My must have "on hand" items.

Laughing Cow Cheese: At 35 calories per wedge, it's a great addition to lots of snacks and food items. It comes in various flavors. My favorites are the sun-dried tomato/mozzarella/basil, garlic and herb, and blue cheese. My mom loves the chipotle.

Egg Beaters: 1/4 a cup equals 1 egg. 1/4 a cup is 30 calories, as opposed to 90 calories for a normal egg. I was resistant at first to try these...I was afraid of how they would taste...they are actually really good. You obviously can't have them over easy...but they make great omelets and breakfast sandwiches. They are a little expensive, so I look for them on sale...and they last a long time sealed up, but once you open them you are supposed to use them in 7 days. My brother eats a lot of eggs and he uses 2 whole eggs and then eggs whites to increase quantity but not calories and fat. Give them a try at least once.

Hummus: I always need to do better at eating my veggies, but struggle if I can't dip. Hummus is a low cal way to dip, add flavor and enjoy my veggies. I only eat the roasted red pepper 'cause I just love it. The hummus I have found is only 50 calories for 2 T.

Brummel and Brown yogurt butter: This is a butter/margarine spread made with yogurt. It only has 45 calories per tablespoon, as opposed to 110 for butter. I love the taste and use it for so many things. If a recipe calls for butter (not baking sweets) I use this stuff.

Quick Oats: oatmeal is a tasty and quick breakfast. I typically make 1/4 cup (uncooked) for 73 calories then add 1 tsp of splenda brown sugar (20 calories) and a few tablespoons of skim milk (11 calories). A yummy breakfast for around 100 calories...then I can eat some fruit and be totally satisfied.

Turkey Pepperoni: This may seem like a weird item...but I love these things. 17 pieces is 70 calories. I love to eat these with crackers (wheat thins reduced fat) and a laughing cow. I normally only eat half a serving. This little snack totally satisfies the salty craving and is only 135 calories. Way better then eating 9 chips for 150.

Costco Rotisserie chicken: The Costco chickens are the best. They are the largest of any store and cost the same. I usually buy 2 or 3 and shred them all up, then store them in 2 cup containers in the freezer. I seem to use a lot of recipes that call for "cooked and diced/shredded" chicken and this is the easiest and most tasty way to do it. This chicken is so good on pizza, in soups, in enchiladas...really...anything. It's about 120 calories for 4 ounces (which is a serving size)