Soup Recipe

Boredom is a quick killer of healthy eating habits, but it's hard to find new flavors that tickle the taste buds, remain healthy, and are still easy and convenient.  This is one I found on the internet and did not change enough to call my own, but it was so delicious, I had to share it immediately!

French Chicken Stew

• 4 cups sliced button mushrooms
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 medium carrots, thinly diagonally sliced (or one bag frozen crinkle cut carrots)
• 2 medium red potatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces 
• 1/2 cup fresh green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces (or half a bag of frozen green beans)
• 1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, halved
• 2 cups water
• 2 chicken boullion cubes
• 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca (Minute Tapioca)
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 2 1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce

Directions:
(optional for softer potatoes) Boil potatoes for 10 minutes before cutting into cubes or microwave for 2 minutes.

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients with chicken on top. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 - 10 hours. 

If divided into about 10 1-cup servings: approx 200 calories

If you're not counting calories, it makes a fantastic comfort food with a grilled cheese sandwich and has a lot of delicious vegetables!

Product testing

We bought Dr. Praeger's veggie burgers at Costco because they haven't had Boca Burgers for a while.  Hoping to save a few bucks from buying them at Target, we thought it might be worth a try.  Scott had them once at a work barbecue and thought they were not bad, but without the "atmosphere" he found them a little less tasty.  They taste a bit like egg rolls and are really not bad to taste, but I put cheese on mine and that was definitely a mistake.  I think they would be a great ingredient to something else, but I would not recommend them as a burger substitute as I would with a Boca Burger.  Scott and I are going to try the rest in a few recipes and if we come up with something tasty and low calorie, we'll be sure to fill you in!

Bad Blogger, No Treat...

I haven't been great about updating, I know.  Now that we've figured out a lot of things, there isn't as much to say, even though I never got around to covering all the things I did learn in the beginning.

In the Buy It/Try It category, we just tried Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie Bars in chocolate and peanut butter.  Yum!  A great little snack and when you read the back, you find it really is pretty nutritious (as far as diet bars go)

In the Trick category, if you don't want to spend the money on egg substitute, just buy regular eggs.  Take out two eggs, separate the yolks of one (I hate to waste it, so I would say throw it in your child's/spouse's scrambled eggs, but do they really need the extra calories and cholesterol on a regular basis?  Probably not) and scramble the one yolk with two whites.  It's not exactly the same count as egg substitute, but it will drastically cut your calories and such without losing taste.

In the Recipe category, I think I have already mentioned these things, but I think they deserve re-iterating.

Egg Bake

1/3 cup  egg substitute
1 Morning Star sausage patty
2 white button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350.  Pour egg into pie tin.  Break up sausage patty and spread over egg.  Sprinkle cheese over top, add sliced egg to very top.  Bake 30 minutes (start first thing and bake while you're getting ready for work, for instance.)  Move to top rack and broil for just a couple of minutes to make top golden brown.

We tried the cheese on top, but the best flavor of all was when the cheese was creamy and the mushrooms and sausage were browned.

Pitas

Pitas are my new best friend.  At 100 calories, I can cut it in half.  If you buy the split ones, make your sandwich inside and the bread is just 50 calories.  If not split, cut into quarters and make a sandwich between two quarters.

Pita snack
Preheat over to 350.  Put half a pita on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle LIGHTLY with garlic powder.  (Alternately, if you have time, roast a garlic clove until soft, then spread like butter).  Broil on low for a few minutes until barely golden.

Serve with Tomato Treat

Slice or chop one tomato ind press into a 1 cup ramekin.  Sprinkle with a dash of Cavender's Greek seasoning. Top with 1/4 cup Shreiber (low fat/low calorie, pre-grated) cheese.  Bake at 350 for about 15 - 20 minutes (until cheese starts to brown).  Put pita in for last 8 minutes for a lunch that is very filling and less than 200 calories.

New recipes to lighten to load of my recent and future rambling.

Pasta Salad

Pick your favorite pasta shape. Mine is either gigli or wacky mac for this recipe. Disguise high fiber or whole grain pasta with this delicious recipe. Check calories per serving. Average calorie content for 1/4 cup of this recipe is about 150. (Most serving size of pasta is 2/3 cup around 200 calories, but since pasta salad is more of a side, take less and enjoy!)

Cook 1/2 package pasta until soft. Strain. Rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, mix:
1/4 cup FAT FREE Miracle Whip
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard powder OR 1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 pkg Italian dressing dry mix
2 Tbs Cavendar's Greek seasoning
1/4 c peas
1/4 c mushrooms
1/4 c chopped carrot
1/2 can olives (whole can if you buy pre-sliced)
1/2 yellow bell pepper*
3/4 orange bell pepper*
1/2 chopped tomato
Add other veggies to your desire (celery, chopped cucumber, etc. NEVER use corn) but remember that certain additions add calories. Mix pasta into bowl and chill for about 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Fluff at the last minute. Makes 8-10 servings.

*substitute either bell pepper for red for a bit more bite.

Strawberry Salad

2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Dressing
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup strawberries

Puree strawberries and blend with rice wine vinegar. Toss with spinach and strawberries.

1/2 cup of this salad can be counted as free. Calories per 1/2 cup - about 50 calories.

Tonight's Dinner: Chicken Gnocchi (Dumpling) Soup

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: about 150
Prep time: give yourself 2 hours

1 whole fryer chicken
3 cans chicken broth (low sodium - check for brand with lowest calories)
2 cubes chicken bullion
2 Tablespoons lemon pepper
2 Tablespoons garlic powder (avoid garlic salt!)
3/4 cup carrots
3/4 cup broccoli
3/4 cup celery
3/4 cup peas
(other 'free' veggies at 1/4 - 3/4 cup each such as onions or red pepper)
1 package gnocchi (found at target)

Boil whole chicken in large stew pot with chicken broth and equal parts water (or until it just covers chicken). Once completely cooked, remove from water and set aside. Add seasonings and vegetables, reserving peas until the end. Let stew while cutting up chicken. Take time to cut away as much fat as possible. Return chicken pieces to pot and bring to boil. Add gnocchi into soup and let cook about 15 minutes until gnocchi is done.

This makes a large amount so divide into 1 cup servings (you should get approximately 10) and freeze to make individual meals later.

A quick recipe

Chicken enchiladas (store leftovers in fridge for a quick lunch tomorrow!)

2 cups greek yogurt
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb grilled chicken breast, chopped
2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 sm cans chopped green chilies
1/2 cup low calorie cheese*
8 tortilla wraps**

Stir yogurt and soup together. Mix in broccoli, chilies, and chicken. Divide into 8 wraps and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden brown. About 215 calories per enchilada. Top with salsa for more flavor.

*Shreiber shredded cheese from Costco is 80 calories per 1/4 cup. Recalculate if using a higher calorie cheese or reduce the amount used.
**La Tortilla Factory wraps available at Costco are low carb, high fiber, and only 80 calories each. If you buy wraps with more calories, add the difference to each serving.

Tip: Yesterday I made dip for a party. Instead of buying a large container of plain yogurt of which I only wanted to use 8 oz I opted for Greek yogurt. I found a brand at Target called Fage which is a strained Greek yogurt and cost less overall (of course, per ounce was a lot more) than the larger container of regular yogurt. Into the 6 oz, I mixed 1 Tbs (about 1/2 pkt) of the Harvest Dill and OH. MY! It was creamy and delicious! You will NOT miss your sour cream! I will actually splurge on the Greek yogurt for this dip from now on. Definitely worth it.

Recipe
Somewhat Authentic Shepard's Pie

1 lb lean beef
2 cups free veggies (recommended: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery)
1 pkt mushroom gravy
garlic powder
lemon pepper
Cavendar's Greek seasoning
Worcestershire sauce
1 pkg Four Cheese mashed potato mix

Slow cook beef in water until tender. Remove lingering fat and drain. Mash a little or shred. Prepare mashed potatoes with hot tap water and set aside. Gather six 2 cup baking containers (such as a ramekin) and put 2-3 oz of beef on the bottom of each container. Spread 1/4 veggies on top of the beef. Dash garlic powder, lemon pepper, and Greek seasoning over the top of each. Mix together the water and gravy packet without cooking into a small bowl. Use about 2 Tbs over each serving, then dribble 1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce over the top (depending on how much bite you like). Dollop with mashed potatoes (do not smooth out on top) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until top is dark brown.

Depending on how lean the meat is, these are around 170 calories per serving.

Treat yourself!

Now it's time for the first recipe. Dessert! Reward yourself for a job well done.

Strawberry Cheesecake (No Bake)
4 sheets graham cracker
1 cup cottage cheese
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 cup light vanilla soy milk
1 small pkg sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix
6 oz light strawberry yogurt

In medium bowl, begin by blending cottage cheese until it breaks up. Add lemon juice, milk, and pudding mix. Blend more. Mix at a higher speed to reduce cottage cheese as much as possible. Add yogurt, but stir just a little to distribute.

Line for 16 cupcake(s).
Leave in chunks or crumble 1/4 sheet graham cracker into the bottom of each pan, spread to corners. Divide mixture as evenly as possible. Refrigerate. Because of soy, these will be a bit soft so eat carefully. Freeze for a summer treat!

Each is about 100 calories.

Start Simple (dinner)

1st: a correction. I took Scott's word for it that Mrs. Butterworth's is sweetened with molasses. Well, upon inspection today, it does contain aspertame. Sorry!

According to the men, dinner starts with meat...
Before we even start on meat, save up a little money and go grab yourself a George Foreman Grill. We use ours 4 - 5 times a week so it was definitely a worthwhile investment. I’m sure it makes the calories a bit lower, but I still calculate as normal. I’ll repeat cooking tips when I start posting recipes.

Seasonings: While you’re out, see if you can find a tiny spritzer (I’ve seen them at the dollar store and Sally Beauty Supply) and a bottle of Liquid Smoke. Put the Liquid Smoke in the spritzer anytime you want to fool your taste buds into thinking you made something fresh off the barbecue grill. If you can get your hands on Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce, a drop or two makes a veggie patty taste like a grilled beef patty.

Bwawk!
I like chicken. It’s pretty tasty, but how many things can you do with chicken and still like it 6 months later?

Our favorite place to shop for many things is either Costco or Target. At Costco, you can get wonderful flash frozen chicken breast tenders. These are quick and versatile, but you can usually save just a little more per pound by picking up the boneless skinless breasts. Try to buy the ones that look flattened as they actually cook better on your grill. The thick ones have to cook so long that the juices cook out of it so flat is oddly juicier.

GF Grill: 8 minutes for chicken tenders, 9-10 for breasts. If they are very thick, it may take a couple more minutes, but make sure you take them off the instant they are cooked in the middle. Surprisingly, they will still be juicy and delicious, unlike barbecue grilled chicken.

Our daughter doesn’t like chicken much so for months we served it to her with barbecue sauce. Well, one day I was poking around and found that marinade packets are only a few calories per serving. Substitute Extra Virgin Olive Oil (most reliable sources agree that Olive Oil’s fats are better for you than canola oil) for the vegetable oil and balsamic vinegar (just my opinion that it enhances flavors) if it calls for white vinegar. It doesn’t lower calories by much – if at all – but you do pour most of it out at the end. When I marinate the chicken, I can switch it up every night and still get her to eat a little. 3 – 4 days a week, we have about 6 oz of chicken and a green salad for dinner. The other nights have more variety – see recipes.

Fish
What a great alternative to unhealthy meats! Oh, unless you don’t like fish. I do not. In fact, sometimes it makes me feel ill just to smell it cooking. After a horrible experiment, though I have not been officially diagnosed, we believe I may be allergic to some fish oils. In general, if I buy fish, it’s just enough for Him and the youth so I let Him cook it for them both. (He’s an excellent cook.)

Pork
Here’s where the fats do come in. Lotsa fat means lotsa calories. Pork is something we now eat – maybe – once a month. When we do, we put it in the crock pot, slow cook it all day, then shred it so that we can scrape out as much fat as possible. Cut back on the barbecue sauce you put in it and serve with no more than ½ a cup of the free veggies and you should be able to enjoy it.

Beef
I wasn’t a big fan of beef before so it’s not much of a sacrifice to cut it out of our diets. Beef is actually one of the most difficult meats for your body to digest anyway. In the last six months, we have bought beef exactly once and we made sure to get a very lean shoulder roast. It’s tasty, however it is a meat that requires long, slow cooking if you want it to be remotely tender. Put it in the crock pot or bake in an oven bag with some free veggies, adding only things like pepper, garlic, or other no-calorie seasonings.

Other suggestions: Turkey breast, turkey ham, or Black Forest Ham. Read the labels. Some Black Forest Ham is quite lean, therefore on the low calorie side.

Meat without the meat

We’ve tried Gardenburgers, Boca Burger, and Annie’s Original Veggie burgers. I think we both agreed that while the popular Gardenburger is nice, the Boca Burgers are quite delicious (especially with that drop of sauce). Scott tried Annie’s on his own. Last word? Horrible! He told me not to even try it because he was sure it wasn’t going to be to anyone’s liking.

Veggies
Veggies are easy. ½ raw (slightly less when cooked) are considered free foods. Broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, carrots, celery, peas, bell peppers… they can all add variety to salad. We have salads A LOT so we like to buy several free foods, then mix it up every night to keep it interesting. Mushrooms are also free. Corn, tomatoes, avocados, olives, and other fruits are not. Potatoes are not a vegetable.

Peppers
Honestly, I was never a fan of any kind of pepper other than black peppercorn. Now I’ve experimented and realized I love yellow and orange bell peppers. They have nice flavor, but aren’t spicy. I also add green chili sauce or chopped green chilies to many recipes in order to add flavor without calories. Sometimes dieting is just a matter of experimenting and growing accustomed to foods.


Pasta
There are plenty of people who will tell you that whole wheat pasta is better for you. Once again, upon research, it is mostly about the fiber. I find pasta filling enough; I'm not sure I need the added fiber. Several brands offer other additives like protein and Omega-3, but those brands usually cost a lot more. In our diet, it doesn't really matter. The calories are about the same between both kinds, but old school wins because of cost and taste. Many whole wheat and multi-grain pastas are gummy, chewy, or have a nasty after taste.

You'll note that pasta sauces are fairly reasonable as far as sauces go. The major pasta change is in presentation. Old school: I cooked a pan of pasta and a separate pot of sauce to which I added some sort of meat or extra cheese (I often added mushroom and that's still acceptable!) Diners filled their dish with the pasta and then slathered on the sauce, followed by a good amount of cheese. Now I measure the exact amount of pasta for three servings, then cook, drain, and cook with the exact measurement of pasta. We got excited for a minute because we thought Kraft Parmesan was 20 calories, but it's for just 2 teaspoons. Surprisingly, it still tasted good without the cheese! (Of course, sometimes we really want the cheese. Before cheese, depending on your pasta and sauce choice, it's about 300 calories so cheese will typically depend on whether or not you might want a snack later.)

Start Simple (snack)

Aside: I often get asked "Don't you feel better?" I know I'm supposed to answer "yes!" but... I don't. I didn't feel -not good- before. This is one of those things people say with a certain expectation; that you either had failing health or failing self-worth which led you to begin a change of life. Every commercial on TV has people saying "I lost ___ lbs and I feel great!" or similar platitudes. The rebel in me wonders if I didn't want to lose weight because it's just pandering to "their" campaign to make us feel bad about ourselves. "They", as far as I'm concerned, are trying to brainwash "us" into thinking that if we are obese, we have to feel bad about ourselves; that it's our social responsibility to lose weight. Neither is true.

Meanwhile, I do think the person who asked me if I feel better last night would benefit from some sort of weight management program. I am quite certain he would feel better.

After snacks comes nap time, right? Oh great. I have to be a grown up?

Veggies – Try crunching on fresh carrots or celery. Pick up cucumbers or bell peppers. Yeah, I’m not a big fan of carrot or celery either, but try eating them with the following dip:

Dip – Go to the dressing aisle where they sell the dip mixes. We like to mix it up with either the Harvest Dill or classic Ranch, but occasionally it’s nice to use the Italian dressing mix. Now head over to the dairy products. Pick up that low-fat sour cream, but before you put it in your basket, pick up a container of light or greek yogurt in a plain flavor. Compare calories. Hmm, interesting, right? Now look at serving size. You get one whole cup of yogurt for about the same calories as just 2 tablespoons of sour cream! This varies, of course, but you will never get to enjoy as much sour cream dip as you can if you just make it with plain yogurt. You could easily eat 2 tablespoons of dip and want more, but by the time you’ve eaten ¼ cup you would be done so divide the calories in the yogurt by 25% and that’s all you would likely want. Mix the packet into the yogurt and keep it in the fridge. Yeah, it’s not as creamy, but I assure you if you give it a chance you will find that it really satisfies!

Pickles

Nalley Kosher Dill is one of our favorite foods in this house. We could eat them all day and night! The sodium count keeps us from doing so, but remember that pickles are a free food. Even bread and butter pickles are low in calorie. If you like sweet pickles, it might be a problem, but consider the mini ones as a treat because you will be happier if you let yourself have your favorites from time to time. Theaters used to sell pickles and the ones that still do are a great alternative to candy.

Crave potato chips and other crunchies a lot? Have a healthy 9 year old in your house who doesn’t need to diet and can be a little finicky? These are foods that have worked great in our house. Not only do we dieters enjoy them, the young one here has no (or few) complaints.

Baked Lays – lower in calories than their counterparts, they actually taste delicious. In fact, at the last family dinner where a bag of regular chips were open, I ate two, realized they tasted oily, and didn’t want any more.

Quaker Rice Cakes – Like Cheetos? Get the Cheddar Cheese. Like sweets? The Caramel cakes hit the spot. We tried Ranch, Wild Blueberry, and Crème Brulee. While the blueberry may curve a craving for blueberry muffins (those delicious ones from Costco are over 600 calories! I was bummed!) I would recommend the former two. They tasted best and are the only ones I wanted to repeat. If you like Ranch, go for the Baked Lays and dip (above).

Special K - These crackers are 70 calories for 17 crackers. We tried Multi-grain and Savory Herb. I don’t typically like wheat or multi-grain so I fully expected herb to be my choice. No! The multi-grain crackers are delicious! I don’t really like the herb ones at all – though they’d be nice to put out at a party.

Sweets

From time to time, I would crave candy bars. During these times, I would go crazy! When I started this healthy campaign, I knew I had some sugar addictions to cut because the last couple years it had become a daily desire. Instead I bought Quaker granola bars and had them as a snack. It weened me off nicely and now I don’t crave them at all.

Alternate treat – I had a package of lemon pirouettes from World Market when we made this change. I found I could eat just one at around 35 calories as a sweet snack, too, but when they were gone, I didn’t care to buy more.

Start Simple (lunch)

For lunches, we stick to soups, sandwiches, or frozen dinners. We picked a specific calorie number and we stick to it. Scott can afford a few more calories than I so his cutoff is 350. Mine is 300.

We shop at Target because it is the nicest place we can go that still has good prices on their frozen meals. We shop for Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, and Smart Ones, although in the Banquet meals you can get a delicious turkey dinner (problem is sodium content). I prefer the pot sticker meal, french bread pizza (Okay, I don’t stick like glue on that one since it’s 10 over, but I only let myself get it once a week), and pumpkin ravioli (the taste surprised me!). Healthy Choice Café Steamers are delicious in every flavor except the Thai-Style Chicken. Neither of us enjoyed that one. Smart Ones aren’t quite as filling, but they have this one vodka cream sauce which I find incredibly delectable. Scott likes the Steamers as well, plus Smart Ones traditional lasagna and spaghetti with meat sauce. He also likes the Lean Cuisine pizzas and Lean Pocket Quesadillas.

Soups are a great way to go now that Progresso and Campbell’s have made so many advancements. Check the labels – often you can have the whole can plus a serving of reduced fat Ritz for less than 300 calories. A word about salt: The Mayo Clinic and other reputable sources claim there is no health benefit for choosing sea salt over regular salt; the only difference is in the taste.

Sandwiches are so quick and easy. Toast is a great snack. Bread is rather necessary in our house, but there are great options. Sara Lee makes a multi-grain and a whole wheat bread, both of which are just 45 calories a slice (serving size is 2 so the package will read 90 calories). Add lean lunch meat (shop around and make sure you measure the amounts) and low fat cheese (Costco has a lean variety pack; Kraft American is low in calories) and you can have a sandwich under 250 calories – leaving plenty for a small bag of Baked Lays or some carrots and dip. Don’t like wheat bread (like me?) Wonder makes a low calorie, nutrient rich alternative at 50 calories a slice (100 in a sandwich) so that you get the health benefit of whole wheat in a nice white flavor. (Compare to most breads that are 100-120 calories for just one slice) I also like Miracle Whip on my sandwiches and that is something you can buy fat free and it still tastes good.

Start Simple (breakfast)

Yogurt
I am pretty picky about my yogurt. I will only eat Yoplait and I only like certain flavors. Well, We switched to light and tried several of those dessert flavors and I have to admit, it makes a nice breakfast. My personal favorites are pineapple upside down, boston cream pie, orange sunrise, strawberry, and strawberry shortcake. I was not as impressed with the black forest cake or lemon. I downright disliked the cinnamon bun. It just did not work for me. Experiment!

English Muffin
The other breakfast I tend to have is an English Muffin with just a light brushing of lemon curd. An English muffin is around 110 calories so if you can afford a little more, have both! (don't forget to add the lemon curd. It's almost as much as jam, but I am very careful to do half a serving spread over both which, for the brand I buy, adds just 35 calories.

Egg substitute
It's come a long way from that rubbery concoction of a few years ago. We buy 'Real Egg' in bulk at Costco. It cooks a little different, too and sticks to the pan (we prefer stainless steel so might not be a problem for coated pans), but if you soak it immediately, it will come right out after a few minutes. Throw in peppers, mushrooms, and a dash of garlic powder without adding calories. Can you afford a bit more? Toss in chopped tomatoes or a measured amount of low calorie grated cheese (Shrieber, pre-grated from Costco is very good cheese).

Mmm. Baco’
I like bacon and all, but I’m not a bacon fiend. He, however, loves bacon and would be happy to eat it every morning. At Costco we buy this delicious pork bacon that is 90 calories for two slices. Fine if you want a treat, but what about turkey bacon?

Well, the first turkey bacon we found was Jennie-O. It said 40 calories, but upon further inspection, we saw that was for one slice. Two slices is 80. What’s the point? Well, it turns out that is their breakfast bacon. They also have an Extra Lean variety that is only 20 calories per slice. Butterball also has a 25 calorie per slice turkey bacon. As far as taste, both are good, but I think I prefer Butterball. (This, of course, is one of those examples where simply cutting calories will lead to lower fat intake.)

Notes on preparation: When I have pork bacon, I don’t like it too crunchy (unless it’s on a sandwich). I like it well cooked, but still tender. I have learned, however, that with turkey bacon, I prefer it to have a bit of crispy crunch to it. It tastes meatier that way.

Hmm. What about sausage?
Morningstar makes a wonderful breakfast sausage patty. It tastes great and smells a little like KFC! At only 80 calories, you can enjoy a nice bit of protein without guilt.

Notes on preparation: Microwave for 1 minute, turn it over, then add a drop of Yoshida's gourmet sauce and cook another minute. Even better taste, cook on the George Foreman for 5 minutes.

McMuffins anyone?
He loves to make one serving of the egg substitute and two pieces of bacon or one sausage patty, then put them on an english muffin with a slice of low calorie cheese. At less than 300 calories it is filling enough to get you through the morning.

Waffles
Use egg substitute and LIGHT soy milk in your Bisquick waffle mix and each 4 inch square is only 120 calories. (Two for 240 is a fair enough breakfast if you can avoid calories in your toppings.) Note: Mrs. Butterworth's sugar free syrup tastes the best and is sweetened with molasses instead of saccharin.