These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (at the grocery store)....

As many of you know, I am constantly striving to be healthier, eat better, exercise more, etc etc...  Many people have asked me about my eating plan, especially since my doctor told me to eat more, and it actually has helped me lose weight.  The pace is painfully slow, about 1 lb a week, even with daily workouts, but it's something.  My plan is pretty simple.  I eat 1600 calories a day, high on fiber and protein, low on sugar, fat, and bad carbs (white bread, white rice, potatoes, etc).  When I was eating 1200 calories a day, I wasn't losing anything, for months! So, my doctor told me to go up on my calories.  I thought she was nuts, turns out she was right!  As for exercise, two days a week I do Tae Bo, and three days a week I walk 3 miles, either outside or on my treadmill.  I'll admit that often on the treadmill I poop out at 2 miles, and I don't work out on the weekends.  So flog me, I'm doing what I can.

Today I want to share with you some of my favorite foods.  These allow me to eat more so I can be full and satisfied without breaking the bank.  There are plenty of great diet foods out there that cost an arm and a leg.  Can't do 'em.  There are many low cal recipes that take 15 ingredients and 2 hours to prepare.  Can't do those either. I have to balance nutrition with cost, and time.  A forewarning, many of these foods are more expensive than their generic, unhealthy counterparts, but they are not unreasonably priced, at least in my opinion.  Here we go!

1.  Orowheat (or Arnold in some parts of the country) Sandwich Thins.  These are basically a hamburger bun that's really thin.  I like them because they are pretty big, so you can fit a chicken breast on them easily.  And, they are sturdy and hold up to a burger.  Only 100 calories.  They come in 100% whole wheat, or whole grain.  I honestly don't know which is better for you.  They both taste good.

2.  Vlasic Kosher Dill Stackers.  These taste like the yummy pickles that they put on burgers in restaurants.  I really like the Claussen Kosher pickles that you get in the refrigerated section, but these are much cheaper.  These taste very different, much tangier, but I love them.  There is nothing "diet" about these.  But, put some of these on a sandwich or burger, and the flavor and moistness cause me to have no need for mayo, which is why they are so helpful.

3. Great Value (Walmart Brand) High Fiber Chewy Bars.  Not much to say here, almost nutritionally identical to the Fiber One brand, but much cheaper.  All the yummy goodness of a chocolate chip granola bar, with 35% of the fiber you need in a day.  A great snack that keeps you satisfied for a long time!

4.  Coffee Mate Sugar Free French Vanilla Creamer.  Pretty self explanatory.  Most regular creamers have 40 calories per tablespoon, this only has 15 calories.  It doesn't sound like much, but most people without knowing put 3-4 tablespoons of creamer in their coffee when they don't measure it, yes really.  If you have 2 cups that's a difference between 320 calories and 120, if you use that much.  That's a lot!  This also comes in Hazlenut, and Vanilla Carmel.  Coffee mate usually costs less that International Delight. This isn't quite as sweet as the regular variety, so add a little splenda!

5.  Nature's own Whitewheat bread.  This bread is only 50 calories per slice which is really good, and it has no bleached flower or high fructose corn syrup.  I bought this bread on the recommendation from the book "Eat This, Not That" by David Zinczenko.  Did you know that most wheat breads have molasses in them? That's why they are so dark brown!  This bread is not bright white, but tastes very good.  And, (I love this) one loaf of bread pleases the whole family, healthy eaters or not.  Note: go through the loafs on the shelf and get the freshest one you can.  Since it's all natural, it's won't last quite as long in your cabinet as other breads.  You're good to go for about a week. 

6.  Frozen fruit.  I buy a big bag of frozen mixed fruit that has grapes, strawberries, pineapple, and peaches.  It's 70 calories per cup, and really delicious.  I like to eat it thawed, as a dessert, Or, I'll leave it frozen, microwave it for 20 seconds to soften it slightly, and then put it in the blender for a quick smoothie (I add splenda, and sometimes 1/2 cup apple juice to 2 cups of fruit.)







7.  Celestial Seasonings True Blueberry Herbal tea.  For tea lovers with a sweet tooth, add splenda, yummo!







8.   Cilantro.  If you've never cooked with cilantro, it's time you learned.  Nothing makes Mexican food taste more authentic and delicious, and with no calories, you can't go wrong.  If there's any interest, I'll post my recipes for fresh salsa, and tortilla soup, both of which are guilt free, and depend on cilantro for their full flavor.

9.  Great Value (Walmart Brand) Peach Tea drink mix.  If you can't get off of full calorie drinks, try this.  Everyone who has ever had it at my house loves it.  It's zero calories, caffeine free, and so delicious.  I actually like this better than the Crystal Lite brand.  It has less of a tea flavor, and it costs much less.

10.  Ronzoni Pasta.   I promise you'll never know the difference, but this pasta is so much better for you than the generic white pasta we are all used to.  It's enriched with lots of fiber, calcium and vitamin D.  We still don't eat a lot of pasta, once or twice a month, because I just want to eat myself silly on it, and you just can't do that, no matter how healthy the noodle.  But, if you're a pasta lover like me, you can't go wrong with this product (unless you eat too much!).


Well, there you go, some of my favorite grocery store finds.  Stay tuned for "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things Part II", where we venture beyond the grocery store.

Have a favorite product?   PLEASE share!