Lovin' My Greek Yogurts!

I've been wondering about "GREEK YOGURT" for quite some time. I've read a lot of blogs by "healthy eaters" that rave about it, but I've never been too quick to buy it for a couple of reasons. First, I loved my fake flavors (Key Lime Pie, Red Velvet Cake and so on) that was loaded with chemicals. I was clueless to the horrors of what I was putting in my body, especially with the aspartame (aka rat poison if you do your research). So I enjoy yogurt but must admit that since my change in lifestyle and trying to eat more "organic" or "clean", my choices are limited. I don't eat anything with aspartame in it and I try to eat fat free or lower fat. Yeah, you can see where I'm going with this... my choices are pretty limited.

Thank goodness for Stonyfield! They have at least a decent tasting and affordable organic fat free yogurt! But wait.... welcome to their GREEK YOGURT! I kind of fell into it, forgetting that this was even a possible "organic" option. And what to my wondering eyes should appear...... Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt in caramel! A delightful creamy vanilla yogurt with a thin layer of delicious caramel on the bottom. All natural, fat free, creamy delicious, delight!

 
Next thing you know, I'm already quite happy to find this delightful caramel dream when I come upon Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt with chocolate on the bottom. Okay, are you following me here? I've found not only the worlds creamiest and most delightful organic yogurt but yogurt with caramel on the bottom or chocolate! It's fat free, delicious, organic, and did I mention caramel or chocolate?! Yes, I'm in heaven!!!!

And the best part is that the Oikos is completely affordable! A 4 pack can be found at most grocery stores and I paid about $2.49. Once again, we stifle the common thought that eating "organic" or "clean" is unaffordable! If you're counting points® each serving comes out to 2 points® each, so it's very weight friendly! All I can say is "Thanks Stonyfield!"  Check out their website for coupons and more info on the products they offer! How can you NOT feel good about a company that truly does take our world into consideration when creating a nutritious and delicious treat like this? They have all kinds of freebies on their site, from coupons to screensavers!

Wish me luck on my journey to "eating clean" and  healthy! 
And please feel free to comment and share ideas for trying to live and eat "clean"!
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Great Snack! Cocopop treats!

I am always excited to find a new snack item that is filled with lots of flavor plus low in calories, fat and points! I shop most days at a local grocery called Wegman's and they often have a lot of great, healthy options to choose from. This time they wowed me big time though with a new items called Coco Pop.

This delicious treat comes in at 0 points®! Yes, you read that correctly, ZERO! How can you beat this? Now remember, that's for a single serving so you can't eat the bag and call it zero points®, while to be honest with you an entire bag would probably come out at around 3 or so points® anyways!

Coco Pop snacks are a multi-grain, wafer crisp that is somewhat like a rice cake only with a lot more flavor and a lot more potential! They're made fresh, in the store too with no preservatives, no crazy chemicals and no ingredients you can't pronounce. They featured them in a set up near the meat and bread departments, giving out free samples and one taste told me they were well worth the $2.49 a bag price! While the package doesn't say how many are in a bag, I guessed that my bag had about 18 total. Each snack is 16 calories and about the size of a small tortilla. They taste air popped, with just a touch of almost buttery flavor. The best part is almost any type of "topping" can be added to kill whatever "craving" you're having. For example, when sweets are a need, a squirt of light chocolate syrup makes an amazing sweet treat. Top that with a dollop of fat free cool whip and you're still pulling in 1 point® or less, depending on the amount of toppings you use.
I love adding a some roasted red pepper hummus to my Coco Pop! Oh, what a delectable treat! The hummus is only 40 calories for 2 tablespoons and I barely use a teaspoon to lightly coat the snack! Keeping my points® at 0 for a wonderful burst of flavor and a little crunchiness!

Add a teaspoon or two of fresh salsa and if you're feeling crazy a dollop of fat free sour cream! Yummo! You have a little mexican treat that screams fiesta in your mouth!!! A little shredded fat free cheddar? Oh yeah!

I was feeling a sweet tooth coming on this morning (Thursday) so I used 1/2 a container of Yoplait "Red Velvet Cake" yogurt, spread along the top. DELISH! And 1 point® (what the yogurt counted as) for the treat/cake. Of course I finished the yogurt so it was a total of 2 points®. Added a banana, some tea and had a great sweet breakfast treat!

I topped mine with a dollop of unsweetened strawberry jam to kill a sweets craving and then realized the potential to use these babies as a base for any fresh fruits over the summer with a smidgeon of fat free topping or even some light chocolate syrup. Can't you just imagine some fresh berries, a dollup of whipped cream and a hint of chocolate over top! Oh yeah!!!

I hope this inspired you to run out and grab some Coco Pop snacks. Hopefully Wegman's isn't the only place you can get these wonderful babies! They're going to become a staple at my house!

AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Bacon Onion and Smoked Gouda Cheeseburgers

Bacon, Onion & Smoked Gouda Cheeseburgers (9)

1 FlatOut "Fold It" Sandwich Wrap (1)
4 oz. 95% Fat Free Hamburger patty (4)
2 oz. reduced fat smoked gouda (2)
2 pieces center cut, canadian or turkey bacon (cooked crisp) (2)
1/2 sweet onion (caramelized)
lettuce (use a bib lettuce or a lettuce mix to get some other veggies in there)
Any other veggies you desire (tomatoes, etc.)

Simply cook the beef patty to desired doneness. Slide burger onto the FlatOut Wheat Sandwich Wrap, place smoked gouda slice on top, slather on tons of grilled, sweet onions and some lettuce. You've re-created the BackYard Burger® version of this delicious burger without all the fat & calories! *(Note the picture of the burger is one from the Flatout bread site and not one of my burger... I didn't take the time to click a pic of the burger I created... wish I had and promise to do so next time!)


My inspiration for this burger was the Backyard Burger® Smoked Gouda burger... they won't even POST the nutritional values for this puppy but suffice it to say that a similar burger of theirs (with cheddar instead of gouda) comes in at a whopping 1170 calories, 79g fat and 3g of fiber according to their website! Does the points® calculator even WORK with those numbers or does it just explode (like your waistline)!?!?!?! By the way.. those numbers come in at about 29 points® for ONE burger! Um, hello that's a DAYS worth of points® for most people, if not more!!!!!! Putting mine on a wheat FlatOut sandwich wrap, omitting the mayo alone and using a low fat beef blows this burger out of the "healthy" waters and into the sinking depths of the obese.. I mean, abyss, it belongs in!!!!! I'm not hatin' on the BackYard® Burger version, just saying... maybe it's a great way to be inspired to create something healthier for yourself!? They've inspired quite a few versions of burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches for me to be honest and I will sometimes grab one of their Hawaiin Grilled Chicken sandwiches (no mayo, only 1/2 a bun) for a fairly nice main dish... I just have to remember to stay away from those chili cheese fries!

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!
Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Cinnamon Bun Oatmeal with a twist

I am not a breakfast lover. Don't get me wrong, I "do" breakfast but generally I "do" it hours after I've been awake or very lightly. Oddly enough I've never been a morning eater and most of my family seems that way. It's not a matter of time or even desire to eat or not eat but more so a matter of "my belly just isn't ready for food for at least an hour or more after I've been up".

Today I was hungry and wanted something kind of solid when my "ok I'm ready to eat now" gene kicked in! I decided I had been dying to try my Quaker® Cinnamon Bun Oatmeal (3 pts) but wanted just a little something to go with it. I glanced over and there was the answer... a single, lonely pack of Nabisco® 100 Calorie Pack Lorna Doone's. Then end result was an amazingly filling and ooooooh so delicious pair that will take me well into the lunch hour easily!

My "tip" of the day is: learn how to pair certain items up so you get the most bang for your "points®". Today's breakfast was a perfect example. For 3 points® I could have had a decent breakfast that would have been "good", and probably stuck with me for a couple of hours; however, for 5 points® I ended up having an amazing breakfast that hit every aspect of my taste buds needed.... crunchy, smooth, warm, sweet and most of all it was extra filling! Take the time to give YOURSELF that little extra boost. You deserve to go the extra mile and get an "amazing" meal, as opposed to an "okay" one! Not only will it keep you from straying into the abyss of "I am so deprived" but it will make you feel like you're really doing this right!

So next time you're whipping up a quick dinner, lunch or breakfast... take that 2 seconds more to add an item that brings it "up a notch" to the next level and enjoy!!!!!

Some different items I love to pair together to bring my meal to the next level:

• Something crunchy to something creamy - a perfect example of this is a 1/2 pack of 100 calorie treats to a container of yogurt (go that double extra mile and put it in another bowl instead of eating it out of the container if you can)
  
  
• Extra flavorful spices - sometimes something as simple as sprinkling on an additional spice or flavoring will bring your dish completely to the other side! One of my favorite "spices" or additions is a "sprinkle" I purchased from GFS (Gordon Food Service) made by Trade East® Spices called "Cinnamon Maple Sprinkles". Zero Points® at 5 calories for 1/4 teaspoon, you can add this on top of waffles, into mashed sweet potatoes or on top of a baked sweet potato. I add to sweet potato fries (my favorite being the Alexia® Sweet Potato fries.. the most bang for your points®), along with some sea salt to give my "side dish" a sweet 'n salty flavor. Top off your "diet bread" toast and suddenly something you simply tossed in the toaster now tastes like you cooked it up in the fry pan and created "french toast" instead! And this is just ONE spice I'm working with, can you imagine the possibilities when you look in your cupboard at all those spices?!
  
  
• Learn the art of "drizzle" - I tend to keep a bottle of "light" chocolate syrup, a bottle of sugar free maple syrup, fat free caramel topping and sometimes even strawberry syrup to drizzle on treats. With literally minimal calories for a DRIZZLE (key word) you can change up the flavor quickly & easily! A perfect example... I will take a packaged 2 point® Weight Watchers® Chocolate Chip Brownie, place it on a plate (paper plates are a staple for easy clean up but nicer presentation), and drizzle some syrup across it. Eat it with a fork and you feel like you went crazy with dessert but didn't add any extra points! I'll do the same with an Arnolds® Sandwich Thin, toasted and drizzled with some caramel and an apple. Yummy caramel apple "tart" in seconds!
  

These are just a few ideas! Feel free to add some of your ideas in the comments! A few extra seconds of prep can end up creating an amazing treat without an amazing addition of calories or points®!

AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc.

Maple Cinnamon Sausage and Waffle Sandwich (6)

Sundays, or weekends in general for me, tend to be days when I splurge a little more on breakfasts. I wake a little later, tend to have a little extra time to spend & am always more relaxed & at ease because I'm generally waking with my fiance (we live apart, so weekends are a treat) and not rushed to get him out the door to work like when we do spend weekdays together!

Because of the relaxed atmosphere of weekend mornings I also tend to LOVE my breakfasts. Normally, for me, breakfast is a "must" and not something I look forward to. I just simply don't enjoy eating in the morning. For some reason my stomach isn't up as early as I am usually. I will often, during the week or when I'm pushed to get moving right away, use a simple Naked Juice (5-6 points) as a great way to start my mornings, giving me the benefits of getting some calories & my 5-A-Day fruits & veggies in all in one simple easy drink. For this reason alone, I am crazy about Naked Juices. They also tend to fill me up quite well until mid-morning (snack time) or even into lunch on those days when I can't find the time to grab a quick snack.

Today I made my own little creation using 3 of my favorite ingredients: turkey sausage patties (already cooked & simply microwaved/heated up to eat), Kelloggs Low Fat/Multi-Grain Frozen Waffles, & Cinnamon Maple Sprinkles (purchased at GFS - Gordon Food Services). Usually I make breakfast sandwiches on Arnolds Sandwich Thins for me and my sweetie but today he skipped out early to get some laundry done and get back here a little earlier to watch the Playoff Games with me, so I "loned" it with breakfast. Truth be told I snuck back under the covers after he left & played on the net for a bit, watched some TV and tried to get warm. I took the change in routine as a chance to try something "different" for myself for breakfast. By the time I got out of bed it was truly more like "brunch" time so I was torn what to even make but I was famished & knew it had to be something to fill me.

Born was Maple Cinnamon Sausage & Waffle Sandwich!

Maple Cinnamon Sausage &

Waffle Breakfast Sandwich

(Value 6)

SERVES 1

• 2 Kellogs Low Fat/Multi-Grain Frozen Waffles (3)
• 1 slice 2% Sharp Cheddar Cheese (1)
  
• 2 turkey sausage patties (2) (Jimmy Dean tends to be my fave but turkey breakfast sausage seems to be harder and harder to find locally so I will often grab whatever brand's available)
• Sprinkle of Cinnamon Maple Sprinkles from GFS (0)
• Few Sprays of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (0) (or in a pinch you can use light margarine but remember to add the points/calories on according to your usage)
  

1. Toast the frozen waffles to your desired crispness - I prefer to toast them a little extra toasted for firmness
   
2. While waffles are toasting, microwave your fully cooked sausage patties. I wrap mine in paper towels to catch any extra grease. It doesn't change the points, per say, but it does make it slightly less greasy!
   
3. When waffles pop up from toaster, spray with ICBINB Spray (o points) or lightly butter with a light margarine (points depend upon nutritional information of each margarine). Sprinkle each waffle with Cinnamon Maple Sprinkles.
4. Place sausage on top of 1 waffle & cover with remaining waffle.
   
5. *Note: You can omit the piece of 2% Cheddar Cheese on top of sausage for 1 less point. I personally love & am quite satisfied without the extra cheese on top making my sandwich worth 5 Points instead (depending upon ingredients used).
   

AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc.