There are certain times of the day when the need to eat, and “cheat” with something sweet, becomes almost overwhelming. Let’s face it, there are few people who have ever said: “I’ve had a really bad day, I think I’ll curl up with a salad.” Perhaps there are one or two people, or that occasional den of bunnies (the furry kind), but most people want something creamy and comforting. When you need something comforting, it’s usuallysomething sweet. You won’t be fooled into feeling satisfied with carrot sticks and cottage cheese, or a hard-as-a-brick, granola bar. For those times, only something creamy, will do. Rich, indulgent, sweet, soft, and delicious.
But what can you treat yourself with that won’t add so many calories to your daily intake that you have to skip a meal?
At a recent Editor’s Showcase event called “Snack Attack,” editors got an eyeful, and earful, and a stomach-full, of healthy snack suggestions. Two new snack ideas that really caught my eye and that are pleasing to the palate, but also to your waistline, are No sugar added puddings from Kozy Shack, and frozen Greek yogurt from Healthy Choice.
Yes, that’s right. Creamy, delicious, Greek style frozen yogurt from Healthy Choice. While I think of Healthy Choice as a “go-to” for low calorie prepared meals in a box, this new addition to the line is a true boon for the diet conscious. The frozen yogurt comes packaged in trios of 4 oz. cups in one of four flavors: vanilla bean, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry. Yogurt is full of protein, and it satisfies the need to add (4g of protein) and dairy to your diet. Each little cup is made with real fruit, nonfat milk and yogurt cultures, clocking in at just 100 calories per serving.
I have to be honest and tell you that neither the no sugar added pudding, nor the 100-calorie frozen yogurt, tickled my fancy at the event. When actual products arrived for me to try, I planned to get someone else to try them and report on them. But, then, as luck would have it, then I had a bad day (a really bad day) and decided to take some tastes.
I am not a personal fan of most yogurt or frozen yogurt. But when I cautiously dipped my spoon into the Blueberry frozen yogurt sample I found it to be rich and creamy, just as advertised. It really was deliciious! The blueberry taste was authentic, and if I didn’t know that it was just 100 calories I never would have guessed it. Even better, the yogurt was sweet, but didn’t taste like it had artifical sweetener, because it doesn’t. This frozen treat might be low calorie, but it has real sugar in it (about 13g in the blueberry version). For those who follow Weight Watchers (ala Jennifer Hudson) one of these creamy cups of joy is just a carbohydrate and 1/2 fat, with a PointsPlus Value of 3.
I didn’t follow the directions, which suggest you thaw the frozen yogurt for about 5 minutes before serving, but it wasn’t rock hard. If you like soft-serve, let the cup get a bit warm before digging in. The packaging features attractive photos of fruit and the frozen yogurt, and as a cute little touch, the one I sampled (blueberry) has a cute little FYI about blueberries. On my package it offers this little bit of info: “Legend has it that blueberries were used by Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt to make her trails in the woods.”
Another FYI is that Healthy Choice meals and frozen yogurt can be found in the freezer aisle for a suggested retail price of $3.49. The frozen yogurt debuted this month. Keep some in your freezer and you’ll always have a good way to satisfy the “creamy” cravings, without feeling guilty.
Next was the Kozy Shack No Sugar Added pudding in Rice pudding and tapioca pudding varieties. There is also a no sugar chocolate pudding. My husband is a huge fan of Cozy Shack, and so I’d already tasted the regular ones. They remind me of good diner puddings, and I’ve enjoyed them, feeling a bit guilty about the fat and calories. But how good could a no sugar added variety, be?
Good, I discovered. Very good. The rice pudding was full of chewy rice kernels, and the tapioca had the same, tiny pearls that are fun to chew and pull out of the pudding, like the regular version. i didn’t try the chocolate, but I’m sure it was good. These have the same thick, creamy, decadent formula because they are made with real milk, but they don’t use artifiicial flavors, or preservatives, and each little pot of pudding is just 70 calories (per 16 oz. serving). In all fairness, the regular is a bit “fattier” in the cream, but not by much. There is a tiny bit of an aftertaste (maybe from the Splenda) that I honestly didn’t detect, but the regular Cozy Shack fans, did.
Single-serve pudding ups with peel of covers are great when you’re on the go. They are also a good source of Vitamin D, calcium and fiber, and the suggested retail is just $3.59/4 pack. These are truly “comfort food” without the DIScomfort of knowing they’re not too bad when you’re counting calories.
For those who want a (dare I say full fat/higher calorie) version of Kozy Shack, you’ll be happy to know that there are new flavors. Kozy Shack Soda Shoppe Pudding comes in a Root Beer Float version that reviewers swore tasted like the real thing, and it’s only 11- calories. per serving, gluten free, kosher dairy, and it has no artificial flavors or presevatives, no artificial colors, no hydrogenated oils. There’s also a delicious butterscoth pudding that’s 120 calories per 22.5 oz. serving, with 0g of trans fat and no artificial colors, preservatives, hydrogenated o
Each pack of Kozy Shack regular Kozy Shack Pudding is just $3.99 for six single serve cups.
Send your child back to school with new pencils and a single serve portion of Kozy Shack, in his lunch sack (or your own) and you can’t help but see the envious stares.Even the puddings with the highest calorie counts aren’t so bad they’d do a lot of damage. But they make you feel happy! Each pack of Kozy Shack regular Kozy Shack Pudding is just $3.99/6 pack. Dig either no sugar added or regular up in the dairy case of your favorite market. Put one into your child’s lunch (or your own) and you can’t help but see the envious stares.Even the puddings with the highest calorie counts aren’t so bad they’d do a lot of damage. But they will make you feel happy!
