Must haves:
SF Jello
Fat Free Cool Whip
SF Raspberry preserves
SF Choc Syrup
Pickles
Hmmmm.....those are a few....'
What are your must haves??

Pickles? Hmmmm...I've been staying away from them because of the sodium. I just love pickles.
Must have the SF Jello and SF Cool Whip too. Love my broccoli...I eat tons of it.

Pickles? Hmmmm...I've been staying away from them because of the sodium. I just love pickles.
Must have the SF Jello and SF Cool Whip too. Love my broccoli...I eat tons of it.

Tomatoes - love them in the summer
Homemade salsa - I put it on a lot of stuff, it you use tomatillas in it it is really thick.

I'm one of those people who prefers salty or sweet, bizarre - I know!
So, my favorite free foods don't include the sweet freebies. In fact, the majority of my snacks are the bruschetta chips and/or popcorn.
I buy fresh veggies at the store right next to my JC center every week and right when I get home I clean, cut and package ziploc bags with cherry tomatoes,carrots, celery, cucumber spears, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Cucumber spears with a squirt of lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt - delicious! If I have purchased a lot of vegetables, which I have done the past two weeks in a row, I will throw them in a pot and make vegetable soup for the week. I put them in individual containers and on days when I think I need more to eat (Tuna/Chicken salad kits, baked potato) - I bring that along for lunch.
Having these ready to go really helps me avoid mindless eating. Last weekend I took a bag of carrots with me to the mall and was happy eating those instead of my previous choices- buttered popcorn or french fries!
I too, love pickles. I don't have elevated blood pressure or water retention problems, so I don't have issue with eating 1 or 2 spears when I feel like it.
Mt. Olive makes travel packs of dill pickles - I throw a pack into my lunch once a week. http://www.mtolivepickles.com/ProductLine/ProductNews.html

Roasted brussel sprouts and roasted asparagus. Yummy and very low in calories.

I used to really like eating chips and salsa.
What I do now is slice up a cucumber and put a little salt on the slices and tip them into the salsa instead of chips.
It's a good free side when having the Southwestern Buritto or Chicken with Rice and Beans.

Well I like many that have already been mentioned here. Some of my other favorites are:
Veggie soup
V8

For my limited free foods, gotta have my FF french vanilla Coffeemate in my coffee every morning. Occasionally, FF sour cream on my fajitas, and occasionally some FF coolwhip on some sliced strawberries.
for the unlimited free foods, usually strawberries or fresh veggies - carrots, snap peas, grape tomatoes.

Cauliflower bits and carrot sticks, tossed in light balsamic vinaigrette (25 cal tbsp) and then oven roasted - yum!
for fruit - watermelon is so sweet and filling!

I love grilling onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms,with non-stick pam, I put these on the pizza, turkey burger, and I mix these in with the fettichini.
I sometimes use kraft fat free cheese when I am craving cheese, I know this isn't part of the freebies but it is a better choice than I used to make.

Pickles, diet soda (bubbles fill me up), Crystal Light, SF RediWhip, and roasted red peppers (they come in a jar and are packed in water).

The only free ones I do is extra veggies. I don't like anything that is SF, so I avoid all of those.
I do like the unlimited ones and I ussually use a couple of those, which are ff whip cream, ff sour cream, ff salad dressings, and ff croutons.

I discoverd a great Salsa from Super G markets. I make a salad at least once a day and put the salsa on it, instead of any salad dressing. The other things I can't do without are mushrooms and cucumbers. When I feel like munching on something in the evening, I head for the sliced mushrooms or even an entire cucumber. During the summer grape tomatoes are a favorite snack of mine too.

I just posted this in another thread, so if you're reading it again, sorry! I buy the most delicious sugar-free syrup, the brand is DaVinci, I get mine at Sam's. It comes in many flavors--vanilla, hazelnut, raspberry, chocolate, kahlua--and has zero calories. I make a big jug of iced coffee in the morning that I sip on all day, and it tastes to me just like the non-fat iced lattes I used to get at Starbucks. Here's how I make mine:
5 cups brewed coffee (I know, kinda alot, about the same as a Dunkin Donut's large coffee, but like I said, I sip it all day)
1 cup vanilla Silk or nonfat milk
6 Tbsp. sugar-free syrup (whichever flavor sings to me)
and then I fill the rest of a 1/2 gallon pitcher up with ice. I don't always drink the WHOLE thing (but usually I do, lol) but I don't feel guilty or anything, its one milk, very satisfying, and the same amount of actual coffee that I used to drink.
Cheers, ladies! (toasting you with my jug of iced coffee)

sugar snap peas and carrots
zucchini!
salsa
ff cool whip
crystal light
frozen berries
this isn't free, but I like Wasa bread with sf jam

celery sticks
carrot sticks
-red pepper slices
-pickles (thanks for the link to the pickles to go!! I must find those!!)
-Progresso Light soup (0 points on WW, not sure if it is free on JC but I have it sometimes and consider it free, or close to it! 60 cals per serving, 4 g fiber)
-crystal light in my bottled water for a change-up
-Nice, hot cup of tea
-sugarless gum to keep my mouth busy!

Two questions for the group:
1) How do you roast veggies without using some kind of oil and therefore, not being a "Free" food anymore?
2) How do you keep from eating the whole can of FF Rediwhip?

Sugar Free Gum is a MUST
Sugar Free juice popsicles (30 cal)limited
WATERMELLON

SF jello! Crystal light, carrots (steamed or raw), celery, bell peppers, Diet soda...mostly Dr. pepper.
I really like substituting diet sprite (or other lemon lime soda) in the jello, for the cold water. (it's on the box).
I also make my own Vegtable soup, which is all free:
A can of FF, LS chicken broth, or some boullion, and add in any and all of your favorite veggies. ( I put carrots, celery, green onions, white onions, red, green, orange and yellow bell peppers, garlic and whatever else I have around.)
It's great when it's cold outside!

quote:

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Originally posted by HeatherNG:
Two questions for the group:
1) How do you roast veggies without using some kind of oil and therefore, not being a "Free" food anymore?
2) How do you keep from eating the whole can of FF Rediwhip?

---

The current issue of Fine Cooking has an article on roasting vegetables. I tried it and it was easy and delicious. Instead of using oil, i used olive oil spray. You do not need that much and i can't tell the difference.

quote:
Originally posted by HeatherNG:
Two questions for the group:
1) How do you roast veggies without using some kind of oil and therefore, not being a "Free" food anymore?
>>>I also use the olive oil Pam spray. It tends to get a little dry towards the end so I add about 1/4 cup water and finish it up. It actually tastes great.
2) How do you keep from eating the whole can of FF Rediwhip?
>>>Danger! Danger! Danger! This is a pesky thing to control. I try to limit it to only once or twice per week.

My favorite "limited" foods:
grated parmasean cheese
light mayo (chicken sandwich)
light sour cream (Mexican foods)
mixture of FF & light cheddar cheese (Mexican foods)
Swanson canned chicken (When I get to add a meat serving I use those tiny cans and saute with veggies for my pizzas.)
I've been getting Mexican foods only once or twice a month to help control the cheese and sour cream. I love the chicken sandwiches and eat those 3 times a week.
Re: chicken sandwich - I've discovered if you microwave them for 90 seconds, then brown in a skillet with Pam spray, they are excellent, plus it doesn't take as long to cook them. I let the bun thaw while I fix it; sometimes I have to put bun in toaster. When I baked it in the oven it took soooo long. Now it tastes like a restaurant quality food.

Once again, can someone describe how to roast veggies? I understand the olive oil or pam spray and I assume put on a baking sheet and then what? How long in the oven and at what temperature. How long do these last in the fridge? Thanks a bunch.

watermelon is the best also cucumbers. i buy creamy cucumber no fat dressing and mix it with the cucumbers mmm good!

Got one I haven't seen...
Every veggie you can imagine, or whatever you like...ie mine: has Broccoli, Bell Pepper and Red Bell, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, onion. Put all in crock pot or in large pot like a soup or stew and add tomato sauce and tomato paste, I also added in Rotel (tomatoes/onions and peppers, like a salsa) Check your tomato sauce some have added corn syrup, and don't use spaghetti sauce, again, has hi-fructose corn syrup. Cook until veg are all to taste, this iis great mixed w/ any of our italian foods (first night I made it w/ our JC tortellini, and I gave my husband this over Barilla Plus Angelhair pasta w/ a shakenbake parmesan chicken breast, we both had a good dinner...) Or, it is good reheated by itself, very hearty, and there is no sin here, free!! Of course, you can save a cheese serving and put parmesan on it too...

Great suggestions everyone. Love the veggie soup idea for the winter, I'm a big soup lover! Thanks all.

My favorite free food snack is
sliced baby cucumbers sprinkled with fresh black pepper & a tablespoon of rice vinegar.

I found this calorie free, sugar free (sweetened with spenda) marshmellow dip for fruit! Mmmmmmm... It is the best with Granny Smith apples. The sweet of the marshmellow and the tart of the apple are a GREAT combination!
This has become my new favorite thing to have with my afternoon fruit snack. AND my kids love it! What a great way to get them eating healthier too! My 4 year old son actually eats all of his apple now!

cntrygrl
you sparked my interest..what the name of the marshmallow dip? and who makes it?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE slicing a granny smitth apple and tossing it in Cinnamon and FF Cool Whip!

I know the Apple counts as my 1 Fruit, and the FF Cool Whip is a LIMITED, not FREE item, but soooo worth it!!

I know this is an old post...but I'm just reading if for the first time...

What a great idea! I could stick a cucumber in my purse...and when we go to a Mexican restaurant after church, I could slice it up and eat that with salsa while everyone pigs out on chips!!

Thanks for a great idea!!