We have lots of new folks with us lately. So, I thought it might be a good time for folks to mention the foods that help you stay on your plan. I think we did this a while back...I learned about Laughing Cow Cheese, Kashi cereal, Kashi Waffles and many others.

Join in...you just might help a friend.

For me: (in measured amounts)

almond butter
natural peanut butter
ff cottage cheese
2% cheeses
veggie burgers
I Can't Beleive it's Not Butter Spray
bananas and loads of fresh fruit
sweet potatoes
Marzetti lite blue cheese dressing - a great veggie dip
veggies like - squash, spaghetti sqash, green beans, beets, mushrooms and more
greek yogurt
Ak Mak Crackers
turkey Italian sausage, turkey burgers, turkey polish sausage
Morningstar Bacon (soy)
SF syrup
egg whites - scrambled with ketchup or veggies or cheese, hard boiled made into egg salad
tuna, salmon
oatmeal
Kashi Waffles
brown rice.
low fat ricotta cheese
beans/legumes

I know I'll think of more and add them as I think of them.

Veggies, veggies, and more veggies.
beans
eggs
salsa, canned tomatoes, and NSA spaghetti sauce
lean protein (chicken breast, turkey, fish, pork loin)
Turkey bacon or sausage
lowfat or nonfat dairy, esp. cottage cheese, yogurt (Greek is the best), milk
whole grains - quinoa, oatmeal, ww couscous, brown rice, ww pasta
Reduced fat triscuits
nuts and nut butters in limited amounts
Agave nectar
NSA fudgesicles
All the great recipes I find on 3fc!

Schmoodle - what do you do with quinoa?

Beverly, are you familiar with it at all? It is a yummy high protein whole grain, and I use it anywhere I might use couscous or rice. It makes a great pilaf.

+ Green beans. That sounds so lame! But they really beef up my meals for practically no calories, and that helps keep me full.
+ At my Kroger they carry store brand bags of frozen tri-colored peppers and onions chopped up. It's part of a 'recipe beginnings' selection. It makes my life SO MUCH EASIER. Just toss some in a pan, thaw them, toss in some egg substitute, a little cheese, top with salsa, perfect breakfast.
+ Another breakfast I finally tried after reading about here and loved is oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a little honey. It's really rich and delicious for less than 300 calories, and it sticks with you for ages.
+ Ground turkey: so versatile!
+ humanely raised, hormone-free meat -- this is really important to me, and I'm lucky to be able to get it from a local farmer at the farmer's market

Schmoodle...I am going to check it out. I love brown rice. DH, well - he can be a food woosy. If his mother never made it -he's not eager to try something new. Oy!

Just don't tell him. The first time my kids ate it, they thought it was couscous or weird looking rice. But it doesn't have a strong or strange taste, so they liked it and now eat it willingly. DH loves it. Put it in something familiar like a casserole (stuffed cabbage?), and he won't even know until you tell him.

A lot of the food already named, plus

Red, Orange, Yellow Bell Peppers
Sugar Snap/Snow peas
Blueberries, raspberries (stir them into unsweetened oatmeal)
Cinammon sprinkled on apple slices
Ready to eat bagged or boxed romaine based salad greens
Radishes
Not a food, but a method of preparation - roasting fresh vegetables
Balsamic vinegar (tasty as a marinade for boneless skinless chicken breasts, combine with extra virgin olive oil for salad dressing)
Canned Black beans
Canned Fat free refried beans (just beans, water and seasonings)
Low fat cheeses (can't tolerate fat free cheese)

Almost everything I eat has been mentioned... except..

Organic grapes, kept in the fridge, so that they are a little crunchy.. soo good!
My breakfast smoothie - it's 5 servings of fruits and veggies! I try to aim for 10 servings a day.

My secret weapon is my boyfriend, he's SUCH a good cook, he can make anything taste yummy!

-Aimee

I agree, a lot of the staples have been mentioned yay!

My BIGGEST "can't live without it" food is Cottage Cheese. I never ever get sick of it and just sticking with it for breakfast, along with a small piece of fruit and a Kashi bar - I completely believe it's kept me off the "snacking at night" wagon -- even now, I'm kind of in a holding pattern for summer. I haven't gained an ounce (yay!) and I know it's because I haven't returned to the "hey it's 10:30 at night let's shove a bag of doritos into my face...and then some cupcakes!" mentality!

yay cottage cheese!

I like convenience and no brainer meals! For me are those single serve packages of frozen fish, single serve pouches of tuna, egg beaters, my protein shakes and those bags of veggies that steam in the microwave. Frozen berries and fruits. I also love those La Tortilla Factory tortillas for a quick wrap.

I've found that my previously neglected freezer is a godsend. I either had too much going to waste when I first started or found myself running to the grocery store endlessly, the freezer helps so much and cuts down on shopping trips. It makes my meals so easy, especially since my son and hubby don't usually eat what I do (although we all sit down to dinner together).

Another tip not directly related to what foods is where to store them. I keep my own separate cabinet for my goods. No need to look in the other cabinets where there's likely something junky.

I also like full fat things to spice my otherwise low calorie food up. I don't think I could exist on super low cal, low fat foods without a little yum added and it hasn't effected my loss at all. I love rich cheeses, yummy dressings (like the to die for Goddess Dressing by Annie's Natural which has so much tahini your mouth will pucker), nuts of all kinds - particularly macadamia and walnuts, and avocados.

Cupboard staples

- organic hemp/flax granola
- Zone or Balance bars
- soy crisps
- whole grain crackers
- rolled oats
- tuna
- brown rice
- protein pasta (like Barilla)
- honey
- olive oil
- TVP
- cashews

Fridge:
- strawberries
- blueberries
- Fage greek yogurt
- some type of hard cheese
- Flatout wraps
- eggs
- cottage cheese
- frozen veggies (broccoli florets in particular)
- Morningstar Grillers

My foods:
-- 94% fat free microwave popcorn (I buy a box of 48 bags of them at CostCo). I put garlic & parmesean cheese on it. Or chipotle chili powder and Splenda. Or Tobasco sauce (then it's like buffalo wings which I love)
-- water
-- ak mak crackers (five to a serving!)
-- WW vegatable soup
-- hot tea
-- salmon

Luna Bars
frozen fruit