Posts Tagged ‘Treats’
Monday, January 25th, 2010
We’re still stocking your cupboards and refrigerator with healthy food. Snack are so important! in the heat of hunger we grab what’s easiest. If you have something healthy right beside you- that’s what your going to eat. Plus you’re less likely to get famished because you have emergency snacks where ever you go.
Whether it’s snacks for your purse, your car, desk, or the house- if your making healthy lifestyle changes you should always make sure that you have snack on hand.
GOOD FOR THE CAR, YOUR PURSE OR YOUR DESK:
- 1 ounce raw nuts. I like Almonds, cashews and brazil nuts.
- Fresh cut up veggies. I like celery, carrots, cucumber and peppers. If you can’t stomach veggies on their own try it with 2 tbsp of hummus or 1 tbsp of low-fat Ranch or Cesar dressing.
- Cheese Strings. ( These last a few hours outside of a refrigerator)
- An emergency bar like a LARA Bar or The Simply Bar.
- Piece of fruit.
- Whole grain crackers like WASA crackers and some Light Laughing Cow to spread on top.
- Celery/ whole grain crackers and Natural Peanut Butter.
If you are going to have a snack like rice chips, pretzels or something processed like that. Just make sure you look at the back of the bag and portion out your one serving. Place your 8 chips or whatever it is in a zip lock baggy and bring JUST THE BAGGY to work with you.
Snacks for your house OR if you have a refrigerator at your office:
- 3/4 cups skim milk with 1/4 cup chocolate milk. Have it on the rocks or warm it in the microwave for a hot cocoa.
- Cottage cheese with cinnamon for a sweet tooth.
- Cottage cheese with cucumber and tomato for a savory tooth.
- Cottage cheese with fresh berries for a sweet tooth.
- Single servings of yogurt.
- 1/4 cup low fat Ricotta cheese with fresh berries.
I never leave the house without something on hand. And if I do find myself in a situation where I don’t have anything to eat and I’m out running errands – I grab a tall non-fat latte. It’s approximatly 8 ounces of milk and a great tide me over snack that holds me until my next meal.
Feel free to write in with ideas and thoughts!
Tags: calcium, Calories, dairy, diet, healthy eating, Lean Protein, low fat, protein, quick snack, self control, Snack, Snacks, Treats, weight loss, Will Power
Posted in General Health Tips, Recipes and Meal Ideas, Weight Loss Tips | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
I love finding new food products. It makes me so happy!
I know this may sound funny, but I’m always on the look out for snacks that feel like chips. You know that feeling of reaching into a bag and grabbing something crunchy, then reaching into the bag again and grabbing another and another. Munching on something that’s not celery! (Although I do love celery!) We’ll I think I just found the answer to my snack in a bag dilemma! It’s called Sensible Foods and it’s simply freeze dried fruit. Nothing added, nothing taken away (expect the water!) They are crunchy and sweet and taste just like a treat. ( I fully had not intention of rhyming, but I’m leaving it) But the secret is- they are really healthy! All natural, no added preservatives no added sugar! Packed with fiber and Vitamin C!
Have a look in your local health food store for them! I just discovered the Cherry Berry Flavor – freeze dried blueberries, strawberries, cherries and apples. Yumm. I’m almost tempted to go buy a freeze drying machine because I loved them so much! I figure they must be crazy easy to make with the right equipment! Anyway, for now, they are worth of the pricey two or three dollars that I paid for them.
Check them out:
http://www.sensiblefoods.com/
Here is the breakdown for one bag (21g) :
| Calories |
Carbohydrates |
Protein |
Fat |
Fiber |
| 84 |
19 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
Tags: feeling good, fiber, Fruit, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, Heart Health, Snack, Snacks, Treats
Posted in Foods and Products | 2 Comments »
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Would you sit down and eat two or even three chocolate bars in a row? One after the other ? If the answer is no (and I sure hope it is 
then be very weary of Halloween Candy. These tiny little bit sized sugar filled treats are far from small when it comes to calories and fat. For some reason ( I think it’s because they are called ‘fun size’) we think they are somehow better for us then a normal size bar. The reality is, it’s the same bar in a smaller package BUT in many cases two or three of these treats amount to more than one full chocolate bar. So before you start popping the candy your supposed to give to expecting children- have a look at this breakdown to see what’s really worth it.
Halloween Candy Breakdown
| Type |
Calories |
Carbs |
Protein |
Fat |
| Snickers |
80 |
11 |
2 |
4 |
| Whoopers |
100 |
16 |
.5 |
4 |
| Milky Way |
80 |
12 |
1 |
3 |
| Raisinette's |
56 |
11 |
.75 |
3.2 |
| Reese's Pieces |
95 |
12 |
3 |
5 |
| Reese's Peanut Butter Cup |
80 |
8 |
1 |
4.5 |
| Nestle Crunch Bar |
70 |
10 |
1 |
3 |
| 3 Musketeers |
100 |
17 |
1 |
3 |
| Hershy's Bar |
67 |
8 |
1 |
4 |
| Wunderbar |
60 |
4 |
1 |
3.5 |
| Butterfinger |
85 |
14 |
1 |
4 |
| Twix ( 1 stick) |
120 |
16 |
.6 |
8 |
| M&M's |
80 |
13 |
1 |
4 |
| Peanut M&M's |
94 |
11 |
2 |
4.7 |
| Caramilk Bar Mini |
50 |
7 |
1 |
2.5 |
| Smarties (chocolate) |
50 |
9 |
1 |
2 |
| Kit Kat |
73 |
9 |
1 |
3.7 |
| Juinor Mints |
75 |
16 |
0 |
2 |
| York Peppermint Patty |
53 |
11 |
0 |
1 |
| Kraft Caramels (5 peices) |
160 |
30 |
4 |
3.5 |
| Starbursts |
40 |
8.4 |
0 |
.8 |
| Skittles |
60 |
14 |
0 |
1 |
| Sweet Tarts |
60 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
| Nerds |
50 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
| Tootsie Pop |
60 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
| Twizzlers |
60 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
| Candy Corn (10 peices) |
80 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
| Tootsie Roll (mini) |
25 |
5 |
.1 |
.5 |
| 3- Hershey's Kiss |
75 |
3 |
.3 |
1.5 |
As I made this chart, I realized the list goes on and on. I could have put over a dozen more candies on this list! No wonder we have so much trouble saying no to the sweet stuff- there is so much of it!!!
Tags: halloween candy, self control, Treats, Will Power
Posted in Foods and Products, Holiday Eating Guide | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
I’m always looking for ways to curb or satisfy a sweet tooth without breaking the bank. It’s fun to have treats! And for me, the best treats are ones that I walk away from not feeling guilty for going over board or eating something that wasn’t good for me. I like to feel good after a treat and proud of myself for the choices that I made. This is one of my favorites!
Warm Banana’s on Fro Yo
- Warm a pan on medium on the stove stop.
- Add 1/2 a pat of butter to the pan and let it melt.
- Once melted add 1 small banana (sliced down the middle and then in half) to your pan and allow the banana to cook. It will release yummy natural sugars.
- Put 1/2 cup of vanilla frozen yogurt into two bowls.
- Divide your banana into your two bowls on-top of the frozen yogurt.
- Enjoy !!
*Nutritional Information
| Calories |
Carbohydrates |
Protein |
Fat |
Fiber |
| 175 |
38.9 |
5.9 |
1.3 |
1.3 |
Tags: healthy dessert, low calorie dessert, low fat dessert, recipe, simple healthy dessert, Treats
Posted in Recipes and Meal Ideas | 1 Comment »
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
A few months ago I posted about the difference between a sweet potato and a regular white potato. CLICK HERE to check it out. The bonus with a sweet potato is that it does not spike your insulin levels the way a regular potato does partly because of the higher fiber content. Now, here is my issue with the Sweet Potato. Since everyone is all health crazy right now (no complaint there) manufacturers and restaurants are trying anything and everything to get people to eat their products. Sweet Potato’s have been promoted as a healthy choice- So many companies have decided to prey on the innocent and make frozen sweet potato fries that you can buy in the freezer isle. If you look at the back of the package and read the ingredients list and look at the nutritional breakdown you will quickly realize that this so called “healthy french fry” is not healthy at all. And of course restaurants are now offering a choice of sweet potato versus regular potato fries. It makes you feel like having the sweet potato fries somehow makes your meal healthier! But in truth, your meal would be much healthier if you just ordered a side Salad or Steamed Veggies!
- Here is the deal. A fry, is a fry, is a fry.
The only way sweet potato fries will be healthier than a regular fries is if you’re cutting, peeling and baking fresh sweet potato’s at home and cooking them in your oven with MINIMAL healthy oil.
* Both these french fries are from the same manufacturer.
| 6 ounces |
Calories |
Carbs |
Protein |
Fat |
Fiber |
| Sweet Potato Fry |
260 |
42 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
| Regular Potato Fry |
260 |
42 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
Tags: feeling good, fiber, healthy eating, healthy living, Heart Health, self control, Snack, Treats, weight loss, Will Power
Posted in Foods and Products, General Health Tips, Weight Loss Tips | No Comments »
Monday, July 20th, 2009
I’ve rediscovered something from childhood that I’m so excited about!
My husband and I went to the movies the other night. Normally we grab an extra large hot tea to take into the theatre with us so that we can avoid the snack bar all together.
But we rushed to the movies without dinner (bad girl, I know) so I grabbed a Lara bar for each of us and stuck it in my purse. When we arrived at the theater, they had a Yogen Fruz stand beside the snack bar. The bars, stayed in my purse and we opted for frozen yogurt instead!
We both ordered low fat vanilla with a blend of mixed berries and extra strawberries. It was delicious!
I love that they take the frozen fruit and blend it into the yogurt! I just forgot how good it was, or even that it existed really!
The reason I went with low-fat instead of no-fat or sugar-free is because the no-fat has chemicals in it to replace the fat, and the no-sugar added has fake chemical sugars added! I would rather have the sugar and so would my digestive system! For the extra 10 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, I didn’t feel it necessary to put the chemicals in my body.
For a small low fat
Yogen Fruz ( just the yogurt) here it the breakdown :
You get almost 10% of you
RDA of calcium and you get fiber and other vitamins from the fruit you put in it!
This is a great treat to say cool on a hot summers day! I can’t say enough how much I love this rediscovery! It’s definitely on my guilt free treat list!
Tags: calcium, dairy, Snacks, Treats
Posted in Foods and Products | 6 Comments »
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
Who Knew ?
I was at the grocery store the other day craving ice cream. I browsed the freezer isle reading label after label looking for a satisfying low fat option. Not to mention that I took my time to compare one brand to the next. By the end of my ice cream adventure, I was very cold. But it was worth it! One of my favorite treats as a kid (and an adult too I guess) was/is a
Fudgsicle. Who knew that
Fudgsicle’s
are low in calories and fat. They are actually on par in terms of calories and fat with the advertised ice cream treats that claim to be low fat/ low calorie. But the difference between these two options is that a
Fudgsicle is made with real sugar so your body will actually know what to do with it. ( I’m not saying I think all the ingredients are fantastic by any stretch, but it’s a treat. A satisfying one at that!)
The ORIGINAL Fudgsicle is only 90 calories with 2 grams of fat! You can even buy mini original Fudgsicle’s
that are only 45 calories and 1 gram of fat! Great little treat, with a full-on hit-the-spot punch!
*13422 Steps.
Tags: low fat, Treats
Posted in Foods and Products, Weight Loss Tips | No Comments »
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
My cousin asked me a while ago what I treat myself with. But before I dive into my treats and cheats, I must say that I’m not perfect. I try to live a certain way, 80% of the time I can swing it! But, just like everyone else, I’m human.
- It’s important for me not to feel like I’ve deprived myself of anything I want. I make sure when I really want something, I eat it. I just pick my treat times in the week so that I’m not always giving into temptation. But when I do give in, it’s because I planned for it and then it really feels like a treat.
- I try to eat healthy whenever I’m at home. I feel like I have the most control over what I put in my mouth in my own kitchen. When I go to a restaurant or to a friends house, my healthy options can be limiting.
- I pick one treat meal a week. A treat meal for me would be something like Pizza, Thai, or Indian. This way, if I’m craving Pizza, I know I can have it without guilt! *I also have a treat here and there ( like once or twice a week)- be it half a cinnamon bun or sour candies ( like jube jubes or sour patch kids)- these are the things I crave. If I’m craving chocolate, I’ll have low fat frozen yogurt with sprinkles ( Chapmen’s is the best!) or a Chocolate Vita Muffin.
I TRY not to beat myself up when I have bad days. But I never say “There goes the whole week!” ever. And the one thing I always do is wake up and have a healthy breakfast. I always start my day off right.
Tags: healthy living, Treats, Will Power
Posted in General Health Tips, Weight Loss Tips | No Comments »
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
When I crave chocolate, nothing but chocolate is going to satisfy me. I’m very happy I was introduced to Vita Muffins! If you haven’t heard of these already, you’re in for a treat! They are a great alternative to grabbing a chocolate bar or a piece of cake. They come in a variety of flavors, my favorite of course is deep chocolate. At 100 calories a pop with 6 g of fiber – you can’t go wrong! Plus- this 2 ounce muffins is fortified with all sorts of vitamins and minerals! 
- 50% of you daily iron requirement * 50% of you daily B12 requirement
- 50% of you daily folic acid requirement *200 mg of calcium
You’ll find Vita Muffins at your local grocery store in the health food freezer section.
Let me know what you think!
Tags: feeling good, low fat, quick snack, Treats
Posted in Foods and Products | 7 Comments »
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
We’re having company this weekend. As you know, I try not to keep crap in the house that I don’t want to eat- I know if it’s there, I’ll eat it guaranteed. But, I also don’t think it’s fair to assume that company is going to eat the way we eat. I mean, I make yummy food, it’s just not pizza, wings and full fat fudge brownies! This is a great dessert recipe. You can make it when you’re having company or simply when you have a sweet tooth. It’s a crowd pleaser yet it’s still low in calories, low fat and it doesn’t feel it’s a compromising. This is a dessert I eat completely without guilt!
Cheese Cake Minus The Cake
- Fresh Fruit (I use strawberries or blueberries)
- 4 ounces light cream cheese
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Graham cracker crumbs
1. In a bowl whip: cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla.
2. Top with graham cracker crumbs.
3. Serve as a dip for your fruit!
OR
a) Pour individual bowls of berries and dollop your cream cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with graham crackercrumbs.
OR
b) Scoop out the tops of your strawberries and fill them with your cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with a touch of graham cracker crumbs. These make little strawberry cheesecake bites!
*Nutritional Information – 1/10th of dip
| Calories |
Carbohydrates |
Protein |
Fat |
Fiber |
| 38.2 |
3.4 |
1.2 |
21. |
0 |
Tags: fiber, Fruit, healthy eating, healthy living, Low Calorie, low fat, recipe, Treats
Posted in Recipes and Meal Ideas | No Comments »
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