“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!

Egg Bake Recipe

During the work week, it's hard to enjoy a protein-packed healthy breakfast when you're on the go in the mornings with barely enough time to grab coffee and a granola bar! Try making these yummy egg bake muffins on a Sunday morning, and enjoy them all week!

Ingredients:

1 cup Heart Healthy Bisquick

1 cup Skim Milk

1 cup Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 12oz bag of Morning Star Crumbles

1 cup Egg Beaters

Seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)

Super Easy Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375

2. In a skillet "brown" the morning star crumbles (with PAM or Olive Oil spray). Season to taste. - I use I dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl blend egg beaters, Bisquick and milk until smooth.

4. Stir in cheese and cooked crumbles.

5. Spay muffin tin with PAM. Fill each cup about 3/4 of the way.

6. Bake for 30mins.

7. Enjoy all week!

Keep refrigerated all week. To reheat: pop in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or toaster oven.

Makes 18 muffin cups.

Serving size 2.

150 calories

4 WW points

Subway Salad....Chopped!?!

Is it just me, or did anyone else miss the memo that Subway makes a chopped salad? Now, it may not seem as exciting to you as it is to me.... But there's truly something better about a salad when it's all mixed up and chopped! 

Loaded up with veggies and protein... What could be better? I had mine with turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, spinach, red onions, and  cucumbers --all mixed together with fat free honey mustard, and chopped of course. This huge salad was awesome! (Perfect for a light dinner after a workout when you're too tired to cook!) Estimated 200 calories and 4 WW points.

I also had some of my favorite baked chips! - 130 calories, 4WW points in the sour cream variety. (and an 80 calorie Christmas tree ice cream pop for dessert, I blogged about those the other day! Go read it!)

Move over 6" sub! I'm loving this chopped salad! 

New Food Finds on our "Ice-Venture!"

After being iced-in for days, we finally ventured out to Walmart and Kroger for an "ice-venture!" I found some new, fun, and healthy foods spotted on shelves! 

1. Dole Dipped Strawberries. I blogged about the chocolate covered bananas awhile ago, so I was happy to find a new "flavor" in the dark chocolate dole fruit family. This yummy dessert has only 60 calories and 2 WW points. Perfect for an after dinner snack!

2. Kroger Christmas Tree Ice Cream Pops. These are delicious!  - and adorable! For only 80 calories, 2 WW points, enjoy low fat mint ice cream with sprinkles in the shape of an adorable Christmas Tree on a stick. Festive and guilt-free! The mint flavor was very tasty (even on a cold day!) Also available in "snowman" with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. Stock up on these, I'm sure they are seasonal. I'm going to fill my freezer with some! (Side note: Where's the low fat ice cream menorah on a stick?!)

3. Skinny Frozen Burritos from PJs organics. This frozen lunch or dinner option was a cool find. While it wasn't awesome, it was filling and tasty. Biggest flaw is that it calls for 50 mins in the oven for heating. That's a really long time for something so simple, but I'd rather bake it than nuke in the microwave. The rolled up tortilla is filled with chicken, rice, beans, peppers and low fat cheese. The burrito has 8 WW points (which I thought was a lot for the size), and 260 calories. Not too shabby because it was very filling. Good find! Something to keep in the freezer for a night when you don't feel like cooking and you have a Mexican craving.

4. 98% Fat Free French Fries from Alexia. I looked all over for these, and finally found them at walmart. One serving of these crispy potatoes has 3 WW points, 120 calories- awesome! Also available in crinkle cut and tri-cut potato. These are a must try! I am really excited about this food find. The perfect side to any meal.

Happy Grocery Hunting! Stay Warm!

Skinny Pie - Brooklyn's Pizza

Introducing "The Skinny Pie" at Brooklyn's Old Neighborhood Pizzeria- 10" inches of super thin and crispy pizza topped with a light amount of cheese and light toppings!

Note- while I am a New Yorker at heart, and I will always love the taste of a giant slice of greasy, cheesy NY pizza.... The calorie and fat count just ain't worth it sometimes. Instead, it's important to me to find yummy alternatives. 

We stumbled upon Brooklyn's in Frisco during a random work day lunch outing. As usual, I struggle with pizza places for lunch. Chances are, there's no healthy option.... But alas, Skinny Pie was on the menu! Our group shared a giant family size salad (huge amounts of chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and red onions) with low-cal Italian dressing on the side. Never hurts to fill up on salad before a carb-full meal. (I'd estimate less than 100 calories for the dressing and 2 WW points, max). The side salad is huge and so is the family size shareable version, so eat up! 

When my pizza arrived, I was surprised to see how thin the crust was. See photo. You can tell the crust is thin, and the cheese is light. What a great idea! I ordered mine with mushrooms and pineapple, but choose from all the veggie options you'd like for only $6.99! 

I'm iffy on the calories and points. I couldn't find them published anywhere, so I sent an email and will update here if they write me back. Based on the Papa Murphy's deLight Take and Bake pizza, I'd estimate 10 WW points and 400-500 calories. It really depends on the oil amounts used. 

Either way, it's healthier than the thick crust, loaded cheese alternative, so dig in! 

There are 4 locations: 

Allen

NW Corner of Alma & McDermott Dr. 

1314 W. McDermott Dr. #170 

Allen, Texas 7501

Frisco

SE Corner of Legacy & Lebanon

5729 Lebanon Road, Suite 100 

Frisco, Texas 75034 

McKinney

4900 Eldorado Parkway #140 

McKinney, Texas 75070

Plano

NE Corner of Hedgcoxe & Ohio

4637 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 116 

Plano, Texas 75024 

Trick or "Healthy" Treats

Halloween is my favorite holiday to celebrate- well one of them! This year, make your Halloween all about the tricks and the healthy treats!

Here are some of my favorites:

1. "Candy Corn" Parfaits: Canned Pineapple Bites and Orange Slices topped off with fat free whipped cream. Easy enough- and so cute! (2WW points!) 

2. Utz Snacks! Find them in bulk at Costco or Sam's. The Pretzels have 50 calories per bag and the cheese balls have 60 calories (1 WW point each). Both are prefect for a snack or in your lunch bag.

3. Mini-Sized Everything! The best part of Halloween is that you can find mini versions of all your favorite snacks! Give them to trick-or-treaters of course, but don't forget to save some for yourself. Mini bags of goldfish, crackers, fruit roll-ups, rice crispy treats, and more - usually all under 100 calories. (Plus, hit up all the stores on November 1st and 2nd and get your favorite mini snacks on clearance!) 

4. Witch Brooms! Simple- String Cheese + Pretzel Sticks... So yummy and creative! (See photo)

5. For a sweet treat, that's also adorable, I love the Pretzel-Hershey Hugs-Candy Corn bites. I also made them with an orange Recess Pieces in the middle. Yum! (Here's how: Place a hug on each mini pretzel. Bake in the oven for 2 mins on 350. Top with candy. Let dry - I put them in the fridge to dry.)

6. Mummy Dogs...Love these! How to: wrap 97% fat free beef hot dogs (like the kind by Hebrew National) up in reduced fat pilsbury dough (see photo) and bake in oven. Top off with a mustard face :)

Also- for the candy lovers, here is a cheat sheet list of calorie and point values from my favorite blogger, Hungry Girl:  http://s3.amazonaws.com/hungry-girl/uploads/fck/HGHALLOWEENCANDYGUIDE2013.pdf

Happy Halloween!

Great Outdoors=Great Lunch Find!

Great Outdoors=Great Lunch Find!

For lunch today, I discovered the Great Outdoors! How did I not know about this place? I was so impressed by their Eat Out Healthy (EOH) menu proudly posted with Weight Watchers points already calculate for you- awesome! (I calculated the points, to verify they were correct, just in case... They were!)

My usual sandwich/sub pick is a simple turkey with no cheese- it's a good go to healthy choice, however- this unique menu feature a tuna sub made with Fat Free Mayo- awesome! I've never seen that at a restaurant before. Had to try it! (For reference, the Subway Tuna 6" clocks in at 480 calories, 13 WW points- and no Fat Free alternative. Not awful, but not great.) 

This FF Tuna on white clocks in at 360 calories and 9WW points. The tuna with fat free mayo was made with crunchy celery mixed in- yum! Plus, I topped off the sub with lots of veggies- lettuce, tomato, sprouts (which you can't get at subway!), pickles, and onions. Additionally, I grabbed a bag of baked lays on the side for an additional 3 WW points. This location in Frisco offered regular, sour cream and onion and BBQ flavors.

The EOH Menu also features a roast beef option, grilled chicken, turkey, turkey pastrami (yum- and hard to find!) and ham subs, all for 8-9 WW points. Their chicken noodle soup also looks good with awesome stats of 119 calories, 3 WW points.

What to stay away from? The desserts! Their chocolate chip cookie has 400 calories, 11 WW points- eek! Also, some of the 17 WW point subs with over 700 calories: Cheesteak Sub, Meatball Sub, Invention Sub... And worst of all, Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Sub with 766 calories, 20WW points or the Outdoorsman with 792 calories, 20 WW points- Oy Vey!

All in all, a great menu for the Great Outdoors!

(In case you were wondering, my sub was so good that I forgot to get a picture... Maybe next time!)

October 4th is National Taco Day AND National Vodka Day

Celebrate Friday! Celebrate Tacos! Celebrate Vodka!

Apparently October 4th is National Taco Day AND National Vodka Day- what a combo! Celebrate with these great ideas....

1. Baked Tostitos and my homemade "easy-cheesy" queso (Fat free sour cream and 4-5 wedged of Laughing Cow Light Queso Fresco & Chipolte cheese blended together)

2. Simple tacos in a low carb 80 calorie flour tortilla (like the kind by Mission) however you like them. Tonight, I went with grilled chicken strips, lettuce, pico and a small scoop of the queso.

3. Vodka and Canada Dry 10 (a family favorite mixer!) bottoms up!

Side Dish: A regular soft or crispy taco (beef or chicken) at a fast food joint will only run you 160-180 calories, so feel free to indulge on one or two of those! 

Ready for some Football!

Fall has arrived, which means football season is here! Gear up for the big game with these guilt-free tailgate ideas:

1. Grilled Chicken Sliders: Tyson grilled chicken breasts (cut in half), slider buns (70-100 calories), lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles.

2. Hot Dogs in a blanket: 94% fat free Hebrew National hot dogs (45 calories) and reduced fat pillsbury crescent rolls  

3. Lentil Chips and Spinach Dip: Lentil Chips were a good find!  Try the kind by Mediterranean Foods (110 calories for 22 chips) and a dip with 40-45 calories! http://www.mediterraneansnackfoods.com/

4. Banana Muffins: See recipe below

5. Light Beer: Bud 55, Miller 64, or Michelob Ultra

6. Baked Tortilla Chips and Salsa (and fat free refried beans if you'd like)

7. Veggies: Carrots, Cucumbers, Celery, Roma Tomatoes

8. Hot Pretzels: Like the kind by super pretzel- cut up into bite size pieces. 

9. Mini Football Snickers: See Below- available in your favorite teams for only 45 calories.

10. Fun Football themed plates, cups and napkins!   

Banana Muffins:

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup splenda (if you use sugar, add an extra 45 calories per muffin)

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 egg whites

1 cup banana, mashed

1/4 cup applesauce 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with spray. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add egg whites, bananas and applesauce; stir just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. 

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

100 calories per muffin!

Gooey's Love!

Ah Gooey's .... The ultimate Dallas-based guilt-free treat! Located at Preston and Forest (a trek from my house, but beyond worth it), the frozen yogurt shop features many different flavors of delicious fat free and sugar free Fro-yo! 

Clocking in at only 10 calories per ounce and 2 carbs, you can't go wrong! The medium 7oz cup (pictured below with fat free, sugar free pistachio and vanilla) has only 70 calories and 2WW points - awesome! 

Also picture below is the waffle cone with sugar free Oreos and a mix of fat free white chocolate and dark chocolate. Also yummy!! 

Gooey's has all kinds of different things on their menu with different toppings and such, but I usually stick to the simple Fro-yo. They always have a bunch of flavors to choose from- the classics (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla), peanut butter, peppermint, lemon, coffee ... Seasonal pumpkin!! Just to name a few.

Whether you live close or far, I highly recommend checking it out! If you love it, take some to go. I always do! 

Macaroni Grill Picks and Tips

Create your own pasta at Macaroni Grill is an awesome (and filling) dinner choice for date night, family dinner, or girl's night out! 

Ask your waiter for the cute form to fill out when you sit down. Read all the options, it's a good distraction from the greasy bread and oil on the table! 

For the base, choose spaghetti or capellini- angel hair pasta (both are 340 calories) with pomodoro sauce (190 calories).

Next, you can pick 3 veggies. I went with asparagus, roasted mushrooms, and tomatoes. (Adding 45 additional calories.) See picture below. 

Other veggies choices include artichokes, spinach, peppers, onions, sun dried tomatoes, etc. - mostly all 5-20 calories. 

Finally, you can choose a protein for a few extra bucks. I actually went with eggplant (pictured) for 35 calories extra, but you can choose shrimp, grilled chicken or meatballs.  

Also, it's a good idea to add the field greens side salad with Mediterranean dressing to your meal as an appetizer. For $3 and 110 calories, it's a way better choice then the bread on the table.

My very filling meal for $16 (before the coupon- I'll get to that in a second) was about 600 calories - since I had the salad, ate 2/3 of my meal and nibbled on some bread! (It's hard not to!) Not bad for Italian food!

Other MG tips:

They have a light menu with a few items under 600 calories (labeled on their menu with an icon.) I haven't tried them all yet, but the Pollo Caprese (pictured) and the Grilled Shrimp Spiedini are both very good- note, the Spiedini is not very filling.

Pollo Caprese: grilled chicken breast, capellini pomodoro, arugula sala

560 calories - pictured

Grilled Chicken Spiedini: roasted vegetables, lemon oil

410 calories

Mediterranean Sea Bass

pan-seared fillets, vine-ripened tomatoes, arugula, cannellini beans, balsamic glaze

570 calories

Caprese: vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil

480 calories - appetizer 

Grilled Shrimp Spiedini

roasted vegetables, lemon oil

380 calories

Another great tip is to sign up for the MG email. They have awesome buy 1 get 1 free coupons and more pretty often. Last night, we saved 40% off the bill with a sweet MG email coupon- yes!

Choosing MG for lunch (they email out lunch coupons sometimes!) is a great tip too. You can order a "pick two" with a side salad (110 calories), pomodoro soup (190 calories), 1/2 roasted turkey sandwich (300 calories) and/or capellini pasta with pomadaro sauce (340 calories). Yummy!

Finally, dishes to stay away from:

Appetizers- 

Mac and Cheese Bites: 990 calories

Italian Nachos: 1015 calories

Meals-

Mom's Ricotta meatballs and spaghetti with bolognese: 1190 calories

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken: 1490 calories- eek!

... And more!

Instead, enjoy some of the lighter dishes.... and maybe a glass of wine to splurge. Wine is 1/2 off through Labor Day at MG! 

Read the full nutrition facts here:

http://www.macaronigrill.com/docs/nutritional/nutritional-menu.pdf

Breakfast for dinner!

Breakfast for dinner? Why not!

Start with an egg mug! What's an egg mug? Easy eggs microwaved in a mug! Spray your mug with non-stick cooking spray, mix 1/2 cup of egg beaters and cheese (or anything else, I went with a laughing cow cheese wedge) in your mug. Microwave for 45 seconds, stir, microwave for an addition 60 seconds, enjoy! 

Read some egg mug ideas from Hungry Girl: http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1256

Next, cook up some breakfast faves! We went with Jimmy Dean Turkey Sauage (100 calories for 3 links), sliced apples, and Betty Crocker Triple Berry Muffins (120 calories each and easy to make- just add water!)

What's not to love about breakfast!?

Here are 5 more of my favorite, guilt-free breakfast finds:

1. Fiber One Muffins: 160 calories- they come in Apple Cinnamon, Banana Nut, and Blueberry)

2. Special K Red Berry Waffles (2 for 150 calories)

3. Fiber One Honey Clusters Cereal (80 calories for 3/4 cup)

4. Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich with Turkey Sausage (230 calories)

5. Fiber One Pancakes (180 calories for 3 pancakes)

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe Alert!

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo 

This recipe is my own take on Hungry Girl's Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo recipe. She makes it with House Foods Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Noodle Substitute... I tried them once. I thought they were gross. If you like them, use them- they have practically no calories. Here is a link to her original recipe: http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/pasta-la-vista-fettuccine-hungry-girlfredo-recipe

Instead, I used Fiber Gourmet Pasta (4WW points, 130 calories per serving). You can buy it online or at Sugarless Delight in Richardson.

http://www.fibergourmet.com/

http://www.sugarlessdelite.com/

Or, feel free to use any whole wheat or high fiber pasta. Points or calories for your meal will vary based on the pasta you use.

Additional ingredients based on 1 box of pasta:

3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese

6 tsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

3-5 tsp. fat-free sour cream 

If desired, Grilled Chicken (or shrimp)

(Note- measurements may vary. I honestly don't measure the Parmesan cheese and sour cream  too closely. Both ingredients are so low in calories and only 1 WW point each for more then you will need in this recipe.)

Easy Directions:

Boil Pasta

When pasta is really hot, transfer to a big bowl immediately. Mix in all other ingredients. (You may need to microwave if the cheese wedge doesn't melt easily.)

That's it! A simple and delicious alternative to a high in calories and points meal. (Macaroni Grill's Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken is 39 points, or 1130 calories -eek!)

Enjoy this guilt-free dish instead! 

Date Night: PF Chang's Picks

Planning a date night out or dinner with friends? Hit up PF Chang's for a guilt-free dinner that's healthy, fresh and fun! Plus, until August 31st, check out PF Chang's Facebook page for a $10 off $40 coupon. Eric and I used it tonight! https://www.facebook.com/pfchangs

Start your meal off with delicious spring rolls! Surprisingly, these are huge spring rings with awesome stats! 1.5 WW points each (57 calories) yum!! The crispy rolls are filled with lots of veggies and come with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Skip the sauce- it's not that great. Save those calories for your meal.

In the mood for soup? Enjoy a cup of egg drop or hot and sour before the meal too. Both choices have 2 WW points (60-70 calories) -awesome! Soup is filling too, so make it a great addition to your night out.

On to the main course... I ordered the Buddha's Feast: A huge portion of soy sauce tossed with baked tofu, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and carrots, served steamed or stir-fried. I had it stir-fried (pictured). Half of the meal is 420 calories, 5 WW points without the rice. (Note: You can save about 160 calories by ordering it steamed, but that meal is a bit boring!) If you want, add some brown rice into the mix. 1/2 a cup of brown rice adds 150 (4WW points) to your meal. However, I will say that after a spring roll or 2 and soup, you'll likely be full already and have leftovers to take home. 

Not into tofu? 

(Don't knock it till you try it!)

Here are more good choices:

Moo Goo Gai Pan: 610 calories for the dish before rice, 9WW points. Sliced chicken breast and shrimp served with mushrooms and sliced vegetables in a white sauce

Shanghai Shrimp with Garlic Sauce: 480 calories for the dish before rice- only 6WW points. Shrimp, broccoli and snow peas stir-fried in a light garlic, white wine sauce. 

I'm trying this next time!