Monday, June 11, 2012

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

















Tuesday, March 20, 2012

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

Thursday, March 15, 2012

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
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)
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

Monday, January 16, 2012

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

Thursday, December 15, 2011

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




              



FoodMilligrams (mg)
per serving
Percent DV*
Yogurt, plain, low fat, 8 ounces41542
Orange juice, calcium-fortified, 6 ounces37838
Mozzarella, part skim, 1.5 ounces33333
Sardines, canned in oil, with bones, 3 ounces32432
Cheddar cheese, 1.5 ounces30631
Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 ounces313-38431-38
Milk, nonfat, 8 ounces**29630
Milk, reduced-fat (2% milk fat), 8 ounces29630
Milk, buttermilk, 8 ounces28028
Milk, whole (3.25% milk fat), 8 ounces27227
Tofu, firm, made with calcium sulfate, ½ cup***25325
Salmon, pink, canned, solids with bone, 3 ounces18118
Cottage cheese, 1% milk fat, 1 cup unpacked13814
Tofu, soft, made with calcium sulfate, ½ cup***13814
Pudding, chocolate, instant, made with 2% milk, ½ cup12713
Ready-to-eat cereal, calcium-fortified, 1 cup 100–1,00010–100
Instant breakfast drink, various flavors and brands, powder prepared with water, 8 ounces 105–25010–25
Frozen yogurt, vanilla, soft serve, ½ cup 10310
Turnip greens, boiled, ½ cup 9910
Kale, cooked, 1 cup 949
Kale, raw, 1 cup 909
Soy beverage, calcium-fortified, 8 ounces 80–500 8–50
Ice cream, vanilla, ½ cup 848
Chinese cabbage, raw, 1 cup 747
Tortilla, corn, ready-to-bake/fry, 1 medium 465
Tortilla, flour, ready-to-bake/fry, one 6" diameter 394
Sour cream, reduced fat, cultured, 2 tablespoons 323
Bread, white, 1 ounce 313
Broccoli, raw, ½ cup 212
Bread, whole-wheat, 1 slice 303
Cheese, cream, regular, 1 tablespoon 141

Monday, October 31, 2011

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