Calorie Counters Anonymous

Hi. I'm Kelly, and I'm a calorie counter. I'm that gal with the little notebook in her purse, and every time she eats something, she'll discretely pull it out and scribble in it. I know, I know. It's pathetic, but have you seen the way I eat?! I love food. I eat with abandon. One cookie simply will not do. Please, sir, I want some more.
Counting and logging my calories is the best way I've found to hold myself accountable for what I eat. I know that if I have to write down "12 chocolate chip cookies - 960 calories" in my notebook, well, I might be able to keep it to 5 or 6 cookies. Maybe.
That said, I've learned to truly love the foods that are low in calories, but still mysteriously delicious. I wanted to share some of them with you. These fast and delicious foods won't destroy your waist. They're life-changing!

1. Vitalicious Vitatops - 100 calories
Muffins are a killer. They're so freakin' unhealthy that I can't even enjoy them anymore. But what if you could make them whole wheat, a reasonable portion size, and still deliciously chocolaty and only 100 caloreis? That would be a miracle, right?! Psh, you've never had a Vitatop. Chocolate mint is my favorite (tastes like a Thin Mint cookie), but you have to order those online to get them. The double chocolate and banana nut are a close second, and you can get them in the frozen hippie foods (i.e. organic) section in most groceries stores now.


2. Private Selection Thai Red Curry Chicken Breasts - 300 calories
Precooked frozen chicken breasts are generally pretty awful. Just awful. But sometimes you get home late, you're starving, and you're willing to sacrifice flavor for speed. You think to yourself, "Self, I'm so hungry right now, I won't even notice how rubbery, tasteless, and unsatisfying this frozen poultry mystery meat is". But you do notice, don't you? And a tiny piece of your soul withers away. What if you could have a tasty, juicy, perfectly cooked chicken breast in a pool of decadent red curry sauce? And even better, it cooks in 5 minutes in the microwave and it's only 300 calories? OMG! Did you die and go to heaven?! No, you went to Kroger, ambled over to the chicken area of the frozen foods isle, and bought some Thai Red Curry Chicken Breasts. There are two per package, so perfect for a couple! They're delicious over a bed of rice, and have plenty of sauce to mop up. I lick my plate every time. There is also a Marsala flavor if you're not fond of curry, and I believe they're even lower in calories.


3. Marzetti Light Berry Balsamic Salad Dressing - 45 calories
If you order salads in restaurants with the idea of being healthy, well, I hate to ruin it for you, but your salad dressing probably accounts for 75% of the calories on your plate. At least. Luckily, there are lots of delicious light dressings out there. But damn am I tired of light Italian and Balsamic vinaigrette, so thank goodness for this dressing. It's zesty, but has a nice sweetness from the berry flavor. I can also read the ingredients list and know what everything is. Even better, it's thick, so thick you have to spoon it onto your salad. Perfect for a fresh summer salad! It's available next to the salad section, because it has to be refrigerated.