20 (Moderately) Healthy Foods I Love

I love food way too much to go on a crazy restrictive diet.  Instead, I look for tasty and convenient items that are moderately healthy.  It's all about lots of flavor and quick prep/portability.

Since it's too easy to get into a food rut... which is super boring and causes me to dive into my favorite food groups (cheese and chocolate)... I like to refresh my menu line-up with ideas from family, friends, websites or magazines.

In an effort to share some suggestions (hey, aren't we all attempting to be a little healthier in the new year?), I thought I'd give you all a peek inside my pantry... and fridge and freezer.  Here are twenty of my top "moderately healthy" foods (in no particular order):

1) Del Monte Fruit Naturals - Pineapple or Red Grapefruit

2) Activia Light Yogurt - Vanilla

3) Sabra Hummus - Roasted Pine Nut



4) Lipton Diet Green Tea - Citrus

*A huge favorite of my sisters and mom!

5) Frontera salsa - Corn & Poblano

6) Frank's RedHot sauce

*Great on chicken!

7) Edy's Slow Churned Rich & Creamy ice cream

*Single-serving cartons are 150 calories each!  (Other good treats to satiate a sweet tooth: fat-free Fig Newtons and sugar-free chocolate pudding cups...)

8) MorningStar Farms veggie burgers

*My favorites are the Chik Patties, Spicy Black Bean Burger, and Grillers Prime (despite the photographic evidence, I do not enjoy Grillers Chik'n - accidentally grabbed the wrong box!)

9) Birds Eye Steamfresh packs - broccoli, green beans, peas... even roasted potatoes

*Only takes a few minutes in the microwave

10) Eggo Nutri-Grain waffles

11) Any brand of mini whole-wheat bagels

*I freeze them so they don't go bad before I get a chance to eat them all.

12) Jennie-O Turkey Meatballs

13) Swiss Miss hot chocolate

*For chocolate cravings!

14) Crystal Light Lemonade

15) Reduced Fat Wheat Thins

16) Any brand fiber chewy bars (especially peanut butter flavored ones)

17) Tuna in water

*I like to toss tuna into pasta or mac & cheese with some veggies, or I mix it up with some low-fat mayo on toast with melted cheese for a tuna melt.

18) Uncle Ben's Ready Whole Grain Medley - Santa Fe or Vegetable Harvest

*90 seconds in the microwave (can you tell I like my microwave?)

19) Frosted Mini-Wheats

*Gotta have a little frosting with my shredded wheat!

20) Baked Cheetos

*I can't give up my junk food and I'm not a huge fan of "baked" chips... but these actually taste like the real thing - maybe even better!

What are your favorite "healthy" snacks?  As I continue to strive for balance and moderation, I'd love to incorporate a few new foods into my pantry, fridge or freezer.  Any recommendations?