Let's spare everyone the "I haven't posted much" apology and just jump right in, shall we?
I was cruising Target's frozen food aisles for new stuff and stumbled upon Vitalicious' VitaSandwiches -- basically egg mcmuffins in your freezer, but healthier. They had two options: veggie and cheese or egg n' cheese. The veggie one also has egg, but it's just got little red and green pepper flecks in it. I chose the simple Egg N' Cheese version.
For those not in the know, Vitalicious are the folks that bring you Hungry Girl's beloved VitaTops muffin tops. I should probably disclose that I'm not really a fan of those, but it didn't influence my opinion of these sandwiches, since they're completely different products.
Cut to this morning. I normally hate how microwaved bread tastes, so I was happy to see they had two variations on how to cook them: "regular" (in the microwave, wrapped in a paper towel) or "extra-crispy". The extra-crispy version required that I dismantle the sandwich in frozen form, then toast the bread for 2-3 minutes while microwaving the egg part for 55 seconds, then reassembling and re-microwaving to melt the cheese for an additional 10 seconds.
I went the extra-crispy route, which was all fun and games until the cheese-melty part took an additional 20 seconds, resulting in a rubbery muffin and tough egg. But really, for microwaves breakfast sandwiches, that's par for the course. You can't predict the results of every microwave. I've had worse (*cough*healthychoice*cough*).
Overall, the sandwich was just ok. It was only 150 calories, which was a huge bonus, but it wasn't very filling and I really wasn't into the weird honey flavor of the english muffin. I assume it was honey wheat, but I'm not big on sweet with my eggs and cheese. I think a standard wheat would have been better, but that's subject to your own palette. The cheese was tasteless, as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't have noticed if it were missing. The egg was actually fine, aside from being a bit rubbery. It tasted like... well, microwaved egg, which I don't really have a problem with when time is of the essence.
Personally, I'd rather grab a Deli Thin or Sandwich Round or whatever, microwave my own fresh egg (or even a 1/4 cup of egg beaters) and add Laughing Cow or a half-slice of my favorite reduced-fat cheese. A real egg would up the calories, but 1/4 of egg beaters would be result in a sandwich about the same as what they're selling in about the same amount of time. And at $4.00 a box -- for 2 sandwiches -- I don't feel the VitaSandwiches are worth the cost. However, if you'd like to try one for yourself, they are offering a coupon deal on their site.
I suppose if you're on the go, these are fine, but if you're going to do the extra-crispy prep, you might as well just make your own sammich. I wouldn't buy them again because I'm not "on the go" -- I work at home. But I think if they were on sale, or you had coupons or you found 'em at Costco, someone might dig' em. That someone is just not me. Sorry, Vitalicious!
I give this 3 donuts.
I may be late to the party with this one, but I'd seen it on the shelf for a while and always kind of skimmed past it, ready to grab my usual Classico Spicy Pepper pasta sauce. But the last time I went shopping, there was a price-cut on Francesco Rinald's ToBe Healthy pasta sauces and the word "healthy" jumped out at me, so I decided to check it out.
When we flipped over the Garlic and Onion flavor jar to read the ingredients, we were pleasantly surprised to find a minimal list that included things I could actually pronounce: diced tomatoes, tomato puree, onions, carrots, red peppers, extra virgin olive oil... all things I recognized. We also noted it is gluten free and recommended by the AHA, as well as includes extra Omega 3 and all at 60 calories and 2 grams of fat for a half cup serving. Not too shabby!
So, naturally, I stuck it in my cabinet and forgot about it.
Last night, I needed something easy for dinner, so I pulled out some protein-packed whole grain farfalle (the bowties!) and while that boiled, I simmered the whole jar of ToBe Healthy sauce, adding nothing except a tablespoon of freshly grated romano. Pasta done, sauce warm, I just tossed it all together, plated and topped with a dusting of parmesan.
It. Was. Awesome. Seriously, I'm not a huge "jar sauce" person -- i find them to be too sugary or too heavy or too loaded with unnecessary weird preservatives. Or they're really bland and I need to doctor them up to make them interesting. In this case, I really didn't do much. Heat n' serve and off you go.
The size of the jar seems to be smaller than other pasta sauces on the market at 16oz compared to 22-24oz of other brands, even Rinaldi's other lines. But I think if it's priced right at your store and for me, if health is important, even if it's not on sale, it's a good purchase. It actually tastes good.
I'll be buying this sauce again -- I really want to try the Spicy Marinara. But I definitely liked it -- enough that I actually updated this blog, so that's saying something. ;-)
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 2, per half-cup serving.
I give this 4.5 donuts.
Bacon is trendy, but I don't like it for it's status. I like bacon because it's not only tasty, it symbolizes joy and happiness and everything dieters think is verboten. Every day, I eat bacon and every week, I lose weight.
Now, you might ask, but that's ludicrous, how can one eat bacon every day and still lose weight? Well, it's not a bacon diet, I'll tell you that much. I'm not taking bacon supplements. It's not a topical bacon cream (um... ew). It's just moderation.
Every morning, I have what I call The Daniel Sandwich. It's named after my friend Daniel who served me something similar for breakfast while I was visiting. I modified it a little in order to make it Weight Watchers friendly and it's not fancy, but it's all the goodness of breakfast, served up in a yummy portable sammich of delight.
Ingredients
I use an olive oil mister to fry up an egg. I find it works better, imparts great flavor and doesn't have all the chemicals of Pam and the like, but you can use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray or whatever turns you on.
I toast my round, then spread my Laughing Cow or sprinkle my cheese on one half. While my egg is cooking, I put 2 slices of the bacon in the microwave for 30 seconds. When it comes out, I break it in half and put i on top of the cheese so it can start the melting process. By this time the egg is done and I slap that on top of the bacon and cheese, top with the other half of the sandwich round and let it sit for a sec while the rest of the cheese melts.
Sometimes I hit it with a few shots of hot sauce, like Tabasco or Cholula for a kick. This breakfast is usually accompanied by a 2 point low-carb yogurt (I like Kroger brand Carbmasters) and some fruit, like a sliced apple or a banana if I'm still hungry.
My whole breakfast, fruit and yogurt and, most importantly, bacon included... 7 points if I go egg whites, 8 if I go for the yolk action.
I never feel deprived, I feel like I get this awesome breakfast every day and look forward to it. And I've consistenly lost weight at 1-2 pounds a week, as recommended by Weight Watchers.
Now, do my arteries love it? Maybe not, but I think as long as I keep my cholesterol in check otherwise, there's no harm in a little daily bacon.
(I'm not compensated in any way by Jimmy Dean or any of the companies mentioned in this post. These are simply the items I choose to buy and have found to have the right combo of Points to get the job done.)
