Sunday, August 8, 2010

My favorites (Jennifer)

I decided to do a different kind of post today.  For most of us who "watch" what we are eating, there are some foods that are just must haves.  They are our staple foods.  Things that help us through this journey day by day. I thought it would be nice to share a few of the newer things that I have come across that I rely on.  For those of you on Medifast skip to the next paragraph or take notes for when you come off! 

First, breads can be tough.  They are full of carbs and some of them just are plain not good for us.  I have come across both Arnold Select Sandwich Thins (whole grain) for 100 calories for the whole "bun".  I use them for just about everything.  And when I dont use them I use the Bagel thins by Thomas'(110 calories per whole bagel).  I really enjoy the "everything" flavor for these.  Each choice contains 4-5 grams of fiber which is always a plus in my book.  I toast either one of these choices before eating them.


Next, I have found that I love whipped cream cheese.  Apparently you can have two whole tablespoons of it for 60 calories.  Right now I am using Philadelphia brand but I have also used the store brand and enjoy that as well.  Two TBSP is quite a bit of cream cheese for a bagel.  Sometimes I even toast up the Arnold Select thin and put it on there.  Yummm.  I dont ever feel unsatisfied when I eat this.

Next is a jelly I have come across.  I have never been the type to put jelly on my toast, unless there was a large amount of butter underneath it.  Things have changed.  I came across Polaner brand jelly.  It comes in a glass jar and while it is a little more pricey than some of the others out there it is totally worth it.  It is all natural, sweetened with only real fruit juice, AND has 3 grams of fiber and only 30 calories per tablespoon.  Sometimes I use this alone on a toasted bagel or sandwich thin or I use some whipped cream cheese with this on top.  I have tried the grape and seedless raspberry flavors and I like them both.  The raspberry is my favorite.  Sweet and not tart.  yummm. I now know what I will eat for breakfast tomorrow :)


Last is something I have discovered to satisfy my sweet tooth.  And boy do I have one.  It is a downfall for me.  I recognize it and do my best to manage it.  I came across the Jello brand puddings.  They are in the refrigerated section at the store in dairy.  I first tried the sugar free Milk Chocolate one because it has live cultures and contains fiber.  By now I am sure you get the point.  For me, fiber = good.  So I tried it and it was pretty good.  I like chocolate but I am not one of those women who must have it.  The next trip to the store I saw they have another sugar free one flavored Dulce de Leche.  It doesnt have fiber like the other but I gave it a whirl at 60 calories.  OH MY....this was just awesome.  It satisfied my sweet tooth and I actually thought it was good enough that I could eat that instead of an ice cream cone the next time the family goes for one.  Now...that says a lot in my book!  It had a candy/caramel like topping on top of the yummy pudding and it was truly to die for.


I would love to hear from you what your favorite must have foods are that help you along in your journey.  Please share!

Tomorrow I am attempting my first kickboxing class at the gym, and also a strength class of some sort.  I should probably find out what it is exactly before I show up.  haha. My friend and I got the guts up to give them a whirl.  The old Jen would have never attempted such a thing.  Wish me luck!

Have a great week!

Jennifer

9 comments:

99ToGo said...

I also buy the Polaner's. I don't use it much, but I feel better about putting jelly on my girls' PB and J with that rather than the alternative.

For me, I must have Zero Vitamin Water. I usually drink one or two per day. I consider it a treat :)

Plain Greek yogurt is another must-have. I put homemade granola over it, or plop some into a bowl with fruit for a meal.

For a treat, my favorite is: 3 La Nouba (sugar-free, matitol sweetened) all natural marshmallows, topped with 2 sugar-free (also maltitol) Dove chocolate disks. I microwave it for 15-20 seconds, and it is a DIVINE dessert. For 90 calories :)

Lesia said...

Thank you I am going to get me some of that jelly and cream cheese. I have been using laughing cow on my bagels. I love the Alternative bagels from Wal Mart. Some of my favorite must haves are Vita Tops for the fiber. Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, WW yogurts, Quaker Oats Weight Control oatmeal, South Western egg beaters, and sugar free & fat free instant pudding to name a few..

Julie Lost and Found said...

A must have for me is Chobani greek yogurt. It has to be Chobani..I'm very very picky! LOL I will usually have it with some low sugar granola or ground flax seeds...and some kind of berry.

I also need to have salad makings in the house.

Although I haven't been eating grains at lunch the last week or so, I LOVE Joseph's flax tortilla wraps. They have net 4 carbs.

Great blog!!!

Bring Pretty Back said...

I am going to buy every single thing you listed here!
I need to think of my own list!
Oh! One thing is skinny cow ice cream sandwiches!!! DELISH!
I loved your comment tonight on my blog. I so agree with you!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin

Vagabonds Mercantile said...

I love the sandwich thins and the jelly, those are my staples too. My other staples include hummus and salsa. I can dress up so many plain things with either of them.

divad said...

Have fun at your exercise class!!! Good thing I'm cross border shopping once a week, so I can check out these products!

Lesia said...

The bagels we get at Wal-Mart and they are 100 calories. Onion ones with the french onion laughing cow cheese is my fav. I don't know what state you live in but our local grocer has the Vitatops in the freezer section next to the breakfast waffles and stuff. But I buy them on line from this website. http://www.vitalicious.com but first I get the discount code from this blog http://www.dwlz.com/ good luck they are way yummy and help tons with the BM's.

Anonymous said...

I love the Whole Wheat Weight Watchers English Muffins, they're my must by. I use them to make mini pizzas, put Laughing Cow cheese on as a bagel, or for breakfast.

I've never seen the Jello Live Active stuff before, how does it taste? I've bought the sugar free no fat vanilla and it wasn't too bad.

99ToGo said...

I wasn't sure if you'd check back on the comments on my blog for answers to your questions, so I'll post them here:)

I had to search around for a decent price online for the marshmallows. Here's the link for the best price I've found so far: http://www.lowcarbchocolates.com/lanoubamarsh.html

They keep well, so I usually buy about 10 packs at a time.

The Dove disks I actually buy from myself! I know that sounds funny, and the story behind it is even wackier. Yes, I, the fat lady, thought it would be a good idea to be a Chocolatier, so I signed up with Dove Chocolate Discoveries to sell chocolate through their home party plan. It's kinda like Pampered Chef, but for chocolate stuff. And I don't really hold tasting parties more than once or twice a year :) Now, I just keep up with our family's use of their sugar-free chocolate, b/c it's really yummy!

You can get maltitol-sweetened chocolate elsewhere though. Godiva has a really good one(but pricey), and Trader Joe's does too. I think you can even find some at Walmart!

About the SoBe, it is sweeter, a little too sweet for me! So I stick with the VW.