calling all cottage cheese experts!

i bought some 1% cottage cheese the other day, and i really want to give it at a shot, but i have a few questions first.

1. is there skim cottage cheese? if so, where can i buy it?
2. the cottage cheese i bought has 18% sodium, where can i buy low-sodium cottage cheese?
3. what are some yummy, low-cal ways to eat cottage cheese?

1. There is.  Safeway has it (in Canada), but it's not low salt.

2. On a related note, the only "no added salt" cottage cheese I can find is 2%.  Canadian Safeways also carry it (Lucerne brand, which is a store brand; there may be other brands too).

3a. Dice up fresh tomatoes and mix with cottage cheese.  For added flavour add any of the following: fresh ground pepper, basil, oregano, finely chopped onion, fresh chives, toasted pine nuts (or other small seed/nut).  I haven't tried it, but I suspect diced ham would be a nice addition.  I don't do all of these at once, of course!  That might be a little overkill-y.  I typically add 1-3 of the flavourings.

3b. Cook pasta (whole grain or regular, as you prefer).  Toss with cottage cheese.  You may wish to add some fresh ground pepper, herbs, onions or nuts/seeds.

Those are my two favourite ways to eat cottage cheese.  Some like it with fresh fruit as well; I don't really love the combination of cottage cheese with sweetness - but that's a personal thing.

Sometimes my local grocery store has it - sometimes they don't. I love cottage cheese but I hate the skim stuff. I don't think it's worth the few calories saved. The low-fat stuff is perfectly fine. Besides you need to eat fat! I've tried the unsalted stuff and I end up putting salt back in myself - I know that's bad. . . I like mixing in diced fruit or no-sugar-added canned fruit.

Original Post by eerica:

what are some yummy, low-cal ways to eat cottage cheese?

There have been some great threads on this topic recently. Search for "cottage cheese" and you can browse them at your leisure.

hey!

i love cottage cheese and eat it almost everyday so heres my input. First off, there is a fat free kind, but it's gross and i dont recommend it at all. the 2% kind is deliciouss. if they sell Breakstone's Cottage Doubles where you shop for food, i would deff reccomend them. theyre cottage cheese with a fruit preserve on the side to mix in and come in different flavors of preserve (pineapple, raspberry, blueberry, etc.). I also love mixing pb and banana into my cottage cheese or lowfat granola. there are soo many possibilities so dont be afraid to experiment!

If youre considering flavoring it (I put splenda with with either cinnamin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla or a combo), I would consider trying the fat free because with the flavor, I found it didnt make a difference and has nice calorie savings.

i've been eating cottage cheese for years and the fat free kind IS gross. I only started buying full fat this year which is SOOooOOoo delicious and much more satisfying. A half a cup is 100 cals, so it's not that bad! I would just recommend that or if not, 2% I guess. But 4% is way yummier.

I am also a huge cottage cheese fan -- which is why I don't buy it often.

I agree with most everyone above -- the low-fat is pretty good, but no-fat is nasty.

I recommend adding sunflower seeds and/or garbanzo beans. Mix in your favorite fresh fruit.

i just tried cottage cheese for the first time this morning, and i love it! i'm definetely going to stick with the 1% if the non-fat tastes bad. i only wish i could find a low sodium kind :(

Cheese is a preserved food... that's why it contains salt.  If you think fat-free tastes terrible, salt free is even worse.... loses all its tang.  If you don't eat cottage cheese by the ton but have it as just one of a big range of other foods, the salt content isn't a problem in the slightest.

I eat the no fat version from Shaws. I actually didn't notice a taste difference when I switched from 1% to no fat. Here are a few of my favorite ways.

Mix 1/2 cup cottage cheese with peanut butter (if I am having it as a snack to satisify a craving, I mix in 1 tblspoon of sugar free jam.)

Mix 1/2 cup cottage cheese with diced low fat turkey, sliced cherry tomatoes and cooked broccoli. Sprinkle with pepper. It makes a really big bowl.