Halo Top Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

 

There's one thing about my taste buds when it comes to ice cream. If I'm given a choice between vanilla and chocolate - I am without a doubt going to go with the vanilla. Don't get me wrong - I love chocolate (cake, candy) but I am not a big fan of chocolate ice cream, shakes, etc. Low and behold when I spotted the Halo Top Vanilla Bean Ice Cream on my grocery store shelf, I picked up a pint without hesitation.

I had read reviews on the ice cream and I recalled reading the ice cream itself was creamy. I knew the consistency of the flavors ranged depending on the flavor/consistency/etc. The strawberry was creamy, the birthday cake wasn't ... so I was quite pleased to find this ice cream is in fact on the creamier side. The ice cream isn't riddled with ice crystals as in the case of most low calorie ice creams.

You may think vanilla ice cream is so boring, but this one isn't. It's a bold, pure vanilla bean flavor. Very vanilla-y and not plain at all. There are little specks of vanilla bean running all throughout the container. It's a healthier alternative on ice cream but it doesn't taste like it's a better-for-you version of ice cream. Tastes like any full fat high quality vanilla bean ice cream.

Overall I quite loved this and it certainly ranks up there with my favorite Halo Top flavors.

A serving, 1/2 cup is 60 calories or 2 smart points. Whereas 1 cup is 4 smart points, 1 1/2 cups is 6 smart points and the whole pint is 8 smart points.

 

Bridgford Original Sweet Baby Ray's Beef Jerky

 

I remember as a kid my mother would make beef jerky for my brother in our dehydrator but I never gave it a try. I think the idea of eating dried meat just weirded me out. As I got into adulthood and began following Weight Watchers I'd heard from the grape vine that it was a great snack substitute that offered a substantial amount of protein.  A savory sort of snack that would take a little time to eat but would pack enough of a protein punch that it wouldn't leave you looking for something else.

I had tried various beef jerky brands but either it was too dry, smelled funny, reminded me of dog treats (I know....I know...) or I just didn't like the flavor. That is until my fiancé and I went on vacation to Tennessee last year and his friend told him he should try out the Brigford Original Sweet Baby Ray's Beef Jerky. I was skeptical at first and didn't have any of the first bag - but when he opted to pick up another bag during the week, I decided to give it a try.

Truthfully I was quite surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. The jerky is softer in texture, it's chewy, some pieces are slightly tougher than others but for the most part it's a palatable texture.  Flavor wise - it's your classic Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce flavor. Smokey, sweet. Together it's a home run. I was glad to find it sold at my local Wal-Mart so now I can pick up a bag to have on hand whenever I am in the mood for a different snack.

There are a few other flavors available - teriyaki, sweet n spicy, honey barbecue and honey chipotle.

A serving, 1 ounce, is 90 calories or 2 smartpoints.

Halo Top Strawberry Ice Cream

 

I recall seeing Halo Top posted all over social media – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube … but I couldn’t get my hands on it for the longest time because no retailer in my area sold it. I had heard wind that Whole Foods sold it – but my local Whole Foods is 20 minutes in a complete opposite direction of anywhere I normally frequent so it seemed like such a drag to go out of my way for a product I may not even find (since I’ve heard how it’s difficult to find because people scoop it up quickly).

If you’re not familiar, Halo Top is a low-calorie, high protein, low sugar ice cream – which is marketed as tasting just like regular ice cream, just without the guilt. One thing I do want to point out is: unlike other companies marketing schemes, Halo Top prints the calories for the entire pint on the front of their labels along with the flavor of the ice cream. No sneaky marketing tactic which makes you think an entire pint is 100 calories, etc.

Low and behold I was shocked to find my local grocery store had brought the ice cream in – so I opted to spend the $4.99 and give it a whirl. There weren’t many flavors available so I opted to go with the Halo Top Strawberry Ice Cream.  It was a toss up between strawberry, chocolate, chocolate mocha chip and vanilla bean. I love vanilla ice cream, but I opted to go with the strawberry for a different flavor (I’m not a big chocolate ice cream fan so that was a no-go).

Upon the first scoop I was completely blown away. The flavor, the creaminess and the amazingly delicious taste. I’ve tried other healthier alternatives to ice cream and this one blew all of them out of the water. The strawberry was a true strawberry flavor, not chemically altered.  The ice cream was amazingly creamy which was surprising considering other brands I’ve tried; they’ve all had an icy quality to them. No iciness to this beauty, just creamy, high quality ice cream flavoring.  Some say to let the ice cream sit out at room temperature to soften up a bit – but I found this to be perfection straight out of the freezer. I don’t quite know how they do it, and I won’t question it much – but I’ve been sold, hook line and sinker since.

A serving, ½ cup is 70 calories or 2 smart points. 1 cup is 5 smart points, 1 ½ cups is 7 smart points and the entire pint is 10 smartpoints.