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.

Today's Budget Friendly Product - By Busy Baker

I hear all too often "I can't afford to eat healthy" and, to be honest, I used to think the same. But believe me when I say, not only can you afford to eat healthy... you CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO!

You have one body. The longer you abuse it with unhealthy eating, inactivity and poor life choices the more apt you are to have less time to utilize that body fully & happily. I am NOT a preacher of "the ways" when it comes to healthy living. I am, however, an example of how you can become a healthy person and not go broke doing it.

I live on a limited, fixed, income. Disabled from the side affects of cancer & "curing" it, I am faced with chronic pain & a deteriorating spine. I have every reason in the world to sit back and tell the world "It's okay that I'm fat... I have a reason... I CAN'T exercise, I CAN'T afford healthy foods, I CAN'T, I CAN'T, I CAN'T!" But the truth is... I CAN and I WILL and I AM! At 80+ pounds lighter in under a year's time, I am living proof that you are the only thing limiting your abilities! Finances, age, body type, and any other excuse you can come up with are just that... and excuse! Let's change those to REASONS to make changes & do it together!

You cannot imagine my surprise & happiness when I took the "infamous" National Health Test shown on TV during the long infomercial type ad for voting for health care reform. The test asks some very simple questions that I guarantee a year ago I would have come in at a grade of D- if I were lucky! Sunday, I took the test and came in at a high B+ (88)! How? Easy, I made the decision not to "lose weight" but to "change my lifestyle". I eat junk food, I dine out, I misbehave when I eat. The only difference between NOW and THEN is that when I do misbehave or eat foods that aren't exactly what one would think of as "diet" foods, I do so knowingly, sparingly and often "legally" by replacing many of my comfort foods with healthier versions. A perfect example of this is cheese. I am a cheese freak and I almost always refuse to change my habits over to completely fat free versions of cheese. I'm sorry, that's just not cheese to me.. it's more like plastic! Instead I lower my intake, I choose 2% & Low Fat versions. Add to that fact that I no longer pair it up with high fat, low fiber cracker & bread choices but, instead, use high fiber, baked crackers & breads that come in low in fat, high in fiber & lower in calories! I also am realistic with my expectations. I know that big holidays are not going to come without some over indulging & perhaps even with some weight gain but I also know that this means extra times at the gym, jumping back on the "band wagon" of healthy living & eating again as soon as the holidays are over and having setbacks when I do so. I also know I'm never going to not touch a piece of candy or cookies or french fries the rest of my life. It's not realistic! So I have to know when & how to say enough or no & utilize that ability. When I "fail", I simply move on and know that the next time I cannot fail or will avoid the situation unless I make a comprehensive decision to allow myself the indulgence.

Today's "FIND" for the day are crackers made by Busy Baker. These Baked Wheat Crackers come in at 130 Calories, 4.5g of fat ( a little high but still ok if you stick to a single portion), and 1g of Fiber (a little low but, again, if you stick to one serving you're doing good). Those numbers, on the Weight Watchers® Point Scale, come in at about 3 points®. What's impressive is the serving size of 16 crackers! That's enough cracker to accompany a 1oz. portion of 2% cheese and leave you some extra crunchy treats to continue snacking on after your cheese is gone. Giving you the feeling of a little "extra" snacking when, in reality, you're staying right with portion control & enjoying a tasty treat.

Now comes the greatest part.... where you think "I can't afford to eat healthy" and I tell you why you can. These crackers were purchased from Dollar Tree for $1 a box! Yes, 7 ounces of this delicious treat comes in at a whopping dollar! Now, I don't know about you but I can definitely afford a snack item that comes in at a fairly large portion for 3 points and serves me 6 snack times for only ONE dollar!

The key to affording healthy eating techniques is to make sure you take the time to read the labels, look for dollar stores and discount stores such as Big Lots or Ollies, to purchase foods. Don't fall into the trap of looking at just the calories... compare portion sizes, fiber, fat & calories all together! In this case a portion of 16 crackers definitely fills one up fairly well. In some cases 3 points would be considered a little "high", but for me it seems to be acceptable when I can have such a large portion. Better yet, cut the portion in half at 8 crackers and use only 1.5 points! Still a great snack, half the points/calories & fat and now you're getting 12 portions for a dollar!

So don't forget to hit up the discount stores, dollar stores & inexpensive places for discounted items that are healthy & delicious!

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.

Great New Products! Update September 2009

There are always new and upcoming products that, as a healthy eater, we love to find. One of my biggest weaknesses is ice cream. I will adore the inventor of an "all you can eat" ice cream with flavor & fullness combined with ZERO calories forever... so if you're him/her please let me know... and send me some samples! LOL But until then, for me... finding an amazing, full flavored ice cream that's low in fat & calories is a mission I take on for all of us living a more healthy lifestyle. I'll put on my best "ice cream" face and figure it all out for you.... you can thank me later with a HUGE bowl of ... well... ice cream?

Today I happened upon a new Fit & Active® ice cream sandwich at Aldis. Nutritional info on them is 130 cal./ 1.5g fat / 2g fiber, bringing them in at 2 points a treat. Very comparable to the Skinny Cow® competitors but at a fraction of the price! I'm going to be honest here, there's never too many "low fat, lower calorie" options in ice cream so Skinny Cow® shouldn't fret that they'll be run out of town. They simply will share the shelves in MY freezer!

The newest flavors offered of the Fit & Active® ice cream sandwiches was "Strawberry Shortcake" (2) and "Orange Cream". Unfortunately for me, the only package of "Orange Cream" they had left in the freezer had been thawed, refrozen, thawed again, mixed and slightly re-frozen by the time I got to it. Hopefully they will have them available again soon! If they orange tastes anything like the strawberry I will be in heaven!

So it's definitely a 2 thumbs up and double tummy rub vote for these delightful ice cream treats! If you're looking for affordable, healthy & delicious... the Fit & Active® ice cream sandwiches are a definite must on your next shopping list!

The line of products that Aldis now offers in the Fit & Active® brand is simply amazing. Take a look for yourself, here!

Other faves of mine in this healthy, affordable category is the their turkey bacon, weighing in with Nutritional values of 30 cal/2.5g fat/ 0 fiber per slice. It's a wonderful addition to a low fat burger, a grilled chicken breast or any dish that a little "bacon" can only add even MORE flavor! I'm a bit of a bacon lover myself so I definitely enjoy a touch of this smokey goodness in many of my dishes or sandwiches! And speaking of "burgers" they offer a Fit & Active, lower fat ground burger & ground turkey to help create that wonderful "off the grill" treat!

I'm a HUGE fan of the Fit & Active® treats too. Some awesome, and again inexpensive, options Aldi's is carrying are the Caramel Rice Snacks, their delicious cereal bars and most all of their ice cream products (especially their fudgsicles & ice cream sandwiches). Most every "snack" product they offer comes in around 2 points so they're a great option for a reasonable price. It's not always expensive to "eat healthy".. you just have to search in the right places for the right products!


* As with all recipes points®/calories/fats will vary according to ingredients so please be sure to figure your own nutritional information out according to the packages & information of the products you use.

Help me win this great recognition!
Vote now if you like my blog! Thanks!

By Body & Soul

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!


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....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness



3.

4. BWJEN



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser


*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.