Delightfully Sweet, Fruity, Chewy Goodness!

That describes Trader Joe's Unsweetened and Unsulfured Dried Pineapple Rings perfectly!

These are a wonderful TREAT of a snack!

Chewy TAFFY-like texture,

WHOLESOME and rich fruity taste, 

Sweet SMELL that wafts from the bag!

Eating a ring really reminds me of chewing up a piece of taffy!

Only without the yucky taste in my mouth and feel in my belly afterward!

Trader Joe's Dried Pineapple Rings

Trader Joe's also sells frozen pineapple - YUM! and many other delicious things!

Calorie per calorie, there is twice the fiber in dried fruit compared to canned.

Looking for ways to eat this fruit?  Try homemade Popsicles or No-Bake Carrot Cake!

COMMENTS:  Did you eat Laffy Taffy as a kid?  What was your favorite flavor?  Have a new years resolution to share?  How is it going?

Love at First Bite -- in a Box!

A CONVENIENT meal in a box that is QUITE healthy!

Do you enjoy Indian food?  If you haven't ever tried it, then you can't say no!

Yum!  I had it for the first time in my life, after college, on my first date with my hubby!  I have been head over heals ever since!  With my husband too!  Indian food has amazing flavors!

This lovely image came from Kitchens of India.

This cuisine is so packed with flavor that you will never miss the meat (see why this is good!) in a delicious Indian meal!  Note, while vegetarian eating is common in Indian society, they also make dishes that contain meat, especially poultry.

These are 2 awesome products / companies:

Kitchens of India and Trader Joe's Indian Fare!

Kitchens of India promises all products contain NO Preservatives!  

And here is the Trader Joe's Label Promise:

Click to ENLARGE

No artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, MSG, 

genetically modified ingredients, or artificial trans fats!

These dishes are Palak Paneer (a delicious spinach sauce with large cubes of cottage cheese...which we now don't eat) and Punjab Eggplant (we were on an EGGPLANT kick this week: we also grilled eggplant with other veggies another day and made Easy Eggplant Parm yesterday!).

There are many other Kitchens of India dishes and sauces available from www.amazon.com at a fraction of the cost found locally.

Trader Joe's is known for offering so many great deals, and their Indian fare is just another example!

Now, why are these packaged items so great?

Click on the image below to view the ingredients in each product!

The large print for the ingredients is a good sign, and check them out: veggies and spices mostly!

The spices are are a bonus because Indian spices are often costly.

The SPINACH dish contains ginger and cashews!

The EGGPLANT dish contains TURMERIC, among other awesome ingredients :)

BE SURE to watch for animal products close to be the beginning of the list like butter and cream!

See why in FREE YOURSELF FROM THESE FATS!

Click here for some FOOD LABELS tips!

The Kitchens of India products are made in India! While I've never been to India, the Trader Joe's dishes taste impressively authentic, according to my experience dining out and eating home cooking of Indian friends!

Traditional Indian cuisine uses mostly long grain white rice, but we still with BROWN RICE! Check out the benefits of WHOLE WHEAT ... similar to brown rice.

Since these packages take just a few minutes to warm up -- as easy as making a can of soup -- on the stove or in the microwave. FIRST, make some BROWN RICE (cooks for about 30 min)!  While you can't eat this meal in five minutes, it takes maybe 90 seconds of "actual effort"!

Or check out Grains Galore to try another substitution for white rice!

COMING SOON: healthy chai tea, simmering sauces, other Trader Joe's favorites, and brown rice benefits.

Snack Attack -- Stop Sweet and Salty Cravings!

Sweet and salty cravings stop here!
Try a bowl full of these pineapple tidbits from Trader Joe's!



Check out the HUGE calorie difference that comes from the SYRUP in canned pineapple, compared to these delicious frozen pineapple tidbits from Trader Joe's!

Added syrup provides nearly 30 extra grams of sugar per cup!

Click to enlarge!

Click HERE for more on FOOD LABELS!

THESE "corn nuts" are AWESOME!

Tin Man Jumbo Corn Snacks Original Flavor (purchased from Costco)

The impressive stats to compare below are:
120 kcal, 3g fiber, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, and 70g sodium!

These taste similar, but WAY better than Fritos or even Corn Nuts!
Tin Man Corn Snacks taste and appear similar to Corn Nuts,
AND have that WAY better nutrition profile!

Check out calories, sodium, and fiber especially!

 COMMENTS: have you tried Tin Man Corn Snacks?  Any other tasty treats to share?

3-Ingredient Super-Shake!

3-Ingredient Super-Shake

1 c almond milk (substitute non-dairy kefir* or other non-dairy milk)
¼ c chia seeds (read about healthy fat!)
1 c berries
Optional: 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa (click here for more chocolate and berry treats!)
Blend and enjoy! *I haven't ever made my own non-dairy kefir, but here is a link if you want to try!

KEFIR is awesome! It has lots of vitamins, minerals, and protein! The best part-- it's loaded with HEALTHY BACTERIA! Have you heard of the health benefits of yogurt? Immunity, digestive, vaginal, and bladder health, and much more -- read here! Well, kefir can provide “yogurt benefits” much more POTENTLY, since it contains many different cultures, while some yogurts only offer one!

CHIA seeds are awesome! Jam-packed with nutrients and used for 1000s of years as a sports and energy staple! The coolest nutrition it provides is omega-3 fat: the thing that is so great about FISH, AND a nutrient in which 98% of the American population is deficient!   The seeds are teeny tiny, super cute, and you can add them to just about any food! This of course could be a whole other post too, but for now, just read this great article if you want to know more about chia! And/or read this book: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen by Christopher McGougall.

BERRIES are awesome! Full of ANTIOXIDANTS (a bit more here under #3), vitamins, sweetness, and flavor! You’ve probably heard all about them. They help your brain keep working well, and keep the cancer away! You can get them frozen and organic at Costco, for a fraction of the cost at another grocer, and frozen makes this drink really like a dessert! You can even eat it with a spoon if you eat quickly!
 

 

 

The finished product!

A very happy and satisfied taster!

 

TELL ME IN A COMMENT! Do you make smoothies? Do you add sugar/honey/juice? Have you tried skipping those sweeteners? What is your favorite flavor? What about adding veggies? Other powders, flax, wheat bran, powdered milk? Nuts/nut butters?