Shrinking Sisters

Wanna try Oven Crisp Chicken? It's a Subway giveaway

Those sandwich artists at Subway love Shrinking Sisters and we love you, so here's a shot to win a $25 gift card from Subway to check out its latest creation, Oven Crisp Chicken.

We tried it for dinner last night (and again this morning for breakfast), and found that the chicken was well seasoned, substantial, and a nice variation from our usual turkey breast order.

I loaded mine up with every veggie they had, plus a squirt of mustard. My 6-inch sandwich on 9-grain wheat was 400 calories. How do I know? I plugged everything in to Subway's cool "My Build" sammie calculator. It's nice to know that you can make your meal exactly how you want it and not be surprised by the nutrition stats.

The next morning, the sub was just as good, albeit not as crisp, but that's to be expected. And pickles for breakfast is a great wake-up call.

But you don't have long to try it -- the Oven Crisp Chicken is only available until Sept. 30.

So, about that $25 gift card ... want it? Just let me know, in the comments section below, your favorite sub toppings. Mine is ... everything. When you use Subway's My Build calculator, you'll find that ticking every vegetable box will set you back all of 10 calories, and your sandwich will be BIG.

Extra entries (not required but extra fun!):

• Tweet this message: Win a Subway giftcard from @its_gail of Shrinking Sisters http://goo.gl/kubhX (1 entry)
• Like Shrinking Sisters on Facebook (1 entry)
• Give @its_gail some +K on Klout (1 entry per +K)

Deadline for the gift card giveaway is noon ET on Wednesday, Aug. 31 (Shrinking Sister Carol's birthday!).

Disclosure: I received a $25 gift card from Subway to try out its new sandwich for this post. Opinions expressed are my own. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

 

Nutritious breakfast on the cheap

Since my layoff 18 months ago, my grocery shopping motto has been, "If it's cheap, consider it. If it's cheap and nutritious, it goes in the cart."

But breakfast can be a tough one. BOGO cereals tend toward the sugary, and making a plate of eggs every day gets real tedious, real quick.

My breakfast on a dime solution is peanut butter. I buy all-natural peanut butter with no sugar added (Publix sells an inexpensive generic brand that fits my budget). Then, a good wheat bread with extra fiber and protein (my fave is Nature's Own Double Fiber Wheat Bread, which runs $3.09 at my Publix but is now available at my Dollar General store for .... $1. With kids in the house, it's easy to devour a loaf that's closer to expiring than the loaves at the grocery store.

That's a deal for a good start to the day.

Cheerios' chocolate reign

From Jay Leno's March 1 Tonight Show monologue:

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS?  THERE IS A NEW BREAKFAST CEREAL OUT CALLED CHOCOLATE CHEERIOS.  WHAT, HAS CHEERIOS GIVEN UP NOW?  CHOCOLATE CHEERIOS, WHAT’S THAT?  ARE THEY EVEN CHEERIOS ANYMORE?  AREN’T THEY JUST DOUGHNUTS IN MILK NOW?

I beg to differ, Jay.

He obviously hasn't tried them, because he wouldn't be dissing them if he did.

The second General Mills came out with Chocolate Cheerios I bought a box and rejoiced. Yay! A whole cup of chocolatey goodness for the same calories as a little chunk of the real thing. My Blog Spark sent me a gift pack with another box of cereal so that was just icing on the cake.

Actually, it wasn't cake, it was chocolate cereal. A little better for you. The fiber content is kinda "meh" but it's made with real cocoa, which is high in antioxidants, and the cereal is vitamin fortified.

Don't get me wrong, this ain't health food. This won't be a breakfast staple; it'll be a prime-time TV-watching snack, perfect for when you get a chocolate/crunchy craving.  The key is to eat the Chocolate Cheerios one at a time, to slow yourself down and make that 100 calories count.

(I received the cereal, gift pack and giveaway from Cheerios through MyBlogSpark.)

Checking out Nutrisystem's new foods

Sick as a dog -- that's what I've been this weekend.

(Although when my dog feels sick he goes into the back yard, eats some grass and pukes on the dining room carpet, so I'm not sick like that.)

I was guzzling Theraflu all weekend, taking advantage of the appetite-killing properties of the decongestant. So Super Bowl Sunday didn't cause any damage. Hubby grilled hamburgers, which I'm sure were delicious, but I couldn't really taste anything.

And being sick meant my husband did the grocery shopping, so now we have 5 pounds of baby carrots and seven heads of garlic -- overkill but greatly appreciated.

(Anybody have any garlic carrot recipes?)

Thankfully I have some soup to comfort me, courtesy of Nutrisystem. They sent me some of their new entrees to check out and some are really good, including their new wraps (buffalo chicken, Southwest chicken, barbecued pork, at right) and new soups (the chicken tortilla and creamy tomato are excellent).

The entrees have added fiber and protein to keep the glycemic index on the down low, helping to satisfy your hunger.

Their new breakfast muffins are a big improvement over past varieties. The blueberry and double chocolate muffins are great. And while the cinnamon bun (at left) isn't like anything you'll find at Cinnabon, it is a satisfying substitute. And what cinnamon bun do you know that has 7 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber?

I also wanted to find out about their Jumpstart plan that's being touted in TV commercials. Part of that are Nutrisystem Flavorfulls, drink powders in lemonade and iced tea flavors that contain 3 grams of fiber per serving. The Jumpstart also includes a one-on-on phone consultation and a success packet with tips for success. The lemonade Flavorfulls were my favorite and were a good way to sneak in more fiber and take the edge off a grumbly tummy. 

And while I haven't been doing Nutrisystem 100 percent, I ate it for most of my meals and snacks last week and discovered that I lost 4 pounds -- just the jump start that I needed.

It's World Salt Awareness Week: Here's how I cut down

It's World Salt Awareness Week. Do you know what too much sodium in your diet can do?

Osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease, stroke, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure.

Not to mention ugly bloating and those salt-overdose headaches and cotton mouth.

Added sodium is everywhere in processed foods -- even foods you might not realize. An innocent cup of lowfat cottage cheese has a ridiculous 760 milligrams of sodium. Most canned soups, even the "healthy" stuff, can eat up half your recommended sodium for the day if you eat the entire can -- which most people do for lunch.

Want to cut soup sodium? Here's my hard-core way. Short of making my own soup, I sometimes buy Healthy Valley Organic No Salt Added soups. An entire can of the NSA black bean soup has 60 milligrams of naturally occurring sodium. Their lentil soup has 50 milligrams per can.

I'm not going to sugarsalt-coat it: The soup tastes like organic baby food. So I add a teaspoon of Frank's Red Hot sauce. A teaspoon has 200 milligrams of sodium, which is still far less than a can of regular soup. You get some sodium plus the zing of hot sauce. You also get a slight metabolic charge from the chili peppers.

Once that's in, the soups are filling and loaded with fiber and protein. One can of the lentil has 16 grams each of fiber and protein.

Back from vacation, back to reality

I've waded through the giant vat of mail (and e-mail), unpacked the bags, done the laundry and gone grocery shopping.

Back from vacation and back to normal eating. Nothing could be less appetizing than hearing someone say "Let's go out to eat!" There was way too much of that on the road.

The once-empty fridge is now full of lots of fruit, bags of salad, turkey breast, baby carrots, hummus and the requisite entire shelf of yogurt. We eat a lot of yogurt in our house. Hubby eats one in the morning and one at night, I'll have one or two a day and my kid will snack on one daily. So I buy a LOT of yogurt. 

MyBlogSpark wanted to know whether I'd like to try Yoplait Thick & Creamy -- turns out it's long been a staple in our house, but thanks for the free coupon and the note cards! I buy Yoplait Thick & Creamy Light because it's sweetened with Splenda, which I find tastes better than aspartame-sweetened yogurts. I'm a fan of the Key Lime and Peaches and Cream flavors, my husband doesn't really have a fave and my son likes the two new flavors -- Cinnamon Roll and Cherry Cobbler. And this stuff is stand-your-spoon-up thick, not watery like a lot of light yogurts.

Yogurt makes a good snack -- it's either fat free or low in fat, is a good source of protein and has calcium, which has been shown in some studies to help with weight loss. I usually pair my yogurt with a piece of fruit, or sometimes a sprinkling of chopped walnuts or almonds.

Sassy Water in a can: Knudsen Sparkling Essence cucumber

The Flat Belly Diet has become so ingrained into my daily eating pattern that I don't even think about how to add monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) into my diet.

The Sassy Water, a refreshing spa-type water flavored with lemon, ginger, cucumber and mint, is a bit more effort. But I had the opportunity to try R.W. Knudsen's new line of Sparkling Essence waters, and its cucumber flavor is about as close to Sassy Water as you can get in a premade form.

The new line of waters comes in four flavors: cucumber, blueberry, lemon and mint. The mint was a bit meh but I love all the other ones. They're not sweetened with anything -- the flavors come from organic extracts mixed with carbonated spring water. So it's just a hint of flavor.

But the cucumber flavor turned out to be my favorite of them all. My son couldn't wrap his head around the idea: "Cucumber soda?"

It's really refreshing and has notes of cucumber and lemon. If you really want to make it taste like Sassy Water, you can mix the mint and cucumber flavors together.

Sparkling Essence waters come in a 4-pack of 10.5 fluid-ounce cans and can be found at stores including Whole Foods. Check HERE for stores near you (click Where to Buy in the upper right corner).

Kefir helps kick a stomach virus

Just when I thought I'd have this stomach virus the rest of the year, just when I thought that losing 10 pounds in a week might be excessive, I stopped that virus in its tracks with a big glass of peach kefir.

What is kefir? Pronounced kuh-feer, it is a cultured yogurt drink loaded with stomach-friendly probiotics. I had been Googling about for "stomach virus cure" and stomach flu diet" and more than once came across advice on eating yogurt or similar foods with probiotics.

I had a little Lifeway peach kefir left in the fridge, so I had it for dinner a couple nights ago. Then I had a glass before bed and the next morning for breakfast. And for the past two days I've been feeling fine.

Kefir makes a great breakfast beverage or afternoon snack. It has around 160 calories for an 8 ounce glass, 11 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat. It also has those healthy tummy bugs and 30 percent of your calcium for the day.

The consistency is that of a thinner smoothie and the taste is tart, yogurty and sweet (as long as you don't get the unflavored -- I'm not brave enough to try that). And like yogurt, kefir tends to be well tolerated by people who are lactose intolerant (me!). It comes in a bunch of flavors -- I like peach the best but blueberry's also tasty (if you can get past the gray-blue color). There's even a cappuccino flavor but I don't think that would pair well with the tart base. If you've ever had a glass of lassi at an Indian restaurant it's a similar experience.

I get my kefir at the regular grocery store, but if you're store isn't as enlightened you usually can find it at Whole Foods and other natural grocery stores.

Lifeway is the predominant brand (and it also owns the organic Helios brand) but Nancy's is another.

Popchips let you get your crunch on with a minimum of calories

I know successful weight loss isn't composed of eating potato chips. But sometimes a girl's gotta get her snack on.

And that is why I love and appreciate Popchips. They're not infused with ginkgo, they're not high fiber or vitamin fortified, they're just potato chips. That is, potato chips that are far lower in calories than regular oily ones. And come in outstanding flavors. Real Simple and Health magazine have sung their praises, as has Oprah.

The 1-ounce bags are way bigger than baked chips because Popchips are actually popped. They're airy and crunchy and completely addictive, which is why I only buy the 1-ounce bags instead of the 3-ouncers. A 1-ounce serving of original flavor Popchips is 120 calories and 4 grams of fat.

All the flavors are good but I especially love the salt and pepper ones, with just enough black pepper for some zesty heat. You can find 'em at Target, Jamba Juice, Whole Foods and Amazon.com.

Food review: Betty Lou's Peanut Butter Balls

Lest you think this is some sorta candy, you would only be half wrong. Betty Lou's Peanut Butter Balls do taste like a dessert, but these gooey little suckers are chockful of protein (15 grams), B vitamins and electrolytes, a yummy alternative to protein bars.

It's 200 calories, 8 grams fat, 3 grams fiber, 19 grams carbs and the aforementioned 15 grams protein.

It's a sticky caramel consistency, rolled in chopped peanuts, about the size of a flattened golf ball. It's also
trans-fat free, gluten-free and corn-free. It's sweetened with fruit syrup and brown rice syrup, and the protein source is whey, which is whey good if you're trying to cut down on soy.

I got my stash at the Vitamin Shoppe but they're also available at Amazon.com, Vitacost.com and from Betty Lou's site.