Sunday, January 15, 2012

Weigh-ing In (see what I did there?): My Favorite Low-Cal Snacks

As some of you may know, I'm getting married in 6 months.  Technically I'm getting married 168 days from this blog post.  My wedding dress is BEYOND gorg (I'm allowed to say this about my own dress...bride rules) and I'm determined to fit in it without the help of my Spanx.  


That's where my new friends come in.  The following Top 10 is a list of my most recent, healthier obsessions that actually taste good and aren't diet-y.  Here are a few of my favorite low-cal finds (and some go-to favorites from all those other times I tried to lose weight):


1.  Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran, and Whole Wheat Pitas:  I don't know how these babies are low-fat, low-cal, AND delicious, but they are.  I eat these with fig butter/cream cheese for breakfast, in place of a tortilla when making quesadillas/fajitas, and as the ultimate companion to hummus, salsa, and tabbouleh.  Talk about diverse.  It's like the best blank canvas since sliced bread.  AND THEY'RE 60 CALORIES.  60!!! Obsessed.


2. Snyder's of Hanover EatSmart Whole Grain Cheese Curls:  Who doesn't love a cheese curl!?!? These are super tasty, a little bit nutty, white-cheddary, and LOW FAT.  You can fill a whole red Solo cup (and i KNOW you have a few of those laying around) full of these curly creations for only 130 calories.   Which is like, two of those orange cheese puffs your mom used to pack in your lunchbox  in elementary school.  INDULGE, my friends!


3. Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams:  Upon casually browsing my local Ocean State Job Lot (yeah I said it), this Magical Peanut-Buttery-Chocolatey-Fantastic-ness hit me in the face.  AND I LIKED IT.  I can't find this at my regular grocery store, but God help me the next time I come across it at OSJL (we're on an abbrev. basis) OR Christmas Tree Shops, where I've also spotted this and other flavors.  170 Calories in 2 tablespoons is like the best 170 calories of my entire day.  Eat it with an apple, some RF Wheat Thins, or right out of the jar.  Thank me later.


4.  Boca Spicy Chik'n Patties:  These are my go -to lunch favorite because they take 1:20 in the microwave, taste like a buffalo chicken tender, and are just all around the best little non-meat situation in the freezer aisle.  Top with a little low-fat ranch and stick it between a multi-grain English muffin.  At only 160 calories, you can still afford a slice of cheese if you want (and you do).  YUM.


5. Green Apples.  So much better than the red kind.  Sweet AND tart. Yes please.


6. Celery.  Remember the PB I talked about?  BFFs.


7. 1 % low-fat cottage cheese.  Do you how much 1/2 c. of cottage cheese really is?? Mix in some cucumbers or tomatoes and you've got yourself a protein-packed lunch for like, 80 cals.


8. Cheerios.  One cup of Cheerios is a LOT of Cheerios and only 100 cals.  Splenda, strawberries, 1 % milk?  Breakfast is served.


9. Egg whites. You know how much I love these bad boys.  3 egg whites + a teaspoon of pesto + a tablespoon of goat cheese crumbles is the ultimate meal and it's under 150 calories.


10.  Soda brownies/cupcakes.  Take one can of diet soda and mix with one package of dry brownie or cake mix.  Some of my favorite combos:  diet ginger ale and Funfetti; diet Pepsi and brownies, diet orange soda and white cake mix.  Without having to use butter,eggs, and oil, you've got yourself a low-fat delight when your sweet tooth attacks.


Tell me if you've tried any of these, or what low-cal goodies YOU snack on, by leaving a comment below!

2 comments:

marina said...

um try peanut butter and co cinnamon raisin peanut butter = thebomb.com

and i eat egg whites pesto and feta cheese omlets pretty much every morning in my josephs pita bread haha .. sooo good!

Unknown said...

Delicious snacks! I love 0% greek yogurt (Chobani...obv) with sliced almonds stirred in. Creamy + crunchy = satisfying!

Also I have been making a big pot of healthy soup every sunday lately to have for the week- like spicy chicken tortilla and sausage kale and asian-style chicken (actually a few of these are on my blog). Soup in winter just does me right, and can be so healthy if you pick the right stuff!

Good luck with this and dont forget to ENJOY BEING ENGAGED! I'm sure it flies by all too quickly.