Product of the Week

Here is a great snack idea for your kids. Yoplait Kids Yogurts have 25% less sugar then most kids yogurt products AND is now fortified with DHA. (Remember DHA is that good Omega 3 we learned about last week on Wellness Wednesday). Plus they come decorated with a favorite Nick Jr. character so your kids are sure to love them.

Tip: I like to store the Yoplait Kids Smoothies in the freezer and then put one in Colby's lunch for preschool. By the time lunch rolls around they taste like a slushy! He loves them!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: varies according to product (70 - 100 Calories)

Meal Plan: 1 Milk

Deal Alert: Go here to learn more about Yoplait Kids and to print off 2 $1.50 off 1 coupons!

Kroger often has these on sale for $2

Use your $1.50 off 1 printable PLUS there are loadable coupons available for your Kroger Card

Final Price: FREE

Product of the Week

Well, Tambrey told me they were good, so when Morning Star products went nearly half off last week at Kroger I decided to give the Corn Dogs a try. To be honest, I bought the corn dogs for the boys, I thought "here is a way to give my boys good nutrition under the guise of a classic "kid food." I warmed one up for lunch the next day, placed a squirt of mustard right beside it, and proudly presented it with a handful of grapes to my 4 year old son. While I had pictured Colby getting really excited about the "fun" lunch I proudly served him complete with a "Hooray" and "Thanks Mom- Your the Best!!;" what I got was a shoulders slumped "I don't like corn dogs." (please read with a whine). What!?!?! What kid doesn't like corn dogs? AND Where had my child eaten a corn dog before that he knew "he didn't like corn dogs"?

So now I have an uneaten vegetable stick masquerading as a corn dog sitting warmly on a plate with no kid to eat it. I look over at my next born... Will he eat the corn dog? Probably not, but I give it a try. I cut 1/2 the dog off the stick and cut it up into choke proof sizes for my 17 month old and then sit and wait........ Corn Dog goes into the mouth... wait, wait, wait,.... Corn dog comes out of the mouth. Now What?

You should know I am NOT a hot dog kind of girl. Never was after some kid told me how and from what hot dogs were made. But, even at a sale price of $2.50 per box with only 4 in a package these fancy dogs were quite expensive. So after reading the ingredient list to confirm there was absolutely NO hint of mystery meat- I dipped that dog in mustard and gave it a try. Wow! I liked it, I REALLY liked it. Before I knew it my half of the dog was gone and I started eating the bite size pieces off my son's highchair tray. At only 150 Calories I seriously thought about going for a second but decided to hold off. I made it until 10:30am the next day, when I decided I couldn't wait another minute for another bite of the delectable corn wrapped dog and had it for a snack.

I am also proud to announce that Cohen (the baby) gave the corn dog another try yesterday and know he too shares my love of the "Vegy" corn dog!!!

Now, before you all rush out to buy this product, I feel I must warn you of 2 things. First, please note, I have not had a "real" corn dog in probably 20+ years so I have no idea how the Morning Star variety compares to the real thing; in other words- you might not share my enthusiasm. Secondly, they might not be available at our Kroger because last night I rushed out and bought the last of the corn dogs before the "Morning Star" sale ended- sorry!

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 corn dog

Meal Plan: 150 Calories, 1 meat, 1.5 starches

Product of the Week

So I went to my fridge looking for inspiration for today's product of the week, and what did I see- Reddi Wip! It made me smile just looking at it. As a child I never liked the stuff- weird I know; but I tried it again after Bob kept squirting the stuff on everything from sugar free hot cocoa to fat free pudding on "Biggest Loser." Thank you Bob! That stuff is Yuuuuummmmy! And as Bob frequently tell us- only 15 Calories per serving. Those are calories well spent if you ask me. And guess what else? Reddi Wip, unlike cool whip, is made from real cream and NO hydrogenated oils.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 2 TBS

Meal Plan: FREE at recommended serving size!

Product of the Week

Speaking of Breakfast! This is one of my favorite choices for breakfast these days. Quaker High Fiber instant oatmeal packs in 10g of dietary fiber in 1 packet!

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 packet

Meal Plan: 160 Calories, 2 starches

I like to make this oatmeal with 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 banana, and 1/4 cup egg substitute*! Wow what nutrition! And talk about tasty- yummy! This is the perfect power breakfast to get this sleep deprived mama going- Give it a try!

Go here for a $1 off 2 coupon for Quaker oatmeal.

*Thanks Shannon for the egg substitute tip! I'm always looking for ways to sneak some extra protein in my diet.

Product of the Week

I'll admit I am not a big yogurt fan. I want to like it, so I buy it and let it take up valuable real estate in my fridge until it reaches its expiration date and then it occupies my trashcan. Well last week I tried yogurt once again- well, because it was FREE! And guess what? I liked it! I liked it!

I am so excited about this find because yogurt is such a great source of calcium and this particular yogurt also contains Probiotics and Fiber.

According to the Yo Plus packaging "the unique blend of priobiotic bacteria and fiber work together to help crowd out the unfriendly bacteria in your system and promote digestive health."

Nutrition Information

Meal Plan: 110 calories, 1 milk and 3g Fiber

Yoplait challenges us to "Try it for 10 days and See how different you feel!" With such a great taste- I'll gladly give it a try! You can learn more about Yo Plus yogurt at www.yo-plus.com

PS: I highly recommend the Blackberry Pomegranate. Yummy

PSS: If you didn't already print your 2 $1.50 off 1 coupons you can do so here. Remember to also load your Kroger card with an additional $1 savings to make this product FREE or nearly free at Krogers. I think there might be an additional $1 off coupon at the coupon.com link on my sidebar to the left.

Product of the Week

This week I am featuring the Pear as the product of the week. To be honest the pear has never been one of my favorite fruits, in fact I don't even like pear jelly beans. But I picked some up the other day at Kroger because they were on sale and me oh my..... DELICIOUS! So juicy!

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 5 oz Pear

Calories: 80

21g Carbohydrate

4g Fiber

Pears are also a good source of Vitamin C and Copper which makes them a good antioxidant!

Go grab a pear and enjoy!

Product of the Week

Although these days it is not uncommon to find a high fiber granola bar- I thought I should honor the grandfather of high fiber bars first. Before the Fiber One bar hit the supermarket, the highest fiber granola bar you could find was 5 grams with the majority of bars weighing in at less then 2 grams. So you can imagine how excited I was when this bad boy first hit the shelves. Nine grams of fiber and oh so tasty too!!!

Now I will warn you- a lot of people are not able to tolerate this bar without, how shall I put this.... bowel consequences. If you do decide to try this bar I strongly recommend starting with half to see how your body handles it before going for a full bar.

This week, Fiber One bars are on sale and part of the Mega Event and Kroger.

Sale Price: $2.69, use $0.50 off 1 from 1/4 SS or $1 off 2 from recent coupons.com sidebar, or you can go to fiberone.com to print $1 off 1 coupons, Final Price with ME discount: $1.19 to $1.69

Deal Alert

Just learned that there is a $0.50 off 1 coupon for Fiber One Bars from cellfire. Go here to load coupon to your Kroger card. That would make your Final Price: $0.69 to $1.19 for one box

Product of the Week

Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers are the product of the week. I know what your thinking "Morning Star- ewe isn't that the company with all the soy and tofu products" Yes it is, but trust me this spicy black bean burger is delicious!

I was first attracted to this product when I read on the packaging that it was made from black beans, sweet corn and tomatoes. I thought to myself, "hey I like all those things- I think I'll give it a try." And now these little burgers are a regular part of my lunches. My favorite way to eat them is crumbled up on a taco salad. I have also been known to take them to cookouts as a healthy alternative to hamburgers.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 burger

Meal Plan: 120 Calories, 1 lean meat, 1 starch, 4g of Fiber

My only complaint is that these rarely go on sale at Kroger and I don't recall ever seeing any coupons for these products. I will usually make a special trip to Walmart just to stock up on these burgers (they are at least $0.50 cheaper at Walmart).

Product of the Week

There is not too many weeks that the Mission Carb Balance Tortilla is not sitting in my grocery cart (coupons or not!). This is the perfect product for fiber week. Depending on size and variety each tortilla will give you anywhere from 80 to 200 Calories for 6", 8" or 10" tortillas. And, are you ready for this......... (please read the following enthusiastically) anywhere between 7 and 21 grams of Fiber!! That's right folks, one 10" Carb Balance Tortilla can meet 100% of your fiber needs for the day!!!


Deal Alert: There is a coupon for mission tortillas in your January 4th newspaper inserts- a rare find. Use it or pass it on to your favorite DRS coach!




Extra Side Note: I spelled enthusiastically right even before spell check!!!

Product of the Week

The first product of the week is Ham Bouillon. I love this stuff! I use it anytime a recipe might call for bacon, bacon grease, or a ham hock. Although NOT fat free, you still come out way ahead on fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol when using this product vs. the traditional pork fat flavoring. The flavor is powerful; therefore a little goes a long way. The downfall is that it is loaded with sodium.

The brand I typically find at Kroger is Orrington Farms (as pictured). I was never able to find this product at Walmart; but I haven't looked in a while.

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 1 Tsp.

Calories: 15

Fat: 1 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 820mg

Carbohydrate: 2 g

Protein: 0 g