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)