Are they made with *real* Girl Scouts?

Traci in our office is selling Girl Scout cookies- well, her daughter, the actual Girl Scout, is selling them, but there is an order form in our break room, advertising the once-a-year goodness. I can't remember a year where I didn't buy a box- even if I didn't pre-order them, I would get tackled while walking out of my local Kroger, where the troop is waiting there, badges and sashes at hand. I used to be that Girl Scout standing outside of Kroger- I can't turn them down! I know how hard they're working to bring in the money  for their troops. Edit: Girl Scout troops only make about 30 cents a box. Most of the money goes back to the bakery/cookie producer for materials, etc.

This year, I *want* to say I'm not going to buy a box. But really, who can turn down a Tagalong? Or a Thin Mint, fresh out of the freezer?? And, what about those "available in this region" cookies, like the short bread ones with chocolate on the bottom. And part of the thrill is that these cookies are only available once a year. My will power is getting better, but it's not perfect. I'm only human.

So, I have to "point" them out. I used to be able to eat Thin Mints on the old program- 4 of them for 3 points. Or was it 3 for 4 points...? Either way, I need to recalculate, choose ONE box, and order.

Lemon Chalet Cremes: Lesson #1 in WW- avoid foods with "cremes" listed in the title. That, and I'm not a fan *at all* of these cookies. But to each his/her own... One serving is 3 cookies. Each nugget is 170 calories, 2 grams protein, 26  grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fat, and less than one gram of fiber. 5 points plus a serving, meaning each cookie is a little more than 1 point.

Trefoils: Oh, the shortbready goodness of it all. One serving = 5 cookies. 160 calories, 8 grams of fat, 22 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, and less than one gram of fiber. 5 points plus a serving. So, a point a cookie. Not horrible, especially when dipping the cookie in some hot tea... mmm...

Do-si-do's: One serving = 2 cookies (when has anyone EVER eaten only 2 cookies?). And, while good, these are the peanut butter sammiches *not* covered in chocolate. 110 calories, 5 grams fat, 16 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, less than one gram of fiber. 3 points plus a serving, meaning 1.5 points a cookie. For a cookie without chocolate. Can't stress that enough.

Samoas (Also called Carmel DeLites): I don't care what you call it, it's wonderful. So good, in fact, that Keebler now makes a fake Samoa that is almost as good as the Girl Scouts (elves vs. girl scouts). The traditional Samoa has a serving size of 2 cookies. Again, 2 cookies?! One serving has 140 calories, 1 gram protein, 19 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fat, and 1 gram fiber. 4 points plus a serving, so 2 points a cookie. Kind of worth it. And, FYI, the elf version isn't any healthier for you.

Dulce de Leche: The name literally means "sweets made of milk," meaning caramel (in this case). I don't think I could even place this cookie in a cookie line-up; I always went for the chocolate covered stuff first and ignored things with "milk" advertised as a main ingredient. These cookies have 4 per serving size. Each serving is 160 calories, 2 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fat, and less than 1 gram fiber. 4 points plus a serving for these international bad boys, meaning 1 point a cookie.

Thank U Berry Munch: This is my new dieters pet peeve. Putting a fruit name/nickname in the title of a cookie does NOT make it healthy! I've fallen for this before, and the results aren't pretty. One serving is 2 cookies. Per serving, it's 120 calories, 1 gram protein, 18 grams carbohydrates (and probably not the good carbs from the "berry"), 5 grams fat, and less than 1 gram fiber. These are 3 points plus a serving, so 1.5 points each. It's comparable to the other cookies, but the title makes you think it's healthier than it really is. Wrong answer.

Tagalongs: I used to beg and whine for these cookies. I would scrape the chocolate and peanut butter off the top of the cookie, then eat the chocolate covered cookie last. It was a process. These little remnants of my childhood have 2 cookies per serving. Each serving is 140 calories, 2 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fat (but it's all healthy fat, right?!), and less than one gram fiber. 4 points plus  per serving, or 2 points a cookie. Like the Samoa, it's worth it. But hey, couldn't they be a *little* bigger?

Thin Mints: The most popular Girl Scout cookie out there. It's so versatile- eat them frozen, at room temp, crumble them over vanilla ice cream, buy the Edy's ice cream with it already in there- I can find a million uses for these cookies, and all of these uses involve them going in my belly. One serving is 4 cookies. Each serving is 160 calories, 1 gram protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fat, and less than one gram fiber. That's 5 points plus a serving- up from my 3 points under the old program. I can handle 1.25 points/cookie, can't I?

The most bang for my points buck looks like it's going to be the Trefoils, where 5 cookies = 5 points. But, no chocolate? Maybe I can dunk them in fat free/sugar free hot chocolate instead of tea...