Showing posts with label calories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label calories. Show all posts

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Product Review: No Pudge Fat Free Brownies

logo of No Pudge Fat Free Brownies with a pink smiling cartoon pig with a red tape measure wrapped around his tummy and the words No Pudge beneath the cartoonWe follow the 80-20 rule when it comes to eating healthy -- 80 percent of the time we eat healthy; 20 percent of the time, we like to indulge, and Sunday is one of our days of indulgence. We found a new dessert obsession that we could eat every day: No Pudge Fat Free Brownies ! We might need to recalculate our above-mentioned percentages.

Isn't the svelte pig mighty cute?

picture of four boxes of No Pudge Fat Free Brownie mix with a plate of brownies beneath the boxes, all on a blue background
Lindsay Frucci, a self-professed brownieholic, has whipped up a recipe for fat free brownies that are chewy, very rich and fudgy, and, best of all, a mere 120 calories. Did we mention that they were fat free? All we did was add yogurt, mix, and bake.

We bought No Pudge Fat Free Brownies at a national brand grocery store. To find stores in your area, visit Lindsay's site.

If you are afraid you can't each just one, here's a recipe for making a single serving.

In a small microwaveable container mix 2 tablespoons of your favorite flavor No Pudge! Brownie mix with 1 tablespoon of non-fat vanilla yogurt. Microwave on high for one minute. Top with fat-free frozen yogurt or whipped topping. Tastes like a warm, fudgy brownie pudding - Yum!!!

No Pudge Fat Free Brownies' site contains other mouth-watering recipes, too.

No pudge...just fudge.

Bon appetit!

Jamie and Beckie

Related articles:

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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Low Calorie Movie Snacks

head shot of Charlize Theron in a black dressIf you're like us, movies are on our 4th of July weekend agenda. Will Smith has become as traditional as Independence Day. We don't plan on breaking tradition this 4th. We are hoping for traditional fireworks with Will's new movie Hancock, co-starring uber-sexy and uber-smart Charlize Theron. But here's the prob, Bob. The high calorie snacks! Did you know that a large, lovely bucket of buttered popcorn has 1,600 calories?

We have been known to walk in a movie theatre with a very large handbag containing everything from Subway subs -- with very smelly raw onions -- to Margaritas in a Thermos. But if you want to stay healthy with low calorie movie snacks, here are healthy alternatives to the calorie popcorn:



  • Shelled, salted edamame


  • A mix of pretzels, almonds, raisins, and mini marshmallows
  • Air-popped popcorn
  • Fat-free potato chips
  • Jicama matchsticks, tossed with lime juice & chili powder
  • Frozen red or green grapes
  • Fat-free Fiddle-Faddle

We are going with the 80-20 rule here. 80 percent of the time eat healthy food. The other 20 percent, eat whatever you like. There is nothing better than sitting in a movie on 4th of July weekend with a bucket of buttered popcorn. We are going to pledge our allegiance to the Bucket of Popcorn and our 20 percent of "whatever you like."

Have a great 4th of July!

Source: Prevention, Jamie Temple, ACE, ACSM, Personal Trainer/Fitness Specialist.

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Saturday, June 28, 2008

Smorgasbord Saturday: Slender Wine for the Dieting Woman

picture of glass of white wine being held in the air, as if to say cheers, with the sand and blue water and sky as background

What kind of wine are we serving on Smorgasbord Saturday? Slender Wine, of course. You don't have to sweat the calories or break your diet routine with this low calorie wine.

Slender Wine is the first to be sweetened with artificial sweetener making it taste great with less calories. Erythritol® is a natural sugar alcohol sweetener made from sugar. Slender wine makers at Chateau Thomas Winery in Plainfield, Indiana say it has no calories (in the sweetener), has a 0 Glycemic index, contains no carbohydrates, has the identical flavor spectrum as Dextrose, has no aftertaste, does not affect insulin levels and, has zero side effects because, it cannot be metabolized by the human body.

At this year's Indiana Wine Festival, I scooped up ten bottles to give to clients who openly admitted to never giving up wine even if it meant possibly losing inches. I, of course!, tasted the red, the blush, and the white before buying. I loved all of them.

If you are a semi-sweet wine drinker, Slender is fab. I love me some Riesling, and Slender white has the same fruity taste with hints of peach and apricots. All that being said, I am not a connoisseur and have accidentally opened a very expensive bottle of my parent's wine and shared it with friends, thinking it was the cheap-o stuff.

Slender has not hit the national market yet, but it can be purchased for a reasonable $9.99 on their website.

Still keep in mind, calories from alcohol is a whopping 7 kcals per gram. Fat is 9 kcals per gram. Carbohydrates and Proteins are 4 kcals per gram. So sip responsibly with one pinkie in the air for attitude.

Cheers,
Jamie

Related Articles:
50 Fast Food Restaurants with the Highest Calories

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Fitness Friday: Calories Consumed from Weekend Partying


Cheers!

College women, young women, boomer women -- and dogs -- all enjoy getting together with friends on weekends and having a drink or two. Alcohol molecules affect the brain and makes us feel giddy and euphoric, but with euphoria comes calories. Alcohol has about seven calories per gram and no beneficial nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Bummer.

Calorie count for popular cocktails and drinks:
  • Rum and Diet Coke 133


  • Rum and Coke 182


  • Glass of white wine 120


  • Beer 150


  • Gin and Tonic 178


  • Bailey's Irish Cream 468


  • Martini with an olive 184


  • Mint Julep 143


  • Old Fashioned 206


  • Pina Colada 297


  • Screwdriver 200


  • Singapore Sling 230


  • Sloe Gin Fizz 120


  • Tequila Sunrise 253


  • Tom Collins 120


  • Black Russian 291


  • Whisky Sour 166


  • Blue Lagoon 179


  • White Russian 360



We all know that drinking alcohol increases the munchies. The downside of "Cheers" is that it increases your craving for munchies. Double bummer.

The Munchies:

  • 4 cups light microwave popcorn 120 calories


  • 1 slice cheese pizza 183 calories


  • 12-ounce serving of super nachos with cheese (40 chips, 4 ounces of cheese) has more than 1,500 calories -- wow!

  • 20-ounce soda 275


  • 1 cup of peanuts 828


  • 1 ounce potato chips 155 - but I bet you can't eat one.

Beer Belly: One beer every night adds up to 1,036 additional calories per week. Some studies have found that drinking beer or spirits increases the waist-to-hip ratio, while some have found no relationship whatsoever. The ideal hip to waist ratio should be less than one (divide the size of your waist by the size of your hips). If the number you get is more than one, it is a sign you could be prone to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other heart-related conditions.

Brain on Alcohol: Always drink responsibly and in moderation, but if you do intend to party, here are a few tips:

  • Dilute your drink with soda.


  • Add ice cubes to keep it chilly and light.


  • If you are preparing an alcohol punch, use a non-carbonated base like fruit juice. It should preferably be fresh.


  • Eat plenty of food before you start drinking. Eating high protein foods like cheese, chicken and fish will slow down the absorption rate so that the alcohol will not hit your system like a semi truck.


  • Avoid too many salty snacks, which end-up making you thirsty as a result of which you drink more.


  • Sip your drink slowly instead of guzzling it down. Munch on a snack while downing it.
    Make sure the snack is roasted or baked, not deep-fried.

The next time you are at a party and have the urge to guzzle down a few beers, envision that big beer belly that could put Buddha to shame.

Keep moving but move responsibly.

Cheers,

Jamie

Brain Spasm: The Wall Street Journal has a good article on low-cal meals from restaurants, like Chili's, Applebee's, and Subway.

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