Bagels

I'm from Long Island.  We are known for bagels and pizza.  If you've never had a New York bagel, then you simply haven't really ever had a bagel.  It's a fact.

The quintessential weekend for me growing up began with a trip to the local bagel store to grab a dozen bagels.  Then, I would usually slather my egg-everything with cream cheese and perhaps some lox.  If I felt like it, I might even have 2 for breakfast, along with a glass or 2 of orange juice.

A thing of beauty.  NOM NOM NOM

Obviously, this type of diet did not do anything positive for me except satisfy my hunger at the time.  Our bagels are HUGE, at least twice the size of a commercial bagel you would find at the grocery store.  The cream cheese was always full fat (and delicious!).  The lox was the healthiest part by far, adding some lean protein.  While orange juice isn't horrible, the quantity I would consume wasn't doing anything for my waistline, it was just increasing my sugar intake  Yet, still, I crave that carb and fat filled breakfast at times.  Here are my 2 tricks to satisfy my cravings.


The first calls to still go to a bagel store, so a good amount of will power is necessary in order to stick to the plan.  I'm very lucky that my favorite local bagel store makes mini bagels.  They are about half to a third of the size of a regular one, about the size of the palm of your hand as opposed to the size of your entire hand, fingers included, but just as tasty.  They are probably meant for children, but they are big enough to satisfy an adult.  I order a mini bagel with a very thin layer of regular cream cheese (the low-fat just doesn't do it for me), sometimes adding lox if I'm feeling saucy.  I estimate that this meal comes with about 7 Points+ values, 8-9 if they go heavy on the cream cheese.  Not too bad for a bagel breakfast.

Look at all the cute little baby bagels among the huge ones!

If you want something to keep at home for bagel emergencies (or lazy mornings), Thomas' makes a 100% whole wheat bagel thin.  These taste really good, and have 3 Points+ each.  Pop one in the toaster, spread 1 tbsp of your favorite cream cheese on each half (fun fact- my favorite cream cheese, Temptee, has only 1 point per tablespoon, and it's full fat.  Awesome).  This will only cost you 5 Points+ (depending on your cream cheese).  And it's so good.

So, if you are trying to eat healthy, don't think that you need to cut out your favorite foods.  Find a way to enjoy them by controlling the quantity or finding a smart yet satisfying substitution.  Now, I'm off to enjoy some poached eggs, center cut bacon, and a toasted bagel thin!