Stouffer's "Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics" Ideas

Steak Tips Portabello

 

Beef and Broccoli

Roasted Garlic Chicken

Enjoy!

Jim Wright

Smart Ones quick meals

Looking for some Frozen Entrees? Here are some "Smart Ones" which will NOT cause the Fat Bus to come out.

Slow Roasted Turkey Breast

Home Style Beef Pot Roast

Enjoy!

Jim Wright

Unsweetend Soy Milk

I'll admit that I don't usually drink unsweetened soy milk straight. It does not taste like milk-even Skim Milk is better. However, when combined with other things like protein powder or cereal, it is a great milk substitute. In fact, from a carb/protein perspective it is a better substitute.

Look at this comparison:

Skim Milk..........................80 cal/cup
Unsweetened Soy Milk......90 cal/cup

Skim milk................................12grams of Impact Carbs
Unsweetened Soy Milk............1 gram of Impact Carbs

Skim Milk...............................8 grams of protein
Unsweetened Soy Milk..........9 grams of protein

Unsweetened Soy Milk will not make the fat bus run. In fact, it can provide an added boost of protein. For example, add it to your mashed potatoes rather than skim milk, use 3/4 cup on your cereal rather than 1/4 to 1/2 cup of skim milk, or use it in your protein shake (8 oz) rather than water for a nuttier, richer taste, etc.

If you want, you could drink 2 cups of Unsweetened Soy Milk as a snack or mix 1/4 cup with approved No Sugar Added Ice cream like Breyers Carb Smart Ice Cream and make a milkshake!

Give it a try! By the way, you will not find this in the dairy section. It is a non-refrigerated product (prior to being opened) and is usually in the baking section or close by.

Skinny Jim

Breakfast Patties

Healthy eating does not have to mean boring breakfasts! You don't have to give up sasuage and eggs, bacon and eggs, etc. Here are a some options:

Option 1:

2 eggs

2 Morningstar Farms Breakfast patties (80 cal. each)

2 slices of DFWB

Option 2:

1/2 C Egg Beaters

Sauteed Green (and/or red) peppers, green onions (Scallions)

2 Morningstar Farms Breakfast patties (80 cal. each)

1 Extreme Fiber Tortilla

1 slice Fat Free cheese

Salsa

Cook sausage and cut up. Sautee peppers and onions. Add peppers, onions, sausage to egg beaters and cook until set. Melt cheese on mixture. Place mixture in tortilla. Top with salsa.

If you like sausage links, try Morningstar Farm Sausage Links. Unlike the sausage patties, you get 2 links for 80 calories. In other words, you can have 4 links compared to 2 patties!

Other MorningStar Farms products which are healthy for you include:

• MorningStar Farms Hot and Spicy Veggie Sausage Patties (1 patty=70 cal)
• MorningStar Farms Maple Flavored Veggie Sausage Patties (1 patty=80 cal)
• MorningStar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties (1 patty=80 cal)

NOTE: NOT EVERY MorningStar Farms PRODUCT WILL WORK! Avoid the following:

• MorningStar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips (too much fat!)
• MorningStar Farms Veggie Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit (too many carbs)
• MorningStar Farms Veggie Sausage, Egg and Cheese Biscuit (too many carbs)

I have found the MorningStar Farms products at both Ingles and Wal-Mart; however, I have not found every product listed above at those stores.

Stay tuned for some more healthy eating ideas.

Jim Wright

New Snacks!

I'm always on the lookout for new snacks that won't cause your body to store fat! Here is my newest find: Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Almonds. The following versions work as a Thrive snack:

• Mint Dark Chocolate
• Dark Chocolate
• Butter Toffee
• Sea Salt
• Cinnamon Brown Sugar
• No Salt

Blue Diamond also makes 100 calorie snack packs. If you want the Blue Diamond 100 calorie snack packs you can! In fact, you should have two.

The good thing about having 2 packs equal one snack is that you can have a pack in the morning and one in the afternoon or whenever. In other words, you can you enjoy two 100 packs a day, but remember you must have two 100 calorie packs a day to meet your protein requirements.

The 100 calorie snacks include:

• Lightly Salted
• Whole Natural
• Cinnamon Brown Sugar
• Dark Chocolate
• Sea Salt
• Wasabi & Soy Sauce

To find out more go to: http://bluediamond.com/index.cfm?navid=458

Skinny Jim

Calcium

One complaint/concern I often hear is about the lack of milk in the Thrive! healthy eating program. You can have Skim Milk with your Special K Protein Plus cereal, but don't drink the leftover milk! Also, drinking a glass of milk is not good either because Skim Milk contains 12g of sugar!

Some feel that if we don't drink milk we won't get the recommended amounts of calcium. Calcium is good for you. You body uses about 1% of its calcium supply for vascular contraction and vasodilation, muscle function, nerve transmission, intracellular signaling and hormonal secretion and the other 99% is used for bones and teeth. According to the government, the Recommended Daily Allowance of calcium for people 19-50 is 1,000mg/day.

If milk is not a foundational part of one's diet, can you get enough calcium? Yes! Milk is not the number one source of calcium; Greek yogurt has more calcium than milk. You can get calcium through the following foods:

Fibrous Carb

Artichokes

Asparagus          

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Celery

Chives

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Green Onions

Greens Collard/Mustard/Turnip  

Kale

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Okra

Peppers

Radishes

Sauerkraut

Snow Peas

Spinach

Squash

Sugar Snap Peas

Turnip Greens

Water Chestnuts

Extreme Fiber Tortillas

Lean Proteins

Salmon, canned, pink

Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Natural Carb

Blackeyed Peas

Cowpeas

Corn

Lentils

Lima Beans

Navy Beans

Parsnips

Potatoes

Sweet Peas

Whole Wheat Bread

Balanced Foods

Almonds

Sesame Seeds

Flax Seeds

Brazil Nuts

Kidney Beans

Pinto Beans

Soy Beans

Condiments

Carrots

Onions

Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese

Fat Free Cheddar Cheese

Although milk contains a high percentage of calcium (30%), yogurts and cheese are higher. Salmon, low fat cottage cheese and Tofu are not far behind. You can get enough calcium if you eat healthy. In many cases, the higher the fat content, the lower the calcium so you may be getting more calcium than the average person who eats a fatty diet with milk!

Of course, you can have a glass of milk on a "cold" day. I do!

Skinny Jim

              

Food	Milligrams (mg) per serving	Percent DV*
Yogurt, plain, low fat, 8 ounces	415	42
Orange juice, calcium-fortified, 6 ounces	378	38
Mozzarella, part skim, 1.5 ounces	333	33
Sardines, canned in oil, with bones, 3 ounces	324	32
Cheddar cheese, 1.5 ounces	306	31
Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 ounces	313-384	31-38
Milk, nonfat, 8 ounces**	296	30
Milk, reduced-fat (2% milk fat), 8 ounces	296	30
Milk, buttermilk, 8 ounces	280	28
Milk, whole (3.25% milk fat), 8 ounces	272	27
Tofu, firm, made with calcium sulfate, ½ cup***	253	25
Salmon, pink, canned, solids with bone, 3 ounces	181	18
Cottage cheese, 1% milk fat, 1 cup unpacked	138	14
Tofu, soft, made with calcium sulfate, ½ cup***	138	14
Pudding, chocolate, instant, made with 2% milk, ½ cup	127	13
Ready-to-eat cereal, calcium-fortified, 1 cup	100–1,000	10–100
Instant breakfast drink, various flavors and brands, powder prepared with water, 8 ounces	105–250	10–25
Frozen yogurt, vanilla, soft serve, ½ cup	103	10
Turnip greens, boiled, ½ cup	99	10
Kale, cooked, 1 cup	94	9
Kale, raw, 1 cup	90	9
Soy beverage, calcium-fortified, 8 ounces	80–500	8–50
Ice cream, vanilla, ½ cup	84	8
Chinese cabbage, raw, 1 cup	74	7
Tortilla, corn, ready-to-bake/fry, 1 medium	46	5
Tortilla, flour, ready-to-bake/fry, one 6" diameter	39	4
Sour cream, reduced fat, cultured, 2 tablespoons	32	3
Bread, white, 1 ounce	31	3
Broccoli, raw, ½ cup	21	2
Bread, whole-wheat, 1 slice	30	3
Cheese, cream, regular, 1 tablespoon	14	1

A handful of almonds is the best snack. However, if you are looking for more than almonds, try out True North. I couldn't find nutritional information on all their products, but I know that the Almond Pecan Cashew Clusters and the Pecan Almond Peanut Clusters work. You can have 5 clusters per serving.

Another nutty option are the snacks from Sahale Snacks. For example, you can enjoy 1/4cup of "Almonds with Cranberries, Honey and Sea Salt", Barbeque Almonds, Southwest Cashews with Chili+Cheddar, Tuscan Almonds with Parmesan + Herbs

Skinny Jim