NEW (and free!) Diet Cherry Coke Slurpee

Delicious, low calorie, and free...! You can't go wrong with that! Stop by your closest 7-11 today and try the new Diet Cherry Coke Slurpee! It was delicious, and only 25 calories per 20oz serving - awesome! 

Plus, download the 7-11 app or text DIETCOKE to 711711 for a free small Diet Cherry Coke Slurpee!

I know it's cold again here in crazy Texas, but a low-cal Slurpee is still a great afternoon pick me up!

Crock Pot Chili Recipe

Heat up on a cold night with this lean beef, crock pot chili recipe!

Yeilds 5 servings at 350 calories

- 16oz package Laura's 96% Fat Free Lean Beef 

- 1 Packet Crockpot Chili Mix

- 2 cans low sodium kidney beans 

- 2 cans diced tomatoes

- 1 can tomato sauce 

Super Simple Instructions: First brown meat until fully cooked, then mix all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for about 8 hrs. Serve with baked tortilla chips! 

Enjoy!

Fun Mini-Taco Salads

Fun Mini-Taco Salads

Make these fun mexi-treats for dinner, snacks, or even appetizers for the upcoming Super Bowl! 

Recipe yield 18 Mini Taco Salads

75 calories each

(Depending on toppings you like)

Ingredients:

-18 Wonton Wrappers 

-1 can Fat Free Refried Beans

-1 package Morning Star Crumbles

-Taco Seasoning 

-Shredded Lettuce 

-Pico 

-Fat Free Sour Cream (optional)

-Fat Free Shredded Cheese (optional) 

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 375

-Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and insert a wonton wrapper into each muffin hole.

-Place pan in oven while it preheats

-Meanwhile, brown Morning Star Crumbles with Taco Seasoning. Set aside. 

-Remove pan from oven.

-Fill each wrapper with one spoonful of beans and one spoonful of crumbles 

-Bake for 15 mins. 

-Remove from oven. Top with cheese, sour cream, pico, and lettuce. 

Enjoy your Fiesta Taco Salads! 

New "Light" Menus!

Looking for some new eating out options? 2014 seems to be the year of the new "light menu" at all kinds of restaurants. No argument from me! Here are some new finds I recently tried... (In additional to the restaurants below, stay turned for details on the new Maggianos light menu!)

Denny's:

Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner- I am totally digging the "Build your own Gram Slam" menu at Denny's. The menu features 300 ways to mix and match breakfast options to enjoy a meal under 500 calories. So many possibilities! I went with a high protein meal featuring egg whites, turkey bacon, chicken sausage and fruit parfait (served in a fancy parfait glass!) for under 300 calories. Next time I may splurge for the whole wheat pancakes or oatmeal. The menu is awesome because it lists all of the options with calorie counts! Not in the mood for breakfast food? No problem! Try something off the "Fit Fare" menu! These are my favorite pics:

- Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad: 450 calories 

- Chicken Avocado Sandwich with Fresh Veggies: 490 calories

- Alaska Salmon with Whole-Grain Rice and Steamed Broccoli: 500 calories 

California Pizza Kitchen:

CPK just launched their "Light Adventures" Menu- which is great since most items on their menu are not very healthy. I tried the Shrimp Scampi Zucchini Fettuccine, and it was absolutely delicious!! For only 470 calories, the meal featured fettuccine-shaped pasta mixed in with zucchini cut into thin slices to look like fettuccine- how clever- covered in an Alfredo-like sauce with fresh shrimp. I really enjoyed it! See the photo below! Other items on the menu include:

- Quinoa and Arugula Salad: 590 calories 

- Fire Roasted Chili Relleno: 420 calories 

- Grilled Chicken Chimichurri: 460 calories 

- Cedar Plank Salmon: 650 calories 

Enstein's Bagels:

The new "Thintastic Bagels" menu from Einstein's is just awesome. Enjoy at lunch or dinner! Try the Southwest Turkey-Sausage and Egg White Sandwich for only 350 calories, or the Asparagus, Mushroom, and Swiss Cheese with Egg Whites Sandwich for only 270 calories. Both are great! For more of a lunch choice, try the Tuscan Chicken Pesto Sandwich for 340 calories, or the Bagel Thin Club Sandwich for 360 calories (less if you ditch the bacon!). When paired up with a fruit cup or a bag of baked Lays, any of these sandwiches make a great meal option! 

Olive Garden:

While the Olive Garden "Garden Fare" menu isn't new, it's a great go to, and it includes new items! I love the Baked Tilapia and Shrimp dish- only 340 calories and high in protein! Since it's so low in calories, it's a great way to also enjoy a 140 calorie breadstick before dinner and salad (ask for the light dressing) or minestrone soup- both are 100 calories. I usually go with the soup! Other yummy choices:

- Garlic Rosemary Chicken served with Mashed Potatoes and Spinach: 560 calories 

- Venetian Apricot Chicken with Asparagus: 420 calories

- Lasagna Primavera with Grilled Chicken: 560 calories  

- Herb-Grilled Salmon with Broccoli: 520 calories 

... And more! 

Where will you be dining?

Outback Steakhouse Picks

Let me start off by saying that usually, I'm not a steak eater. In fact, I often stay away from red meat in general... However, when I can order a juicy 6oz sirloin with steamed veggies, and a crisp salad with tangy vinigarette dressing for under 550 calories and only $10.99... I'm in! Hello Outback Steakhouse!

Outback's menu features a great "Under 600 Calories" menu. Choose from Meals like Grilled Chicken on the Barbie, the 6oz Sirloin, Perfectly Grilled Salmon, Shrimp on the Barbie, and Grilled Mahi-Mahi. Pair your main dish with mixed veggies, steamed broccoli, or grilled asparagus PLUS a side salad (without cheese if you want to save 30-40 calories) and their Tangy Tomato Dressing.

You can mix and match main dishes and sides easily on their website with a handy dandy nutrition calculator to create the perfect meal for you! My DELICIOUS 6oz sirloin with mixed veggies, a house salad with tangy dressing clocked in at 523 calories! It was really tasty and filling! Highly recommend! 

Now- some additional Outback Steakhouse callouts: First, their menu has 2 under 150 calorie cocktails- a skinny margarita and a cosmo made with Skinny Girl Vodka (fun!). They are on my "to try" list! Second, if you need something sweet after dinner, their menu offers cake pops that aren't too high in calories. Personally, I'd rather save those 200 calories for something bigger at home from the grocery store, but not a bad option for a restaurant dessert. Finally, I'll point out that Outback's bread is pretty good, and it hard not to eat it! One loaf has an estimated 200-250 calories- without butter, so feel free to cut yourself a skinny slice or two! 

The Egg and I: Restaurant Picks

The Egg and I is our go-to brunch choice- mainly because there's one in walking distance from our house, and they offer healthy breakfast options. Not to mention the staff is very friendly!

My usual breakfast pick is the Eggs Plus (with scrambled egg beaters, sub potatoes for a fruit cup and an English Muffin- dry: 255 calories or 6 WW points + the 35 calories of jelly and 20-ish calories of skim milk for my coffee.... Kind of boring, but still filling and tasty!

However, this trip to The Egg and I had a special "limited time only" menu option that was delicious! So delicious in fact, that I'm already looking forward to going back. The Catalina Omelette features an open face egg white omelette topped with sliced turkey, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, mozzarella cheese, and pesto served with a side of fresh fruit and an English Muffin (make sure you ask for it dry)- all for only 463 calories- awesome!! Note- I do not have the full nutrition facts for this new item to correctly calculate, but I'd estimate it at 9 WW points. (Add 35 calories if you use a jelly pack on your muffin.)

It was delicious and very filling. The pesto and avocado really help the flavor pop! Plus, my fruit cup had juicy strawberries, plump blueberries and grapes, tart apple slices, and fresh pineapple- yum!  Even our waitress commented on how much she liked the meal. But, it's only available for a limited time, so don't miss out on this New Year's guilt-free breakfast (or brunch) choice!

The Egg and I also has a Smarter Choices Menu with other omelettes, yogurt, oatmeal and more. You can customize and calculate your meal online with their handy dandy nutrition calculator- awesome! More restaurants should have that!    

http://www.theeggandirestaurants.com/nutrition/nutracalc2.html 

“Choco-mint” Choices in 2013!

Holiday 2013 seems to be the season of the decedent flavor combination: Chocolate and Peppermint (or chocolate and mint). No need to fear, there are ways to enjoy these partners in crime in a guilt-free way. Below are my Holiday picks for the best “Choco-mint” Choices in 2013!

1.       Dunkin Donuts Peppermint Mocha K-Cups: The perfect at-home brewed beverage this season. I mix mine with one splenda packet and 1 non-dairy creamer tub. It’s not as good as the Starbucks version (see item #4), but it is a zero calorie (10 calories with a creamer tub) coffee option for the morning or dessert!

2.       Angie’s White Chocolate Peppermint Kettle Corn Popcorn: Holy Holiday! This was a delicious snack! So far, one of the best finds of the season. It is pricey. A small 4.5 oz bag will run you about $3.50 at Target, but it might go on sale soon! 1-1/2 cups of this super yummy treat runs you 140 Calories (4 WW points). This snack is sweet, salty and crunchy- the perfect combination. My advice is to measure individual servings into separate plastic baggies as soon as you get home from the store, otherwise you may eat the whole bag! Note: I also saw online that there is an iced gingerbread version. I’ll be on the look out!

3.       Target’s “Market Pantry” Candy Cane Granola Bar: For only 100 Calories (3 WW Points), Chewy Granola meets real chocolate chips and pieces of crunchy, sweet candy canes for a snack that will indulge your sweet tooth. My guess is that this is very seasonal, so stock up now if you’re into on-the-go granola bars. 

4.       Starbucks Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte: I just can’t get enough of this drink! It’s really sweet and rich and hot and yummy! For me, it’s a little sweet for the early morning, but I do find it to be the best afternoon snack while out shopping on a cold weekend, or during that 3PM work Starbucks run. A grande will run you 130 calories (3 WW Points). 

5.       Snack Factory Pretzel Chips in Dark Chocolate (and White Chocolate) Peppermint Flavors: These were really hard to find (although you can buy on Amazon) I did find the dark chocolate version at Target in Frisco… still on the lookout for the while chocolate version. I thought these were pretty good…. I think I may like the white chocolate version better. The serving size of only 4 pretzels is 130 calories (4WW Points) so enjoy each bite!

6.       Yoplait Limited Addition Light Mocha Mint and Peppermint Bark Yogurt:  Get these while you can. They are hard to find. Check Walmart and Target. I only found the small 4oz versions (but they come bigger too). Light Mocha Mint has only 60 calories (2WW points) and Peppermint Bark has 110 calories (3WW points). Seriously - Stock up before the season is over. They are a really good, guilt-free treat. (I’ll also point out that the fall flavors this year were Light Pumpkin Pie and Apple Crisp. I found them on sale for only $2 at Target!) 

7.       Homemade Chocolate Covered Cady Canes: I made these for my coworkers this year. Super easy and (I thought) super cute! I found the Sweet Stripes soft candy canes at CVS in a mini version. Each candy cane has 45 calories. I covered half of the candy cane in chocolate bark, sprinkled with a few silver sprinkles, and placed in a candy pretzel rod bag with red and while curled ribbon! I’d estimate these at 70 calories each – max! Great – and easy - Gift idea!

As a side note: I also found the Jet Puffed Peppermint Marshmallows at Target. I’m not sure what I’m going to make with them yet… Holiday Trail Mix for New Year’s Eve, maybe? Stay tuned for a follow-up post on that. Happy Holidays!