These are a few of my favorite things and they have absolutely nothing to do with schnitzel and warm apple strudels (or however that goes). I've decided that tonight's blog is going to be a shameless plug for my favorite products. The products that now line my pantry and frig replacing the big chocolate chip cookies (mouth watering), fat meat (mouth not watering), and justified indulgences that used to be there. I encourage you to comment on my blog post with your favorite products as well...unless you live blocks from some super great grocery store like Whole Foods or Central Market...because that's just bragging. Let me just don my Julie Andrews wig and a ruffled apron and away we go...
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a dietitian, nor do I play one on TV. In fact, according to the spell check I apparently don't even know how to spell dietitian. I am not in any way saying that any of these products taste better than a warm chocolate cookie. I am not trying to convince you that you would rather have any of these products instead of a warm chocolate chip cookie. Should you choose to binge in an uncontrolled manner on any of these products, I cannot guarantee a stable state of your gastrointestinal health. Remember people, we are talking about losing weight. As my wise brother-in-law used to joke, "Do you want to be fat or do you want to be skinny?" He would usually say that as he stuck a hot wing in his mouth...but I digress...
1. Kashi cereal with Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla "milk": Put a little no-calorie sweetener on there and you've got yourself a delish snack, breakfast, whatever. The Kashi cereal is just all-around good for you and the Almond milk has a wee 40 calories in a cup. It took me all of one initial serving to appreciate the taste and I'm hooked. I can tell already this little exercise is going to make me hungry. Warning: Do not assume that all Kashi cereal is low in calories. I picked up a box of chocolate Kashi something-or-other and there was 230 c's in 3/4 cup! Say what? Who felt a dimple jump to their thighs on that one?
2. Spinach Smoothies: I know, I know. Shut up about the spinach smoothies already...and I will...after this. Get out your blenders, wash out the leftover tequila, and throw some spinach in there (a big old handful). Add some frozen fruit (2 - 3 cups), 2 - 3 cups of water, and a Crystal Light On the Go packet of your liking. Blend and serve. Serve it to your kids and laugh (the evil kind) as you watch them love all over that healthy goodness. They won't have a clue there is anything green in there because YOU CAN'T TASTE THE SPINACH. Really - I promise! Super low calories (like 40 in an 8 oz cup), good for you, and tastes good. I wonder if you could put vodka in it...JUST KIDDING (kind of).
3. Egg whites: For 17 little tiny calories you can have well, egg whites (no joke, I just sat here for about 3 minutes thinking of some creative way to describe egg whites. Wish I had those minutes back.). So here is an idea to make them better. Saute a small handful of spinach, dump 2-3 egg whites over the top, throw in some chopped black pepper turkey (as in the deli kind...almost tastes like bacon-ish), and a piece of reduced fat cheese. Lots of food, not a lot of calories. Now I bet you feel bad for turning your nose up at those egg whites, huh?
4. Jello Sugar Free Pudding: Any flavor, 60 calories. Chocolate? 60 calories. Banana fudge supreme? 60 calories. A nice simple vanilla? 60 calories. PMS? Got it bad? 60 calories (or if its really bad and you're considering eating your child's entire Easter basket you can have two of them. That would be 120 calories.).
5. Red wine: Enough said. Always budget your calories accordingly so that you can enjoy one guilt free at the end of the night.
Ok, that's enough. This is getting boring. Add your faves in the comments!
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a dietitian, nor do I play one on TV. In fact, according to the spell check I apparently don't even know how to spell dietitian. I am not in any way saying that any of these products taste better than a warm chocolate cookie. I am not trying to convince you that you would rather have any of these products instead of a warm chocolate chip cookie. Should you choose to binge in an uncontrolled manner on any of these products, I cannot guarantee a stable state of your gastrointestinal health. Remember people, we are talking about losing weight. As my wise brother-in-law used to joke, "Do you want to be fat or do you want to be skinny?" He would usually say that as he stuck a hot wing in his mouth...but I digress...
1. Kashi cereal with Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla "milk": Put a little no-calorie sweetener on there and you've got yourself a delish snack, breakfast, whatever. The Kashi cereal is just all-around good for you and the Almond milk has a wee 40 calories in a cup. It took me all of one initial serving to appreciate the taste and I'm hooked. I can tell already this little exercise is going to make me hungry. Warning: Do not assume that all Kashi cereal is low in calories. I picked up a box of chocolate Kashi something-or-other and there was 230 c's in 3/4 cup! Say what? Who felt a dimple jump to their thighs on that one?
2. Spinach Smoothies: I know, I know. Shut up about the spinach smoothies already...and I will...after this. Get out your blenders, wash out the leftover tequila, and throw some spinach in there (a big old handful). Add some frozen fruit (2 - 3 cups), 2 - 3 cups of water, and a Crystal Light On the Go packet of your liking. Blend and serve. Serve it to your kids and laugh (the evil kind) as you watch them love all over that healthy goodness. They won't have a clue there is anything green in there because YOU CAN'T TASTE THE SPINACH. Really - I promise! Super low calories (like 40 in an 8 oz cup), good for you, and tastes good. I wonder if you could put vodka in it...JUST KIDDING (kind of).
3. Egg whites: For 17 little tiny calories you can have well, egg whites (no joke, I just sat here for about 3 minutes thinking of some creative way to describe egg whites. Wish I had those minutes back.). So here is an idea to make them better. Saute a small handful of spinach, dump 2-3 egg whites over the top, throw in some chopped black pepper turkey (as in the deli kind...almost tastes like bacon-ish), and a piece of reduced fat cheese. Lots of food, not a lot of calories. Now I bet you feel bad for turning your nose up at those egg whites, huh?
4. Jello Sugar Free Pudding: Any flavor, 60 calories. Chocolate? 60 calories. Banana fudge supreme? 60 calories. A nice simple vanilla? 60 calories. PMS? Got it bad? 60 calories (or if its really bad and you're considering eating your child's entire Easter basket you can have two of them. That would be 120 calories.).
5. Red wine: Enough said. Always budget your calories accordingly so that you can enjoy one guilt free at the end of the night.
Ok, that's enough. This is getting boring. Add your faves in the comments!
Hey Jessie-I love your blog. As a mom struggling to lose my last 10 pounds you have given me some motivation to get more serious about running and eating healthier! I'm definitely going to pick up some spinach, Andy would be all over that, he is a huge fan of smoothies. I have also discovered egg whites, and they are not bad if you add a bunch of veggies and maybe a piece of wheat toast on the side. Once summer veggies are in abundance, one of my favorite snacks is sliced fresh tomatoes and cucumbers mixed with a little bit of kosher salt, pepper, olive oil and some rice wine vinegar. It gives me the salt and crunch I crave :-)
ReplyDeleteI cannot WAIT to test-drive one of those spinach smoothies. Thanks for the great ideas, Coach Jessie!
ReplyDelete