Why yes, you can still eat grilled cheese! - Eat this, not that #2

My wife and I were thinking of new dinner ideas, something different from our usually turkey-base.  She mentioned grilled cheese.  I mean, honestly - I don't think I ever would have been smart enough to consider something as delicious as grilled cheese being a healthy meal, but it certainly can be if you want.

THEN
For 2 sandwiches, 4 slices of bread.  For this example, we will say Bunny Bread, whose nutrition facts are available here.  Each slice is 70 calories apiece, making it a grand total for 280 calories for the bread alone.  If you are adventurous like I once was, you put 2 slices of cheese on each sandwich.  American cheese usually being around 70 calories per slice (such as Kraft - click for nutrition), that's 4 slices of cheese equalling an additional 280 calories.  That's 560 calories for 2 grilled cheese sandwiches...BUT WAIT...I almost forgot the third most important part of grilled cheese - BUTTER!  We used Country Crock (click for nutrition) which is a whopping 60 calories PER TABLESPOON!!.  I easily used 2 tablespoons across the 2 sandwiches, if not more - so chalk up an additional 120 calories.  That's a total of 680 calories for the 2 sandwiches alone.  Being honest with myself, I ate probably 2 helpings of chips (such as Lay's Sour Cream & Onion) - that's an additional 320 calories (160 calories per serving, which is usually about 16 chips - and I'm probably lying to you if I say I only hate 16 chips per serving).  This all makes for a 1,000 calorie dinner.

NOW
Thankfully, I decided to start taking care of myself.  I can now eat 2 grilled cheese sandwiches and portion my chips to get that meal under 500 calories!

First, use an alternative bread.  Don't buy the absolute rock bottom cheapest - spend the extra 30 cents and get something like WonderBread's Smart White (or Wheat, or whatever you prefer) for only 50 calories apiece - a 20 calorie per slice savings.  Or, try out the bread that's on my next must-try list - Healthy Life Original White Bread at ONLY 35 calories per slice!  Wow!  That's double the bread for half the calories over the above mentioned Bunny Bread white (not to pick on Bunny - its not any worse than any other regular white bread).  So, let's say you are using Healthy Life's at 35 calories apiece - that's 4 slices of bread for only 140 calories!  Then, and yes I know, cheeseheads, only use 1 slice of cheese - that's a 140 calorie savings between the 2 sandwiches.  70 x 2 rather than 70(2) x 2.  So far you've only used 280 calories.  Another major saving of calories is replacing that calorie-filled butter with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray - it tastes great, tastes like butter, and it has 0 calories!  Then, go ahead and treat yourself to a single serving of chips - whether it's just 16 greasy chips, 16 baked Pringles (they have some really awesome flavors now - such as Blazin' Buffalo, Ragin' Cajun, Hot Ranch, etc) for only 150 calories, or some steamed vegetables (my personal favorie - Bird's Eye vegetables in cheese sauce).  My personal favorite is Pringles, making this meal of 2 grilled cheese and a serving of Pringles only 430 calories!

CONCLUSION!
Again, just by making some simple changes that your kids and family won't even notice just saved you 570 calories.  That's pretty amazing!  In my past of eating 2-4,000 calorie days, I would have just slopped it all together and had a disgusting unhealthy meal.  Now I'm eating the same food with the same delicious factor for less than half the calories I used to eat.  Happy eating!


eatthisnotthat

Eat this, not that number 1 - Turkey Bratwursts/Hot Dogs vs. beef Bratwursts/pork Hot Dogs

I had just gotten the results of my blood test that again showed high cholesterol and again warned me that I was at risk of heart disease in the future.  Being only 26, it startled me, but considering it had happened the year before and I made no changes, it shouldn't have - and it didn't surprise me.  I was in the store, and if this shows you how little I know about eating healthy, I called up my sister who is a Physician's Assistant and sees people like me all the time.  "Eat more lean meats" she says.  My response - "What do you mean by lean meats?"  "You know, turkey, chicken...less beef and pork."  Voila.  Here I am today.  I started actually comparing the foods I was eating and was astounded at the differences that can be made just by making some wise decisions in the grocery store - you know, like...actually looking at the calorie content of the food.  I had been buying store-brand brats at my local Shop N Save grocery store.  I switched to Jennie-O turkey brats and it was a no-brainer.  Yes, they cost more - but I'll be eating less, so it makes up the difference.

Bratwursts
I had been eating these store brand pork brats that were an amazing 290 calories per link and switched to Jennie-O brats, nearly the same size (a little smaller than regular brats after cooking, but an amazing 170 calories.  That's a 120 calorie saving!



Couple this with 80 calorie Healthy Life Bread compared to standard (typical) 110 calorie buns, and you have an awesome saving of 150 calories per brat!

I also found that you can buy some sauerkraut that is 5 calories for 2 tbsp, while others have 0 calories! 

THEN
So, my old meal would have been 2 pork brats on bun (760 calories) and 2 hefty helpings of chips (320 calories - I'm being generous to myself by calling this only 320 calories).  That's a total meal of 1,080 calories - almost what I'm taking in per day now that I am in weight-loss mode (1510). 

NOW
My new meal would be a single turkey brat on bun (250 calories) and a portion-controlled helping of Pringles (baked, 150 calories for 16 "crisps"), or vegetables (steamed vegetables in bag - like Bird's Eye brand or Green Giant) at about 130 calories (if I ate almost the whole bag) - for a total of about 400 calories.  Yes, that's a 600 calories saved in a single meal.  600 calories that can be saved for a snack, or even another brat if I feel like it. 

Hot Dogs
Basically, same story for hot dogs.  I was getting uppity about my hot dogs, so I started buying Oscar Meyer.  More expensive than the store brand, but also a lot more delicious.  I bought some Jennie-O turkey dogs and again was amazed by the difference.  Oscar Meyer hot dogs contained 140 calories apiece, Jennie-O turkey dogs?  70.  Yes, 70 calories in a hot dog.  That means my old hot dog on a bun was 250 calories, and I dropped it down to 150 - 100 calories, took little to no hit on taste, and had that big of a savings.

THEN
Again, 2 hot dogs with bun (500 calories) and 2 helpings of chips (320 calories - again being generous to myself) - for a grand total of 820 calories.

NOW
Now, 2 turkey hot dogs with bun (300 calories), and 1 helping of Pringles (16 crisps = 150 calories) for a total of 450 calories.  That's a savings of 370 calories.


So, it's quite simple - I found delicious alternatives that if I had discovered 10 years ago, I probably wouldn't have to be so anal about what I eat today....in other words, I wouldn't have gotten as big as I had gotten.  Give Jennie-O (or any other brand, for that matter) a shot - you won't regret it, and your body will love you for it.

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eatthisnotthat