100 Calorie Snacks

Pretty much any of those cute, short little 8-ounce cans of soda are 100 calories (for the non-diet variety.) But they’re usually as costly as their 12-ounce big brothers. They are convenient, though, and if you find a good sale they’re a great way to measure your soda calorie count. I recently picked up a six-pack of 100 calorie Sierra Mist when my son had a tummy ache (the only time he’s allowed soda.)

Nabisco has put a twist (sorry, bad pun) on its classic pretzel character Mister Salty in the form of 100 Calorie Pack Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels. These .78-ounce packs include at least a dozen round mini pretzels generously covered in real, rich chocolate. The saltiness, sweetness and crunch combine for a great taste that made me forget the scant serving size.

My husband brought this box of Klondike Slim-a-Bear 100-calorie ice cream bars home from the store the other day, and before I could taste-test them, he and our son had eaten half of eight bars in the box! So, that’s a ringing endorsement right there. The Slim-a-Bear bars (these are vanilla) are smaller than the palm of my hand but flavorful. The chocolate coating tastes like caramel and the ice cream is slow to melt, so you can take your time eating this Klondike bar. The size and low-fat ice cream help bring Slim-a-Bear in at 100 calories. My only question is, if it’s round, can they still call it a “bar”?

I’ve always enjoyed Smartfood popcorn, which has a fresh-popped taste and just the right amount of seasoning. So I was excited to see these 100 calorie packs. The 5/8 ounce serving is larger than it sounds, and the White Cheddar Cheese flavor gives the popcorn a chip-like taste, which is not surprising since Smartfood is a product of Frito-Lay. Another point in its favor: Popcorn is a great snack “bridge” between meals, and the prepopped variety means you won’t annoy people in your office with microwave popcorn smell. And you won’t have to share.

There are about 10 rectangle-shaped cookies in each 100 calorie pack of Pepperidge Farms Chessmen Chocolate Cookies. That’s not nearly enough for a chess match, but enough for a quick treat. They smelled better than they tasted, which was just “OK.” But that could be personal preference, so if you need a chocolate fix you could do worse than these little guys. The name did make me think of the notorious kidnapper, Caryl Chessman, which was not very appetizing.

Thomas bagels come in many sizes (though only one shape–round–because they’re bagels, har har). The 100 calorie version comes in plain flavor only. They’re actually kinda cute. The bagels are pre-split and fit in most toasters. If you need your carb fix, these little guys are the way to go, no counting necessary. There’s also a “mini bagel” bag, in which each bagel is a little larger and has a few more calories (I think they’re 130 each but I need to check) . Thomas also makes 100 calorie English muffins.