Low-Cal Cinco de Mayo Treat

Don't let the festivities throw you off course. Although typical restaurant style Mexican food can be unhealthy, it's not hard to lighten up your favorite Mexican dishes. For starters, try low-fat milk products in recipes that call for the full fat versions. It can reduce the caloric intake by almost half! And skip the fried tortilla chips. Instead, use baked pitas for dips like this Mexican Fiesta Dip. Hint: Substitute fat-free sour cream and low-fat cheddar cheese for an even lighter version of this excellent Cinco de Mayo crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Mexican Fiesta Dip

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (16 ounce) jar taco sauce
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 tomato, cubed
2 green onions, sliced
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
Cooking Instructions

1. Crumble ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, mix in the taco sauce and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, cream cheese and taco seasoning mix. Spread the mixture into a medium serving dish.

3. Layer the sour cream mixture with beef mixture, cheddar cheese and lettuce. Top with tomato, green onions and black olives.

Makes 64 servings. One serving is two tablespoons.
Nutrition facts (per serving):
99 calories, 8.1 grams fat, 141 mg sodium, 1.5 grams carbohyrates, .1 grams fiber, 4.8 grams protein.

Small Changes For Big Weight Loss

When it comes to your diet, are you biting off more than you can chew? If you have a weight loss goal in mind, you may find you have bigger success by thinking small. One small change a day can help you kick bad habits and avoid the potential monotony of dieting. Baby-step your way to a slimmer, more satisfied you. Maybe today you'll decide to ditch the soda in favor of a chilled herbal tea. Tomorrow, you'll plan your calorie conscious snacks in advance to avoid that vending machine hustle. And then the next day, you'll come up with some fantastic way to simplify your switch to a healthier, happier you —and you'll share it with us. We can't wait!

Eat Right on a Budget

A healthy diet doesn't have to break the bank

Rising fuel prices aren't just showing up at the pump. Groceries are too, thanks to the added cost of trucking them to market. But don't despair, it's still possible to eat well on a budget.

3 Great On-the-Go Snacks

You know that you're supposed to be getting five servings a day of fruit and vegetables. But unless they come self-contained (like apples, bananas and oranges), those healthy foods aren't always convenient for someone who's constantly on-the-go. We've got three handy ways to get a serving of fruit/veggies that fit right into your purse and your very busy lifestyle.

On Track Fruit Energy Bars With the distinct flavor of fresh pear and raspberries (seriously, yum), a surprising crunch of roasted almonds, and only 120 calories, these are easily one of our favorite ways to grab a full serving of fruit. Each bar contains .5 gram fat, 15 mg sodium, 28 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber and a gram of protein.

Peeled Fruit Picks Now you can grab these all-natural dried fruit snacks in single serving packets. Dried mango, banana chips and cherries. Our favorite? The pineapple is so fresh-tasting, you'll have a hard time believing it's not right off the farm. 140 calories, fat free, sodium free, 36 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 1 gram protein.

Yotta Bars It tastes like a fruity snack, packs in a whole serving of vegetables. Made with baby oats, pear juice and seven different veggies, the cherry flavor tastes surprisingly like your favorite movie-theater licorice. 120 calories, fat free, sodium free, 26 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 2 grams protein.

Spice Up Your Snack!

This may come as a big, "Duh!", but spicy foods are more satisfying than boring foods. You also probably know that one of the biggest challenges of a healthy diet is balancing the nutritional needs of your body with the satisfaction needs of your brain. We love our rice cakes, but let's be honest: they don't always do it for us during that crucial afternoon snacking hour.

That's why for a little spice in our snack, we like Majan's line of all natural Bhuja snack mixes. The Original mix has crunchy noodles, green peas, peanuts and a kicky curry spice that will linger on your tongue and keep further cravings at bay. Each serving contains 129 calories, 1 gram saturated fat, 171 mg sodium, 5 grams of protein and 12 grams of carbohydrates.

Oh, and mind the serving size! This is one of those good things that come in small packages. A little goes a long way!

Calm Down to Slim Down

t's no secret that stress causes the body to conserve fat. In moments of stress, elevated levels of the stress hormone, Cortisol, trigger your appetite and send you racing for the pantry. But slow down there, Turbo. You can out-smart Mother Nature simply by allowing yourself a five-minute time out. Don't have five minutes? Sure you do. "The best time to do this is after a work-out while stretching," says EatStrong's founder nutritionist Sophie Pachella. "Clear your mind, breathe deeply, and think of two things you're happy about, no matter how trivial. Work out at a higher intensity for five fewer minutes if this is the only way to carve out the time."

A Chocolate Compromise

Go ahead, admit it: you need chocolate in your life. You're not willing to break up with it over a silly fight on the bathroom scale. We hear you. And so did Healthsmart Food. Their new Chocolite Protein Bars come in six delish flavors: Peanut Butter, Cookie-N-Cream, Triple Chocolate Fudge, Cashew Caramel, Chocolate Turtle, and Strawberry. They taste remarkably like high-end chocolate and yet they're all natural, sugar-free (is this sounding too good to be true yet?) and only have 95 to 115 calories. It gets better: each bar contains 9 grams protein, 10 grams of fiber, 3 to 4 grams of fat and 1 gram of carbohydrates. Pretty sweet, right?

Strong and Only 7 Calories

It's the leafy green that kept Popeye fit for years. Any way you serve it- sauteed, salad fresh, as a sandwich accessory- "strong to the finish" spinach is, calorie for calorie, the most nutritious food there is. Vitamins K, A, C, B2, folate, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium- the list is endless, and all for 7 calories per cup (raw). But after all the new research that's out, is frozen the way to go? "Yup!" says New York City nutritionist Sophie Pachella. "Frozen vegetables may be even more healthful than some of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets. Fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak when they're most nutrient-packed. Fresh produce may have traveled for days- not to mention the time it spends sitting in your fridge."