Friday, August 22, 2008

"Diet" Food

So for the last couple of months Ed and I have been working to lose weight. We're basically doing the Weight Watchers Core Plan, which in a nutshell is that you can eat as much as you want of the most healthy foods - fruits & vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and fat-free dairy; anything outside of those parameters must be counted in WW Points and you get 35 points a week. It's a very simple, straightforward plan, and the more you stick to it, the more successful you are. We did awesome our last months in Brooklyn, but have slowed progress a bit through the move. A courtship with my new kitchen has helped in some ways, hurt in others, but we're still working to get - and stay - on track.

Of course snacking is often the great downfall of diets. Mid-afternoon and late night are my dangerous times so I'm always on the lookout for interesting, yummy, satisfying, low-point snacks. And any other foods that can offer a boost here or there - extra protein or fiber, for example. So I've found a few keepers and was going to put them on the Good Stuff this month but there are enough for their own post. Trader Joe is my best, best friend, and all of these come from him except the ice cream. In fact, it was a toss-up whether this would be a post about the delights of shopping at Trader Joe's - perhaps that is still to come - or about our weight loss efforts. Whichever angle, the point is the same - a couple of awesome diet-friendly finds.

Breyers Free Double Churn Ice Cream
(Shockingly creamy; comes in about 5 flavors)
Portion: 1/2 cup - 90 cal, 0g fat, 3g fiber, 3g protein, 1 POINT
(Where they're hiding 3g of fiber per 1/2 cup in this ice cream I cannot say, but I don't ask questions; I just enjoy them telling me what I want to hear. Apparently chocolate has 4g of fiber, but I haven't tried it yet.)

Dark Chocolate covered Edamame
(I can just hear Kat saying, "WHAT?!" Hey, it was worth a try and they're not bad. Quality chocolate; crunchy like chocolate covered peanuts but more protein and less fat)
Portion: 1/4 cup - 200 cal, 11g fat, 5g fiber, 7g protein, 4 POINTS

Fat Free Caramel Popcorn
(Crunchy, sweet, and psychologically satisfying)Portion: 3/4 cup - 110 cal, 0g fat, 1g fiber, 1g protein, 2 POINTS

Multigrain Spaghetti with Flax
Portion: 1/8 package - 190 cal, 1.5g fat, 6g fiber, 8g protein, 3 POINTS

Crunchy Green Beans
(I admit, I was wary, but willing to try something salty and crunchy that more closely resembles a vegetable than chips - they're actually not bad but the kids are not fooled.)
Portion: 3/4 cup - 130 cal, 4.5g fat, 4g fiber, 2g protein, 2 POINTS

High Fiber O's Cereal
(Somewhere between Honey Nut Cheerios and cardboard;
especially good with fruit like berries, bananas, fresh peaches.)Portion: 1 1/4 cups - 180 cal, 1g fat, 10g fiber, 7g protein, 3 POINTS

The only thing missing is my favorite multigrain tortilla chips; they were out of stock but I'll get some next time. I know many people don't have access to Trader Joe's, and my heart goes out to you. Some don't know what they're missing, or don't care, and it's probably better that way. But for those who feel the pain, well, I'm considering a giveway. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, let's hear from you -

1) What diet-friendly favorites keep you off the fat farm? -OR-

2) What are your favorite Trader Joe's products? It seems like they have all kinds of new stuff every time I go.

8 comments:

Therese said...

SORBET. i love me a good sorbet, but you gotta watch the sugar content. ben & jerry's mango berry sorbet, for example. really good but if i'm not careful, i'm capable of eating the entire carton in one sitting. diet coke, diet dr pepper, diet root beer, sugar-free hot chocolate, blue bunny ice cream bars, sugar-free jam... i'm also a fan of carrot sticks or baby carrots with a healthy dip. rice crackers were readily available in australia in a multitude of flavors. do they have those where you are? you could eat 10 of those for one point. chips substitute. i also liked making nachos with reduced-calorie shredded cheese, salsa and nacho-flavored rice crackers. chupa chup lollipops are 1 point. good for a quick fix. i really like weight watchers. i haven't been to a meeting in ages, so i liked reading about your plan.

i also liked yesterday's post about your neighborhood. sounds terrific. thanks for keeping your blog regularly updated.

Margaret said...

I love Trader Joe's for their sauces. The enchilada sauce is my favorite, but the variety of simmer sauces is good, too.

Whenever I go on a road trip, I stock up on the TJ's Refreshers. I'm off caffeine so I can't find anything I like at a gas station anymore. The Refreshers are like carbonated juice.

I buy my bananas there, but not the rest of my produce because I have a fruit stand nearby. That is a definite perk of living in California!

Mia said...

I have never been to a trader joes, but I had my brother-in-law go there and pick up some peanut butter filled chocolate covered pretzels. Those were definitely not diet food, but very yummy!

Disco Mom said...

Yes, I love their enchilada sauce - I just made enchiladas last week with it, yum! And love the simmer sauces, too. Most of my favorites from TJ's are not diet food but OH SO GOOD so there will be a future post about everything heavenly and perfect in that store, diet-friendly or not.

Anonymous said...

I don't live anywhere near a Trader Joe's, but I have fond memories of it. Anyway, I am actually in fat farm hell at the moment and 2 things that really help are: dried cranberries (which I sometimes mix with unsalted peanuts), green tea with lemon and a touch of honey, and (chocolate or vanilla) soymilk (it has varying degrees of sugar depending on what kind you buy).

Anonymous said...

I don't live anywhere near a Trader Joe's, but I have fond memories of it. Anyway, I am actually in fat farm hell at the moment and 2 things that really help are: dried cranberries (which I sometimes mix with unsalted peanuts), green tea with lemon and a touch of honey, and (chocolate or vanilla) soymilk (it has varying degrees of sugar depending on what kind you buy).

Nells-Bells said...

LOVE Trader Joe's. I love their Ginger Snaps. I also love their Mango Granola Cereal. Also love their chocolate covered Raspberry Sticks. So, so good! I'm just reading Therese's post about her fave diet foods. I think after reading your post and her comments, I may seriously join Weight Watchers. She has been very successful on it and looks like you have too.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I too used to take diet supplements from GNC along with diet food.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...