Haagen-Dazs Green Tea Ice Cream

Okay, so I'm on a bit of an ice cream kick, but I saw a couple of new ice cream flavors in the store the other day, so I grabbed them. One of them was Haagen-Dazs' new green tea ice cream.

The only place I've ever had green tea ice cream before was at my favorite sushi joint. This ice cream is actually a little better, I think. It's creamy and rich, with a strong green tea flavor. The green tea flavor comes from matcha green tea, which has a stronger flavor than most green tea, but also carries stronger antioxidant properties. How well those work when it's blended with cream and sugar to make this decadent ice cream is anybody's guess, but it's definitely tasty.

Single Serving Ice Cream

Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry's, and a couple other premium brands, including premium store brands, have jumped onto the bandwagon of single serving premium ice cream. In a tiny little carton with its own attached spoon, this ice cream is just as high calorie and bad for you as the large-sized versions, but without the added risk of polishing off an entire pint at one sitting.

Only a few flavors are available in this packaging right now, and the tiny spoon, while cute, is largely useless. Those are really my only complaints. While this isn't exactly a dieting option, it's an aid to portion control on those days when you really need a nice dose of high-quality ice cream.

100-Calorie Packets

You can find just about any kind of snack food in 100-calorie single-serving packets these days. This packaging is very handy for those of us trying to control and/or reduce our daily calorie intake.

Some of my favorite entries in the 100-calorie package wars:

• Pringles
• Milano cookies
• Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies
• Chocolate covered pretzels
• Cheez-It Snack Mix

Yes, there's a lot of chocolate on that list. Want to make something of it?

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers

I saw these on sale when I was out shopping for some easy lunches and dinners and decided to give a couple a try. Cafe Steamers are packaged in a special steamer basket configuration, so you can have a dinner with veggies crisper than the usual frozen dinner fare, and cooked in a healthier way than some other dinners.

I tried the Sweet Sesame Chicken and the Five-Spice Beef & Vegetables and found both quite tasty and easy to prepare. My biggest beef (no pun intended) is the amount of packaging. Yes, frozen dinners aren't environmentally friendly at the best of times, but Cafe Steamers feature two separate plastic containers, one of which doesn't have a recycling symbol on it that I could find. This seems like a waste, especially when "green" packaging options are so prevalent these days.

Crystal Light On the Go

If you have to drink a large quantity of water during the day, or are just trying to up your hydration, the taste of plain water can get pretty old pretty fast. For those times when you just can't stand another swig, Crystal Light On the Go flavor packets can help you get through your required daily allotment of water.

These single-serving packets come in a variety of flavors, from iced tea to fruit mixes. However, be sure to look for the additives. Following the trend of adding various vitamin supplements to everything, several varieties have additions for immunity, energy, and other goals. The energy drinks, though, are caffeinated, so if you have a sensitivity to caffeine, this won't be a good choice. They also contain aspartame, so be aware of that, as well.