New Product Tips for Calorie-Watching

After a particularly stressful weekend that completely trashed my diet, I'm in need of some refocusing!  So, here's a bit on foods again:

I have always shunned low-cal products, opting for taste and good quality.  I figured I'd rather limit quantity than not be satisfied!  However, in my shock over the actual calorie counts in so many foods, I've been turning a sharp eye towards those counts and have actually tried some new products.  I was so elated with my most recent find last night that I thought I'd list them here (for my benefit as well, as I have a tendency to completely forget this sort of thing):

1.  70 cal, So Delicious Frozen Fudge Bar Minis, made with Coconut Milk--incredibly good!  No sacrifice at all...best fudge bar ever!  (This'll be in the health food section--I found them at Kroger.)

2.  Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard Dressing--only 35 cal per 2 tbsp.  I'm used to making my own dressings, which have far more calories.  This one is really good!

3.  Old El Paso Taco Shells--only 50 cal apiece!  Not your typical diet food, but it works for a low cal count dinner.

4.  Thomas Everything Bagel Thins--110 cal.  Yay!  An Everything Bagel I can afford to eat!  Those regular bagels have about 3x the cals!  I spread Tofutti Cream Cheese on mine.

5.  Thomas whole wheat mini-bagels--110 cal, again.  These are great for all sorts of sandwiches.

6.  Thomas Light whole grain English Muffins--about 100 cal apiece.  I've actually begun opting more for these for sandwiches actually.  My daughter prefers them to #5, as well.

7.  Mott's Pomegranate Applesauce cups--50 cal.  Surprisingly yummy!

Hmm, that's all of the specific products that are coming to mind at this moment.  I do have a few naturally low-cal foods that provide a lot of filler:

1.  Cucumbers.  All other veggies, too, but I'm a cucumber fan for sandwiches, salads, etc.

2.  Miso soup.  Just boil water in the tea kettle and pour over a scoop of miso in a bowl.  Smush and stir until mixed, add a whole green onion, chopped.

3.  Teas.  Yum.  Big tea cabinet full of an assortment of herbal teas.  I've discovered that tea manufacturers actually know what they're doing when they mix teas, so try some of the different ones.  I don't like them all, though...  Favorites are Stash Moroccan Mint, Stash Black Chai (I add soymilk), Kroger's Honey Ginseng Green tea, Celestial Seasonings Orange Zinger, and Earl Grey.  The tea I drink most, though, is simply Luzianne Orange Pekoe unsweetened tea, kept in a big pitcher in the fridge.  No calories!

4.  Veggie Broth.  I've used up my favorite one, so I'll have to get back to you on the brand name.  I especially like to have a bowl of this with a cuke-loaded sandwich.  Makes the meal seem really full while staying low-cal.