Vegan Taste Test!

Transitioning yourself to a vegan diet is overwhelming and stressful.  Transitioning your entire family into a vegan diet is INCREDIBLY overwhelming and stressful!  Without getting too deep into our family's transition into veganism just yet (that is an entirely different post for another day....), I wanted to share with you random tips, tricks, recipes, and vegan "substitute" foods that me and my family have tried.  The good news is that there are A LOT of vegan food options out there that are delicious and that could possibly fool your hard-core carnivorous friends.  The bad news is that there are a lot of not so great vegan foods out there.  Foods that you just should not buy or eat ever.  And vegan foods are not cheap folks.  If you find yourself drowning in options at the grocery store and do not know where to begin - I got you covered!

Today, I begin with the only food anyone ever really goes crazy about giving up when going vegan.  CHEESE!  Seriously it is the one thing I was truly honestly worried I wouldn't be able to live without.  I made it my life mission to find a cheese recipe, product, SOMETHING that could take up the place in my life where regular cow's milk cheese used to fill up so perfectly.  It took awhile but I found it!  So here is my new love that I encountered on my cheesy "quest".

Vegan Chao Slices: Made by Field Roast 
Purchased at Wegmans in the natural/organic food dairy case.
Cost $5.99 (I actually think I purchased it for $4.99, but currently is listed at $5.99 on Wegman's website) for 7oz. (which is about 10 slices)



General Review:  This stuff is the BEST cheese in the vegan cheese world.  I did a LOT of research of all the brands on various blogs and YouTube video reviews.  This cheese was repeatedly spoke highly of all across the board so I figured it was a safe bet.  I tried the Tomato Cayenne flavor and it made a cheesy, spicey (think pepper jack zestiness mixed with cheddar tang - truly amazing) gooey in all the right ways, grilled cheese sandwich.  My vegan husband loved it.  My caveman son loved it (he loves meat and cheese and all things not vegan, however will eat anything as long as it tastes good).  The only one who wouldn't touch it is my vegetarian son because he doesn't dig cheese at all. I still am not sure what is wrong with him.  

Ingredents:   Filtered Water, Coconut Oil, Modified Corn and Potato Starch, Tomato Juice, Potato Starch, Fermented Chao Tofu (Soybeans, Water, Salt, Sesame Oil, Calcium Sulfate), Sea Salt, Green and Red Dried Bell Peppers, Cayenne Pepper, Natural Flavor, Olive Extract (Antioxidant Used as a Preservative), Paprika Extract and Beta Carotene.

Contains: coconut and soy.

Buy it or Skip it:  BUY IT!  Whatever it costs you at your local grocery store it is worth it if you are looking for a vegan cheese product that tastes like it is milk-based.  I have yet to try the other two varietes but I am confident they will be delicious and I plan to pick one up at my next grocery store stop.  I heard this product can sell for up to $10 - if that were the case in my neck of the woods, I would still buy it.  Repeatedly.  

For more information on Chao Slices check out the Field Roast website.

You can read your heart out about these and all the other vegan goodies that Field Roast makes.  I have a list of foods from Field Roast I am dying to try and if they are as good as these slices I seriously can't wait.

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The Sandwich Quest

Sandwiches are my most favorite kind of food in the entire world.  Lunchmeat and subs is like heaven to me.  I would much rather order a turkey sub from Subway than go out to a fancy dinner somewhere.  That is just my thing.   After deciding to go vegan I found the hardest challenge to be doing without my yummy sandwiches.

I tried a bunch of recipes for "faux" meat sandwiches and I was not thrilled with the outcome of a majority of them.  They just didn't compare to the real deal in my eyes and I would just rather do without than force myself to eat something that I felt did not measure up.  That is until I came across this gem!

Here is a recipe that I adapted from a few different varieties of the same sort that I came across in my search for the perfect vegan sandwich.  It is easy to make, can be prepared ahead of time, and is super tasty and healthy.

Quick note:  I call it an "egg" salad but obviously, being vegan there are no eggs included and to be honest it doesn't really taste a thing like a true egg salad sandwich.  The consistent of the sandwich filling is what I think makes is look "eggy".

Vegan "Egg" Salad

• 1 cup cooked red lentils (I have also used green and results are the same)
• 1 cup chickpeas, canned (drained)
• 1 celery rib, chopped roughly
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped (I don't always add this in but I do if I have carrots on hand)
• 2-3 green onions, roughly chopped (I sometimes use regular red onion)
• 1 medium pickle, roughly chopped - this is a must!!!!
• 1 tsp dry dill
• ½ tbsp lemon juice
• 3-4 tbsp vegan mayo 
• 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast 
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Add all the ingredients into a food processor and then blend into a mushy "egg" like mixture.  I had to stop a few times to scrape the sides of the bowl down before it was the consistency that I wanted.

So looking at it like this doesn't do it justice.  It is so good and tasty.  So good.  

Once you have your "egg" salad mixed up I suggest refrigerating it for at least an hour so it firms up some and the flavors have time to hang together.  

Then I grab some whole wheat bread, here I have a sprouted whole wheat.  Spread the egg salad on the bread (do I really need to explain this part?).  I added lettuce and onion on top this time but in the past I served it with bean sprouts instead of lettuce and it is just so good like that.  

And that is it!  The "egg" salad will keep in your fridge for a week or so.  It is great as a dip as well!

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Best Ever Campfire Potatoes

I am getting sick of the same-old, same-old grilled items over and over.  I also know that my kids are sick of the same old stuff as well (awe, we are having hotdogs AGAIN?!).  I came across this potato recipe on the Favorite Family Recipes blog.  It looked easy and delicious and it looked like something my kids would dig so I gave it a shot today and it was a real big hit!  The best part was that the foil potato packets can be personalized to each picky eaters particular like of the day.  Bacon and cheese for my one son, scallions and cheese for my other.  I tasted some and they were so good I would consider adding broccoli or something else for myself sometime.

I wasn't able to get a good picture of the meal so here is a picture provided by Favorite Family Recipes.

Ingredients

• Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite sized pieces (we keep the potato skins on)
Ranch Mix:
• 1/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1 dry packet Hidden Valley Ranch mix
Optional Topping Ideas:
• ham
• bacon
• sausage
• onions
• peppers
• broccoli
• your favorite cheese

Instructions

• After potatoes are washed and cut, combine the ingredients for the ranch mix. Use just enough of the mix to thoroughly coat the potatoes and stir together in a large bowl.
• Spoon potatoes out onto individual aluminum foil squares and sprinkle with desired toppings. We did cheddar and bacon for one, and gorgonzola cheese and bacon for the other.
• then wrap the potatoes up in the foil so they are completely covered. We usually wrap each one in two pieces of foil.
• Bake, grill, or cook in a fire pit. It is ready to eat when you peel back some of the foil and potatoes are fork tender and break apart easily.

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Aldi Product Review - Bavarian Sweet Mustard

I love trying out new things to eat and Aldi is a great place to do it!  Their prices are low and the seasonal items are always changing out so there is lots of new stuff to try!

I HIGHLY suggest you RUN to Aldi (seriously, like go right now) and get the Deutsche Kuche Bavarian Sweet Mustard.  It is so good on a ham sandwich.  It is slightly sweet and not spicy.  My kids and Mike and I love it.  Try it out!

I have about four other varieties of mustards from Aldi to try out and review for you.  I am stuck on this one right now though!

Remember, at Aldi there is a DOUBLE money back guarantee!  Return your item for a  full refund and get a replacement item as well.  There is nothing to lose- literally!

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What we are eating this week

Here is this week's line up for dinners! 

Monday:  Pasta Fagioli (Kids eat Chicken Tenders and Mashed Potatoes)

Tuesday: Tacos

Wednesday: Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's

Thursday:  Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice and Broccoli 

Friday: Sweet Potato Burgers kids eat Taco Noodles (my homemade version of Hamburger Helper for the kids)

Saturday: Fiesta Nachos!

Sunday: Leftovers

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Best "Healthy" Muffins Ever!

I made muffins today.  This alone is not a big deal.  I like making muffins and I tend to make them often.  They are individual-sized snacks that have limitless possibilities.  Breakfast muffins, veggie muffins, blueberry, cinnamon, oatmeal muffins....  There is bran, flour, whole-wheat flour, oat flour based muffins.  I love how easy it is to "sneak" healthy things (ie zucchini) inside of the sugary sweet capsule of warm, gooey deliciousness.  I love muffins!

Today I tried out a new muffin recipe.  It was risky, and I knew that when I began measuring out the first ingredients.  There was carrots involved.  Diced carrots to be exact.  Carrots are a vegetable, and a very visible one, at that.  Baked inside of a dessert or "snack", it would most certainly be detected by the keen eyes of my brood.  Not only were there carrots, there were apples (acceptable), walnuts (iffy) and raisins (also acceptable) involved in the recipe.  I was concerned, but I had all of the ingredients for this healthful(ish) recipe of muffin goodness so it was a no-brainer.  Baking began.

My kids both LOVED the end result.  It is rare that they both love a single recipe.  This one was a winner all around!  Both boys agreed to take the muffins for snack at school and both ate all of their "tester" muffins in two bites flat.  Success!

Here is the recipe that I followed.

Sunshine Muffins

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups carrots, grated

1 cup apples finely chopped (I used Gala)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except carrots, apples, raisins, and nuts; mix well. Once all ingredients are mixed well stir in the carrots, apples, raisins, and nuts.

Grab some muffins tins and grease them. Then fill each muffin tin about 3/4's full. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Remove from muffin tins and let cool. Then enjoy!

I call this recipe healthy"ish" because it does contain sugar.  My batch came out to 18 muffins so the 3/4 of a cup of sugar was a good trade off for me for the victory of having my boys SEE and EAT flecks of carrots in their muffin.  They are not picky generally, but seeing a veggie in a "sweet treat" could have pushed them over the edge easily.  Next time I may increase the apple and decrease the amount of sugar to make these a better snack for them.  I do the same "trick" with zucchini muffins in the summer.  The first batch is full of sugar and deliciousness and the boys swoon over the sweetness.  Then the following batches of muffins have decreased amounts of sugar.  I don't want to "trick" the boys into eating hidden veggies, so I am sure to point out that there are carrots involved in what you are about to place inside your mouth.... but I am no fool either.  I sugar those babies up the first time around.  I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night.

*Just wanted to add that my oldest requested these again today!  He wants them in his snack for school this week....  That is a huge deal!  Try them out if you haven't yet!

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What We Ate Today - Vegetarian Lentil Chili

It is officially Lent and if you are Catholic you know that means meatless recipes are on the menu.   For my family, meatless meals grace our table at least twice a week... it reduces the grocery bill and it is healthy too.  This week I had a meatless chili on the menu for Friday.  I love a good traditional chili recipe with cheese and sour cream on top.  Come Fall, when the weather changes, that is the first "fall food" I look forward to making. I was flipping through a magazine in the waiting room at the dentist's office and saw this Vegetarian Lentil Chili recipe.  It looked really good, so I snapped a picture of it and put it on the monthly menu.  It was super easy to make.  All the ingredients get thrown into a crockpot and pot does the work from there.  It was so very good in a "sort-of-traditional-but-with-a-twist" kinda way.  I will be making this often here, even when Lent is long gone.


I should also add that I doubled the recipe to have enough to freeze leftovers.  Glad I did that and I suggest that you do the same - you won't regret it!

Vegetarian “Lent"il Chili

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can water
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 15 oz can Bush's Pinto Beans (I did not have Bush's in my pantry so I used regular old canned pinto beans as well as a can of black beans because I love them so much in chili)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 8 hours.
2. Serve with some shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, or whatever else you like on chili.

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Monthy Menu Master List - February

Each month after the second pay check is deposited in the bank, I plan and shop for my family's meals for the month.  Each month I plan out 30 meals as well as a few "kid meals" for the nights when Mike and I eat a meal that I know the kids just won't eat.  I always try to plan a double batch for leftovers and lunches.  I keep breakfasts pretty simple since my kids eat pretty much the same 3 things over and over.  I make a big ole list and each week pick what I have a taste for and what works best with our schedules.  I always have 3 or 4 crockpot meals, 4 Taco Tuesdays, and four Fiesta Fridays planned.  What can I say, we like our Mexican food and they are easy to prepare. 


Here is February's Master List! If I have the recipe it is linked below.

1.  Pear Medallion Pork Chops
2.  Quinoa, Chicken Kielbasa with Peppers and Onions
3.  Chicken, Cranberry and Walnut Wraps
4.  Black Bean Soup and Cornbread 
5.  Southwest Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potatoes
6.  Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
7.  Roastitoes
8.  Baked Shrimp with Tomato and Feta
9.  Turkey Sausage and Apple Saute
10.  Caribbean Pork and Mango Chili
11.  Sweet and Sour Chicken and Lo Mein Noodles/Stir fry
12.  Smoky Black Bean Rice and salad
13.  Lentil Chili 
14.  Crockpot Beans and Ham with Roasted Potatoes and Veggies
15.  Roasted Chicken and Squash
16.  Portabello Sliders
17.  Pita Pizzas
18.  Pancakes and Sausage "burritos"
19.  Waffles and Fruit
20.  Taco Chili
21.  Salads (Taco salad?)
22. Taco Tuesday
23. Taco Tuesday
24. Taco Tuesday
25. Taco Tuesday
26. Fiesta Friday
27. Fiesta Friday
28. Fiesta Friday
29. Fiesta Friday
30. Chicken Burrito Bowls

Kids Meals:
1. Layered Taco Cups
2. Sausage Skewers
3. Meatball Subs
4. Hamburger Soup
5. Cheeseburger Mac
6. Hotdogs and Mac N Cheese

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My Monthly Mega Shopping Trip

Today begins my most favorite week of the month - shopping week!!!  I look forward to it like a kid waits for Christmas morning.  I obsess over menus and Pin ideas on my Pinterest boards all month long and then this is the week that I put the deep cleaning on hold and focus on what my family is going to eat for the next month.  The WHOLE month.  Breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks are planned and shopped for.  It takes some patience and a lot of planning but I found the effort to be so worth it.  Less trips to the grocery store means less money spent.  A month of planned, shopped for meals means lots of options and less "what's for dinner" stress at home.  A full pantry, until grocery day near again...which is wear we are until Friday this week... Now we play the game "What can we make with....?"

Here are a few points to note about G-Day:
1.  I go to three stores.  Aldi, Walmart, and Wegmans
2.  I go alone to Aldi and Walmart.  Wegmans is a family affair because we usually need two carts and I enjoy torturing my kids at least once monthly and this fulfills the quota.
3.  I use the Wegmans website and App on my phone to make a very specific, detailed grocery list.  If you create an account, you can make a grocery list right on their webpage and it will add up your total for you.  This is a HUGE help to me.  It allows me to stay on budget and make any changes that I need to in my meal plans before going to the store where last minute decisions can be stressful and backfire at the register.   Having this list helps me when I begin shopping at Aldi's and Walmart as well.  I will get into that in a bit.

First, let's talk about how the week of shopping goes.

Sunday - I make the last Weekly Meal Plan before grocery shopping.  This is the most difficult plan to make of the month because it usually requires some creativity with ingredients.  So far though, we have had plenty of food to last us.  To see how I do my Weekly Meal Plank click Here

Monday - Clean out the fridge day.  I pull out everything left over in the fridge and give the shelves, walls and drawers a good wipe down.  I toss anything expired and make note of what needs to be used up.

Tuesday - I finish/review my Monthly Master Menu List and add any ingredients I may need to the grocery list. 

Wednesday - I go to the bank and pull out the cash for my shopping days ahead.  We only use cash for purchases, which includes groceries.  This keeps us on budget and makes me second guess every item that goes into our cart.

Thursday- I head, alone, to Aldi and Walmart with my Wegmans list that I view on the app I have on my phone.  I get as many items there as I can, provided they are cheaper than the Wegmans price.  If I find something cheaper, I get it.  I know by getting it cheaper than what Wegmans has it listed for will reduce my shopping list and make some wiggle room for "fun" items like snacks or convenience foods that I normally wouldn't add to my list.  I check it off my Wegmans list right away in the store so I do not forget.  If I wait to do it at home I know the first chance I will have is after the groceries are put away and dinner is cleaned up.  By then I either will have forgotten what I got or I will just plain old forget to update the list. This shopping trip that I do is where I really think my "power" over my grocery budget comes into play.  I take the time to go to more than one store.  I believe it is more than worth it to have an extra $50 in the end.

Friday - Family Grocery Shopping Day!  My kids borderline dread this day, but my husband and I try to make it less of a drag by buying them each smoothies as we begin the trip. It also assures us a good 10 minutes of silence while we find, bag and weigh our produce.   Each time we start shopping we grab one cart and each time we have needed to get a second.  We just get that much stuff.  It is a whole months worth of food.  A months worth of cereal, tortilla chips, juice boxes, eggs, coffee, produce, meat, chicken stock, yogurts, bread...  you get the picture.  For this trip I actually print out the Wegmans shopping list.  I do this because it organizes everything by store sections and aisle with pictures.  Yes, pictures of the items!  This helps when you need Kid A to go grab something from the previous aisle and you don't want to take your two-cart parade back for it.  If given a picture, Kid A is more likely to bring back the correct item.  Or something very close to it.  Usually.

For our family I have found that planning and shopping the way I do saves us a lot of money and a lot of stress throughout the month.  Our grocery budget for the entire month for food, toiletries, household items and everything is $500.  I remember weeks in the past where I spend $300 in one week on food items that I thought we needed but never used.  Cash was flowing out, I was buying heaps of food and at the end of the month I couldn't recall what I actually spend it on.  I shop once a month, which means less trips out and less temptation to buy stuff we don't need.

 

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How I meal plan for the week

Here is my basic method of planning out what my family will eat over the week.  I have found that when I meal plan I feel in better control of the household in general.  There is less or no extra trips to the grocery store which leaves more time to do other things, like laundry.

At the beginning of each month I create a Monthly Master Menu List which is basically a list of 30ish dinner recipes I have pinned on Pinterest, picked out of my recipe archives or clipped out of magazines.  It does take a little time but I find this method to be so helpful in many more ways than it is time consuming.  I will go over the steps I take when I make my Monthly Master Menu List in a future post.  For now, let's talk about this week!

I start out with this blank template that I printed off of Pinterest awhile back. I cannot find the link to the actual website where it originated from because I have used this sheet for so long now.  You can search for this particular one which is probably still out there in the cyberspace somewhere along with Kim Kardashian's booty pictures....  Or you could find another that you like and use that one.

 From here, I take my day planner and look at what we have going on during the week.  Things like where we need to go in the evenings, if any of us will be late coming home due to after school activities or work related things, and lastly I look at how many personal training appointments and other household errands each day.  All of these things play a factor in what I choose to put on my weekly list.  If the boys have basketball, I am teaching at night and Mike is coming home later from work because he has a late meeting scheduled, I am going to choose a simple meal or crockpot meal that I can get started early in the morning.  If I am home cleaning all day and have no where to go otherwise I will choose a recipe that requires more time in the kitchen.  This is what my Monthly Master Menu looks like.  It is nothing fancy but it works for us.

The last thing that I do is write my chosen meals on Post-it notes and stick them on. 

This week looks like this!

Monday- I have one training appointment and Mike will be home late so it will be just me and the boys at dinner time so a breakfasty type meal will be perfect.  

Tuesday - Tuesdays are always Taco Tuesday!  I have training appointments during the day and I teach my classes at night and the boys have basketball, so tacos are easy and a crowd pleaser.

Wednesday- We usually go to my parents house for dinner

Thursday- I train during the day but will have time to prepare something a little more complicated for dinner.  Mike and the boys are home right after work/school and have no where to be for the rest of the night.  I am teaching my classes so cleanup will be on the boys ;-)  

Friday- Mike and I always look forward to nachos at night after the boys go to bed.  We have done this for as long as I can remember.  The boys typically have pita pizzas or nachos themselves.

Saturday - Weekends always seem to be busy so simple and fun pita pizzas for all today!

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Beer Mustard Sausage Recipe and Tops Deal (ending 1/31)

It is Super Bowl time and that means football parties, and parties mean fun food!  There is a family recipe that we make each year for Super Bowl and for Christmas.  It is loved and requested often and it is so easy to make.  Today I share the infamous Beer Mustard Sausage recipe with all of you!

Beer Mustard Sausages:

In a frying pan combine: 
2 tbs oil, 2 lbs smoked polish sausage cut into disks (I use Hillshire farms Kielbasa links) about 1/4in thick, and 1 cup of your favorite beer.  Darker beer provides a richer flavor.  Simmer for 10-15 min stirring occasionally.  Remove sausage and set aside.  Leave drippings in pan.

To drippings, add:
1/2cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup brown spicy mustard, 6tsp cornstarch dissolved in water, and 6 tsp horseradish.  Stir together so sugar dissolves.  Add sausage back in to pan.  Simmer together for 1/2 hour.  Stir occasionally.  Mustard sauce will thicken. 

Makes about enough for 6-8 people for appetizers.  I triple this recipe often and it always goes quickly.  I send them into work for Mike's Christmas party in a crockpot and they reheat very well.

This week at Tops you can get Hillshire Farms sausages on sale for buy 2 get 3 free!  That is an awesome deal!!!  All varieties of Hillshire farms sausages are included.  I chose the chicken and the turkey sausage links and I did that deal twice and I plan to cook some and freeze some up for later.  Hurry, this deal ends 1/30!!!

The deal is listed in the Sunday Tops ad on Page 1.  Check out the link to that ad HERE

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Weekly Meal Plan - 1/26-1/31

Here is what we are eating for dinner this week!

It's my birthday week, so rules are being "bent" and we are treating ourselves a little more than we normally would this weekend!  I am so excited!
Links to recipes that I found online are included - let me know if you try any and how they turned out!

Monday

Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes -Mike has a late class so it is just me and the boys.  Boys ate leftovers from the weekend

Taco Tuesday!

Tuesdays are crazy in our house.  Boys have basketball and I have my classes to teach so dinner needs to be fast and easy and liked by all.  We love Mexican food and tacos are something that we all can agree on and enjoy. 

Wednesday

Birthday dinner at my parent's house!

Thursday

Crockpot Maple Dijon Chicken Drumsticks - I plan to use chicken thighs because that is what I have on hand.  Serving with rice and steamed broccoli.

Fiesta Friday!

Every Friday since I can remember Mike and I make nachos after the boys go to bed.  We do this instead of going out or ordering pizza.  The boys have a fun, "treat" meal like pizza rolls or nachos. 

Saturday

Subs ordered from Wegmans to enjoy my birthday with all of my boys!  I love these because we always have leftovers for at least two more meals!  Way better than going out to eat!

Sunday

Leftovers!

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What we ate for dinner tonight!

Tonight was Make Your Own Salad Night!  Basically I cut up veggies and eggs and grated cheese and cook up some noodles and chicken.  My kids have free reign on what goes on their plates but they need to pick at least 5 items.  By doing this I know my carnivore will have to choose at least one veggie and my anti-protein offspring will be happy that chicken will not be forced on him for one night.  It is a fun option where (rarely) anyone complains.  This dinner got all of the thumbs up

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Snack Idea

I love cheese and crackers, I mean who doesn't, right?  I found a great, healthy and tasty alternative to the traditional cheese square and cracker. 

If you have never tried the CrunchMaster multi-seed cracker, you are seriously missing something amazing.  The crackers themselves have a nutty, seedy, salty, deliciousness about them that reminds me of my childhood.  I think it is the sesame taste.  Anyway.  The ingredients are limited and "real" and they are gluten free.

Take these yummy crackers and add a wedge of Laughing Cow cream cheese and it is just the best thing ever.  Laughing Cow has a lot of flavors to choose from but my favorite is the Creamy Queso Fresco Chipotle. A serving size is 15 crackers, which is a pretty good amount for a cracker.  Pair that with the cream cheese wedge and you get a filling, healthful snack for under 200 calories!

You can find both products at your local grocery store.  Try it out and let me know what you think!
-Steph

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