A Few More of my Favorite Things

I love it when I discover (or rediscover) a new little gem that not only tastes good but also is good for me. Here are a few things I'm adoring right now:

1. Canned sardines. Who'da thunk it? I know it sounds weird, but if you like fish, these are a great way to eat them. No sugar, no carbs and only 180 mg of sodium per serving, they're economical, tasty and a great source of protein and fish oils. Try a few on top of a green salad or tucked into a pita or tortilla with veggies. Mmmmm.

2. Ken's Lite Accents Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette salad spray. Plenty of flavor and at 1 calorie per spray, you can spray to your heart's content. Much less messy than typical bottled dressing, too, especially for those at-your-desk lunches.

3. Oroweat Sandwich Thins, Multi-Grain Flavor. Try them toasted with just a little jam and/or butter or trans-fat-free margarine. They're only 100 calories and 1g of fat, but they have 5g of fiber! Of course, they're great instead of bread or hamburger buns on a sandwich or burger. But you already knew that.

4. Apples. Especially this time of year, just walk into the produce dept. and you'll find so many different types of apples it would take weeks to sample them all! There's simply no other fruit or veggie that offers this much variety. Try them sliced onto a sandwich, diced into a salad or as a snack with walnuts and honey (or as I like to call it: Rosh Hashanah style).

5. Canned beans. Great Northern, kidney, black, pinto, garbanzo, black-eyed peas--the list goes on and on. So versatile and easy to cook with, not to mention cheap, canned beans are a phenomenal source of protein and fiber. Plus, they fill you up and will wait patiently on your pantry shelf for months or until you're ready to use them. Drain and rinse well to reduce the sodium content and you're good to go.