The Essentials.

Good Morning Healthy People!

Im going to start, and continuously add, to this list of my go-to, always stock up on items. These are the things that I keep around because they are low-calorie, therefore low in points, and they are versatile for many different recipes.

Seasonings/Sprays/Etc

• 0 Calorie "Butter Flavour" Oil Spray.

Okay so for this one, I prefer to buy Western Family brand, as I've tried many but they somehow don't quite compare to the consistency, and flavour of this one. Also, beware that some are not 0 Calories, so make sure you always read your nutrition labels! (anyone on weight watchers knows this is second nature, but others may not be used to reading ingredients and calories) I will use this spray for tons of different cooking, for example,  when I fry up my eggs/omlets, for when Im roasting any kind of potatoes/squash/vegetables in the oven, I will coat them in some of this rather than regular olive oil, I also use this on popcorn. What I do is spray the popcorn with this, which allows the spices and different things I put on popcorn, to have something to stick to! Plus its adds flavour. (I'll post some of my delicious popcorn recipes later)
So you get the idea, substitute your regular oil where you can, for this low-cal version which in my humble opinion is QUITE TASTY!

• "I Can't Believe its not Butter" Spray

So this spray is similar to the oil spray, in terms of cooking, but is oh so good for many things on its own.
First off, unfortunately this is only available in the U.S. They used to sell it here in Canada, but all of a sudden stopped. When I looked into it, there where tons of people who had noticed it was gone, and for some reason discontinued in Canada. But, like I said, if you do travel down to the states or live in the states, you can easily purchase at most grocery stores.
So one thing I like eating in the mornings when I'm rushed is a piece of rye toast. But as rye toast isn't the most delicious variety of breads, it needs some help. I love spraying this butter spray on my toast instead of butter. As mentioned, I can't eat dairy, and yes, this product DOES have dairy, but the amount is so minuscule that it has never bothered me allergies wise. But just a heads up for any other people who have dairy allergies. PS This one is also good sprayed on popcorn!

• Smuckers Sugar-Free Jam

This jam is the best! When you look for Jam, most of them are so high in calories for such a small amount (usually the serving sizes for jam is 1 tbsp) but I have  a general rule of thumb for jam: as long as its 20 calories or less, its considered "free" as soon as its up to 25 calories, that 1 measly tbsp will cost you a point! No thanks!
So my usual that you can purchase here in Canada is the Smuckers No Sugar Added, Wildberry Flavor. Why the wild berry? well it has one gram of fibre in it, which helps bring it down on the points scale from being right on the edge of 0 and 1 point, to definitely under 1. (Sorry if this doesn't make much sense yet to you non-weight-watchers readers).
So I thought this was the best that you could do, jam-wise, until, one magical day, when i travelled down to the states( as I usually do) for grocery shopping, I found the same product, but made with Splenda, instead of Sucralose. What is the difference you ask? 1/2 the calories! So the version you see on the right, is the American, "Sugar-Free" version, which is only 10 calories/1 tbsp. Yup , so you could actually DOUBLE the amount of jam (2tbsp)  vs. (1tbsp) of the canadian version. Just sayin'! Plus it comes in a variety of flavours, and they're so delicious! So as I mentioned above, I like to eat my rye bread, and this is also something that I will put on my bread, without adding any points. *Jam PLUS the butter spray makes an amazing combo!)

• Club House Greek Seasoning

So you may have read in a previous post, that yes, I indeed put this seasoning on just about everything! I buy this large size at Costco, where it costs about $8, but this lasts a while. This seasoning honestly is so versatile I hardly even use the other ones in my cupboard. Mind you, while on the cleanse, this one is actually out, as it has some sugar in it (a cleanse no-no) but nonetheless you need to buy this. I season my tofu noodles, eggs, salads, roasted potatos/vegetables/squash, seriously everything. If your not a huge vegetable person, trust me, I eat them all day long but they are never un-seasoned :) As most seasonings go (but of course always read the nutrition label to be sure of calories/fat/sodium etc) they are virtually free of points, as the majority are simply herbs and spices.

• Kraft Fat Free Italien Dressing

Yes, I say this about a lot of items, but this is also another dressing that I use on tons of things. To be honest, the combination of this dressing, greek seasoning, and rice vinegar, are definitely my staple! This dressing is so low-calorie, it kind of blows anything else out of the water. At only 5 calories per tbsp (thats even less than plain balsamic vinegar!) you can load up on this without it costing you a point. As it is fat-free, it serves more as a base of flavour than a rich, loaded with flavour dressing. So what I tend to do, is add this on my salads, noodles etc, and as I said (sorry for the repetition) add on my greek seasoning and rice vinegar. I use this on my roasted veggies as well. What I try to do, is get most of the flavour for my meals out of low-sodium and calorie-free herbs and spices. As we know, we all need a bit of flavour(which usually comes from something that adds moisture such as oil or sauce) so that is why this dressing is perfect. Get creative, how about some salad with chilli lime seasoning on it? Are you getting hungry yet?

• Braggs All Purpose Soy Seasoning

Similar to soy sauce, Braggs seasoning sauce is a great product. Slightly different in taste to soy sauce, it is non-fermented (which is allowable on the cleanse). You can purchase this at any health food store, but more recently at large chains such as superstore. The large bottle runs about $11, but lasts quite some time. For popcorn, I always use Braggs, as its not quite as intensely salty as soy sauce, but serves as flavourful base on popcorn, for all your seasonings to stick to! Of course, you can use this on all your cooking, in stir-frys, salads, etc.. Anywhere you want a bit of flavour! Plus, its all Natural!

• Trader Joe's Salad Dressings

Trader Joes... how do I express my love for this store. For any of you that have never been, its a grocery store chain in the U.S. closest location to me is in Bellingham, (say 30 min drive from the truck crossing) but they have them all over the U.S. Check the  Trader Joes Website  for locations. They have so much healthy, low-cal foods there, as well as inexpensive frozen items! I (Yes, including Praegers Veggie burgers at 1/2 the Canadian price!) I will use these salad dressings, when I want a change from the usual Kraft fat-free italian. These are great because they are only 1 point per 2 Tbsp, and taste delicious! The Fat-Free Balsamic is 25 calories/2 tbsp, and the Fat-Free Sesame Soy Ginger is 35 calories/2 tbsp. I LOVE using the Trader Joe's Sesame Soy Ginger dressing on my tofu noodles!

• Spices/Flavourings.

As I've mentioned, I like to use spices to add the majority of the flavour to all my foods, and spices, herbs, and extracts are something you've definitely got to have on hand. No one wants to eat vegetables and grains when they taste bland, boring and taste-less. Im the FIRST one to agree with you on that one- ITS GOTTA TASTE GOOD! So when I say spices, I mean everything and anything that you like. Some of my favourites to have on hand that are multi-purpose for many meals are: Dill, Rosemary, Thyme, Curry powder, Garam Masala, Chat Masala, Cumin, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Vanilla extract, STEVIA... the list goes on. These are great for changing up the regular. If you usually make stir frys, why not try one night a Indian inspired dish, while the next, Asian inspired! All you have to do is shake a different seasoning on.
The picture here is of a great line I've discovered called "Victorian Epicure". They have the most AMAZING seasonings, and many have NO sodium! I use them on everything, and they make some of the BEST popcorn seasonings you can even imagine! I get them at local farmers markets when they are there, but you can also call them to order. Although they are pretty expensive, I try to justify it in terms of going to starbucks twice.. you get the point.

• Club House "Indian Masala" and "Garlic Plus"

I just discovered these two spices- and as I usually just go for the Club House Greek seasoning, I am always slightly hesitant. Well, Club House has not failed me! These two are amazing! The indian masala flavour is perfect- not spicy, and just the perfect blend of all those delicious indian spices that makes its a one-stop-(or should I say shake) shop! If your not too comfortable with seasoning, this is great because you don't have to purchase each individual spice (coriander, garam masala, etc) and then throw them together and HOPE it turns out!

The garlic plus is really great too- I will be using this a lot on roasting veggies, instead of just using the greek. Its quite garlic-y, but it has some red pepper and other flavours in it ,so its not too overwhelming! I really suggest you try all these club house seasonings, maybe I'll have to pick up another variety next time- adventurous aren't I! :p

• Heinz Dill Relish

Relish- Already an item in the list below as something you should have on hand. But this, my friends, takes the cake! I just discovered it last weekend, and yes- its ZERO CALORIES! (Regular relish is not 0 cals) I found this at Target (sorry, in the states) and it is really tasty! I've been putting it as a sauce on tons of dishes because it adds so much flavour and a bit of crunch and no calories! Its much more pickle-tasting (hence, DILL relish) than regular relish, but thats part of why I love it so much! Im not sure if you can purchase it in Canada, I have not looked yet. But when you go down to the states its only about $1.79 each :) And just to keep you enlightened, Target is apparently coming to Canada, and taking over certain Zellers. So although Im sure the prices still won't be cheaper than in the states, hopefully they will bring with them all the amazing food choices that they offer in the amazing U S OF A!

In addition to these items, there are of course many other things I like to keep on hand. Here are a list of a few more low/no calorie items:

• Rice Vinegar
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Stevia Packets
• Vanilla Extract
• Mustard
• Relish
• Ketchup (In moderation)
• Sour pickled onions
• Capers
• Soy Sauce
• Pickled ginger (For sushi)
• Pickles
• SALSA 
• Hot Sauce
• Pickled garlic mushrooms (trader joe's)

More to come soon, I hope this gets you started with a good base of really low-cal items that should always be around :)

Have a great day!