Article: Valentine's Day Survival Guide
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Article: Valentine's Day Survival Guide
| Mon, 01-30-2006 - 1:21pm |
Hungry Girl: Valentine's Day Survival Guide!
by Lisa "Hungry Girl" Lillien (see more from this expert)
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What's Valentine's Day without flowers and candy? Before you break down and devour that box of gooey chocolates from your special someone (or the one that's sitting in the pantry at work), check out these diet-friendly ways to kill a V-Day craving.
Hungry Girl's Top Ate Guilt-Free Valentine's Day Treats!
Gayle's Miracles Truffles
If it's a traditional box of candy you're after, then Gayle's Miracles are for you. Gayle is a choco-rific genius who's part dietitian and part guilt-free truffle guru. Her decadent, chewy, rich truffles have just 30 calories and 1 gram of fat. She also packages them beautifully for holidays and special occasions and is now offering a festive heart-shaped Valentine's Day box. If you truly want to feel like you're cheating, these truffles are for you!
Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts
It wouldn't be Valentine's Day if you weren't enjoying the sassy sayings conversation hearts have to offer, like "Kiss Me," "Get Real," "Be Mine" and my personal favorite, "Fax Me." They're as popular today as they were when they were created back in the 1800s. The bonus? Each sweet little heart has just 3 calories. Read 'em and eat 'em!
Marshmallow Peeps Hearts
Aah, Peeps. How can you stand to not sink your teeth into these soft, marshmallowy treats? These are great choices if you want a quick, satisfying something to curb a sweet craving. Both the vanilla and strawberry crème flavors are virtually fat-free and, depending on the size, have about 30 to 50 calories per piece. Peep it up!
Valentine's Tootsie Pops Miniatures
Everyone loves a Tootsie Pop! Just in time for this special day, the Tootsie Roll company has released special Valentine's Day bags filled with 200 of these yummy little chocolate-filled lollipops. They're completely adorable, and each one has about 17 calories and no fat. Enjoy one ‑- or three!
Valentine's Day York Peppermint Patties
In search of a cool way to kill a chocolate craving? York has a special heart-shaped edition of their classic Peppermint Pattie. Each minty-licious one contains 140 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. That's less than half the calories and fat of most candy bars. Warning: These may actually be too cute to eat!
Tic Tac Silvers
Talk about a completely sinless way to celebrate February 14. The valentine-shaped Silvers box is filled with hundreds of tiny little 1-1/2-calorie Tic Tacs. Mints are great to have around as breath fresheners, but I think they're awesome for nixing food cravings as well. Try popping a Tic Tac the next time you're dying for a fattening snack. Your craving will magically disappear. It really works!
Russell Stover Sugar-Free Marshmallow Hearts
Russell Stover has an entire line of sugar-free candies. Their sugar-free chocolate-covered marshmallow hearts are not only delicious; they won't derail your diet. Each one is pretty huge and has just 90 calories and 3.5 grams of fat.
Shari's Berries Sugar-Free Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
I have no idea who Shari is, but she certainly knows what to do with a strawberry! Hers is quite possibly the most gorgeous and indulgent way to enjoy Valentine's Day. She makes fresh, hand-dipped berries and ships them in beautiful boxes all around the country. Her sugar-free ones only have 110 calories and 7 grams of fat each. They've also got 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein!
Beware of These Valentine's Day Temptations:
Candy pushers at work
Overly sweet, persuasive boyfriends ("Oh, honey, just have a few pieces...")
50 percent off Valentine's Day chocolate sales
"I need a man" chocolate cravings
Chew on this: Almost 40 million heart-shaped boxes of candy are sold in the U.S. each year for Valentine's Day.
Hungry Girl's Top Ate Guilt-Free Valentine's Day Treats!
Gayle's Miracles Truffles
If it's a traditional box of candy you're after, then Gayle's Miracles are for you. Gayle is a choco-rific genius who's part dietitian and part guilt-free truffle guru. Her decadent, chewy, rich truffles have just 30 calories and 1 gram of fat. She also packages them beautifully for holidays and special occasions and is now offering a festive heart-shaped Valentine's Day box. If you truly want to feel like you're cheating, these truffles are for you!
Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts
It wouldn't be Valentine's Day if you weren't enjoying the sassy sayings conversation hearts have to offer, like "Kiss Me," "Get Real," "Be Mine" and my personal favorite, "Fax Me." They're as popular today as they were when they were created back in the 1800s. The bonus? Each sweet little heart has just 3 calories. Read 'em and eat 'em!
Marshmallow Peeps Hearts
Aah, Peeps. How can you stand to not sink your teeth into these soft, marshmallowy treats? These are great choices if you want a quick, satisfying something to curb a sweet craving. Both the vanilla and strawberry crème flavors are virtually fat-free and, depending on the size, have about 30 to 50 calories per piece. Peep it up!
Valentine's Tootsie Pops Miniatures
Everyone loves a Tootsie Pop! Just in time for this special day, the Tootsie Roll company has released special Valentine's Day bags filled with 200 of these yummy little chocolate-filled lollipops. They're completely adorable, and each one has about 17 calories and no fat. Enjoy one ‑- or three!
Valentine's Day York Peppermint Patties
In search of a cool way to kill a chocolate craving? York has a special heart-shaped edition of their classic Peppermint Pattie. Each minty-licious one contains 140 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. That's less than half the calories and fat of most candy bars. Warning: These may actually be too cute to eat!
Tic Tac Silvers
Talk about a completely sinless way to celebrate February 14. The valentine-shaped Silvers box is filled with hundreds of tiny little 1-1/2-calorie Tic Tacs. Mints are great to have around as breath fresheners, but I think they're awesome for nixing food cravings as well. Try popping a Tic Tac the next time you're dying for a fattening snack. Your craving will magically disappear. It really works!
Russell Stover Sugar-Free Marshmallow Hearts
Russell Stover has an entire line of sugar-free candies. Their sugar-free chocolate-covered marshmallow hearts are not only delicious; they won't derail your diet. Each one is pretty huge and has just 90 calories and 3.5 grams of fat.
Shari's Berries Sugar-Free Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
I have no idea who Shari is, but she certainly knows what to do with a strawberry! Hers is quite possibly the most gorgeous and indulgent way to enjoy Valentine's Day. She makes fresh, hand-dipped berries and ships them in beautiful boxes all around the country. Her sugar-free ones only have 110 calories and 7 grams of fat each. They've also got 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein!
Beware of These Valentine's Day Temptations:
Chew on this: Almost 40 million heart-shaped boxes of candy are sold in the U.S. each year for Valentine's Day.

Lisa Lillien, founder of Hungry-Girl.com, considers herself a foodologist. Not because she has a fancy degree, but because she is obsessed with food. She's struggled with weight issues for most of her life, but food is her passion and lifelong obsession. For more tips & tricks, sign up for her free daily emails at www.hungry-girl.com.

