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Oregon Chai Slighty Sweeten Chai Tea

One day I wanted to try out something new at Starbucks. I never had their chai tea before, but I needed my caffeine fix so I ordered a "dirty chai" which is chai tea latte with a shot of espresso. I was shocked that the tall cup cost me $3.86 with tax. I didn't expect to spend that much, but I already ordered it. Good thing it was yummy. I loved the spice in the chai tea, but I know I can't be spending $4.00 every time I wanted one so I needed a good replacement. I saw Oregon Chai on sale at Target and I remembered I had a coupon -- perfect. I'm glad they have different version of their famous Chai Teas. They have the sugar-free which I was tempted to get, but when I read the ingredients, I realized that they sweeten it with sucralose so it wasn't really sugar-free. I try to avoid sucraclose because I find that it gives me headaches. Oregon Chai also has these in original, green tea match, vegan, vanilla, peppermint, sugar-free and slightly sweeten. I got the slightly sweeten one because in reviews, people find that the original one is too sweet. This one is not sweeten with sucraclose which is a plus. You're suppose to add 1/2 chai concentrate and 1/2 milk of your choice. I prefer mine hot so I microwaved it for 2 minutes. I like the convenience of it, but I wished there was more spice to the chai tea. The cup at Starbucks was definitely more spice-filled. I remember having one at an Indian restaurant and it was really good. The flavor was really intense and "spicy." If you use skim milk, one full cup is only 75 calories.

Retails: $3.19 on sale at Taget
My Cost: $2.19 with coupon
Calories: 30 calories per 1/2 cup concentrate
WW: 0

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels

I love pretzels and I love peanut butter, but this combination does not really do it for me. Each pretzel is in a nugget form and when you bit into it, it's semi-hollow. The inside is filled with a smidget of peanut butter. The peanut butter filling inside is dry and not great tasting. I think it's the combination of the odd shape and the pretzel to peanut butter ratio that makes me not like it. I admit, packaging and presentation does have an affect on my taste buds and these pretzels have neither going on for them. You guys might be wondering why these were in my cart in the first place. Well, let's just say it wasn't me who put them there. They do have this "no preservatives, no artificial colors or flavors" going on for them, but won't be repurchasing.



Retails: $3.29 at Trader Joe's
My Cost: $3.29
Calories: 150 f0r 11 pieces
WW: 4

Trader Joe's Non Fat Greek Style Plain Yogurt

It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that I like to eat plain yogurts more than flavored sugary ones although they can be a nice change once in a while. Normally I would purchase whichever yogurts that are on sale at the supermarket. Those usually include Yo-plus, Activa, etc. They are becoming too sweet for my taste buds lately. I love the tart taste of plain yogurts. Fage is still my favorite, but I recently found a good replacement. Trader Joe's Greek Style Non Fat Plain Yogurt. It's very thick and creamy and has the perfect tartness. The tub is holds 16 oz which is a good 2 serving. This yogurt might become my long term staple. This morning I had 1/3 of the tub with 1/4 cup Kashi Heart to Heart and 1 reeses miniature cup. Delicious, satisfying and only 162 calories! Upon a recommendation, I had intended to come get the Trader Joe's Mediterranean Cheese Style Yogurt. It's the same in packaging, but the tub is yellow. I was put off by the calories on the back. If I remember correctly, 2 tablespoon is 60 calories. Yikes!! (I can eat half a cup of the non fat yogurt for that many calories.) I think the Mediterranean yogurt will be good as a sour cream replacement. My friend served me this on top of a toasted pita bread and it was yummy, but I don't know if I will go and get a whole tub of it.



Retails: 2.97
My Cost: $2.97
Calories: 120 per 1 cup (8 oz)
WW: 2

Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

On my recent trip to Trader Joe's, I was in a snacky mood. I love to wander around the frozen food section, not because of their frozen foods, but because on top of the coolers,the shelves are always lined with tubs and tubs of interesting candies and cookies. It is hot chocolate season right now so I need my little snackies to pair with it. I picked up the Trader Joe Chocolate cookie tub. They are petite, just the right size to pop into your mouth. I love how crispy they are, perfect for dunking into a hot chocolate. Twelve cookies are 150 calories which is enough to satisfy a cookie craving, but it is very tempting to eat out of the tub and "lose count" and before you know it, the whole tub will be empty. When I snack, I find it vital to portion it out into a snacking bowl or a zip lock bag (if you intend to take it somewhere). Just the feeling of hitting the bottom of the bowl give my brain a satisfied feeling. It's very complex how the brain works. So happy that I picked up another winner at Trader Joe's. I have the urge to try out all their "tubby cookies" now.


Retails: $3.99
My Cost: $3.99
Calories: 150 per 12 cookies
WW: 4

Japanese Ramen

As the sun sets earlier and earlier everyday, it gets harder and harder to drag myself to the gym. The lack of sunlight and the cold weather makes me want to call it a night and cuddle with my warm blankets and pjs at home. I went from hitting the gym 4-5 times a week, to 3-4 times a week, to 1-2 times a week now. It's so sad. I need to get my act together. I'm so glad I made it to the gym this Monday evening because I had some unexpected eats later that night. My 1 hour of cardie and 15 minutes of weights gave me some wiggle room BUT I was hoping that workout was going towards the 3 pounds I gained from Thanksgiving week eats. The weight gain did not show up on the scale until now. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Just when I was about to have dinner (boiled spinach plus oyster sauce and dumplings), my sister calls me and wants me to accompany her to work because she left her medicine at work (long story). I agreed. Since we drove all the way out, we decided to stop by a new bakery shop to enjoy some dessert and coffee. I ordered a cappuccino (w/ skim milk) and a slice of Mocha Cake. The cappuccino was delicious, can't say the same for the cake, too much cream for my liking. My sister order her usual Tiramisu which she gobbled up pretty quickly. After dessert she told me she was hungry. Wished she had told me earlier because I would have opted for real dinner instead of cake and coffee. So we headed to get real dinner at a Japanese Ramen place. I opted for a small bowl of Char Siu Ramen which was delicious. The noodles was soft and chewy and the soup was bursting with flavor. And their 1/2 cooked boiled egg was divine. Of course I removed the yolk. The sesame oil on top made the noodles extra fragrant. It was a great bowl of ramen on a chilly winter night. The small size was perfect for us girls too.

Retail: $4.95 for small bowl
My Cost: $4.95
Calories: ??
WW: ??

Luna Sunrise: Blueberry Yogurt

I like this line of Luna bars, especially the fruit based flavors. The Blueberry Bliss is like a normal luna bar, but on the top, it has a layer of yummy blueberry jam. "Luna sunrise" is the perfect line to categorize these in because it does remind me of the cozy breakfast feeling of "jam and toast." And the smell of this bar is just heavenly. Makes me want to gobble it all up in two bites. The calories are like any typical luna bar. This particular one is 170 calories, with 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of protein, and sprikles of vitamins here and there. I love to keep a few bars in my purse just incase I get stranded somewhere without decent food, but recently my "bar stash" has gotten so big that I have to find ways to incoporate them into my daily eats.



Retails: $1.oo on sale at Ralphs
My Cost: $1.00
Calories: 170 each
WW: 3

Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat

I picked this up along with my Kashi Honey Almond Flax the other day because I wanted to mix things up to make my breakfast more exciting. I tried it out by itself this morning and it was amazing. And I can't believe how filling it is. I ate 3/4 of a cup plus 1/4 cup of 1% milk and it lasted me for 2.5 hours. 3/4 of a cup is only 110 calories and it already has 5g of fiber. Love how they have little heart shapes in the cereal too, makes it so cute. I have a new found appreciation for cereal now. So versitle and so good. I can eat it normally with milk, I can eat it dry as a snack, I can sprinkle some in my yogurts and I can even sprinkle some on top of my oatmeals. Need to stock up on more since they are on sale at Vons right now.

Retail: $2.99 on sale at Vons
My Cost: $1.99 with coupon
Calories: 110 per 3/4 cup
WW: 2

Kashi Honey Almond Flax Granola Bar

So many yummy foods and so little time. When I went to restock my Kashi Honey Almond Flax cereal today, there was a free sample of the Granola Bar wrapped with the box of cereal. Kashi sure knows how to draw in their customers, with free samples, coupons, and ads on the back of their boxes, it's hard to resist. Especially when they have really good products to back up their brand. I love how this bar has so many whole almonds in them. At least 5-6 which makes these bars extra filling. The bar is very chewy and dense. I like these over the Clif Mojo bars which I also raved about earlier. These definitely will make it into my shopping cart next time.



Retails: unsure
My Cost: Free Sample
Calories: 140 per bar
WW: 2

Einstein Brother Turkey Club Panini

Another "not-so-skinny" post, but it was free, so I can't complain. Just wished I had made a better choice. I signed up for the Einstein Brother e-club and also referred a friend that also sign up and they sent us both a free breakfast or lunch sandwich coupon. (You should try it too.) I've never had a panini in my life, so I decided to try it out. It being one of the more expensive sandwiches on the menu didn't hurt. Greedy o'l me decided to take full advantage of the coupon and order it. It was really yummy with turkey, tomato, bacon, and cheese all grilled and melted together. I don't know if they slather some butter on the bread before grilling it or what, but the bread was soaked in oil. It kind of disgusted me, but I was already done with 1/2 the sandwich. The sandwich came with a yummy dill pickle, and a choice of chips, coleslaw, or potato salad. Bad decision making struck me more than once today. I picked the potato salad. The potato salad was just basically potatoes, red onions, and 1/2 a jar of mayo. Half a cup of the potato salad is 355 calories and that container looked like a full cup to me. I ate it anyways. I felt so bad that I washed everything down with a can of pepsi and two mini reeses peanut butter cups. Normally I would have stopped at eating 1/2 the sandwich and 1/2 the potato salad, but I felt like I might as well eat everything since I started out on the wrong foot today anyways. I ate everything in that Einstein Brother's bag and that was only my lunch. So ladies, if you do use their coupon, PLEASE check their nutritional facts online BEFORE you head out. To be honest, I really can't blame Einstein Brothers, it was entirely my own fault. I should have ordered something from their breakfast menu and ask them to hold the cheese. Consider it lesson learned. Dinner will be a plain o'l homemade salad.

Retail: $7.49 at Einstein Brothers
My Cost: Free with coupon
Calories: 790 calories (full sandwich only); Potato Salad 710 calories (whole cup)
WW: 18 (holy cow); 18 (double holy cow)

Annie's Honey Bunny Graham

Ever since I started to eat the Kashi Blackberry Graham cereal bars, my
"graham cracker frenzy" started to act up again. I love and eat anything "graham." Before, I would eat Honey Maid Graham Crackers or Nabisco Teddy Grahams, but thanks to Snackterrific and Iatepie, I decided to branch out and see what other goodies are out there. A lot of bloggers purchase Annie's products regularly, all of them give Annie's products nothing but good praises. I finally found these at Target (not the normal one I go to). Annie did not let me down because these are way better than any graham crackers I've ever had. Crispy and full of flavor, with a kiss of honey and no weird after taste. And these are so cute too. I just adore these. The only thing I don't like about them is that they are a bit "dusty" which gets my fingers all messy, but I can live with it. The Target only had the Honey flavor, but I'll be on the look out for thier other flavors as well. One serving is about 30 little bunnies and these definately satisfied my craving. I didn't even know I was charged less until I checked my reciept for the blog. I guess it was my lucky day.

Retails: $2.39 at Target
My Cost: $2.00 (price error)
Calories: 130 per 30 bunnies
WW: 3

Luna Bars: Lemon Zest, S'mores, Iced Oatmeal Raisin

So far I've only tried out these flavors in Luna bars. Comparing them to Clif Bars, I think Luna bars are more candy-like because on the bottom of each, there is always a big coating of chocolate. S'mores was my first flavor and I think it was decent, but real s'mores are way better. For me, oatmeal raisin is the best so far and for some reason, I could not stand the lemon zest flavor. I ate 1/2 of it and ended up throwing away the rest. That says a lot, becasue I am the kind of person that hates wasting food, but I just could not bear to take another bite of that flavor. I still have more flavors in my stash to try out so I might find another favorite soon.


Retails: $1.25 on sale at Ralphs
My Cost: $0.25 on sale plus doubled coupon
Calories: 180 each
WW: 3

Kashi Blackberry Graham Soft Baked Cereal Bars

True to my word, I am still buying and trying Kashi items that I stumble upon. I am so happy I found these. The size is a bit small, but these are really yummy. Blackberry is my favorite flavor and I love the graham cracker taste it has. So soft and chewy and not overly sweet. I've tried similar fruit filled cereal bars from Trader Joe's and also Nutri-grain and I find those too sweet for my taste. These on the other hand, with 110 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of sugar, has the perfect sweetness. Yay for no high-fructose corn syrup. These will be my go-to snack when I'm on the go and hunger strikes. I ate one about 30 minutes before Thanksgiving dinner and it definitely helped my stay on track and not over eat. I will definitely purchase and repurchase again and again. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Hope everyone is enjoying time with their family and friends.


Retails: $2.98 at Super-Walmart
My Cost: $2.98
Calories: 110
WW: 2

Stouffer's Rigatoni with Roasted White Meat Chicken

I know that frozen meals are surely not healthy diet food, but I still indulge in them once in a while. I usually only stock up on pasta varieties. When I am in the mood for some pasta, instead of forking over $12-$15 at an Italian restaurant, I turn to my trusty frozen meals. For $1.50 (on sale at Food-4-Less), I get to satisfy my pasta cravings. And let me tell you, this was oh soooo yummy. I think this must have been one of the best frozen meals I've had in a long long time. The pasta was perfect, the chicken was tender, and the basil pesto really made my taste buds go wild. I was really satisfied after my meal because, unlike Lean Cusine, the portion size was really on the ball. The key to making your frozen dinner meals more gourmet is by plating it and enjoying it slowly. Definately a lot sexier than eating off a plastic tray.

Retail: $2.00 at Food-4-Less
My Cost: $1.50 on sale when you mix-n-match
Calories: 390 for whole box
WW: 8

Clif Z Bar: Chocolate Brownie

Taste just like the regular Clif chocolate brownie bar, expect it's slightly sweeter and a lot smaller in portion because it's aimed towards kids. I think it's the perfect snack size for me because I usually break my normal size Clif bars in half and eat it at two separate settings anyways. So far I've had the Chocolate Brownie and Graham Cracker varieties of the Z bars, can't wait till I get to try the other flavors. I've seen these being sold at Ralphs in a box of 6 for about $5 dollars and I've also seen these being sold at Target for about $3.50. Much better deal at Target if you are committed to one flavor. I don't know if it's just a fluke or if they are always priced like that.

Retails: $0.99 at Ralphs
My Cost: Free with coupon
Calories: 120 each
WW: 2

Rachel's Pomegranate Acai Yogurt

Another disappointing find with a coupon. I really wanted to like it because I love the cute packaging and enticing names on these yogurts. I picked 2 up with the BOGO coupon from their site just to try it out. Completely elated with being able to get one for free, I did not check the nutritional facts on the back which is my mistake. This yogurt is pretty thick like greek yogurt, but very tart at the same time, which I do not understand why because they are 24-25 grams of sugar in each 6 oz cup. The flavor, although interesting, just did not taste great. To me, it was just a tart, but sugary tasting concoction. I also got this in the Vanilla Chai, don't know what to do with it.

Retail: $1.25 at Ralphs
My Cost: $0.63 with coupon
Calories: 160
WW: 3

Kraft Bagel-ful: Whole Grain

It's been about 1 year since I've had a bagel with cream cheese so I had hope these portion sized bagel-fuls would satisfy my craving. Unfortunately, these were beyond disappointing. They were doughy and tasted nothing like a bagel. The cream cheese was bland and just oozing out every where making a mess. And for 180 calories, these were micro-mini. About the size of a twinkie which is a pathetic excuse for portion control. For 180 calories I could of had the real thing (1/2 a bagel, scooped out, with some light cream cheese). Of course, this was a spur of a moment purchase or else I would have check out "Heat Eat Review's" thoughts on it first. The Chive flavor had slightly better review, but I'm sorry to say that I won't be giving Bagel-ful a second chance to redeem itself in any flavor. Simply just not worth the calories when I can have the real thing.

Retail: $2.19 at Target
My Cost: $1.19 with coupon
Calories: 180 each
WW: 3

Kashi GoLean Crunch: Honey Almond Flax

My second Kashi item. Yay! There were many Kashi cereal varieties to choose from, but I finally settled for the GoLean Crunch in Honey Almond Flax. Looking at the nutritional label, it kind of scared me because a serving is 200 calories, but then I realized that it is for 1 cup, not the usual 3/4 of a cup. I figured the extra calories are worth it if I am feeding my body with something that has high nutritional value. On the box, the clusters looked like granola to me, but they are actually multigrain cluster. I love how they have some "corn puff" type mix to their texture and the natural sweetness of everything. With 500 mg of omega-3, 9 grams of protein, and 8 gram of fiber, this cereal is packed with a lot of goodies and is really filling. I like to eat my cereal dry because I don't like soggy cereal, so my only complaint about this is that sometimes the clusters are too hard so it I have to chew it really hard. Hurts my teeth sometimes. I might try this with milk tomorrow just to see if I like it better that way. Nothing like a good nutritional breakfast to start off a day. I think it's time for me to move on from my Cheerios and Special K days.

Retail: $3.39 at Super Walmart
My Cost: $2.39 with coupon
Calories: 200 calories per cup
WW: 4 points

Edit: I tried it out with milk this morning and the cereal did become softer to the chew, but not soggy like other cereals. I poured myself 1 cup of Kashi plus 1/4 cup milk and had a really hard time finishing it because it was so filling.

Kashi TLC Fire Roasted Vegetable

I still surprise myself with all the new discoveries I make while reading other people's blogs. On my quest to change into a healthier lifestyle, I must find tasty alternatives to my snacking habits. I love the Kashi concept of whole grains in their products. This may be hard to believe, but this is my first Kashi item ever. I wish I had tried the Original TLC Crackers before hand so I can compare it with this new flavor. My first reaction is that this is a pretty small, but thick cracker. I bite into it and I taste a "garden vegetable flavor" similar to a garden vegetable cream cheese flavor (minus the cheese flavor). The 7 grains give these little crackers a very nice texture. Sometimes I can taste a bit of sesame here, a bit of rye there. It's very enjoyable. I tried to eat these with some hummus I had, but I felt like these crackers had enough flavor in them and adding anything else would ruin them. I'm definately getting myself more Kashi items.

Retails: $2.50 on sale at Ralphs
My Cost: $0.50 with coupon
Calories: 130 per 30 grams
WW: 3 points

Clif Mojo Bar: Honey Roasted Peanuts

The Clif Mojo Bar is EXACTLY what it is advertised as. "Sweet and salty trail mix bar." Clif makes some great stuff. The texture is completely different from the normal Clif Bars that are dense and packed. The Mojo bar is basically trail mix "glued" together by some sugary substance and it's really, really good. Maybe because I picked a flavor I know I would like -- Honey Roast Peanut (roasted peanuts & pretzel pieces). A complete different texture than normal Clif Bars, but equally good. As far as the stomach goes, I think the regular Clif bars kept me fuller longer, but then again, they are higher in calories. I can't wait till I get to try their other varieties.

Reatil: $1.49 at Ralphs
My Cost: $0.25 on sale plus doubled coupon
Calories: 200 each
WW: 5 points

Nude Peppero

It was national Pepero day on November 11 so I'm kind of late with my Pepero post. I guess that is why Pepero was so cheap last weekend at my local Korean Market. There are many varieties of Pepero, and some may say that Pepero is a knock off of the popular Japanese Glico brand Pocky. This particular Nude Pepero is an inside-out version of the original kind. Crunchy biscuit on the outside and the hollow inside is filled with yummy chocolate. Delicious. There is about 14 sticks in the box and if I don't eat mindlessly, I can stop at 7 sticks which is half the box. Goes nicely with a cup of coffee.


Retails: $0.99
My Cost: $0.25 on sale
Calories: 260 per box
WW: 6

Clif Bar: Chocolate Brownie

Everyone on the blogsphere has been obsessed with energy/meal replacement bars so I picked a few up when they were on sale. It's so expensive to eat on a daily basis, but I see many people eating at least a few bars a week. To me, at 240 calories, these clif bars seems a bit too heavy for a snack. I have to remember that these are meant to be meal replacement bars so I have to eat them wisely or else I'll end up gaining a ton of weight. I broke this in half and started munching away at it at the gym parking lot before clocking in my gym time. Eating away at it in little pieces, about 1/4 done with the bar I realized that I was not hungry, but I was still doing the "bag-to-mouth" motion. I immediately stopped. These bars are really filling, but so tasty that it seems like you are eating a candy bar. It's really dense and chewy bar. I like it. After my gym time, I came out and ate 1/4 more of the bar and I was really satisfied and didn't have to rush home and find food so I stopped by the grocery store to pick up more with some coupons.

Retail: $1.49
My Cost: $0.75 on sale plus doubled coupon
WW: 4 points

Trader Joe's Kettle Corn

I'm munching away at a bowl of this deliciousness as I type. Fresh and perfectly sweeten. Reminds me of this little stand that always sells freshly popped kettle corn on campus and you can smell it a mile away. It's very addicting. I found myself the other day eating out of the bag which was really bad. I much prefer kettle corn over normal butter and salt popcorn. Trader Joe kettle corn plus a good movie equal a wonderful blockbuster night. This bag is pretty big for $2.29. I'd definitely repurchase.

Retails: $2.29
My Cost: $2.29
Calories: 130 per 28 grams
WW: 3

Simpy Grapefruit Juice

Simply delicious is all I can say. Yummy and healthier than most fruit juices. An eight ounce cup is a mere 90 calories. I've heard many great benefits of eating a grapefruit before your meals to jump start your "fat burning" metabolism and semi fill you up so you consume less calories. I don't know if there are any truth to those fad diets, but I know that after drinking a cup, it definitely curbs my appetite, similar to what coffee does to me. I'd love to start my mornings with this everyday if it was more affordable. A 1.75 L bottle runs for about $3.99 at my local supermarket. I think $3.50 when it does go on sale, but this weekend this was on mega sale at Ralphs. It was part of their "mix and match" sale if you purchase 10 item (participating item) you get an automatic $5.00 off. So the sale price was $3.00 and on top of the extra $0.50 savings, this was a mere $2.50. I'd definitely repurchase when it goes on sale again.

Retail: $3.99
My Cost: $2.50 on sale
Calories: 90 per 8 ounce
WW: 2 points

Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt Plain

As you can probably tell I'm a sale and coupon fiend. It takes a lot of will power from me to pass up sales and good deals. Most of the time, its a good thing because I save money, but sometimes I overly stock up on things I don't really need. It's a doubled edge sword actually, but I still enjoy it. Makes me happy when I know I got an awesome deal . I managed to get my hands on some $1.00 off coupons for these Oikos yogurt AND I found a cheaper place to get them -- Super Walmart. They retail them for $1.48 for the 5.3 oz so with my coupon, I ended up getting these for $0.48 each. Awesome, right? So now I finally got to try out the plain flavor and it was much better than the Honey flavor Oikos. The yogurt is much thicker and creamier, but not nearly as thick and rich as Fage. Fage is still my favorite.

Retail: $1.48 at Super Walmart
My Cost: $0.48 with $1.00 off coupon
Calories: 90 calories
WW: 2

Near East Couscous -- Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil

I've never had couscous in my life so I bought this when it was on sale at Vons for $2.00. I had a coupon for $0.50 off and I was delighted when they doubled my coupon at the register. Not bad for $1.00. At Whole Foods, the same Near East varieties of couscous and rice pilafs cost like $3.29. I felt pretty good about my deal when I saw that at Whold Foods. I vaguely remember that someone told me that couscous is pasta, but to me it tasted like really fine rice. One fourth of the contents was accidentally spilled on the kitchen floor, but I still poured in all the flavoring... bad move, because the couscous tasted overly flavored. The whole box would probably last me for 3-4 meals because I enjoy this in small portions as a side dish since it is so flavorful. Simple and easy to cook, but I think I can recreate this with brown rice, garlic, olive oil and some seasoning. I guess that would be pilaf instead if couscous. My friend commented that it's just MSG rice, but I looked at the ingredients list and it didn't have any crappy ingredients. I'd like to try their other varieties of coucous if I can get it for $1.00 again.

Retail: $3.29
My Cost: $1.00 on sale plus doubled coupon
Calories: 1/3 box is 220 calories
WW: 4

Lucerne Fat Free Yogurt

This whole yogurt thing is growing on me. I find myself going for a yogurt everyday. Today I grabbed the Lucerne fat free yogurt which has only 80 calories in a 6 oz cup. Lucerne is a Safeway/Vons/Pavilion in house brand so I don't think you can get it anywhere else besides there. The yogurt is pretty thin in consistency, but it is not as sour as most plain yogurts (9 grams of sugar). I like it. Especially when it tastes amazing when I crush a Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter cup into it (from my Halloween stash). It only adds 44 calories and turns the yogurt into a whole new experience. Definitely more affordable than Fage and Oikos.

Retail: $0.60
My Cost: $0.50 on sale
Calories: 80 calories
WW: 2

Fresh Foods: Kiwi

Are kiwi in season right now? I see them on sale everywhere and for cheaper than usual too. $1 for 4 is cheap, right? I stocked up and was eating 2 a day for about a week and then I scaled back down to 1 a day because I was under the false assumption that each kiwi was only 25 calories. (Stupid caloriecount.com) Too much of anything is bad anyways so 1 a day is good. They were sweet and yummy. Nice addition to my plain yogurts. So one cup of kiwi is about 177 grams and that consists of 108 calories and 5 grams of fiber. Do your body some good and add kiwi to your diet.

Retail: Seasonal
My Cost: $0.25 each
Calories: 65 calories per 106 grams (my average kiwi size)
WW: 0

Trader Joe's High Fiber Cereal

Another part of my Trader Joe grocery haul from earlier this week. I just didn't get a chance to try it because I wanted to finish off my other food before opening up something new. This high fiber cereal looks much like a smaller version of those "Chinese Crispy Noodles" that you make haystacks with. I probably won't be eating this as a cereal, more like an add-in to my plain yogurts and oatmeal to bulk things up. Each serving is 3/4 of a cup or about 30 grams and it has 80 calories and 9 grams of fiber and 1 WW point. At the rate of me eating this, the box is going to last me forever.

Retail: $2.29
My Cost: $2.29
Calories: 80 calories per 3/4 cup
WW: 1

Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt with Honey

I finally got my little hands on the Oikos' Organic Greek Yogurt with the help of a coupon. Boy are these expensive. Maybe it's where I shop. Vons sell these 5.3 oz cups for $2.49 each, but they were "on sale" for $1.99 when I was there. Combined with my $1.00 off two coupon, I managed to pick 2 Oikos up for $1.50 each. Still expensive in my opinion, but better than paying $5.00 for two. Eating healthy has a price tag. What I really wanted to try was the plain yogurt, but there were only 2 of them left on the shelf and it was already expired. I always check for expiration dates on items, especially when it's on sale. Usually the goods with the better dates are more towards the back shelf. I notified one of the floor people, but they said that the night crew is going to take care of it. I had to settle for their other flavors which were Honey and Vanilla. I've had the Trader Joe in House Greek Style Yogurt in the flavor honey before and I thought it tasted just like that. There was about 2 tablespoons on honey on the bottom, but I did not stir it in, I just ate the yogurt, manuvering myself around the honey. The faint taste of honey in the yogurt itself was good enough for me already. Oikos is not as thick and creamy as Fage, but I still like it. I'm sure I will enjoy the plain flavor more than the honey flavor. The yogurt itself is not extrodinary. Maybe their selling point is that it's ORGANIC. I would only repurchase if I had another coupon on top of it being on sale.

Retail: $2.49 (5.3 oz cup)
My Cost: $1.50 on sale plus coupon
Calories: 120
WW: 2

Samanco Ice Cream Fish

I know, I know. You must be wondering why my ice cream sandwich is shaped like a fish. Looks cute and pretty when I serve it on a plate like this. Don't belittle this fishy because it's huge. There was no way I could finish it by myself so I had to split it with someone. The outer layer is like those kiddy cones, styrofoamy and tasteless, but the inside consists of a layer of sweet red bean and vanilla ice cream. Red bean in my opinion is the best "bean dessert". It goes well with ice cream, shave ice, milk shake, etc... The vanilla ice cream inside was a bit too sweet for my liking, but all in all, it was good.

Retail: $4.99 for pack of 5
My Cost: $2.99 on sale
Calories: 200 calories each
WW: 4

Trader Joe's Sparkling Lemon Mineral Water

When I was at Trader Joe's I saw a young man loading a cart full of these so I decided to buy a pack of my own. For the price, I think it's decent. Not like Perrier or Pellegrino, but acceptable. It comes in a pack of 4 and I finished it all in 2 days. I grab one of these and sip on it when I want to snack, but don't want to add anymore calories on for the day. The carbonation keeps me feeling full and satiated. It's just bubbly water with a hint of lemon flavor. They do have it in lime and non-flavored. It won't be a staple of mine, but I might repurchase in the future.

Retail: $1.59 for 4 pack
My Cost: $1.59 for 4 pack
Calories: 0
WW: 0

Fage Yogurt 0%

I always see Fage and Chobani yogurts as a part of healthy blogger's grocery hauls so I picked one up at Trader Joe's as well. I'm not much of a yogurt person, but I know I should add it into my diet to help my digestive system so I've been on a hunt for a brand I'm willing to eat on a regular basis. Fage is awesome, thick and creamy, not too much added sugar and perfect tartness. I'm excited about adding my own fruits and granola to it to bulk things up. The bad thing about it is that it's on the pricey side. Next to try will be the Chobani, Oikos and the TJ in house brand Greek Yogurt. I'll definitely buy again when I want to splurge.

Retail: $1.89
My Cost: $1.89
Calories: 90 per cup
WW: 2

Fiberful Fruits

There was some major damage done to my diet over Halloween weekend. Oily fried foods for dinner and yummy fun size treats. I need to do some major damage control during the week to compensate for my poor eating choices. I stopped by Trader Joe's and picked up some healthy snacks to help flush my body out. This fiberful fruit bar is one of them. I've seen these featured in other people's blogs. It's really tasty, just like any fruit leather. With 6 grams of fiber in each bar and only 60 calories, these treats are great. I find these really filling too. It's a great on-the-go snack, or hold-me-over till my next meal snack. I need to stash a few in my purse.

Retail: $0.59
My Cost: $0.59
Calories: 60 each
WW: 0

8 Grain Crisps

Another great discovery at my trusty Trader Joe's. I love trying out new snacks and when I saw these displayed as part of their "Fearless Fyler" featured item, I had to get it. These baked goodies are only 120 calories per serving and you get about 18 chips. It's a very satisfying snack. In each serving you get 20 grams of whole grains and 3 grams of fiber added to your diet. The crisps themselves tasted like rice crackers minus all the surgar coating. No oily residue on my fingers like I would get from eating normal chips. And these are very flavorfull from all the 8 grains in it. In case you are wondering which eight grains I'm talking about, it's barley, spelt, buckwheat, brown rice, whole oats, white corn, rye, and black sesame makes a perfect combination of flavor and crunch. I think I'm in love.

Retail Price: $1.99
My Price: $1.99
Calories: 120 per 28g (about 18 crisps)
WW: 2

Lotte Custard Cake

Custard, I love custard, especially when it's nice and creamy. I always see this at the Korean market and this time it was on sale so I picked it up. It says "delicious complement to hot tea" and since I drinks tons of tea, I was sold. I imagined the cake to be bigger, but this was a tiny little thing. There are 11 individually wrapped cakes in the package. Eleven is such a random number. Why 11 and not 12, I have no idea. Maybe the grocery shrink ray hit it. Each cake is 105 calories so if you are those people that like to buy those "100 calories snacks", then you can consider this. 105 calories is not a lot, but for something I don't thoroughly enjoy, then it is 105 calories too much. The picture and the commercial makes it look so good. I guess I had too high of an expectation for it. The custard is actaully not as yellow as depicted. It's more like a pale yellow, sort of like butter. Actually, the custard tasted like sweet fluffy butter to me. The cake was moist, but had an oily film and touch to it. It's something nice to have around, but there are better tea time snacks out there.

Retail: $4.99
My Price: $2.98
Calories: 105
WW: 3

Zen Bakery Blueberry Fibercake

Thanks to Juilet's post on these Zen Bakery Fibercakes on her Yummy Diet Food Blog I decided to pick some up at Trader Joe. It took me a while to find it because they were tucked away in a little corner. I got the blueberry one just as suggested by Juilet. At 80 calories, 13 grams of fiber, and 1 WW point, these cakes makes a very low calories and nutritious breakfest or snack. The fiber makes these cakes very filling too. I can see myself having one for breakfest along with a nice cup of latte, but not everyday for 6 consecutive days so I'm sure these will last me a while. When I first opened the package I thought that these looked a little oilier than other muffins I've had, but I guess it's just natural oils. The cake itself is very dense and tasted very fibery and oaty. The blueberry flavor is masked by the bran and whole wheat flour so I could hardly tell that these were blueberry cakes. Overall, I think these are decent cakes, but it's not something I would get very often. I'm sure the fiber content in them are going to do wonders for my digestive system so that's a plus.

Retail Price: $4.49
My Price: $4.49
Calories: 80 each
WW: 1

Ten Ren Wasabi Peanuts

I've been eying these at Costco for a while now, but I was afraid of wasting $7.99 on a huge bag and regret it later. When I made my trip to Costco for my Starbucks giftcards ($100 worth for $80 bucks), I saw that these little babies were on sale. Clearance I think. I couldn't wait and I ripped opened the bag in the car and popped one into my mouth. OMG... delicious. Right then and there I wished I had a nice cold drink to wash it down. The peanut is encased in a shell of wasabi. It's a perfect combination of salt and spice. The wasabi is mild in my opinion because I've had stronger, but I'm a person that can take spiciness. Once in a while you get that spicy feeling that runs up your nose as you would get when you sometimes overdose on wasabi. But it is so worth it. And they are soooo addicting. Each nut is pretty big too. 1/3 of a cup (apporx 30 grams) is 150 calories which isn't that bad because nuts in general have a lot of healthy fats in it which makes them a little high in calories. Just as long as you eat them in moderation. Plus, they are on clearance at Costco for $5.97 for 1 pound which is a steal because the Ten Ren Store sells this size for $10.99. I'm guessing Costco is discontinuing it soon. Note to self: must stock up. It goes really well with ice cold beer, coffee, or tea.

Retail: $10.99
My Price: $5.97
Calories: 150 for 30 grams
WW: 3

Korean Donut (German Style)

I saw this at the Korean Market and this intrigued me to purchase it since I have never seen it there before. Something new -- I must try. I don't know what makes this "German Style" but that is what it says on the label. Donuts I am use to are soft and fluffy, but these has a much harder texture and more crumbly. The texture is more like a soft-baked cookie more than a donut. In the middle there is some sort of paste. Since the ingredients list says there are red beans in it, I was assuming it was a red bean paste, but it was a dry and yellow paste so I'm guessing not. I'm not a big fan of fillings so I just ate the outer layer and left filling. It was quite good. The package came with 6 piece, but I was already noshing on it before I could settle down to take a picture.

Retail: $3.99
My Cost: $3.99
Calories: 129 each
WW: 3

Lotte Today's Tea (Mixed Cereal Drink)

The best things in life are free and I do have to agree with it. After paying for my groceries, the cashier mumbled something in Korean to me and placed this cute drink inside my grocery bag. I assume she was telling me I'm getting this for free. I love the design of the bottle, cute a petite. This 12.4 fl oz bottle (370 ml) was suppose to be a 2.5 serving, but I drank it all in one go. It is actually pretty good, similar to the other barely drinks that I buy and make. This health drink is made with 21 different wheat/grain/ingredients, but I can only taste the barely tea and the brown rice aroma. This is a very nice zero calorie, zero sugar drink. I would buy it again if it goes on sale for about $1.00. A lovely new discovery. And I did find a cute little commercial Rain did for this drink.

Retail: $1.99
My Cost: FREE
Calories: 0
WW: 0

Welcome

Welcome to my very first post on "The Skinny Plate." Inspired by the abundance food blogs everywhere, I decided to create a blog of my own and review food that I come to encounter. Coming up with a decent name was a mini accomplishment in itself. Whew. Hope you enjoy. Oh, and please do leave comments. I love comments.