Every now and then, I love to have a thread about the new food products that we're all finding and trying in our local stores. Since I found a new product today that I wanted to report on, I figured it was time for this thread again!
New to my local Giant is Haagen Daz Light Ice Cream. It is half the fat and 29% less calories than regular premium ice cream. A 1/2 cup serving will set you back 190 calories and 5 grams of fat. If you're the type that would rather have "the real thing," I highly recommend it. I tried the Dutch Chocolate flavor and it was incredibly good. Wonderful flavor, texture and mouth feel. I would have never guessed it was less ANYthing.
What new products have YOU tried lately?
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Originally posted by Sandy: I recently bought and tried a prepackaged noodle dish called Thai Kitchen Noodle Cart- Pad Thai variety.
Sandy, your post reminded me of these soup/noodle bowls. There are several varieties but the Vietnamese Pho is my favorite. I add a lot of fresh lime juice and cilantro as well as shiracha (sp?) sauce to it. They have a great flavor and the website lists them at $3.49 but our local Giant has them for under $3.00.
Another new product I tried last week is Mary's Organic Gone Crackers-Sticks and Twigs. I tried this flavor and they are SOOOO yummy. There are a few other flavors and when I visited her site I saw other products I may try.
Jill
I have no specific goal(s) right now. I am trying to find the spiritual side of myself that I lost somewhere along the way.
Originally posted by fbroadie: I tried the new Dannon Greek style yogurt in the vanilla flavor. I was very excited because I love Fage but it's rather expensive. The Dannon was much cheaper. I love the regular Dannon Vanilla, but the Greek style vanilla tasted really artificial. The texture was o.k., but the fake vanilla flavor was quite off-putting. I have a plain one to try that I haven't tested yet. I am hoping it will be better.
It wasn't quite as creamy as the Fage, but it still had some character.
Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt is very good. In the larger tubs, it comes in fat free, 2% and regular. I buy plain and flavor my own, usually with honey and/or berries.
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4533 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
I recently bought and tried a prepackaged noodle dish called Thai Kitchen Noodle Cart- Pad Thai variety.
I think that flavor is wonderful! I morph the package directions just a little bit. First, I throw out the tiny oil packet enclosed. Instead I mix the contents of the spice envelope with a bit of fresh lime juice, honey and a bit of hot sauce. I make a paste with the spice packet and my own wet ingredients. It is spicy and very "Thai tasting" for an instant lunch.
I bought the noodle packet because it was on sale for 89 cents! I can't imagine it's too expensive at full price.
The downfall is that the portion size seems TINY to me- maybe just under 1 cup of rice noodles and spice. I've been adding a cup of veggies and find it super tasty and satisfying. (Today I added 1 c shredded carrots.)
It's gluten free and (if you trash the oil packet) fat free.
The package says the total calories are 230- about 200 without the oil. With a cup of raw veg, the meal is still under 300 calories.
I tried the new Dannon Greek style yogurt in the vanilla flavor. I was very excited because I love Fage but it's rather expensive. The Dannon was much cheaper. I love the regular Dannon Vanilla, but the Greek style vanilla tasted really artificial. The texture was o.k., but the fake vanilla flavor was quite off-putting. I have a plain one to try that I haven't tested yet. I am hoping it will be better.
It wasn't quite as creamy as the Fage, but it still had some character.
I have also tried a few new fruits. I tried an asian apple pear. These are paler than the traditional asian pair. It had a lot of texture but not a lot of flavor. I don't know that I would buy them again.
My favorite fruit lately has been Cara Cara oranges. They are lovely and juicy and the most beautiful shade of pink on the inside. I would highly recommend seeking them out.
I also had a revelation while looking at hummus. I had always been lead to believe that hummus was a healthy snack. Ha! Every container that I looked at the other day was 150 plus calories per serving with about 85% of those calories from fat. I put down the pre-made stuff and bought a can of chickpeas and a lemon to make it myself. I know it needs some oil, but surely I can make it a little healthier...
Today I tried another of the newer steamed frozen dinner options. This one was part of the Healthy Choice Cafe' Steamers line and the flavor was Orange Zest Chicken. Given that General Tso's Chicken, chicken in an orangey, spicy sauce, is my favorite Chinese food, I clearly had my expectations set high for this.
On the upside: 1. The chicken was some of the best and most tender I have had in a frozen meal. Per the packaging, they use tenderloins.
2. It has veggies: whole snow peas plus bits of red bell pepper and scallion.
3. For those who may not like a super sweet sauce or a very spicy one, this sauce is much milder on the sweetness and heat than many I've had.
4. Prep is super easy--put it in the microwave for 4-5 minutes, remove the film, pour contents of bowl A into bowl B and stir.
On the downside: 1. Except for the snow peas, the veggie pieces would barely qualify to be called "flecks."
2. The sauce wasn't quite sweet enough or orangey enough for me. In fact, there wasn't a lot of flavor to the whole dish. Every now and then, I'd get a burst of orange zest, but otherwise it was quite bland.
Summary: Would I buy it again? Hmm. Maybe so, maybe not. It was not UNpleasant, and I've had plenty of frozen meals that were. It just didn't excite me. Given the high quality chicken meat and low (for a frozen entree) sodium, I may give it another try.
Nutritional Information: 300 calories for a 286g meal. 4g fat 1g sat fat 35mg cholesterol 380mg sodium (WOW--this is OUTSTANDING compared to others!) 360mg potassium 49g total carbs (high!!) 4g fiber 16g sugar (high!!) 17g protein
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
I find the Arnold's a bit tough (compared to bread) but they do make a fair replacement for a bun when I make KD's BBQ Burgers. We use buffalo instead of beef. I have also made them with ground turkey & ground chicken but I like the buffalo and it has the best numbers of them all
Originally posted by p7eggyc: I've been enjoying these new Orowheat Sandwich Thins buns.
I haven't seen that brand here, but I've tried two other brands of those sandwich thins myself this summer. I believe one was Arnold and the other Pepperidge Farm. They aren't GREAT for me in the flavor/satiety categories but, as you said, they give me the bread I want w/o over doing it.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Originally posted by p7eggyc: I've been enjoying these new Orowheat Sandwich Thins buns. They are whole grain, only 100 cals for the entire thing and give me the bread I want w/o over doing it. I bought a single package at the store to try them but Costco has a 3 pack that I'll put in the freezer: http://theskinnyplate.wordpres...ins-100-whole-wheat/
Peg
I've seen those and wondered if they are good. I'm glad to hear they are. I may try them now.
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4533 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
I've been enjoying these new Orowheat Sandwich Thins buns. They are whole grain, only 100 cals for the entire thing and give me the bread I want w/o over doing it. I bought a single package at the store to try them but Costco has a 3 pack that I'll put in the freezer: http://theskinnyplate.wordpres...ins-100-whole-wheat/
Have you seen the commercials for HD sunglasses and the HD "night vision" glasses?
The "night vision" glasses interested me so. when I saw them at the As Seen On TV store at the mall, I bought a pair ($20.00) and I love them They look like sunglasses but they don't make things darker, they actually seem to light up the night and the glare of oncoming headlights is diminished. In comparison, I tried putting on my sunglasses but they made everything too dark.
I did not need the regular sunglasses as I already have a pair of "Solar Shield" glasses that I got at Walgreens. I like these better than regular sunglasses. They have a gold colored lens rather than a black or brown lens and they don't make everything dark, just not as glaringly bright. It is hard to explain the difference, you have to experience it.
My favorite new find is Mrs. T's frozen pierogies. Since I eat my main meal for lunch, I just have a snack or light meal for dinner and 1 serving of pierogies (3) is just right.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
TJ's frozen artichoke hearts are pretty good. I mixed them in a pasta dish. They are large, meaty and have good flavor- better than many of the canned varieties. Not exactly sure, but I think that cost is about $2.90 for 12 ounces.
There must be a connection between Marie Callender's and Healthy Choice. Marie Callender's has come out with a line of products identical to the Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers. Exact same packaging except for the color (and it's not as healthy). I am trying the Garlic Herb Chicken for lunch today but IMO it is not as good as the HC Sweet & Sour Chicken. I also bought a Stroganoff(sp?), a Meatball dish, and a cheesy chicken dish.
Originally posted by BrenauMom: I love the SteamFresh veggies (I think they are Green Giant). ... They also have green peas and green beans but I have not tried them.
I think SteamFresh is the kind that I like, too. The corn is great--tastes like fresh corn. I've had the peas and they are good, too. I've had the green beans but I don't remember if I liked them as much as the fresh kind I buy in the produce department and steam.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
I love the SteamFresh veggies (I think they are Green Giant). They have one that is Brocolli, Carrots & Cauliflower in a cheese sauce that I just love. There are 3 servings in the bag and it is one of the few things I can get mother to split with me. They also have just brocolli florets and one that is just corn. They also have green peas and green beans but I have not tried them. They also have an Asian Medly that I did not care for but some people might like it.
While deployed, one guy's family sent us boxes of dried mangoes. I liked them so much that I hunted them down when I got home. I found them at Costco, but they might be elsewhere..."Happy Valley Farms" Dried Mangoes. They are SO good...taste like candy, honestly. They're chewy and dense, so they take a while to eat. Six pieces have 160 calories...I've been taking them in my lunchbox and snacking on one or two at a time.
