Healthy Buddies

On a recent trip to visit my sister, I was introduced to a truly delicious snack, Buddy Fruits.  I'm pretty sure that she originally bought these 'fruit snacks' for my 2 year old nephew, however we are both now addicted to them!  These pure fruit bites only have 95 calories and are 100% fruit.  There is no added sugar and no preservatives. Since I am traveling all the time, it has become increasingly hard to buy fresh fruit to take on trips since it goes bad in a few days. Also, I have a hard time eating an entire giant orange or banana because, well- I'm strange, and either get too full before I finish, or I get tired of eating it.   Buddy Fruits are great because you get real 100% fruit in each bite and the package is RESEALABLE!!! What an amazing idea for little kids (who never finish their entire snack) and me (who gets tired of eating a whole orange). Buddy Fruits are definitely my new favorite snack!

There are several flavors, including Orange, Pomegranate and Acai, Raspberry and Apple. My favorite flavor is the Pomegranate and Acai.  I highly recommend this yummy treat for anyone on the go or who loves fruit snacks!!!

The Orange Buddy Fruits Bites are made of 7.2oz fresh apple and 4.2oz of fresh orange.

Ingredients:

Fruits extract, apple juice concentrate, apple puree concentrate, orange juice concentrate

*The Buddy Fruits company also offers Pure Blended Fruit pouches that I have yet to try, but sound and look delish!

Naturally Sweet

                                      
       
I'm always seeking for a sweetener that is fairly good for you, with minimal side effects, and has fewer calories than sugar. Until now I have been a believer in Splenda (which I still use on occasion because it is so readily available wherever you go).  My roommate recently brought home Truvia.  Since I am always willing to try new things and experiment, I gave it a go and sprinkled some onto a grapefruit half.  To my pleasant surprise, it was DELICIOUSLY sweet!  It actually tasted like sugar and didn't leave a strange after-taste like most artificial sweeteners.  I will now be using it on/in everything!  It is perfect for bland, barley tasting cereals and also to put in tea or coffee.

Truvia is made from the Stevia plant, so it is all-natural.  Apparently, it has been used medicinally for centuries by indigenous people!  I'm so grateful that it is now put into a form that today's consumers can utilize!

                                                                   

Carrots 'N Cake

                                                 

I love to read, especially since I travel for about 4 months straight, I am able to endulge in reading continually.  One of my favorite books is Carrots 'N Cake.  This book, written by Tina Haupert, is very beneficial to those of us who want to eat healthy as much as we can, while still enjoying a cookie every once in a while.  Haupert also has a blog, by the same name, which I love reading because she constantly adds new healthy recipes that she discovers or creates.  This is a light-read book that includes nutritious recipes for cooking and life.  I found this book on Amazon for about $11 and I also sent one to my sister, although I know she has not read it yet and I'm very disappointed....  Nevertheless, I highly encourage anyone wanting to make their lifestyle a bit healthier, while still enjoying delicious foods, to read it. 

Wonder Waffles, "Sting or be stung!"

                                       

Every Christmas my dad sends me a random combination of gifts...mostly from the checkout line in R.E.I. Without fail I always get some kind of all-natural sunscreen, at least 3 types of chapstick, several packages of mints, some winter socks, and a monogrammed notepad (don't ask me why my father sends me these things). This Christmas my package had a nice little surprise that I'm now obsessed with; Honey Organic Stinger Waffles.

Apparently Lance Armstrong loved the energy waffles he could get while biking through Europe so he sought out to have them made specifically for him (or so the package says). This product is all-natural and organically made. I love eating one of these for a pre-workout snack or if I'm in the middle of a long, grueling workout/day and in need a little burst of energy.

I have had the honey and vanilla flavors, but there's also strawberry. The honey was my favorite and it contains 160 calories, 7g fat (0 trans fat), 0 cholesterol, 55mg sodium, 14g sugar and 1g fiber. The ingredients include: Organic wheat flour, organic palm oil, Organic rice syrup, organic cane sugar, organic Honey, organic Whole wheat flour, organic Soy flour, sea salt, Organic soy lecithin, Organic spices and baking soda.

                           

Chip-a-licious!

Organic Kale Chips

These delicious 'chips' are packed with nutrients and taste so yummy that you will almost feel guilty about enjoying them. Also, however irrelevent, they were recently featured on an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians when Rob moves in with Kourtney in order to begin a healthier lifestyle :)

Kale is often described as a SuperFood and we are always encouraged to include it in our diet. To get the most nutrients from kale, it should be eaten raw, however you can still gain nutritious value from it even when it is in chip form. 

Ingredients inclue:
Organic kale, organic cashew, organic zucchini, organic onion, organic carrot, organic yeast powder, organic shredded coconut, organic cilantro, organic apple cider vinegar, organic ginger, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic spices, sea salt.

Same Bagel Taste, Less Cals!

I realize that it seems like it has been 5 years since my last post and I truly apologize!  Life has been crazy lately with all of these summer sports camps, however this is the last week of them!!!  I don't know about you, but I love bagels--unfortunately I do not love the 300+ calories in each bagel.  For those of you who struggle with wanting some carbs and satisfying that craving, but not wanting all of the calories, I have a solution!

These yummy bagels only have 110 Calories, 0g Trans Fat, 100% Whole Wheat, Cholesterol Free, Have Fiber (to keep you fuller longer) and are Low in Fat!  You also have a variety of choices: Plain, Everything, Cinnamon Raisin and Whole Wheat.  I love these and I'll usually either top it with some Jif Natural Peanut Butter on it and Smucker's Simply Fruit jelly, or a Laughing Cow cheese wedge. 

Lucky for us, Thomas' also makes great English Muffins! I love toasty english muffins on a cold day, and these are perfect while still attaining my diet needs and restrictions.  There are 8 grams of fiber per english muffin, 0g Trans Fat, Cholesterol Free, additional Calcium, Low Fat and Multigrain. 

This 'Spreadable Fruit' is a great way to add fruit to your diet and it tastes delicious.  The best part is there is no added sugars and fillers and only 40 calories per serving.  There are tons of flavors also: Apricot, Black  Cherry, Blueberry, Black Raspberry, Concord Grape, Boysenberry, Peach....etc.  I still have so many yummy flavors to try!!

All Natural Diet Soda

As I've discussed previously, I love flavored beverages, however I have a hard time drinking something with 150 calories in it (unless it is fruit juice).  Recently, during an amazing trip home to Oregon, my parents had their refrigerator stocked with Hansen's Soda... and it was even diet soda!  This bubbly beverage is all natural, sugar-free, contains no aspartame and has 0 carbs!  Hallelujah, a refreshingly delicious  beverage that has no nasty side effects.  There are no artificial colors or flavors, no sodium, and no preservatives, it is sweetened with Splenda, and... it is GLUTEN FREE!!!

The flavors are endless also, Diet Black Cherry, Diet Peach, Diet Kiwi Strawberry, Diet Tangerine Lime, Diet Ginger Ale, Grapefruit, Pomegranate...and even Diet Root Beer. They are the perfect summertime drinks to quench one's thirst!!  I hope you enjoy these as much as I have!!

Sugar Rush!

Ok, so there's not much sugar involved....but I just love Sugar Snap Peas!  These are definitely one of my favorite munchies of all time!  I love the crunchiness of the peas and they're tasty.  I like to eat the pod first and save the peas for last because they're the best part :) If I'm feeling really crazy I will even break out the hummus and enjoy them together.  Snap peas are very nutritious and provide fiber, and many vitamins and minerals for around 35 calories a serving.  This is a great snack between meals while fulfilling a serving of veggies! 

You can find snap peas already packaged generally where the packaged salads are, in the produce area.  If you go to a Whole Foods or a farmers market you are able to bag your own and get as much as you like! 

A Little Bit of Sweetness

Clearly I'm a big snacker and carbs do happen to be my favorite thing unfortunately.  When I was sick my beautiful friend Whitney, brought me some of my favorite treats such as chocolate Bunny Grahams, Gummy Bears (may not be the healthiest but sure are delish!), Almond Joy candy bars (definitely not healthy... oops!), a 0 calorie Vitamin Water, and a little sweetness to try out: Rold Gold Cinnamon Raisin Braided Twists. These pretzel braids are amazingly delicious!  The best part-- you cannot taste any raisin :).  Another plus is that there are only 110 calories for 7 twists, so you definitely fulfill your carb crave for very few cals! There are no trans fats, thank heavens, and 2 grams of protein which isn't much, but makes me smile a little :) I do love these twists and was so excited when Whitney introduced them to me...Thanks girl!!!  I hope you try them out and love them as much as I do!!!

Scrumptiously Sweet Salsa

It is no secret that I love chips and salsa...I cannot seem to get enough of this snack!  I wish I would keep in mind that it is meant to be a snack rather than the equivalent of 2 meals that I often eat, oops!  One of the most delicious things I have ever tried was a magnificent Watermelon Salsa that one of my LSU grad school buddies made for a football game on one occasion.  I have never forgotten how refreshing, spicy, sweet and absolutely divine this salsa was!  Unfortunately I never got the recipe from him, so I developed my own. Keep in mind that you can 'tweak' this recipe so that it suits your taste buds better, i.e. sweeter, less spicy, more melon, no mint etc.

Watermelon Salsa:

1 1/2 c. Honeydew Melon, minced

1 1/2 c. Cantaloupe, minced

1/2 c. minced Red Onion

1-2 Jalapenos finely chopped and seeded

1/2 c. Cilantro finely chopped

1/4 c. Mint finely chopped

1/2 c. Cucumber

2 c. Watermelon

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

2 tsp. Lime Juice

* Combine all ingredients and chill for 4 hours before serving.  This is best when chilled overnight, but sometimes it is so hard to wait to eat it!

I love to eat Baked Tostitos Tortilla chips with this.  These chips are gluten free and contain no trans fat.  You can also serve it with white fish like Mahi-Mahi.  This is a perfect healthy tail-gating treat for football games!!!

A Good Way to Start Each Day

I began today without eating breakfast.  I was late for work, as usual, and did not get a chance for cereal.  When I finally got to work, I was sooo busy that I never ate what I had brought.  This was all a catastrophic course for a terrible day.  After a crazy day and an excruciatingly long meeting, where it had to be atleast 95 degrees in that little conference room, I was finally able to go home.  What greeted me after work?? An absolutely ridiculous parking ticket, where I was not in the wrong of course, and dodging disgusting alien cicada bugs every time I stepped outside.  These bugs are insane!  They are everywhere--chasing you into cars and landing on your back as you're innocently walking/running inside.  Needless to say, it was a rough day and I am beginning to think it was because I did not have time to indulge in my yummy cereal. Everyone always says breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I definitely agree! Anyway, I decided to start tomorrow off on a better foot so I ran to the store for some nutritious options.  I picked out my favorite hot cereal--Kashi GoLean Hearty Honey Cinnamon hot cereal.  This oatmeal-y concoction is divine!  It tastes so good and is all natural, has 8g of protein, 5g fiber (which keeps you full longer), and 7 whole grains!  I like to add a banana so I get a serving of fruit for breakfast also.  This hot cereal is especially good in the winter when it is freezing cold outside and you need a warm way to start your day....or when you need something to make you smile after a rough, bug-dodging escapade!  Good thing these ugly alien bugs only invade us every 13 years!!!

Dark Chocolately Deliciousness

Nature Valley creates some of the most delicious snacks available and they're 100% NATURAL!  I have always loved the Oat's N' Honey and Peanut Butter granola bars, and they are a favorite among the athletes I work with.  The great thing about the Nature Valley company is their work in National Park Preservation, and contributions to the great outdoors.  As a company they emphasize eating healthy, wholesome foods and leading a healthy lifestyle.  Recently one of my students dropped a little nugget of goodness on my desk and I instantly fell in love-- Nature Valley Dark Chocolate Granola Thins! I have been drooling over these at the grocery store almost weekly, but for some reason I never bought them.  This was my chance to enjoy a sweet, natural treat at a very spontaneous time, and boy did I enjoy it!  I cannot emphasize enough how this lit up my tiny training room office and my life.  Instead of a cookie, reach for this!!

Now it's your turn to try perhaps the best 80 calories you'll ever put in your mouth!