In the mood for pizza?

I have been away for a while. Last weekend, I went back to Acadiana to visit my guy and to attend the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival. It was my first time attending. Boiled crawfish are low in calories (23-24 calories per ounce and about 370 calories for a pound!), but I have a hard time eating them without a mayonnaise-based sauce that often accompanies them. It is basically mayonnaise, ketchup and something called Cajun Power. I contemplated making some with fat free or low fat mayonnaise and sugar-free ketchup, but tried this combo at a friend’s house and found it (ironically) too sweet. So, I decided to go easy on myself about that. I had weighed in last Thursday to find that I had lost 6 pounds.

So, I celebrated from Thursday night through Monday… Oyster poboy, margaritas, Mexican food, and wine. I did have an egg white omelet Sunday, though, and ate on plan Friday until dinner and on Monday until dinner. Then, I got back on the wagon. Today, at my weigh in – I had only gained back one pound!!! And to make it even better, I won the “secret weigh-in” of our school-wide challenge. It’s done on percentage lost – and I lost 2.66%. And I WON $62.50!!!! Awesome!

I have some pictures that I haven’t posted yet. Among them is a picture of the Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Pizza Primavera, which has roasted vegetables on top. I have been very disappointed with this line – the Chicken Poblano was awful, as was the Filet of Sole. The Pizza Primavera (250 calories) was not as bad – I doctored it a bit with Penzey’s herbs and Parmesan cheese. I did bake it in the microwave oven, I believe. I also ate it with some olives. The eggplant was a little bitter, but it was edible.

 

I do love pizza so much. Before this plan, I would order Pizza Hut or Papa John’s at least twice a month. Meatlovers Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut was my favorite, and my own version of the Spinach Alfredo Deluxe (which was discontinued) from Papa John’s. I also like pepperoni pizza (who doesn’t?). I would make my own pizza every once in a while, with Kontos pocketless pita bread, and thought that made a great crust alternative.

I hesitate to buy regular sized or multi-serving frozen pizzas, although I know that Kashi, Amy’s and Trader Joe’s have great offerings. It usually takes about a day and a half for me to finish off a Pizza Hut or Papa John’s pizza, and I am afraid that I would eat more that my 1/3 frozen, healthy pizza (from what I can see, Kashi and Trader Joe’s pizzas are three servings.).

I found out that Kashi has come out with two new single serve pizzas. I can’t wait to try them, but I could not find them in the Store Locator in the Atlanta area. According to the Hungry Girl, they debuted in December of 2013. Where are they????  There is the Greek Tzatziki Pizza, (300 calories) and the Indian Tikka Masala Pizza (300 calories). Come on Kashi!!! Bring it on!

I decided to get a Lean Cuisine Traditional Pepperoni Pizza (as opposed to the French Bread Pizza, I guess). That is very good pizza. It is small, but still is 380 calories, so one must eat it slowly, cutting it into four small pieces and supplementing the meal with veggies. A salad might be nice. Oh, they also sell them in 4 packs at Walmart, not just at Sam’s Club!

So, with pizza on my mind, I went to Whole Foods after school. I went to get a new supply of Dorot frozen herbs – they have the best selection now that Trader Joe’s is only carrying the basil and garlic. They are kept in the frozen foods section, so of course I checked the case out to see what they had on sale. The answer: not much. But there were a couple of the Tandoor Chef Naan Pizzas at a reduced price of $2.69 each. They look so good! They come in a strange shape, and are two servings per pizza.

 

Don’t those look good? I may even be able to cut half to defrost and put the rest back in the freezer… The Spinach and Paneer Cheese Naan Pizza is only 290 calories for half and the Roasted Eggplant Naan Pizza is 320 calories for half. There is also a Cilantro Pesto Naan Pizza and a Margherita Naan Pizza – each worth 260 calories for half – yes, please!!! – and a Vegetarian Jalapeno Naan Pizza worth 230 calories (I think I will pass…). I can’t wait to try the ones I bought, though!

Finally, I stopped by Trader Joes on my way home and picked up one of their new specialty items: the Trader Joe’s Wild Mushroom and Black Truffle Flatbread. It looks pretty big, and half of it is supposed to be 390 calories. That is pretty reasonable, but I could also try and cut it into thirds or into strips. One third of the flatbread would be only 260 calories.

I know – lotsa pizza talk. Now I want to try something!

Single Serving Ice Creams

I started this entry last year, I think and went pretty far with it.  Then, I got distracted…  But, it’s a good thing!  Last year, single serving cups were relatively new, and there were not a whole lot of choices.  So, for the last two days (yes, two days – not two WHOLE days, but…) I have been doing more research.

I am going to go ahead and sort the ice creams by maker.  I thought that I might sort them by Weight Watchers Points, but it would take me even more time.  I also started out with Haagen Daz… Last year, they and Ben and Jerry’s were the only mini cups I saw around.  I fantasized about being able to treat myself in a controlled fashion.

My first foray into the Haagen Dazs looked exciting: nine flavors and a mini

Only in the U.K... Darn it!

assortment pack available.  Look!  (values are for a 1/2 cup serving (4 oz.):

Bailey’s – 260 cal./10 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Belgian Chocolate – 330 cal./21 g. fat/3 g. fiber – 8 WW pts.
Cookies and Cream – 270 cal./17 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 7 WW pts.
Dulce de Leche – 290 cal./ 17 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 7 WW pts.
Pralines and Cream – 280 cal./ 17 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Strawberries and Cream – 250 cal./ 16 g. fat/ <1 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Strawberry Cheesecake –  270 cal./15 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 7 WW pts.
Vanilla –  270 cal./15 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 7 WW pts.
Little Favourites – four flavors: Strawberry Cheesecake, Dulce de Leche, Belgian Chocolate and Cookies & Cream

After doing all of that research, I realized I was on a United Kingdom site – DRAT!  I also couldn’t get the pop up nutritional stats to show themselves, so I got the information above from the regular flavors.  So, let’s see what they have in the US. (Values are for an entire mini cup – 4.23 oz. ?)

Vanilla – 250 cal./ 17 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Chocolate – 260 cal./ 17 g. fat/ 1 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Strawberry – 250 cal./ 16 g. fat/ 1 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Dulce de Leche – 270 cal. /16 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 7 WW pts.
Coffee – 260 cal./ 17 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 7 WW pts.

My first reaction was: “We’ve been gypped!” – Where are my Pralines and Cream in a mini cup?  But when I went back and looked lately, there have been a couple of new flavors added since I last researched:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip – 260 cal./10 g. fat/2 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Chocolate Peanut Butter – 310 cal./21 g. fat/2 g. fiber – 7 WW pts.
Mango Sorbet – 140 cal./0 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 3 WW pts. (yay!)
Raspberry Sorbet – 110 cal./0 g. fat/1 g. fiber – 2 WW pts. (big YAY!!!)
Vanilla Yogurt – 160 cal./2 g./0 g. fat – 3 WW pts. (also yay!)

Now, here are the Ben and Jerry’s mini cups.  Not much changed except their website – I had to re-do the links.  There are also 2 new flavors: Peanut Brittle Ice Cream and Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yogurt.  (the B&J website says the single serving cups are 95.18 grams which equals 3.35737 oz.)

Mint Chocolate Cookie – 200 cal./11 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 5 WW pts.
Strawberry Cheesecake – 240 cal./13 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Vanilla – 190 cal./11 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 5 WW pts.
Cherry Garcia – 210 cal./12 g. fat/<1 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – 230 cal./12 g. fat/ 0 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Chocolate Fudge Brownie – 220 cal./11 g. fat/1 g. fiber – 5 WW pts.
Peanut Brittle – 240 cal./14 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yogurt – 170 cal./2.5 g. fat/1 g. fiber – 3 WW pts.

While I was in New York City, I came across Ciao Bella Gelato mini cups.  The brand can be found at Whole Foods or Fresh Market, among other places in Georgia, but they may not have the minis just yet.  I hope that we do – I had the Turkish Pistachio Gelato in NYC and it was very good.  Also, the sorbets are low points options.

Two things have changed since I visited their site last year. First, they have changed their serving size – the site used to have stats for 1/2 cup (4 oz.) now their gelatos and sorbets come in 3.5 oz. cups.  Also, they have shortened their previously pretentious names (My favorite was Chocolate Alba Hazelnut Gelato, which is now Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato – who’s Alba, anyway?).

Lemon Zest Sorbet – 120 cal./0 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 2 WW pts.
Mango Sorbet – 100 cal./0 g. fat/1 g. fiber – 2 WW pts.
Blood Orange Sorbet – 80 cal./0 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 2 WW pts.
Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato – 240 cal./16 g. fat/1 g. fiber – 6 WW pts.
Pistachio Gelato – 218 cal./13 g. fat/<1 g. fiber – 5 WW pts.
Tahitian Vanilla Gelato – 190 cal./11 g. fat/0 g. fiber – 5 WW pts.

That’s it for the luxury brands.  The next entry will be about more pedestrian fare.