What low cal meal/snack makes you feel like you're cheating
 

I know this is a dangerous question because some items are "triggers" for us and can lead to over eating, but what low cal snack/meal is so good it makes you feel like you're cheating?

Spaghetti squash, tossed with browned super lean ground beef and spaghetti sauce, baked in a casserole with reduced fat cheddar cheese on top.

It's like decadent baked spaghetti, but totally healthy, high fiber, and delicious.

I just bought a spaghetti squash today with the intention of doing something like that!

For me, right now, I'm loving the Lean Cuisine Bacon Alfredo Pizza. It's so good!

I've never had spaghetti squash....would you mind posting your recipe? I'd love to give it a try! :)

I'm a horrible cook, so disregard this if you're smart. ;) I think you just cut it in half and bake it (or you can microwave it if you prefer faster, but not quite as healthy probably) and then, when it cools a bit, you take a fork and fork out the insides and you get these strings that look like spaghetti. :)

Yep - cut in half, scoop out the seeds, bake at 375 for about an hour until really tender, then cool and fork it into strands.

Then it's the easiest thing - brown a lb of lean ground beef with an onion and a clove of garlic, plus salt, pepper, and herbs if you have them - add 2 cups of bottled marinara, heat and toss with the squash strands. Pour into an oven-safe dish, top with cheese (I said cheddar earlier but meant mozzarella), and bake at 375 for 45 min until the cheese is brown and bubbly. I get 4 servings from this...big servings!

wow, that sounds amazing! i am going to the grocery store tomorrow and am definately going to give this recipe a try, thanks!

Eating an entire pint of Arctic Zero Ice cream!

I also love eggplant with tomato sauce and parmasean.

Stuffed Chicken Recipe- (it's super-easy, I don't do complicated)

One 3oz chicken breast (apprx. 110 cal/3 points)
2T California Sun-Dry brand julienne cut sundried tomatoes w/ herbs (45 cal/1 point)
1T President brand fat free feta cheese (40 cal/1 point)
5 large kalamata olives, pitted (45 cal/1 point)
Garlic powder [optional] (calories not listed, sorry)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut olives into 3 or 4 smaller pieces. Crumble feta cheese. Cut a pocket into the side of the chicken and stuff the tomatoes, olives and feta inside. Pull the pocket closed the best you can, it will probably gape some. Sprinkle some garlic powder on top if you like. Place chicken on a non-stick cooking sheet and bake for 18-20 min.
Double as needed for multiple people/servings
* 240 Calories/6 WW points per serving

I usually serve this with green veggies such as snap peas or broccoli to avoid adding points to the meal.

I wish we had that here. I've heard it's the best!

I want Arctic Zero SO much :(. Since we don't have it on the East Coast yet, I make do with organic lemon sorbet from Trader Joe's... decadent and not bad, calorie-wise, either.

I love, LOVE boxes of dried seaweed (nori) from the Asian grocery. They're 38 calories each and definitely satisfy the salty-greasy craving. The portions are actually pretty big for the tiny calorie count! And I love sushi, so that's what they remind me of.

For breakfast, my favorite treat is this amazing organic whole wheat buttermilk pancake mix...cook that up with an egg and some water, make delicious pancakes, top with sugar free syrup, and serve with Aidells chicken apple mini-sausages. The whole thing is 240 calories of breakfast treat...for pancakes and sausage!!

Mmm..that sounds great Mandalinn..

The Nori sounds good too--I am going to get some of that this weekend.

What do you consider low cal? I love a poached egg on a slice of toast with some delicious variety of shredded cheese on the top with fresh cracked pepper.. OMG Sooo good and satisfying and filling.

Thank you! I'm going to have to try this....I hope my picky boys will eat it!
Are the leftovers just as tasty?

Sugar free jello pudding

A whole grapefruit... I looove grapefruit, and as a kid I was only ever allowed half of one, so eating the whole thing feels like an indulgence. :D That's my favorite evening snack lately.

Coffee with half a packet of low-cal hot cocoa mixed in. For a real treat, throw in a peppermint hard candy (like one of those Starlight mints).

Lowfat yogurt with a little maple syrup mixed in. Probably my favorite food ever. I guess it's not especially low in calories.. but it is healthy.

mbn! i agree with you completly! that is also my FAVVVorite! i reward myself everynight with it! its only 60 calories but i feel like its 300!

I love Jello pudding, too. The sf/ff kind you cook is much, much better than the instant, imo. I eat it hot sometimes, for a lo-cal comfort food.

Amanda - I am going to try your spaghetti squash casserole recipe. I love the stuff, but have never baked it, and this recipe is mouth-watering!

I like to slice a sweet potato into chip size and with put a little EVOO on a cookie sheet and bake them for about 25 minutes. They are so sweet and crispy I still have to remind myself that they are healthy.

I only do this every once in a while but this is seriously like having the greatest desert off of any menu.

1 banana (Make sure to save cals for it because they are high cal)
honey
vanilla frozen yogurt or reg vanilla yogurt

Split banana and drizzle honey over banana. Bake @ 350 for 20 min till the bananas look caramelized. Take out and use one small scoop of frozen yogurt.

OMG I would take it over real ice cream and chocolate!

I would like to add that I made Amanda's spaghetti squash dish today for lunch and it was AMAZING! I used lean beef, reg spaghetti sauce and 2% mozerella cheese and it came to apprx 362 cal/serving (4 large servings!) I'm pretty sure my son (14 months) who loves spaghetti will eat this up and not be able to tell the difference! Thank you Amanda!

Yay! Always glad when someone tries a recipe I post and likes it!

This post has been making me crave spaghetti squash ever since I read it, and I just enjoyed a big heaping bowlful with sauce with lean ground beef. YUM!! Didn't do the cheese but didn't really miss it. Plus was trying to stay in range after a brunch this morning. I may throw some 2% mozz on it when I have it tomorrow.

This sounds gross but I like it--I add wheat bran to the Jello Sugar Free Pudding. It adds fiber and makes you slow down as you eat it, as well as creating a more full feeling. I usually add 50 grams wheat bran per 2 cups of milk when I make it. It adds 100 calories and over 20 grams of fiber.

Yogurt parfait - 1 container of yogurt (i use honey almond from target), pie filling (sugar free) and granola
I put half of the yogurt in a glass, 1 large tablespoon of pie filling, rest of the yogurt and top with granola.
It has about 250 calories, depending on how much granola you put on it.
I have a large family so we sometimes get the large vanilla yogurt and have these for dessert.

I love sugar free pudding also! I put some fat free cool whip on mine. Yum! I also like California roll sushi. Where I go it's about 210 calories for the serving they give you. Or Subway salads... they are HUGE and the one I make is also about 210-215 calories.

Quick question... where do you live that has Artic Zero ice cream? I have never heard of it before. My husband loves ice cream so something low cal would be great!

My favorite snack has to be a cup of frozen raspberries mixed with a fat free source yogurt, any flavor. The whole bowl is about 105 calories. It's filling, has fiber and you can't eat it too fast because it is so cold. I mix the yogurt with the frozen berries and let it sit for ten minutes. The berries actually freeze the yogurt and make it an ice cream consistency.

I also love a microwaved sweet potato with a tsp of light Becel spread, cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt and Splenda

I have to try that spaghetti squash recipe too ;)

Beachbabe, we get our Arctic Zero at a market in California. If you google the company, you can search it in your area. I will tell you something: I think it is absolutely disgusting! ;) My husband, on the other hand, thinks it's great. He puts it in the microwave for a few seconds and he loves the way it tastes. I would rather eat trash. ;)

I really like the new Jell-o mousse cups. They only have 60 calories but really satisfy my chocolate cravings. I haven't tried the caramel ones yet, though.

~Sushi (w/o mayo or any weird stuff like that)
~ Smoked salmon with a piece of spreadable light baby bell cheese on wasa crackers (OMG tastes just like lox and bagels)
~A serving of popchips
~Using shirataki noodles as pasta with a regular sauce