I had seen a new frozen potato wedge had hit my local grocery store shelves. In my household, frozen fries are a good side dish to a comfort food type dinner (sausage "subs", hamburgers, breaded chicken, etc.) so I checked the nutrition facts. Low and behold the stats were nearly perfect, at least as far as I was concerned. These have to be the lowest point frozen french fries I've encountered.
Trying them out for the first time, I added two servings to a baking pan that was spritzed with non-stick cooking spray, then did a light spray over the top of the frozen fries. I find doing this helps crunch frozen fries up a bit more than putting them into a non-stick pan and letting them cook on their own. In my oven they cook up in roughly 20 minutes and are perfectly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside like a classic potato wedge. When I took them out of the oven I gave them a light sprinkling of salt. They were perfect baked french fries with no need to have them deep fried! The fries taste like a classic potato wedge but they're not as heavy as greasy fried potato wedges.
A serving size is 3 ounces which is roughly 7 large potato wedges. Nutrition facts wise the serving is 120 calories, which calculates out to 3 points plus values. Super low for a super delicious product! The line carries different cuts as well as a sweet potato line.
QUESTION:
Have you tried the new Ore-Ida Simply potatoes?
Potato salad is one of those side dishes I truly enjoy. Sure, it's associated with summer months but I do eat potato salad all year round. It's one of those versatile dishes that can be made in a number of ways. It doesn't have to be loaded with mayonnaise - other condiments and ingredients can be added to boost flavor while keeping the dish simple and tasteful. I personally like for the ingredients to shine through without the mayonnaise overpowering the dish and essentially "stealing the show." So here's my take on American potato salad.
Serves 6. 1/2 cup serving. 4 Points Plus Values.
Ingredients:
- 2 pound potatoes, red or white
- 1 egg hardboiled
- 1 egg hardboiled, yolk removed
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 3 tbsp red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sweet relish
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Rinse potatoes and add to a pot filled with salted water. Add eggs and bring to a boil, cook until potatoes are fork tender.
Drain water and allow for potatoes and eggs to cool, remove potatoes from pan and cube. Add to a mixing bowl.
Remove eggs and shell. Mash one whole egg, remove the yolk from the second egg and mash.
Add the onion, relish, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper to your potato and egg mixture folding the ingredients together. Add in the mayonnaise and gently fold together until the mixture is well combined.
Adjust salt and pepper seasoning to your liking and enjoy!
Back in my "hay day" Hot Pockets used to be a staple for me. I'd have a couple stashed in the freezer at home and work as my go-to meal if whatever I brought in for lunch that day just didn't tickle my fancy. These days I occasionally go for a pre-packaged frozen meal by Lean Pockets for convenience or as a substitute for a craving. I admit I'm bit of a points plus value snob when it comes to frozen items -- but this Lean Pockets Spinach Artichoke Chicken was lower in points (in comparison to some other options), was a unique combination and was something I was in the mood for (alfredo).
I had this for dinner one night when my boyfriend went out and ordered a deep dish pizza. Since I frankly didn't want to throw 10 points into the wind for a slice of pizza, I opted to have this with a side salad. I heated it up in the microwave in its little crisping sleeve and in a few minutes dinner was served.
I admit I wasn't sure if this was going to be good or not. With all frozen meals you never know what you're going to get until you take the first bite. So I went into that bite with caution ... and was pleasantly surprised. It was quite good! It has spinach and artichoke, chicken and a creamy mozzarella based sauce in it. It's flavorful but not overly rich. It's a different twist on a Lean Pocket since I typically go for the "pizza-esque" pockets.
The cool thing about Lean Pockets is they actually have the Points Plus Values printed on the back of the box which makes picking and choosing a lot easier. One pocket rings in at 6 points plus. Not bad for an occasional frozen meal.
QUESTION:
Do you like lean pockets?
I've become quite a fan of Trader Joe's precooked chicken sausages. Recently, my boyfriend and I picked up the Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage on our last trip through Trader Joe's. I wasn't sure how spicy or spicy at all these sausages might be. I've purchased other brands of "spicy italian" sausages and they were flavored with bell peppers -- nothing remotely spicy.
These sausages are very mildly spicy (and I feel that statement is rather generous). They are a far cry from tongue zinging spice but regardless they are one of the best spicy italian sausages I have tried to date. They're delicious, lean and packed with flavor. I enjoyed them cooked up with some sauteed bell pepper and onion. The only thing missing was the hoagie roll - which we did not purchase at the grocery store.
I cooked these up on the stovetop, but they'd be even better cooked up until nice and crispy on the grill. As with most chicken sausages, you can tell these are chicken so if you're looking for a sausage that's got a fatty pork-like consistency, these wouldn't be for you. But if you enjoy leaner sausage that and is juicy and flavorful minus the unnecessary fat and calories these will be right up your alley. You can dress them up however you choose and it will only build on the flavor category.
Each sausages rings in at 140 calories, which calculates out to be 4 points plus values. Not bad at all for a healthier alternative on a classic.
QUESTION:
Have you tried any of the sausages at Trader Joe's? If so, which is your favorite?
These Trader Joe's Chile Lime Chicken Burgers are hands down one of my favorite meat products to pick up at Trader Joe's. Why? They're premade frozen chicken patties that are perfectly portioned, packed with flavor and very simple to make.
Chicken burgers (at least in my opinion) can be considered gross and plain. I enjoy chicken BUT I only enjoy chicken that is graciously seasoned. Chicken burgers are unlike hamburgers, they require seasoning to really taste like anything. These pack a flavorful punch including ingredients such as onions, bell peppers, garlic, cilantro, salt, lime juice and red pepper flakes. The flavors blend together well making a very unique and tasty eating experience.
The burgers are recommended to be thawed in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking to make a quick and easy cooking experience. Throw them on the grill or in a frying pan both options provide a tasty end product. I do enjoy these on a classic multigrain slim, or even hamburger bun, topped with some of my favorite burger toppings (ketchup, mustard, red onion, lettuce and tomato). Although when I do have it handy I prefer to top these burgers with Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Guacamole. It gives it a tex-mex vibe which is pleasing to my palette.
Each burger contains 150 calories - which equals a very gracious 3 points plus value. Delicious and low in points? No wonder it's one of my favorites!
QUESTION:
Have you tried Trader Joe's Chile Lime Chicken Burgers?
When I saw this Edy's Limited Edition Take the Cake ice cream at the grocery store, I wanted it because I am a cake flavored ice cream fanatic. But I told myself to wait to buy it until we ate some of the ice cream we had at home in the freezer. A few weeks went by and I spotted the container at Walmart and decided to pick it up.
My boyfriend and I had this for dessert and I have to say it's one of the most delicious cake flavored ice creams I have had. My all-time favorite is from a local ice cream stand but I don't have it often because it's way up there in fat, calories and points plus values. This particular ice cream is packed with flavor, reminiscent of that high-fat ice cream from the ice cream stand, and relatively low in points plus values as far as ice cream is concerned.
The ice cream is a yellow shade and taste just like yellow cake. It kind of smells like it too. It's then jam packed with colored sprinkles (or jimmies if you're from Massachusetts!) and swirled with a bright blue frosting. It's a delicious concoction that any fan of cake flavored ice creams would enjoy. My boyfriend, who isn't a cake or cake batter aficionado as I am was quite enthralled with this and had a second bowl. I had my 1/2 cup serving straight out of my measuring cup. I mean adding it into a bowl would only make my serving look smaller and may have inevitably been the reason I added more to said bowl. So I played it safe.
The sad part is the line is limited edition. Why are all the deliciously good things limited edition?! From what I've heard this line was originally launched mid-2000's and then discontinued. I've got my fingers crossed this sticks around, or becomes permanent because it's fabulous.
A 1/2 cup serving is only 110 calories and 3 points plus values. Very well worth it.
QUESTION:
Have you tried any of the limited edition Edy's ice creams?
I have dabbled into frozen vegetarian foods and have found I actually do enjoy them. Many veggie burgers give the illusion of a hamburger and since they are packed with flavor I really don't miss the beef or chicken when enjoying the meal. That's certainly the case with the Trader Joe's Vegetable Masala Burger.
I actually had never seen these at Trader Joe's before. After seeing a few fellow Weight Watcher members post their burgers on Instagram I decided I had to give them a try. So on my last trip to Trader Joe's I found the burgers without aproblem. I'm sure my oversight was more than likely me absently looking over them as I scanned the vegetarian burger section.
These particular veggie burgers are jam packed with diced up pieces of vegetables. They are flavored with indian spices, but it's a very mildly spiced burger - not overwhelming in the least. The burgers themselves are rather dense - they're not heavy as some veggie burgers can be. They're not loaded with soy and filler, it's almost a little airy, but that doesn't mean they're not satisfying because they are. You can tell these patties are chalk full of vegetables but in my opinion that made these far more enjoyable.
I've enjoyed these numerous times and found they are very versatile. I've had them on a multigrain slim with a squirt of ketchup and mustard with fresh tomato and I've also had a burger over a bed of salad. I think I enjoyed it the most over the salad because as you cut up the burger the burger bits kind of blend into the salad and just makes a really tasty treat. Although I do have plans to try these with a piece of garlic naan as my bread - I'm sure that'd make the flavor category soar through the roof and it would make it more of an Indian food night.
Each burger has 120 calories in it which is equal to 3 points plus values. Well worth it in my opinon.
QUESTION:
Have you tried the vegetable masala burgers?
