanilla
Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , ,

Weight Watchers Fruities – Tasty But Rubbery

February 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Have you had Weight Watchers Fruities? They’re kind of like a gummy candy but much more chewy; actually kind of rubbery but they have good flavor.

There’s absolutely no redeeming nutritional value to them but they are a diet friendly option (the whole box is 1 Weight Watcher point) when I want a sweet taste in my mouth and am trying avoid inhaling a 600 calorie chocolate/caramel brownie (with powered sugar on top please).

But unlike what my new Weight Watchers leader said at my last meeting (when I truly think she was trying to blow smoke up everyone’s butt), they are not filling. She told us a little story about how she was recently delayed at the airport and was really hungry but didn’t want to eat very much because her husband was picking her up and taking her out to eat. So she said she popped 2 WW Fruities into her mouth and, tada, she was satisfied until mealtime (ummm…seriously…10 calories satisfied her hunger and got her to mealtime?).

While they will never be a hunger filler for me, they are a standby in my purse. The downsides though are that they aren’t sold in stores. You have to go to a Weight Watchers meeting location to buy them (but you don’t to be a member or join in order to purchase them). And, they aren’t cheap. In my area, a pack containing 2 single serve boxes is $2.50.

They come in three flavors; strawberry, blackberry and cherry. Strawberry is my favorite.

They’re another option that just might help you get over a “hump” in your day and stay on your diet.

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Food Finds, Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , ,

Big Mac Snack Wrap

January 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

After seeing 6 commercials for McDonald’s Big Mac Snack Wrap on television last night I decided I had to have it today for lunch.

The “full on” version of the Big Mac used to be my “go-to” sandwich when I wanted a fast food lunch (which was several times a week) “with a large diet Coke and fries please.” Big Mac Snack Wrap

But at 540 calories and 29 grams of fat just for the Big Mac sandwich (13 Weight Watchers points), it became a very infrequent treat when I got serious about weight loss (insert a big “sigh” here).

My mouth watered while watching the commercials last night (their advertising is very effective – darn it!) and I started thinking about how much I missed my beloved Big Macs. So today it was off to the McDonald’s drive-through for me (but only after working out first in case my mouth involuntarily uttered the words “with an order of fries please”).

At 330 calories and 19 grams of fat (8 Weight Watchers points) it’s an okay lunch option; but not all the time because it’s truthfully not enough food to fill me up. I need more bulk in my meals than that.

Is it worth the calories? If you’re a Big Mac lover, yes. It has the same taste as the Big Mac (it’s the sauce that does it for me) in a smaller size.

My only complaint is that there’s too much “wrap.” I still had a couple bites of the flour tortilla left after finishing the filling so I tossed it because plain flour tortilla is not worth the calories to me. In my opinion they could make the wrap a little smaller, saving some calories.

It’s nice to see a fast food restaurant offering lower calorie options although the sensible part of me knows that fast food should not be a daily option because even if calories can be kept in check the food is super high in sodium.

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Food Finds, Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , ,

Galaxy Granola is Low in Fat and is Delicious

January 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I found Galaxy Granola at my local natural foods store several months ago when I was looking for a granola that didn’t have high fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients or preservatives in it; and also was hoping to find something that didn’t have the equivalent of the calories for an entire meal in one small handful of it.

This stuff is great! galaxy cranberry granola

While any granola can be a calorie minefield if a person eats too much of it, I keep my portions under control by using it as a topping or a small snack rather than eating by the bowl.

My favorite way to have it is with fruit and yogurt; putting fresh cut up fruit in a bowl, topping it with a container of light yogurt; and sprinkling it with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the Galaxy Granola. To make the dish “company special” I layer the ingredients in a pretty clear glass.

One of the great things about Galaxy Granola is that you can try a free sample before you buy it.

Have you tried it?

What’s your favorite flavor? vanilla galaxy granola

For over yogurt and fruit mine is the “not sweet vanilla” because it has a delicious tasty crunch but doesn’t compete with the flavors of my yogurt and fruit. For a healthy snack I like the cranberry orange. It comes in two other flavors: raspberry and vanilla almond.

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Food Finds, Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bored With Yogurt?

January 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Yogurt is recommended as part of most healthy eating plans and is usually a staple for people who are dieting.

But even though there are plenty of choices in the yogurt, eating yogurt by itself can get pretty boring so here are some ideas to make it more interesting and tasty without adding a ton of calories to it:

- Fruity Pebbles cereal sprinkled on top (2 tablespoons is 20 calories)

- Cheerios sprinkled on top (2 tablespoons is 13 calories)

galaxy granola- granola sprinkled on top (about 1 tablespoon). Try Galaxy Granola; it’s low fat and delicious.

- Grape Nuts sprinkled on top

- trail mix sprinkled on top

- poured over the top of a bowl of fresh cut up fruit (berries, melon, grapes)

- mixed with a container of ready to eat sugar free Jello (take Jello out of container, cut in bite size pieces and mix with light yogurt of your choice for quick “broken glass” salad that’s around 100 calories and is delicious and satisfying)

- with a couple cookies from a 100 calorie pack sprinkled on top (lemon yogurt with a couple of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies crumbled on top of Yoplait Delights lemon torte yogurt; a couple Oreo crisps crumbled on top of vanilla yogurt; or part of a graham cracker crumbled on top of caramel yogurt are my favorites) yoplait lemon delight

- make a smoothie (toss a container of yogurt, 1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen fruit, a handful of ice cubes, and a splash of water or skim milk or juice into a blender and blend until smooth, adding a little sugar or sugar substitute if desired)

- use as a dipper for apples (dip apple slices into light caramel yogurt)

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Healthy Eating, Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Starbucks Has 1 Point Cookies!

January 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Starbucks has a new line of packaged snacks. I noticed them right away when I walked into Starbucks this morning (my nose always gravitates right towards the food). Among them are packages of cookies from Dr. Lucy’s; sugar, chocolate chip, and cinnamon thins.

I chose the cinnamon thins to try after dutifully checking the points value of them before shoving them in my mouth.

The cookies are 1 Weight Watcher point each! How awesome is that? (but check points values for yourself to be sure).

The taste? They rock! The cinnamon thins are super yummy. They taste like snickerdoodle cookies – crunchy, sweet, and cinnamony (is that a word?) starbucks cinnamon thin cookie

Plus they don’t have any milk, eggs, peanuts or tree nuts and are certified gluten free so they are safe to eat for people with peanut allergies; people who need to avoid gluten; and are vegan friendly.

Besides being tasty (my number 1 criteria for food), I like that they don’t have trans fat, msg or preservatives and that they are a great “points friendly” treat.

My only problem is going to be finding the willpower to just eat 1 or 2 of the cookies at a time and not pig out and eat the whole bag of 4. But even if I do eat the whole bag today, it’s still only 4 points which is a lot better than the points it would cost me if I ate one of the red velvet cupcakes or cinnamon scones sitting prettily inside the Starbucks bakery case.

The only thing I don’t like about the cookies is the “nutrition facts” because the package has 1.3 servings. Seriously? I think that’s stupid. A lot of people are going to look at the package and assume that the nutrition info is for the whole package since it only contains 4 cookies. Most people are not going to eat 1 serving and then save the other .3 of the remaining serving for later on. That’s kind of misleading.

But, overall I think the cookies are great.

UPDATE ON 1/20/10 – tried the DrLucy sugar cookies at Starbucks today (also 1 Weight Watcher point each). They’re good; crunchy with a sweet taste and are very similar to the cinnamon thins I tried the other day – the only difference to me is that the sugar cookies don’t have the cinnamon taste to them. If you don’t like cinnamon these would be good cookies to try but since I’m a cinnamon lover I’ll stick with the cinnamon thins. Next up is giving the DrLucy’s chocolate chip cookies a try. That’s the third variety Starbucks is offering.

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Food Finds, Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss, Weight Watchers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Kashi Dark Mocha Almond Bars

January 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I just tried Kashi’s Dark Mocha Almond granola bars today.  Yum!!!!! kashi mocha almond granola bar

They’re new at my store and since I love chocolate, coffee and almonds they seemed like a home run.  And they were!

There’s big pieces of almond, dark chocolate chips and a yummy coffee taste.  BUT, if you don’t like coffee you probably won’t like these granola bars because the coffee flavor is definitely noticeable.

All that yumminess only costs 2 Weight Watchers points (but check the box yourself because serving sizes and ingredients can change).

Nutritionally each dark mocha almond granola bar contains:

130 calories

3.5 grams fat

4 grams fiber

6 grams protein

6 grams sugar

Kashi granola bars are my go-to item for a quick breakfast (along with a banana or an apple) or for an afternoon snack to hold me over until dinnertime.

What do I like about them?

- they contain whole grains

- no artificial sweeteners

- no high fructose corn syrup

- no partially hydrogenated fats

- no artificial ingredients

They’re tasty, a healthy snack, low in Weight Watchers points values, and they satisfy me – definitely a home run product!

Note: If you can’t find them in your local store, they are available online at Amazon.com

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Food Finds, Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Low Cal Treat That Won’t Wreck Your Diet –

January 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Are you craving something sweet but are trying to avoid inhaling a thousand calories worth of chocolate and derailing your weight loss?

Try having a Tootsie Roll Pop instead.

Unless you can only stand to take two or three licks before biting into it to get to the tootsie roll center, it lasts a long time, satisfies a craving for something sweet, and only has 60 calories (only 1 Weight Watcher point!).

Plus there’s yummy new Pomegranate flavor.

Filed Under: Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Tips, Weight Watchers Tagged With: , , , ,
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