Great Dollar Tree Find!

People tend to think that following weight loss programs require spending a lot of money. I have been on two very popular programs and found that is not the case at all. I was in The Dollar Tree last week and I found Harvest Hill Lite Pancake Syrup. It was surprisngly good. Of course it's not as thick as a regular syrup but it does have good consistency and just the right amount of sweetness for my pancakes. Harvest Hill is based in Maine and they have a lot of products, tours and even a restaurant on site. You can visit them here If you don't have a Dollar Tree near you click here to order from them.

Trigger Foods

Right now I have a serious addiction to barbeque nachos. I just take tortilla chips, add cheddar cheese and honey barbeque sauce, then microwave for about a minute. This is so good! This has also been a problem for me. I have been eating this for the past week and I just cannot keep it limited to one portion. I go overboard each and every time. This has turned out to be a trigger food for me- and that is definitely not a good thing. This weekend I'll probably be snowed in and I have already fallen off the wagon because of the holidays, so I will try to get back on track Monday. But I'm going to have to stop eating this if I'm going to keep moving towards my goal. What's your trigger food?

Just Enough Peanut Butter

I absolutely love peanut butter, but it's just too high in fat and calories and I can never stop myself at just one serving. I was never a fan of granola, but I heard from a couple of different people that Nature Valley's Granola Thins were pretty good and I must admit they were right! They are quite tasty but a little on the small side. Too some people it seems like they are not worth it, but to me they definitely are. They give me a good taste of peanut butter without the guilt. Check the site out where you can also print a coupon for .75 off .

The Best Cereal Ever!!

Well at least in my mind..Kellog's - thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Cereal is great for breakfast, as a snack or even perfect as dessert. I just love it. I could eat it all day. On a whim I saw this cereal on sale at Food Lion and decided to give it a try and it has been a staple in my house every since. It is so good and sweet, but not too sweet - and it has just the right touch of cinnamon. Even in milk it stays crunchy and every spoonful is a treat. It even leaves the milk delicious. It is still fairly new so you can always find a ton of coupons. I strongly suggest giving this a try - you won't regret it. In fact, I think I'm about to have my second bowl of the day!

Servings: 1 Cup (30g / 1.oz) 1 container (9 cup (30g / 1.oz) ea.)
Calories 120 Sodium 115 mg
Total Fat 2 g Potassium 40 mg
Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 25 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 1 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 12 g
Trans 0 g Protein 2 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Vitamin A 10% Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 25% Iron 25%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Great Find At Aldi's!

If you are not familiar with the Aldi's grocery store chain - you should really try to visit them if you have a local store. I have heard it varies by region but the stores in my area area really clean and have a variety of items. The items are really low-cost and who doesn't love saving money? Last week I found Baker's Treat Crisp Rice Treats - and they were surprisingly quite tasty. They didn't taste like the Kellog's version - which I really don't like. My favorites are the Lil' Debbie's treats - but these are a close second. They have a slight aftertaste which i can't describe but they are a nice size - perfect for an afternoon treat along with a small glass of milk.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Bar (22g)

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 15Calories 90

% Daily Values*
Total Fat 1.5g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.5g 2%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 75mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber -
Sugars 9g
Protein 1g

Vitamin A - Vitamin C -

Calcium - Iron 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie

One thing I really miss eating is brownies. I don't really eat sweets but I absolutely adore brownies! I prefer homemade while they are still nice and warm from the oven. I recently found these 100 calorie brownie bites and since I am determined to stay on track with my weight loss - these certainly will do! They are quite small but if you take your time eating them they are actually satisfying. Of course you can't expect them to have the exact same texture or taste of your high calorie treats, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Nutritional Facts
Serving size 21 g
Servings per container 6
Base Nutrients
Calories 100.00kcal (0%)
Calories from fat 40.00kcal (0%)
Total fat 4.00g (6%)
Saturated fat 1.50g (8%)
Cholesterol 0.00mg (0%)
Sodium 60.00mg (3%)
Total carbohydrates 14.00g (5%)
Dietary fiber 0.50g (2%)
Sugar 7.00g (0%)
Protein 0.50g (0%)
Trans fat 0.00g (0%)
Vitamins
Vitamin A 0.00%
Folate 0.00%
Niacin 0.00%
Riboflavin 0.00%
Thiamin 0.00%
Minerals
Calcium 0.00%

It's the Cheesiest!!

Well I don't actually know this because I haven't tried them but Kraft has introduced a new treat for those of us who are watching our waistlines! I actually love cheese but try to limit myself because the kind I love is gooey and goes great on tortilla chips. The cheese squares are offered in four different flavors - Cheddar & Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Garlic & Herb, Cheddar and Three Cheese Blend. I saw them at my local Food Lion. I will be trying them in the next couple of weeks and post a review.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 package (28g)

Amount per Serving
Calories 100 Calories from Fat 70
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 4.5g 22%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 25mg 8%
Sodium 310mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 6g 12%
Vitamin A4%
Vitamin C0%
Calcium20%
Iron0%

All of this Anticipation...

I'm a member of several weight loss message boards and I always read posts about people raving about VitaTops. I could eat brownies seven days of the week so these treats seemed right up my alley. After searching several different stores for months I finally found them at a local Harris Teeter. They were kind of pricey - $5.75 for a box of brownies or so I thought they may really be worth it. Not the case. In the store I debated between the Deep Chocolate muffins or the brownies. I finally chose the brownies even though they had some type of nuts on them - which I hate. I just figured I could take them off - no big deal. I decided to have a brownie for my afternoon snack. I was pleasantly surprised that there were not many nuts on the brownie. The brownies were actually quite small but seemed like enough to satisfy my brownie cravings. Now I know these will not taste exactly like a brownie loaded with fat and calories, but I really did expect more. The texture was decent, but they were not that sweet to me. They also seemed kind of dry. For much less I could have had a 100 calorie rice krispie snack. I may or may not try the VitaTops. For almost $6.00 I would have to really enjoy the last three.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Brownie

Calories 100
Total Fat 2g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 120mg
Total Carbohydrate 23g
Protein 4g
Dietary Fiber 6g
Sugars 8g

Small But Tasty.....

I don't think I would recommend these burgers by themselves for a complete meal but they are very good as a snack or for lunch with lettuce, onions, pickles, etc. added. I usually have one at lunch everyday. They actually remind me of White Castles' sliders. They are topped with cheese and have a grilled taste. It takes less than a minute to microwave it. I will post the nutritional information at a later time.

Low Cal But With A Kick!!

Being the spicy food lover that I am you cannot imagine how excited I was when I ran across these! Years ago Pringles had no fat chips in this flavor. I was so disappointed when they were discontinued. Well imagine my surprise when I found them in Walmart last week. There were a bit pricey at $3.32 for the box but they were absolutely worth it! There are 10 packs in the box with a good number of sticks in each one. I will update this post when I can get the nutritional information. I will definitely be buying these again!

Update to my Digornio post...

So I went to Walmart to get my weekly supply of the chicken pizza and to my dismay...it wasn't there! There were plenty of pepperoni and a new offering of cheese and tomato. *insert sad face* So that was about two weeks ago and I have yet to find my fave anywhere. It's still listed on the website, so I'm going to email them and find out what in the sam hill is going on. I'll keep you updated...

My New Favorite!!

Okay I know I've said this before but this time I really mean it! Like many people, pizza is one of my favorite meals/snacks, just because I'm trying to watch my caloric intake doesn't make me exempt. I just happened to be in Walmart and found these. I tried pepperoni first and it was actually pretty good. Then a couple of weeks later I discovered the chicken with peppers and onions. I was hooked! It is so good I actually eat it five nights out of the week. (I know that is not good!) But it is just so easy to come home after work and pop one in the microwave. I think it actually beats out some of the other kinds of pizzas that are heavy with toppings and just seem really greasy. I end up satisfied but don't feel like I'm uncomfortably stuffed. At $2.50 for a box of two, it is very reasonable.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Portion

Calories 200
Total Fat 9g
Cholesterol 20mg
Sodium 370mg
Total Carbohydrate 22g
Protein 11g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 2g