There’s a lot going on when you peer into a bowl of Kashi GoLean Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble. You see granola, flecks of red and blue, and lots of interesting pieces that Kashi describes as a “naturally sweetened multigrain cluster cereal.”

Dotted with cranberries and wild blueberries, the combination of flavors, texture and healthy benefits makes this cereal an excellent option.

Highlights of the Cereal

Lower Calorie: The majority of granola cereals are typically more than 200 calories per serving, but this Kashi GoLean Crisp is only 180 calories per serving.

High Fiber and Protein: This is an incredibly high-fiber cereal (love it!) with twice as much fiber as a one-cup serving of blueberries and just as much protein as having one egg. There are also 18 grams of whole grains, which will satisfy one of the three servings recommended on a daily basis.

Easy on the Teeth: I took one look at the multigrain clusters and thought for sure they’d feel like I was chewing rocks, but the Kashi GoLean Crisp is just what it says – crispy. The light crunch is easy on the teeth.

Perfect for Breakfast and Snacking: Not only does the cereal jumpstart your morning, but it also provides a tasty snack for lunchboxes, hiking, camping, long car trips, and on-the-go energy. At times, I swear I detect a honey graham flavor.

By the Numbers

One ¾ cup serving equals 180 calories (35 calories from fat).

• 8 grams of fiber (a whopping 30% of your RDV)
• 9 grams of protein (14% RDV)
• Phosphorus – 15% RDV
• Magnesium – 10% RDV
• Iron – 8% RDV
• Potassium – 7% RDV

Instead of heading towards snacking disaster, I’ve been relying on healthy, filling alternatives to tide me over until dinner. My new favorite go-to snack (which doubles as a nice side dish) is a Cucumber Salsa Salad that I’d like to think my mother and I created together. She was making a cucumber and tomato side salad with Italian salad dressing. I wanted the same, BUT didn’t want the calories of the oily dressing.

Mom suggested that I substitute the dressing with a couple of tablespoons of this Grandessa salsa that she bought at Aldi’s. We used Artichoke Garlic Mild Salsa, which is only 10 calories per 2-tablespoon serving. I also added 1/8 cup of crumbled blue cheese to enhance the overall taste. You can certainly experiment with different salsa flavors – I’m going to try Sweet Onion next. With the blue cheese crumbles, the recipe below is a little over 100 calories and can feed two people as a side or make a really filling snack.

Cucumber Salsa Salad

• 1 cucumber (sliced – I like to cut my slices in half)
• Fresh salsa (4 to 6 tablespoons)
• Blue cheese or feta cheese crumbles (~1/8 cup) [optional]

Mix all ingredients and enjoy.

Disclosure: This post was written in participation for Kathleen’s My Favorite Things Thursday.

With a monthly $5 foot-long sub special and tons of sandwich combinations to choose from, Subway is now offering a selection of new turkey subs – two of which fit into healthier diet plans and one for those looking for a spicy, cheesy splurge:

• Turkey B.L.T. – bacon and turkey; 320 calories per 6 inches; 7 grams of fat
• Turkey Melt – melted cheese over turkey; 320 calories per 6 inches; 7 grams of fat
• Turkey Jalapeno Melt – melted cheese, jalapeños, and Chipotle Southwest sauce; 430 calories per 6 inches

Subway also offers a special featured footlong for $5 as part of a monthly promotion. In January, the Chipotle Chicken & Cheese is the highlight of the month – melted cheese topping chicken pieces with a Chipotle Southwest Sauce. Other footlongs that are routinely offered for $5 at Subway include Meatball Marinara, Black Forest Ham, Veggie Delight, B.L.T., Cold Cut Combo, and Spicy Italian.

My favorite is Black Forest Ham with tomatoes, lettuce, Provolone cheese, jalapenos and light mayo on 9-Grain bread. What’s yours?

Up for grabs is one $10 gift card to Subway & two (2) Nutella Breadsticks-to-Go packs.

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If you shop at Target, then you are probably already familiar with Archer Farms products. This brand is only offered at Target (and sometimes Amazon.com)– from shortbread cookies to cereal. Under the Archer Farms umbrella, they make a “Simply Balanced” line that provides balanced, healthy foods at affordable prices.

The combination of flavors of the Archer Farms Apple Pear Drink Mix caught my eye. I love apple and pear blends, and this drink did not disappoint. As I sip it in the wintertime, I am reminded that warmer weather is always just around the corner. The flavor is fun and satisfying – like a pear-flavored apple juice. Kids and adults alike will enjoy this blend.

The Health Factor

One packet of the drink mix makes 16.9 fluid ounces and is only 10 calories. Infused with vitamins and electrolytes, the drink mix offers vitamin A (4%), vitamin C (25%), vitamin E (10%), and calcium (10%). There is also a bit of fiber tossed in for good measure – 2 grams or 8% of your recommended daily value.

One box contains 8 packets and costs between $2 and $3 at Target.

When you’re looking for something healthy to drink, who wouldn’t want to incorporate chocolate into the plan? Mayesa offers a way to ‘indulge your health’ as well as your taste buds. The richly flavored Mayesa drinks use all-natural ingredients packed with a lot of healthy benefits (increase clarity, suppress hunger, energize, and replenish the body), as cacao is a superfood. The beverage also satisfies a variety of health requirements or restrictions – they are dairy free, soy free, and gluten free.

Mayesa drinks come in an 8-ounce Tetra pak with a straw that extends in length. I had the pleasure of sampling the Cacao Original and Cacao Mint:

Mayesa Cacao Original

One of the things I like about Mayesa healthy chocolate is that you can drink it hot or cold. As a chilled beverage, Cacao Original is smooth, slightly thick, and addicting. It literally tastes like dessert – chocolate with a little something extra. When heated, the drink is equally satisfying and a delicious way to cap off a hard day of work. The heated cacao reminds me of sipping chocolate. This flavor is my favorite.

Cacao Original is made with organic cacao and hemp protein. You can definitely taste the difference in premium dark chocolate versus your typical chocolate milk. Cacao Original is 170 calories and provides a good source of potassium, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, and magnesium –  3 grams of fiber (12% RDV), 5 grams of protein, and 50% RDV vitamin D.

Mayesa Cacao Mint

Made with all-natural premium cacao, the Cacao Mint flavor is a good choice for mint chocolate lovers. I immediately heated the drink and think it tastes best this way. I’d serve this flavor at holiday and dinner parties, or for a dessert drink in the wintertime. It’s a very relaxing blend. Best of all – it’s healthy! Cacao Mint is 130 calories and provides a good source of potassium, magnesium and calcium –  5 grams of fiber (20% RDV), 5 grams of protein, and 50% RDV vitamin D.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

GIVEAWAY

Up for grabs is a 6-pack of 3 drinks of each flavor.

Mandatory Entry – complete 1 of the first 3 entries before completing the extra entries.

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Sponsored by Tomoson.com

This has got to be one of the most filling, low-calorie healthy breakfasts to come out of the freezer. I’m a big fan of Jimmy D’s and D-lights products, and this one did not last long in my household. We’ve bought three boxes since, which come with four breakfast sandwiches (about the same size as something you’d get at McDonald’s). One box costs about $5 to $6. The sandwich is made with one turkey sausage patty, an egg white, and cheese in between a really tasty croissant. I think the croissant is my favorite part, but overall, the entire sandwich is a winner -  flavorful and juicy.

I repeat –this reduced fat croissant does not taste like it came out of a freezer.

Follow the Directions

There is a reason companies print cooking directions on their packaging. It is so you can enjoy the flavor, quality, taste and texture of a product – the way it is meant for you to. So, when it says to wrap the frozen sandwich in a paper towel and cook for 1 minute 30 seconds on 30% power, and then for 55-60 seconds on HIGH – they mean it. It does not mean – cook for  3 minutes on HIGH because you will end up with what my stepson did…hard bread and a cheesy plate. Now… the only suggestion I would make is if you have a low-wattage microwave – repeat the step that cooks the sandwich for 1 minute 30 seconds on 30% power.

Now, that we have that out of the way, the Jimmy Dean’s croissant sandwich fits nicely into a low-calorie, healthy breakfast meal plan…

By the Numbers

(1 sandwich)

• 290 calories.
• 110 fat calories.
• 17 grams protein
• 4 grams fiber (16% RDV)

Recommended Daily Values

• Vitamin A – 8%
• Iron – 10%
• Calcium – 10%

This is my absolute favorite out of all the Jimmy D’s lower-calorie turkey meat breakfast products, and I think I have now tried them all.

Don’t know how long this is going to last, but you can sign up for a free one-year subscription to Fitness Magazine. I just filled out the form, You’ll receive 10 issues for free. This deal is limited to one subscription per household. Offer is valid thru 11/10, but I’d hurry up – I believe this will continue until supplies last (whatever that means).  I really like this magazine and this came at a good time – my old subscription ran out a couple months ago.

YoCrunch makes it easy for us to enjoy toppings on our yogurt without any hassle. A removable lid filled with granola, cookie pieces or candy is attached to the yogurt cup. Simply detach, open the lid and pour the contents over your yogurt.

I chose to sample the peach-flavored YoCrunch Fruit Parfait that comes with granola. A layer of vanilla yogurt covers a layer of real peaches. The granola offers a lightly sweetened texture. Overall, the yogurt cup makes a really tasty snack or after-dinner treat.

By the Numbers

One container of peach YoCrunch Fruit Parfait is 120 calories and offers one gram of fiber and three grams of protein. You also receive the following recommended daily values: Calcium – 10%, Vitamin D – 10%, Vitamin C – 10%, and Phosphorus – 6%.

Yoplait YoCrunch multipacks offer a variety of flavors and taste options:

• Fruit Parfaits – come with chucks of fruit of real peach, strawberry or blueberry
• Cookie & Candy Crunch –  various flavors with Reese’s Pieces, M&Ms, Nestle Crunch, Butterfinger, and Oreo cookies
• Greek Parfaits – Greek non-fat yogurt with real blueberry or strawberry fruit and low-fat granola
• 100-Calorie Packs – Cheesecake with granola cookie pieces, vanilla with chocolate cookie pieces, vanilla with chocolate chip cookie pieces, and strawberry with granola
• Greek non-fat yogurt with granola –in  strawberry, peach, blueberry, and honey flavors

Up for grabs is one coupon for free YoCrunch multipacks. Three winners.

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Disclosure: I was provided free product coupons to conduct a review and host a giveaway on my site. My opinions are 100% my own.

Surrounded by an acai and blackberry juice blend, the pear chunks in the Del Monte Superfruit Cups are an inviting shade of purple. They taste exotically delicious. The antioxidant-rich cup is a real treat – both taste-wise and visually – elevated by the 100% real fruit juice.

With a 6-ounce cup serving of the pear-chunk Del Monte Superfruit Cups, you get 100% of your daily recommended value of vitamin C. The cup offers a total of 120 calories with 0 fat calories. Other healthy highlights include 3 grams of fiber (12% RDV), 2 grams of protein, and 10% RDV of calcium.

The cups are located in the refrigerated section of your grocer’s produce section. Other options for the Del Monte Superfruit Cups include:

• Mixed Fruit Chunks in Mango & Passion Fruit Juice Blend
• Peach Chunks in Pomegranate & Orange Juice Blend

When properly stored, these fruit cups can last up to 12 months. Impressive.

Disclosure: I used a Buy 1, Get 1 Free coupon provided to me through Vocalpoint to purchase Del Monte fruit cups. My opinions are 100% my own, and I was not compensated for this review.

Since the limited edition summer flavors of Edy’s Slow Churned ice cream have come and gone (bye Coconut Pineapple and Black Raspberry), it’s time to branch out and sample the fall/winter holiday creations. I’ve seen them before, but never thought of trying them out…

Edy’s Pumpkin Ice Cream

For a dessert that reminds you of a slice of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, the Edy’s Slow Churned Limited Edition Pumpkin Ice Cream definitely delivers a holiday treat – offered until the end of October. The pumpkin flavor is the frozen twin of pie – the nutmeg and cinnamon are quite dominant on the taste buds. The ice cream would make a tasty accompaniment to a slice of the real deal. This highly flavorful light ice cream is only 90 calories (15 fat calories) per ½-cup serving and provides two grams of protein and 6% RDA of calcium.

Edy’s Peppermint Ice Cream

The peppermint-flavored light ice cream is red, white and pink in color – a festive ode to Christmastime that is offered until the end of December. There are small candy pieces that melt flavor into the ice cream.  If you are not careful, you will experience an unexpected crunch because you may forget they are there – so don’t break a tooth in the process. One ½-cup serving is 110 calories (30 fat calories) and offers three grams of protein and 6% RDA of calcium.

My Final Thoughts

Both ice creams are a decent seasonal treat. Can I gluttonously eat more than one serving without getting a stomach ache? No. I recommend these flavors as a nice conversation piece and the occasional indulgence. To me, they taste pretty rich despite their low calorie count.