My Favorite Low Calorie Foods for 2008!

Hello. I hope you had happy holidays! I thought for today (as we count down to the new year) it would be fun to list my top 11 low calorie foods that I've blogged about to date in 2008. It goes without saying that I enjoy all the foods I blog about, but there are a few that I love so much that sometimes I wish I could mark them separately so you know to pay special attention. So, here are my top picks for 2008. The following foods are some of my favorites!!

Low Calorie Breakfast

Low Calorie "Rice Krispies" Cereal: The crispy rice cereal made by Erewhon is made entirely from brown rice (not even processed into flour), barley malt, and sea salt and is organic, 100% whole grain, wheat free, and fat free -- with only 1 gram of sugar. It is also only 110 calories per giant 30 gram serving (the serving is huge since each of the puffed rice crisps is full of air!). This cereal is exactly like rice krispies which I loved as a child, just a little less sweet, which is a-ok with me.

Almond Breeze: This low calorie milk substitute is beyond amazing!! The unsweetened vanilla flavor is only 40 calories a cup (1 point for WW diet). Sometimes I put it in cereal, or smoothies, and sometimes I just drink it plain with some nutmeg or cinnamon. I *highly* recommend Almond Breeze to anyone who is dieting. They also have a "sweet" version, around 60 calories or so, as well as a chocolate version that is 45 calories.



Low Calorie Lunch

Low Calorie Pizza Pretzels: I've combed through dozens of boxes of pizzas with real crust at various supermarkets, always having to put them back, disappointed by the high caloric content. That was, until I found Kim and Scott's Gourmet Pizza Pretzels. If you love thick pizza crust, or you have been searching for a more authentic, low calorie pizza crust option, then you absolutely MUST seek out these pretzels and try them. These pretzels are made from yummy dough which tastes exactly like pizza crust (it doesn't taste like it is low calorie at all).


Low Calorie Buffalo "Chicken" Wings: We came across these Health Is Wealth Buffalo Chicken Wings in Whole Foods many years ago, and were floored by how totally delicious they were. I know you loyal meat eaters out there will be skeptical of this food recommendation, but I highly encourage you to get past the vegan label, and give these chicken-free buffalo wings a try! Now, as a not-big-meat-fan, I admit, I might be biased in recommending these chicken wings. But, my very-big-meat-fan husband loves them as well, so I'm confident that they will make even a meat eater quite satisfied.


Low Calorie Dinner

Low Calorie Indian Dinner with Low Calorie Naan: Tandoor Chef's Kofta Curry is only 200 calories for the entire package, and it makes a perfect meal when coupled with delicious Trader Joe's Naan which is only 180 calories per slice. If you don't have a Trader Joe's near your house, you can also try looking for another low calorie Naan made by Tandoor Chef. In case you don't know what naan is -- it is a delicious authentic indian flat bread that is cooked in a clay tandoori oven. It can be somewhat crispy on the outside, and is usually perfectly chewy and thick on the inside. The unfortunate issue with naan, though, is that it is usually very high in calories! That is why these two low calorie naans are such great finds!!


Low Calorie Snacks

Cocoa Berries: I adore Blueberry Cocoa Berries and they are amazingly yummy. Inside the box are very decently sized dark chocolate candies (made from Guittard chocolate) with fresh, ripe, freeze dried blueberries inside of them. You can also buy them filled with fresh freeze dried strawberries instead of blueberries, which I imagine are also really tasty! The Cocoa Berries are not overly crunchy on the inside -- they have a very light crunch and a perfect amount of fruit flavor which makes them interesting (and not chewy), without overpowering the chocolate taste or consistency.


Raw Cocoa Almond and Raisins: A company by the name of Living Intentions creates this delicious, gently dried raw mix of cocoa, sprouted almonds and raisins called "Gone Nuts" that is really to die for. The vegan and gluten free mix is crunchy and chocolately and even a bit gooey - but in a good way (you can still eat it with your hands without making a mess)! The best part is that the mix is only 103 calories per 28 gram serving, with 4 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein (so 2 weight watchers points). The Gone Nuts mix not only tastes good but it has a really pleasing chocolate aroma as well.


Low Calorie Drinks

Hint Water: If you are too busy to make your own naturally flavored water, I have to say Hint water is a very close substitute. The fruit flavor is very subtle, but yummy enough to help me easily drink my 8 cups of water per day. I really like drinking Hint water when it is refrigerated versus warm. Hint water comes in a ton of flavors (you can check out the Hint website to see a complete list) of which my personal favorites are pear and strawberry kiwi.


Low Calorie Recipes

Low Calorie Pancakes: I know I posted this recipe recently, but it by far my favorite recipe from this year. I’d been trying to create low calorie versions of my favorite treats, and I turned to one of my favorite breakfast treats: pancakes. I started with a classic buttermilk pancake recipe, and then just trimmed calories wherever I thought I could without affecting taste or consistency too much. I made a classic batch and a low calorie batch back to back, and was pleasantly surprised by the results. The low calorie pancakes tasted identical to the classic pancakes but were *significantly* fewer calories and fat. These pancakes are so low calorie and are so good, you have to try them!!

Low Calorie Desserts

Julie's Ice Cream Sandwiches: Julie's ice cream sandwiches are different, and different in many good ways! Not only are they very low in calorie (100 calories/sandwich or 2 WW points), they are also made with real, ice cream! Yes, I did say real ice cream -- made with all natural ingredients, so for those of you that don't like soy ice cream or low calorie frozen yogurt, you will find that they are tasty, creamy, rich and yummy beyond belief.


Low Calorie Other

Fat Free Cheese: One day at Whole Foods when I was looking around in the fancy cheese section (where I buy low-fat mozzarella cheese), a block of cheddar cheese with the words "fat free" on it caught my eye. Up until that day, I'd never seen fat free cheese in block form (only as slices) -- and this one had a couple of really important things going for it: (1) the package claimed that the cheese actually melts which is very uncommon for fat free cheese and (2) a one ounce serving was only 40 calories with 8 grams of protein. While I was standing there in the store, I started having dreams of cutting off a little chunk and eating it, as well as shredding the cheese to put it in my favorite healthy recipes. And, this cheese did not disappoint! This cheese is by far my favorite find of 2008!


What are your low calorie food favorites?

Enjoy!
Juliet

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