Giveaway: Nourish Your Inner Goddess...

Okay, gals, it's time for another giveaway. This one came to me from Yoplait (via BlogSpark).

You all know I'm a HUGE fan of Greek yogurt. The extra (and I mean EXTRA) protein in Greek yogurt makes it a very satisfying snack for me in the afternoons and evenings. Yoplait Greek Yogurt has 12 grams of protein in each container. Greek yogurt tastes thicker and richer than regular yogurt too. Which I like a lot. Don't get me wrong, I love Weight Watcher's yogurt, but there's something about Greek yogurt being thicker that makes it feel like a more substantial snack for me.

Anyway, below are the details for the giveaway, but before I go much further, here's something cool...

To celebrate Yoplait's new Greek yogurt and to encourage women to nourish their inner goddess, Yoplait has teamed up with actress Izabella Miko, who plays Greek Goddess Athena in the epic adventure new Warner Bros. Pictures´ and Legendary Pictures´ film "Clash of the Titans," which opened in theaters on April 2 in 3D.

Here's a cool gadget you can click on to get free yogurt and watch scenes from the movie. Be quick, though, because only the 1st 50 people to click will get the free yogurt.

Weekend mission accomplished...

So I didn't to TOO horrible over the weekend. I had my ONE splurge meal Saturday afternoon: cheese fries, 6 oz sirloin, 1/2 baked potato w/1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon sour cream with water (3 refills). Oh, and I had one hot roll and I totally lost count of the shelled peanuts I had but I'm guessing probably a whole bag of them. That's the only part that I don't know how to count. I should have counted out my peanuts. Oh well. I'm going to count that meal as my 21 daily points plus my 36 flex points just to be safe.

Then on Sunday, I had that wonderful meal planned but it didn't happen. This is what always happens. Every Sunday. I have the best of intentions and then life happens and I get derailed. Well, I hope I wasn't too badly derailed. I think I was able to keep it under control.

My daughter came by (which is such a rare (well rare for me) occasion) and we took her out to lunch. In a quick decision, we decided on an Italian restaurant up the street. I know this restaurant well and even their grilled chicken is high in points. So I decided on a small plat of spaghetti with tomato sauce and 2 meatballs. Well, 1 1/2. I gave 1/2 of one of them to daughter. Other than that, I had just one small sliver of garlic bread and water (2 refills).


When I got home and checked the points on restaurant spaghetti and meatballs and it said 16 points. Yikes! But not to worry, I only had 2 points for breakfast which leaves me 3 points for the rest of the day. Luckily the spaghetti completely filled me up fort he day.

I decided to make Rocco's brownies from his new book I was telling you about yesterday. They're only 53 calories per brownie with only 1.6 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber per 2" square piece.

Listen to these ingredients and you'll see why it's so low in calories and high in fiber: black beans, cocoa powder, espresso powder, egg substitute, sugar free chocolate syrup, light sour cream (although I used fat free greek yogurt), Truvia and vanilla. What an odd combination but I tell you they weren't half bad!

The only thing I could say as an improvement, and this was probably my fault, was that it tasted too coffee tasting. Maybe it was because I used coffee crystals rather than espresso powder. I was out and the closest store to me that sells espresso powder is 35 minutes away. I also didn't have any Truvia so I used Splenda (bad substitute!!). They really tasted like coffe/splenda brownies. I think next time I'll put real sugar in it. There's so little of it, it won't make any difference so far as calories or points go.

And I have to say, mine didn't look anything the picture in the book (above). Mine had a real smooth, flat surface. They didn't look like brownies, but more like a flat, solid chocolate cake.

So I ate 2 of them being as they were 1 point each and 3 points for 2 of them. Which brought my daily total to 21 points.

So I would like to call the weekend a victory. When I stepped on the scales this morning, I was only up ONE pound since before my weigh in on Saturday. I'll have that off by Tuesday or Wednesday, no problem. Just a little extra walking and eating on plan all week.

How did you do?

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So, tracking really does work...

Ok, so am I surprised in the least little bit? No, I really shouldn't be. Tracking really does work.

I tracked everything I ate last week and as a result, I was rewarded by losing 1.8 lbs.

Saweet!!!

As a reward for myself, I bought a 3-month journal. I figured if I'm gonna make it to goal, I need all the help I can get. I just hope--HOPE--I can keep journaling in it. My track record has always been to do it for a few weeks but then stop. So we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping to keep doing it for at least 3 months. We'll see...

In Weight Watchers this week we talked about staying on track through the weekends. That has been the absolute #1 reason for my lack of weight loss throughout my entire journey--my splurging on the weekends.

I can gain an easy 2-4 lbs on the weekends from my so-called "splurging".

Check this out. I looked up the official definition of splurge and here's what it says:

splurge /splɜrdʒ/ Show Spelled [splurj] to indulge oneself in some
luxury or pleasure, esp. a costly one.

"To indulge oneself". Hmm. Yup, that's what it is. Only for me its a bit of overindulgence. I'll usually have a big breakfast after weigh in then we always go out to lunch with the in-laws and I'll usually get just whatever I want at lunch--cheese fries with ranch dressing, baked potato with butter, cheese, sour cream, and bacon, cheeseburger with the works, fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, pulled pork with cole slaw... well, you get it, just whatever is on the menu that I happen to want.

This wouldn't be so bad if it were the only "splurge". But there's more...

Usually, throughout the week something catches my mind that I want to eat but I can't. Well, I could if I ate it in moderation, but usually when those cravings hit, they're huge ones. Like last weekend it was a whole bag of Ruffles and a whole tub of Heluva Good french onion dip.

You like the way I put that link in there to the Heluva Good website. I'm so bad. When I went to go get the link, lookie what I found... FAT FREE Heluva Good!! What?! I've never seen this in the store before. Now I'm gonna have to ask Publix to stock it!! I wonder how it tastes. If it tastes half as good as the regular stuff, it'll be amazing. Because their sour cream dips are the absolute best I've ever had in my life. And I've had plenty!

Okay, back to my blog...

So just splurging on a little bit of the chips and dip would have been fine, but I ate the whole bag and the whole tub. ON TOP of the huge meal I splurged on when we went out with the in-laws. And that was just Saturday.

I always vow not to "splurge" any more for the rest of the weekend. But that NEVER happens. We usually cook a big fattening meal on Sunday or we go out with friends or family and I get whatever I want again, knowing all the while I'm killing my weight loss efforts for the coming week.

So then Monday hits and I'm up, like I said, 2-4 lbs. Then I work and work all week to get it back off. If I've gained 3-4 lbs, chances are I will be able to get them off by the end of the week. But just barely. I might pull a small gain or break even. If I've only gained 1-2 lbs, I'm sure to get that off plus squeak out another half or full pound of loss by the end of the week.

So after reading that last paragraph, it has hit me like a TON of bricks. Do you know that if I would only splurge a little bit and NOT gain those extra pounds over the weekend, I could be at goal in less than a few months?? Heck, I could have been at goal 2 YEARS AGO!

I have got to quit doing this!!

Did you notice the last part of that definition up there--"a costly one". Boy is that right! It's cost me getting to my goal years ago.

Ok, Cara, this weekend you only get one splurge or several very small splurges. No big splurges...

I think what I'm going to do is splurge on this one meal (with the in-laws) and then I'll get back to my regular eating schedule for the rest of the day and for all day tomorrow.

In fact, I'm going to commit to cooking a healthy meal at home tomorrow so I won't be tempted to eating out or over doing it at home.

Last week bought Rocco DiSpirito's new book "Now Eat This!". If you guys haven't seen this, you should check it out. There are 150 "real food" recipes all for under 350 calories each. Real food! Home cooking. No fancy ingredients. No gourmet dishes.

There's a recipe in there for Chicken Fried Steak With Sausage Gravy that I've been eying. Here's a picture I took of the page in the book.

I'll make that and the macaroni and cheese, too (pictured below). The steak is only 337 calories and the mac n cheese is 227. I'll let you know how they taste. So far, they look uber easy to make and I've got most of the ingredients already in the house. No special spices or weird creams. In fact, the only thing I'll need to buy is the steak, the cheese, and the pasta. Not bad, huh?

Well, we'll see how the weekend goes. Wish me luck. You guys wanna try it with me? No major splurges. Just little ones or just one big splurge. What do you think?

Who craves crispy granola bars??

I think I may actually be becoming a healthy eater... I found myself saying "Mmmmmmmm!!" when I bit into a dry, crunchy granola bar. LOL

A couple of years ago, heck, just last year, no way you'd catch me eating a crunchy granola bar much less enjoying it! But man! I think I'm in love!

I bought a variety pack of cinnamon, peanut butter and oats n honey and I can't decide which one I like best! Publix was having a sale, is the only reason I even bought the box. If you bought a box of Cherrieos, you'd get a free box of Nature's Valley granola bars. Well, it was free, so what the heck. Now... Mmmmm! I'm hooked!

You know something else I'm enjoying lately, though not NEARLY as much as the granola bars is my spearmint Extra sugar free gum. I kept hearing Bob Harper saying, "chew Extra sugar free gum in between meals to fight off the munchies". For me, gum does nothing but make me crave more munchies. Its like my body gets a taste of the sweetness and just wants more.

But being as I only chew the spearmint, I can't crave anything else because if I did, it would taste all minty. I wouldn't be able to taste it at all. So instead of it fighting the cravings, it actually helps me must stay out of it altogether.

So how have you guys been doing tracking this week? I've been doing good. I tracked every day, so far. I kept forgetting to stick my tracker in my purse each night so I kept writing my food down on sticky notes and then copying them down when I got home. But today I finally remembered to put it in my purse.

I'm finding it very hard to stay below 22 points a day. 21 points is just NOT enough. And I'm eating small portions and healthy food and all the right stuff, but it's so hard to stick to the 21 a day.

Like today, here's what I had:

2 cups cherrieos = 4pts

1 cup almond milk = 1pt

banana = 2pts

1 granola bar = 1pt

2 eggs = 4pts

2 slices Nature's Own light wheat = 1pt

1 tsp light butter = 1pt

2 home made tacos = 6pts

That's 20 points and I haven't had my evening snack. I don't have any 1 point yogurts left so I'm going to have to have a 2pt snack. I'm finding each day that I'm over 1 to 2 points. As hard as I try, I just can't stick to the 21 points.

Oh well, at least I'm close, right?

So tell me, how are ya'll doing with your tracking?

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Journaling My Way to Thin...

This past week at Weight Watchers, we talked about tracking our food intake again. We all know the importance of tracking what we eat, right? We all know that if you journal what you eat, you're more likely to lose weight.

So why don't we?

I know I don't.

I have been doing this for so long that I just know the points value for the different foods I eat. Or if I don't know, I have a pretty good idea. So I just calculate it all in my head as the day progresses. Mission accomplished, right?

Well... I'm not so sure.

I've been thinking about this all weekend and I think there's a difference between knowing what you are eating and seeing it. I have my food journal sitting on the desk in front of me as I type this blog. It's been there for months. I still haven't written anything in it. And why not? I've got it all figured out in my head.

But I think there's got to be something to actually seeing the food written down in my journal. It becomes a permanent record of what I've eaten at that point. It has become proof of exactly what I've eaten--good or bad. From day to day, this might not be that big of a deal, but give it a couple of weeks or a couple of months when that day comes that I gain for no apparent reason, then the written proof of what I've eaten should come in handy. Or when the gain turns into a series of gains or a series of break-evens. Then the months of writing down what I've eaten will come in handy.

But it has to be thorough. I have to write down exactly--exactly--what I've eaten and exactly how much of it I ate, no matter what. Along with writing down my food consumption I need to start writing down my daily events. Like, today I had a carefree day of an early rise with hubby, to breakfast at our favorite spot, to a movie, to lunch with the in-laws, to a trip to the book store (wait til you find out what I bought!), to a relaxing evening of blogging and watching TV (and hopefully a half hour on the treadmill).

I think it matters what has happened during the day as much as the food that was consumed. Because at the end of the week, if I end up gaining or losing, I can look back and see my stress levels from day to day and know for certain exactly why I gained or loss.

Most times, it's not what we ate, but what we've been through that particular day or week or month. After all, we know how our bodies react to emotions, we can retain water, get knots of stress in our neck muscles, feel fatigue in our legs, etc. All these things effect our weight as well.

So I'm challenging myself--and you-- to journal EVERYTHING this week. Write down, not only what you eat, but exactly how much of it you ate, even if it was WAY too much. And also write down a small synopsis of each day's events. I want to see if this will make a difference in my weight loss and yours. I think it will.

So what do you say, are you with me??

If so, leave me a comment so I can check in with you throughout the week to see how its going. And please feel free to check in with me. We can keep each other accountable in our tracking and journalling. And I'd be interested to see how it helped.

Now, I just have to dust off my journal and start journaling in it again. :]

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Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie (5 points)

A little while ago, I mentioned a new recipe I'd found on the Weight Watchers site for Chicken Pot Pie. So I thought I'd share it with you.

It's very delicious, rich and creamy and not at all what I'd expected from the ingredients. I modified their recipe a bit so I'll share my version of it here.

Chicken Pot Pie

(modified from Weight Watchers)
Serves 6
Points: 5

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups water

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cubes chicken bouillon cubes, crumbled

1 bag frozen mixed veggies

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 can fat free evaporated milk

1 can no salt added nibblets corn

6 sheets phyllo dough

Directions:

Place chicken, water, wine, and bouillon cubes in medium sauce pan. Bring to boil, lower heat and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Set aside one cup of broth and chop chicken into small chunks.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (200C). Coat a deep 8-inch pie dish (I used an 8-inch casserole dish) with nonstick cooking spray.

Microwave mixed veggies for 2 minutes on high. Drain.

Heat oil in medium nonstick pan, add onions and cook until soft. Stir in flour and cook over low for 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and stir in milk and reserved broth. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Add veggies, chicken and corn.

Pour chicken mixture into prepared dish. Layer sheets of phyllo over pie. Trim edges and press down firmly to seal on edges. Lightly coat with butter flavored cooking spray.

Bake for 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 350 degrees (180C) and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes more.

Notes:

The Win: At first, I didn't want to use the wine, I'm not a wine drinker and I especially don't like white wine. But I have to admit, the wine is what gave it such a rich flavor. So I'm glad I got it.

The Flour: I used whole wheat flour, only because it's better for you, but you can substitute white flour if that's what you have on hand.

The Phyllo Dough: I'd never worked with phyllo dough before and was a bit intimidated by it. But once I got the hang of it (because I've made this dish many times), it wasn't that bad. First of all, bring the phyllo dough to room temperature before unrolling it. This is crucial. It may take a couple of hours so you may want to put it out on the counter at lunch time if you're planning on making this for dinner. And I really thought 6 sheets would be just a waste of time. I thought that'd be WAY to thin of a crust. But the way it bakes up fluffy, it was perfect. I think if I'd have added more sheets it would have been over kill. Also, my phyllo never is the right size for my casserole dish, so I just piece the misshapen pieces together and overlap them until the cover the entire dish adequately. It doesn't even hurt the presentation that they are so overlapped and different sized.

Let me know if you try this recipe.

What are some of your favorite recipes? I'd love to try them.

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What just happened??

I had a weird thing happen this past week... I lost weight doing the exact same thing I've done for the past 3 weeks. Why is that weird? Well, last week I gained 1.8 lbs and the week before that I gained 8/10ths of a pound. So, hmm.

I lost 2.2 lbs this week.

Weird.

I know I've heard people say that sometimes your body does what it wants to do no matter what you do so far as eating right or exercising. But this one just doesn't make sense. I mean, when I say I did the exact same thing, I mean I did the exact same thing all three weeks. I ate the exact same points each day. I earned the exact same number of activity points each week. And I used the exact same number of flex points each week.

So I could look back on the previous 2 weeks and think maybe I was stressed. Stress defeats all weight loss efforts, I know. But the weird thing is that this past week I was a little anxious about some things and my work was very fast paced, faster than it has been in the past month, but I wasn't stressed about much the previous 2 weeks.

So I'm not exactly sure what happened. Its an enigma.

Another thing that hasn't changed over the past 3, actually 4, weeks is my attitude towards losing. I am determined in a whole new way to reach goal. I have such a clearer picture of my goal now. Before, I would look ahead at the pathway leading to my goal and it was muddy and dark and dimly lit. But now, it's bright and shiny and I can actually see myself getting there.

So I'm gonna just put those bad 2 weeks behind me and keep moving forward. I'm now down to 163.6 and my Weight Watchers goal is 155 so I have another 8.6 lbs to go. After that, I think I might keep losing (after I've reached lifetime) because I would REALLY love to be down to 135 or 140, but we'll see how that goes.

So here I am, I'm keeping going, going down my path to goal.

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And the winner is...

...SpunkySuzi!!!!

Congratulations!!! 

Here's what you won:

• 2 VIP coupons for 2 free boxes of General Mills (Big G) cereal
• A tote bag
• A Fit N Fresh breakfast chiller
• A breakfast mug

I'm so glad you won, Suzi! I've been following your blog for years and we've certainly helped each other through some tough times during our weight loss journeys. I feel like I know you even though you live in another country and we've never met (in person, that is).

I loved everyone's entries. You guys gave me some great ideas to do with my own cereal. It seemed like Kashi and Cherrios were the two most popular cereals. Those are 2 of my favorite cereals, too. In fact, I just had a big bowl of Multi Grain Cherrios about an hour ago. =]

For everyone else who didn't win, thank you so much for entering your favorite cereal combinations. And be sure to check back next week. I'll be doing another giveaway starting Monday. The next one's gonna be just as cool as this last one. Wait til you see what it is!!

P.S. Suzi, be sure to email me your mailing address & phone number (the package will be delivered via FedEx, that's why I need the phone number).

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Guest Blog: Weight Loss and Sugar Substitutes – How Healthy Are They?

I've decided to feature a guest blogger from time to time. Amy has written an article for me about sugar substitute. I recently blogged about sugar alcohol which comes from the body not being able to absorb sugar substitute, so I thought this article would fit right in. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think.

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Most of us would go to any length to lose weight if it meant that we didn’t have to exercise rigorously or give up eating food that we love, and this is why we turn to sugar substitutes. We’ve all been brought up to believe that sugar is bad for us, especially the refined kind. Not only does one spoonful contains a ton of calories, it also puts you at a higher risk for diabetes and other related diseases. So when we see the substitutes being advertised on television and other media, we naturally jump at the offer to both satisfy our taste buds and stay slim.

Unfortunately, no one bothers to speak up about the side effects of sugar substitutes – they may help you stay off sugar and so save a few calories in your daily diet, but they’re a threat to your physical and mental health:

• Aspartame, which is a major ingredient of most artificial sweeteners, is a synthetic compound that has been around for quite some time now. Although the FDA claims that aspartame is safe except for those who suffer from phenylketonuria (a rare, genetic disease that causes mental retardation), there have been cases where people who have used sugar substitutes for a long period of time have been affected by mental and neurological illnesses. The problem with aspartame is that there is a safe daily limit, but people don’t realize that and use sugar substitutes not just for their coffee, but also to bake cakes and other goodies. By increasing their consumption of aspartame beyond the recommended daily limit, they’re increasing their health risks as well.

• Splenda, the new wonder sugar substitute that’s been touted as “natural” by the FDA was actually discovered when researchers were trying to find a pesticide from sucralose. This chemical substance mimics the characteristics of sugar but is not absorbed as food by the body, and this seems to makes it the perfect sugar substitute. The truth is, no one knows yet if Splenda is safe or not. But considering that artificial sweeteners have always been considered risky, it’s best not to jeopardize your health by becoming a human experimental guinea pig.

Weight loss is not just about cutting out the sugar from your diet; it’s about exercise, eating food that is rich in nutrients, and adopting a more active lifestyle. So it’s better to go easy on the sugar rather than use sugar substitutes – drink just one cup of coffee a day instead of two or more, drink your coffee without sugar or reduce the amount of sugar you use, and try natural and healthier substitutes like honey or stevia (a herb that is naturally sweet).

While there are no conclusive results to prove that artificial sweeteners are bad for your physical and mental health if used in limited doses, it’s best to avoid them because they’re not really good for your health.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Amy S. Cook, who writes on the topic of LVN to RN . Amy welcomes your comments at her email id: amy11s.cook@gmail.com .

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General Mills "Grains of Goodness" giveaway...

I had a lot of fun with the Yoplait giveaway last week. I hope you did too. I had so much fun, I decided to do it again. But this time, it's with General Mills cereals.

General Mills, through MyBlogSpark, sent me a VERY cool "Grains of Goodness" package which included 2 coupons for free cereal, a beautiful shiny black breakfast mug, a natural looking blue canvas (sort of) tote back and the coolest container I've ever seen for eating cereal on the go:

I'll get to the giveaway in just a sec. I wanted to tell you about something in the package, first. The breakfast chiller is the coolest thing. I absolutely LOVE it!
I use it 2 or 3 times a week when I'm running late but don't want to sacrifice eating my healthy whole grain cereal. Have you ever tried to take cereal on the go? It usually includes multiple items--a plastic bowl, a spoon, some sort of container to carry the milk in, and some sort of thermos bag to keep the milk cold. And a big back to carry all those things clacking around in.


Enter the Fit & Fresh breakfast chiller. It keeps the milk cold and the cereal dry, has a compartment for fresh fruit, and best of all it has a built in bowl and fold out spoon all in one package.


The spoon snaps into the lid of the bowl and everything stack and snaps together perfectly. Here's a video showing how it works:


Cool, huh?!

I really LOVE cereal too. I didn't used to. Cereal was a waste of a breakfast item for me. I'd rather have sausage and eggs with cheese & onions and fried potatoes and biscuits and gravy and... Well, suffice it to say, breakfast was a huge meal for me. That is, before I started Weight Watchers. Even after the first year or so, I still couldn't eat JUST a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I'd still have to have oatmeal or eggs and toast or something warm.

But it turns out I was just eating the wrong cereal. I would always choose the sugary cereals that quite frankly didn't stick with me for more than a half hour or hour after I ate them. And because they were so sugar, I could only have just a little bit. It wasn't until I started eating cereals high in fiber before cereal started to make perfect sense for a great breakfast meal. Fiber, especially in the form of whole grains, helps me stay fuller longer. Who knew?!

And did you know that studies have found that a diet rich in whole grain can be helpful in maintaining a healthy heart, managing weight and may also reduce the risk for diabetes and certain types of cancer?

Do you know what whole grains are? I thought I did, but it ended up that I really didn't. Here's a link to a quiz on the General Mills website where you can take a "whole grain IQ test" (to take the quiz, click the box that's on the left about half way down the page). I'm embarrassed to say that I failed the test. Or rather, my whole grain IQ was quite abysmal. If you take the quiz, let me know how you did.

So General Mills has offered to give one of you the same package they sent me. Trust me, you're really gonna want this package. Its awesome. Plus the coupons for the 2 free boxes of cereal. Double awesome!

To enter the contest, just leave me a comment on this blog telling me what your favorite healthy cereal is and why. Or tell me how you like your cereal... what do you like in it, what type of milk do you usually use, etc.

My favorite cereal is Total or Wheaties with dried cranberries and chopped walnuts in vanilla almond milk. Quite a delight!

The contest will end at 10pm on Friday, April 9th. I'll choose one winner at random using random.org.

In the mean time, here's a coupon for $1 off any General Mills cereal.

Good luck!

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And the winner is...

MaryFran!!!

You won, girl!!

Here's what you won:

A VIP coupon for a 4-pack of Yoplait YoPlus yogurt and a YoPlus "better-for-you" gift pack, which includes an on-the-go lunch container with utensils, an insulated lunch bag, and a pedometer.

Yay Mary Fran!!!

I'm going to start another contest tomorrow. So check back.

Congratulations, MaryFran!!!

P.S. MaryFran, email me your mailing info so it can be mailed right out to you (my email is on my profile page). 

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New Weight Watchers Products...

I've been so fortunate lately. I've been contacted by several companies wanting me to try their weight loss products/foods/etc. and this one was particularly special because it was a PR company (MS&L) that promotes new Weight Watcher products.

They asked if I'd like to try some new flavors of their yogurt and ice cream. Of course I said "heck yea!". So they sent me a coupon for 2 free cups of yogurt and a free box of ice cream novelties.

They have 2 new flavors of ice cream bars:

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bar

and Strawberry Smoothie Bar

Unfortunately, I couldn't find either of them at my local grocery stores. I did ask the Publix to see if they could get them in stock, so I'll check back next time I'm at the store and see if I can get one.

But what I did find at the store was both of their new flavors of yogurt:

Apple Pie a la Mode:



and Blueberry Pie:

Both of them were great, but I have to say the Apple Pie a la Mode was amazing!! It truly tasted like I was eating a piece of apple pie with ice cream. I felt like Violet Beauregarde from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original, of course) when she popped that piece of gum in her mouth and all of the sudden she started tasting dinner and dessert.

It had little pieces of baked cinnamon apples and little speckles of nutmeg spice swirling throughout the creaminess of the yogurt. And I don't know how they did it, but I could actually taste the flaky crust and the vanilla ice cream.

Wow, it was VERY good.

As for the Blueberry Pie, it was good, but no where near the experience of the Apple Pie a la Mode. It did taste like blueberry creaminess but I couldn't taste the crust. It had a very rich blueberry flavor, though.

They both had 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Because they were only 100 calories and fat free, they were only 1 point (but I'm pretty sure all WW yogurts are 1 point).

What I do have to mention, though, is that there were 12 grams of sugar and 240 mgs of sodium. While neither of these are all that horrible, they are both a little on the high side taking into consideration it was only 6 ounces of food. And it had a long list of ingredients that I wasn't very happy with either, like fructose, modified corn starch, sucralose (splenda), and a ton of artificial flavors and colors. But on the flip side, it did have inulin (fiber) in it which helps your body absorb the calcium better and 30% of your daily recommended portion of vitamin D. So I guess you'd have to take the good with the bad and hope they cancel each other out.

Bottom line, though, I'd definitely buy them the next time I'm hankering for a sweet treat. These puppies would be great as an evening snack--besides the usual ice cream or cookies after dinner.

Have you guys tried any of the new Weight Watchers yogurt flavors?

Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment on my previous blog to enter to win the Yoplait gift pack. I'm having the drawing Friday night at 10pm. Okay, was that a bit weird that this whole post was about Weight Watcher's yogurt then I end it with a plug for competitor's yogurt?

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