[scoutycat]

mixing in lentils or finely chopped veggies (like zucchini and carrot) to your rice keeps it lower carb and higher fiber; doesn't really cut calories but makes it more filling for the same volume.

[flippychick]

Spaghetti squash in place of pasta! Mmmmm!

[KantuKat]

These are all wonderful ideas! Thank you all!
My most recent go-to (cuz of the holidays and all) is what I like to call a chocolate candy cane or peppermint patty.

1 scoop pea protein powder (130 cals. 28 grams protein)
10 oz water OR 8 oz skim milk ( zero or 90 calories respectively)
2 packets stevia
1 teaspoon pure cocoa powder (28 calories)
just a tiny drop of peppermint extract

Total calories: with milk 248 calories
without milk 158 calories

This can be depending on your caloric needs that day be either a meal or a treat. I usually have this lil concoction in the late evening as a substitute for a meal. If I close my eyes I swear it tastes just like a peppermint patty!! The minty taste cuts my cravings for anything else and it's a nice way to say nighty night to myself! Yea. Cuz I roll like dat.

[Munchy]

Originally Posted by scoutycat

mixing in lentils or finely chopped veggies (like zucchini and carrot) to your rice keeps it lower carb and higher fiber; doesn't really cut calories but makes it more filling for the same volume.

I do that - usually onion, red pepper, and spinach. It makes it so pretty

[bettyboop56]

Originally Posted by Tai

I can't wait to try this; thanks for sharing! I love yogurt but it's so hard for me to find any with low enough sugar.

Just had to jump in on the low sugar yogurt, try carbmaster yogurt with 4 carbs and 3 sugars I find it at krogers and its cheap compaired to other brands.

[oranges and mangoes]

Yoghurt! decent plain yogurt with fruit saves a ton of calories because it's not flavoured, and gives you loads of vitamins and minerals. Also on treat days, frozen yogurt instead of ice cream... I'm actually converted, think it's better than the ice cream! I really like the taste of yoghurt basically, you can probably tell.

Coffee; this is weird, and possibly just me, but ice coffee (not frappuccino or anything, just coffee poured over ice) taste sweeter to me, so I don't need to add milk/cream or sugar, plus because it's really cold your body has to work to warm it up.

Porridge (oatmeal) made with water. I think it tastes so much better now; you do have to get used to the slight nuttiness though.

Not really calorie saving per se, but soup soup soup! The water content makes me feel full very quickly, and if it's made with mainly vegetables, it's pretty low on calories.

Spices. I have a serious sweet tooth, but if I sprinkle a teeny bit of cinnamon over baked apple or similar, it's like a decent apple crumble but without all the butter and sugar. Mmmmm.

[kymb92]

Recently I've made a swap with my snacks which had quite a surprising outcome..

3 Jacobs crackers with 1 low fat cheese spread - 170cals
3 Ryvita crackers with 1 low fat cheese spread - 77cals

The Ryvita crackers are only 19cals each and bigger than the Jacobs' ones! 1 low fat cheese triangle is 20 cals too

[Jentry07]

Oh wow these are all really awesome ideas, thanks for the suggestions everyone! One of my favorite treats in ranch dip and veggies, yet we all know that ranch dip is high in calories so instead I mix nonfat plain greek yogurt with ranch dip powder and dip my veggies in that. Tastes exactly the same with 1/4 the calories plus more protein! It's great!