

We chewed things... and now we're telling all!   
Smart Ones Anytime Selections, Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla

(1 quesadilla: 220 calories, 7g fat, 620mg sodium, 26g carbs, 5g fiber, <1g sugars, 12g protein = 4 Points)

The new Smart Ones Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla is hitting store shelves right about now. And it should excite calorie-counters who love Mexican food. Why? Because these quesadillas have a lot going for 'em -- they're delicious, filled with cheese, peppers, onions and chicken -- and they're super-convenient. Just take the box from the freezer, slide the quesadilla into its cute little cooking sleeve, and nuke that sucker. In two minutes flat you'll have your snack. We say snack because this quesadilla isn't very large, and in order to turn it into a meal, you'll have to add a cup of soup, some veggies or a salad. But as a quick bite/mini-meal, it's definitely more satisfying than a bar (and lots of bars have as many calories). On the down side, there are TWO of these to a box, and you'll likely be tempted to eat both of them in one sitting (like we were). Do that, and instead of 4 Points, you'll be swallowing 9 (no, not 8). HG Tip: These are even better with some salsa and fat-free sour cream. Yum!

Overall Score: 8. We like 'em. Nice job, Smart Ones!

(1 bar: 130 - 140 calories, 4.5 - 6g fat, 40 - 50mg sodium, 16 - 17g carbs, 3g fiber, 10 - 12g sugars, 4g protein = 2 - 3 Points)

SOYJOY Bars have to be, hands down, the most promoted snack bars in bar history. Someone is shelling out HUGE bucks to advertise these things. We've seen ads on busses, commercials on TV -- even full pages in every popular national magazine under the sun. Someone should have taken some of that advertising money and put it back into development and research, because these bars taste absolutely HORRIBLE. We taste bars for a living -- literally -- and have tried at least a dozen new ones in the past year. These are hands down, the worst-tasting ones we've encountered BY FAR (there's not even a close second!). These are so bad we could barely get a bite of each flavor down, and wouldn't even consider finishing an entire bar (we may be hungry, but we're not crazy)! The weird thing is, the stats aren't even that good -- each one contains 130-140 calories and 6g of fat. And they're TINY (not much larger than a Kit Kat stick)! We're not sure what these things have going for 'em. If anyone out there knows, please fill us in. We're stumped!

Overall Score: 2. We predict a short life for these icky, dry bars. If (for some odd reason) you're a fan of SOYJOY, stock up now before it's too late.
No Joy in SOYJOY.
No Joy in SOYJOY.
Pretzel Heaven!
Pretzel Heaven!
The Snack Factory Deli Style Pretzel Crisps, Original

(11 crisps: 110 calories, 0g fat, 330mg sodium, 23g carbs, 1g fiber, 2g sugars, 3g protein = 2 Points)

Pretzels are pretzels, right? WRONG! These pretzel snacks are nothing like regular pretzels. For starters, they're completely FLAT. It's as if a giant tank came and steamrolled over regular pretzel twists. And the result is perfectly-shaped (but completely flat), super-crunchy pretzels. We're not exactly sure why these things taste WAY better than regular pretzels, but they do. And they come in a whole array of snazzy flavors -- the best of which (other than the Original, of course) are Honey Mustard & Onion (mmmmm), and Buffalo Wing (tastes just like chicken wings!). The hook here is supposed to be that because these snacks are flat, they're really more like crackers and can hold various toppings and spreads. But we like to eat these plain (adding ANYTHING distracts you from their deliciousness, so why do it?). The big issue for us is the fact that these come in 6-serving bags -- and you'll want to down all six servings at once. So you may want to check out their new 100-calorie portion-controlled packs. They're only available in Original -- but we recommend those to avoid any calorie snack-tastrophes! Find 'em at select markets.

Overall Score: 9. Boy these are good!!! Just watch those portions...
Johnsonville Turkey Cheddar Sausage

(1 link: 120 calories, 6g fat, 740mg sodium, 4g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugars, 10g protein = 3 Points)

We like sausages, but we don't eat them very often. They're typically high in calories and contain a slew of sodium and bizarre ingredients. We do, however, make exceptions. Johnsonville (a huge sausage brand) recently added turkey sausages to their offerings. And these in particular have something unique going for them. They're smoked and have little pockets of cheddar cheese throughout each link. So when you cut or bite into 'em, yummy cheddar oozes out. How fun is that? The links are pretty large, too (like fat hot dogs!), so you get a lot of sausage for 120 calories. We like to use 'em to make omelettes and scrambles, 'cuz all you need to do is add Egg Beaters to these things and you've got your egg, sausage and cheese! Again, these are pretty high in sodium -- and they contain nitrites. But as a treat every now and then, they're pretty tasty.

Overall Score: 7.5. We're suckers for anything that has cheese oozing out of it!
Tasty, Turkey Fun!
Tasty, Turkey Fun!
Sunday, July 29th, is National Lasagna Day. Get ready to celebrate by stocking up on HG's favorite guilt-free version -- Boca Meatless Chunky Tomato & Herb Lasagna. It ROCKS!!!
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