Product Review: New Weight Watchers Ice Cream, the Perfect Addition to an Active Lifestyle

Disclosure: Complimentary samples were provided.  No other compensation was received.  The experiences and opinions related are personal and unbiased.

I love spring and the return of the sun, blue skies, and fresh air after a long winter.  The past one was especially harsh with record making low temperatures and snow fall here in Michigan.  It feels like we've been stuck inside for way too long.

The first few days it hit the fifties it seemed like the neighborhood came alive.  Everyone was outside riding bikes, walking dogs, playing in backyards, and getting active after way too many heavy winter meals and days when it was too cold to go anywhere but the couch to watch television.

My two and a half year old little guy wants to be outside all day, every day and I've been chasing after him as he scoots along in his little vehicles.  I know as the days get nicer and nicer that trend is just going to continue as we head to parks and beaches on our state's famous lakes.

Warm weather also means I start craving some sweet treats and that since I'm so active I'm more apt to give in and indulge in some ice cream!  Now, as many of you know, I am Type II diabetic so you may be thinking, "Now wait a second, ice cream?"  Yes, it can be part of my meal plan with a careful balance of physical activity, portion control, and overall healthy food choices.

This is where Weight Watchers ice cream fits in perfectly for me.  These portion controlled cups of their new low fat ice cream cups and Greek frozen yogurt cups are great ways for me to indulge a little, as my dietitian stresses is very important, so I don't feel deprived and then go overboard.  As long as I balance my treats with some activity my blood sugar levels stay within target.

The new Weight Watchers Low Fat Ice Cream Cups have been released in two classic flavors, both favorites of mine!  The Chocolate Fudge Brownie combines creamy chocolate ice cream with brownie pieces, yum!  It really satisfies my chocolate cravings.

The carbohydrates per serving of this flavor is 22g and when you take off the 3g of dietary fiber that brings it to 19g per single serving cup.  That's only slightly more than the 15g of carbohydrates that counts as one of my servings I keep track of per day.  I love being able to indulge without feeling too guilty and with about 20-30 minutes of activity I can even "earn" my serving of carbohydrates back.

Now as a diabetic, I am mostly concerned about how carbohydrates aka sugars affect my blood sugar levels for good diabetic control.  That's the first thing I check when looking at nutrition facts for a product, but I know for good overall diet other things like calories, fat and protein are also important.  Both the Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Mint Chocolate Chip varieties have just 100 calories and 1g of fat for a 3 PointsPlus value per cup.  It's so nice to know that while I concentrate on carb counting, Weight Watchers has taken care of keeping this a sensible treat that won't mess up my diet!

Mint Chocolate Chip is one of my very favorite ice cream flavors so I was ecstatic to find this Weight Watchers version.  I have to confess, I let myself eat one of these without any guilt at all!  I love the cool, creamy, and refreshing taste!  I used to try not to keep this flavor at home for fear of binging so I'd only get it out at ice cream parlors and the like, but the amount I'd get was always way too much.  These single serving cups are a much better way for me to have ice cream in my life and help me keep better track of the nutritional value of what I'm putting in my mouth!

Besides the Mint Chocolate Chip my other favorite flavor of the new varieties that come in a single serving cup were the absolutely fantastic Weight Watchers Greek Frozen Yogurt Cups in Strawberry Swirl.  Since these are frozen yogurt they still have the benefits of Greek yogurt such as active cultures and 5g of protein but are still just 100 calories with a PointsPlus value of 3.

The hint of strawberry is what makes these so delicious.  Strawberries equal summer to me so I'm sure I'll be snacking on these all season long.  These have 19g of carbohydrates, minus the 2 dietary fiber that's down to 17g and the 5g of protein balance out the difference between the 17g and my target 15g of carbs per serving.  This means for me, this is perfectly portioned carbs!

The Weight Watchers Greek Frozen Yogurt Cups also come with a black cherry swirl  These were my least favorite flavor from this tasting.  It's a personal thing, I don't really like black cherry flavor unless it's really faint but this tastes pretty full bodied to me.  This is really is a good thing for black cherry fans, I'm sure they'll be really happy with them.  After all, if you try out a particular flavor you want to actually taste like it!

All this deliciousness is waiting for you!  The new Weight Watchers low fat ice cream cups and Greek frozen yogurt cups are now available at grocery stores nationwide and have a suggested retail of $4.99

Before I move on, I think I should point out and you may have noticed it in my photos, the swirl that is evident in the packaging photo on the Greek frozen yogurt doesn't really show up as much in the actual product.  This didn't bother me, it's much more subdued and not as evenly distributed in real life.  I know food packaging usually shows ideal conditions, but I've always found images on Weight Watchers Ice Cream varieties to be very true to life, the exception being this one.

Besides the single serving sized cups of ice cream and frozen yogurt that are so perfect for me, as I can guarantee I could never scoop up a perfectly portioned sized one on my own, I also got these.  To be completely frank, I wasn't too excited by the idea of them because due to my lower sodium diet I find most food with "Salted" in the title way too salty to be palatable.

Wow, not the case at all with the new Weight Watchers Salted Caramel Candy Bar!  In fact, they are hands down my favorite from this shipment of samples and might just be my all time favorite Weight Watchers ice cream ever, a title formerly held by the Dark Chocolate Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Bars followed by the English Toffee Crunch Bars, currently in my freezer, as well for a close second.

I mean how could anyone not be into this!  The saltiness of the caramel is balanced so perfectly by the creamy ice cream for one awesome truly decadent tasting treat.  I ate all of these but one before taking the pictures for this post.  I managed to save just one but as you can see from above, it's now history, and at the top of my shopping list for our next trip to the grocery store!

These do have a slightly higher calorie count at 120 versus 100 but the cars are only 16g per bar and by now you know my magic number is 15 so we're so close before taking into account the dietary fiber (2g) and protien (2g).  It's like these Weight Watchers Salted Caramel Candy Bars were destined to be eaten by me!

Are you also planning to incorporate Weight Watchers ice cream into your active lifestyle this spring and summer?  You totally should, as the weather gets better and we're all out there moving and playing these are a great tasting way to have your sweets without worrying they'll be counterproductive to your diet and exercise regimen!  Check out all the Weight Watchers ice cream to find your new favorite treat!

April 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag Review

This post contains an ipsy referral link, product links are for information purposes & I do not receive any kind of compensation for these.  This is not a sponsored post.

Beauty rocks at Ipsy and so did this month's bag!  I got five items and a really cute record themed bag so let's check them out!

pop! goes the shadow by Elizabeth Mott in Champagne, Full Size $12.99: This item alone is more than the entire ipsy bag, proving that this is one great subscription!  I like the clear packaging and this shimmery color would make a great base color.  It needs a primer if you don't want to have to use several swipes.  It was nice to find such a pretty and usable color included, but for a few dollars more I can get a MAC shadow and in my opinion those are far superior in performance.

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil Travel Size in Black Velvet, Full Size $20: This is travel sized but nearly full size so it was great to find it inside of my cute record themed bag this month.  Urban Decay is super popular and on the more expensive side so I had yet to try anything by them.

On a side note, I needed a new eye liner and almost bought one last weekend but then remembered that so many beauty subscription boxes seem to send eye liners that people complain about it.  My makeup collection is fairly small, one of the main reasons I got into monthly subscription services so maybe in time I will think that too, but for now I was ecstatic to get an eye liner in both my April Ipsy and BB.

Coastal Scents Medium Eye Shadow Brush, $2.49: I was surprised by just how affordable this brush is!  It will be great for shading the crease and highlighting the brow bone.  I needed a bush just like this so it's a good addition to my collection and holds up nicely in comparison to my MAC brushes. Not the same by any means but still quite nice.

Starlooks Luscious Longwear Lip Pencil in Naked, Full Size $14: Another full sized "sample" from what I can tell, that retails for more that the cost of the bag!  This is supposed to be a nude color but not for me.  It looked kinda pinkish orange and not in a good way.  However, it's perfectly fine for lining and filling in my lips to add staying power for lip stick so it will come in handy.  I would have been happier with the Apple Pink Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm or the Mary Kay Jelly Lip Gloss so hopefully Ipsy will sample those in the months to come.

dr. brandt microdermabrasion, Full Size: $78: I previously got this sample from Birchbox but never tried it because, seriously seventy eight bucks?!  I didn't think the sample was enough to let me know if did all the amazing things it supposed to do and I wasn't going to be ordering a full sized product unless I knew for sure it would deliver.

However, I have used this once so far and a little goes a long way so the sample size is actually more generous than it might look at first glance.  I was really happy with how smooth my skin felt afterward.  I would use with a gentle touch while massaging because it did make my cheek quite red for awhile.  Now that I have two samples to work through, I'm really going to be able to put this to the test.

So that was pretty much awesome with three full sized products and one just about with the Urban Decay.  This was great for the price and I will get use out of everything.  At first I thought Ipsy pretty much beat Birchbox but when I take into consideration that with the review points I earn at BB that box only cost $3, well I have to give it up to Birchbox.  Both subscription services were well worth their $10 price!

Citrus Lane: April 2014 Box Review

This post contains affiliate links, which save you and me both $$$ :) As always, I'm very appreciative if you decide to sign up and use my link. You'll save 50% off your first box if you do!

This is our second month as subscribers to Citrus Lane and this time my little guy knew just what this box on the front door step meant, goodies for him!  Today is the LAST day to take advantage of the semi-annual sale at Citrus Lane with up to 44% a subscription.  Once you see what we got I know you are going to see what a deal that is!

Tools and Things from Green Toys: The actual set comes with more in it, including a tool in which to put all your pieces.  This mini configuration was created just for Citrus Lane so I can't give a suggested retail value but it was certainly an immediate hit with my 33 month old.  He loves his Green Toys vehicles and this is already a favorite toy company in our household.  These contain no BPA, phthalates, PVC, or external coatings.

Green Eats Tumbler 2 Pack, $5.95: He's becoming more and more interested in drinking out of real cups, he loves the getting to use the little paper ones in the bathroom.  I wasn't sure what our options were for study kid sized cups and then these came, perfect!  He loves them and now wants to only drink out of them.  He's pretty cute doing it too, see what I mean?

Like the Tools and Things set above, these are also by Green Toys, an environmentally friendly toy company that uses 100% recycled plastic milk containers to make tumblers that has no melamine, BPA, phthalates, PVC, or external coatings. And yes, they are dishwasher safe too!

On a side note: LB will be rocking this smile until his front permanent teeth come in.  He fell and smashed his face into our wood floors.  I even picked a wood splinter out of his mouth right after it happened.  One tooth has such a big chip, I thought it was been pushed up into his gums!  Our dentist said it was a best case - worst scenario, meaning that yes he chipped his tooth and possibly damaged the other.  But, it's purely cosmetic as the roots weren't damaged and they didn't get pushed up into where the adult teeth are developing.  The chip will last until it falls out and the tooth next to it might eventually turn grey but will in time fall out too.

Oh it was "exciting" around here last week.  My oldest also fell, she did it off her new scooter and cried so much I thought she broke a leg/ankle.  Several of the neighbors came out onto their decks and were ready to run out to help she made such a commotion.  Turns out she just cried really really loud and there was barely a scrape but after those two heart racing events I told them I needed a break from all that!

The Prince's Bedtime: Paperback & CD set ($9.99): This title from Barefoot books is one we don't already own, we have a rather extensive library due to my teaching days and gifts from family.  One thing I was worried about when joining a children's subscription service was that most of the books I had seen others get in previous boxes we already owned.  So it was very nice to receive this one since Barefoot Books is a publisher that can trusted to feature really quality tales and illustrations.  I like how this one comes with a CD and it's still reasonably priced for a combo.

Description: Meet a young prince who refuses to go to sleep! The entire kingdom comes out to lend a hand in this rhyming bedtime adventure. There is a hullabaloo of activity—jugglers juggling, magicians hypnotizing, dancers dancing—but it is the wonder of a good story that finally does the trick. Book with CD editions include story read by actor Jim Broadbent and includes two versions of the story: one with page-turn chimes and one without.

Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena Dish Soap, Full Size $3.99:  We received a travel size and I love the smell.  My husband jokes that I like everything to smell like Lemon Pledge, but it's kinda true.  I just associate cleanliness with lemon scents.  I like this little size a lot for travel.  Parents of toddlers know that road trips can be difficult when your kiddo can only drink out of a sippy cup and you have to wash those suckers every night at the hotel.

Free Greeting Card from Treat: We also got a card with a code for a free card from Treat.  I have used them before and been happy with their designs and quality.  I will definitely put this to good use!

Overall: This box cost us $17.67 and I'm happy with the value and variety of items we received.  I think we definitely got more than the purchase price and everything was a quality item.