Favorite Snacks, continued

Here are a few more of my favorite small meals or snacks:

Tomato Slices with Sea Salt

Simply slice tomatoes and sprinkle fine sea salt on top...this is also great with a drizzle of balsamic...
Try different types of tomatoes...the texture and flavor vary greatly!

Raw Veggies with Hummus

I am loving raw peppers or cucumbers with hummus...my fav hummus brands are Sabra and Trader Joe's creamy classic.

Tuna and Carrot Lettuce Wraps

Try tuna and shredded carrots rolled up inside a lettuce leaf (I love bib lettuce or iceberg for this)...Sometimes I add vinegar, salt and pepper to give it some zing. For a fast lunch, I like to use Trader Joe's pre-made Tuna Salad

Hot Chocolate

1 c. Almond or Coconut milk, unsweetened (Almond Breeze Original and So Delicious are good)
2 tsp. cocoa powder, unsweetened (such as Hershey's)
1/4 tsp. xylitol or a little less than 1 tsp. Agave or a combination

Microwave the milk for 1 min. and 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir with a spoon and then whip with a whisk. To change it up every once in a while I add cinnamon or a dash of sea salt.

Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Fruit

As a quick snack or if I am on-the-go and need something to hold me over I love to pair shelled pumpkin seeds (seasoned with sea salt) and dried fruit such as apples, cherries, and cranberries/or raisins. I like the salty and sweet combination. Read labels on dried fruit packages and make sure you are not buying fruit sweetened with sugar. The only dried fruit I buy sweetened is cranberries, and I choose the ones that are sweetened with natural apple juice.

Chocolate Fix

If I really want something sweet, and typically that means chocolate, I have found that one small square of No Sugar Added Chocolate from Simply Lite is enough to satisfy. This is sweetened with maltitol, so use very sparingly. It is available at Trader Joe's.

"Cheese and Crackers"

This always feels like a splurge to me, and it kind of is since there is white rice and evaporated cane juice in it, but it is a good choice when trying to find a substitute for actual cheese and crackers:

2 Cracklebred sheets
1 wedge Laughing Cow

Spread the very low calorie cheese on top of your cracklebred and enjoy slowly! I love the swiss on top of the original or tomato oregano crackers.

Celery, Carrots, Tomatoes and Cultured Sour Cream and Onion Dip

Raw veggies
Cultured Sour Cream (available at Earth Fare)
Minced onions
Onion Powder
Sea Salt and Fresh Pepper

This tastes best if mixed and chilled for a couple of hours before serving. I love Frontier's Onion Dip mix (thank you, Robyn!) but in a pinch when I am craving it and don't have it on hand, this works well!

Banana and Almond Butter (or PB)

Love this combination! And to make it fancy for kids, try rolling it in shredded coconut and a few chocolate chips!

Cheese and Grapes or Cheddar and Apples

Classic combos...so good!

Tortilla Chips with Salsa and Sour Cream

I love to take the Trader Joe's Organic lightly salted tortilla chips and dip them in a good g-free salsa and a dollop of lite sour cream or plain non-fat Greek yogurt. The creamy and tangy combo is so nice. I especially like the Trader Joe's salsa that has a hint of lime in it.

Air-popped Popcorn

Midnight and white corn kernels
Olive oil
Sea salt
Lite butter

Turkey, Provolone and Lettuce Roll-ups with Dip

Wrap turkey, a cucumber slice and cheese in a lettuce leaf, roll up and dip into a mixture of lite sour cream (cultured, or sub in Greek non-fat plain yogurt), lemon juice, sea salt and any herbs you prefer. So nice!

Baked Apple Goodness

Preheat oven to 400. Scoop out the top and seeds of a medium to large apple, leaving the bottom so it can hold ingredients. Place apple in a glass dish and fill with a little water. Drizzle a lemon juice into apple, put a small pat of butter inside, drizzle agave nectar or sprinkle xylitol inside and over top. Add a generous amount of cinnamon and if you like, allspice, nutmeg, or ginger, or a combination. Bake for about an hour or until apple is soft and tender. Place apple in serving dish and either eat as is, or top with:
1 small scoop of coconut ice cream (agave sweetened) or a no sugar added "ice cream" or fro yo of choice
or
In a small cup combine light whipping cream or half and half with a tiny bit of vanilla extract and agave or xylitol. Pour mixture over apple. Eat while apple is warm!

In my next snack post I will share some fruit dip ideas, including my favorite fall treat, Pumpkin Dip!

Favorite Healthy Snacks

So, the more I learn about food and nutrition, the more passionate I become about it, the more I want to learn about it, and share that with others. It is a cycle that keeps repeating, but it is making my life better, and that of my precious family. Lately, I have been eating clean, exercising 5 days a week (an hour each weekday), and making sure I am keeping up with my probiotic and vitamin intake. In addition to being gluten-free, I am now "bread free," caffeine free, flouride free, and refined sugar free (almost completely...every now and then I get some of the evil white stuff through vit C, almond milk, or the like).What a difference these things have made in life. I have always been health-conscious, but now, I am committed. I enjoy feeling stronger, having more energy, and I love the absence of the side effects of a sugar craving/crash. Finding new ways to get the most power-packed nutritional punch into my husband and kids' diets is a continued but fun challenge. Below are some of my favorite new snacks...things that give us energy and help steer us away from the simple carbs and sugary treats. Hope these snacks inspire you to find healthy snacks to incorporate in your weekly menus.

Apples and Almond Butter

1 apple
lemon juice
Justin's Almond Butter (any flavor) or your fav brand

Slice up an apple into thin wedges, drizzle lemon juice over them. Spread Justin's Maple or Classic (or Honey) Almond Butter...enjoy!

Rice Cakes and Cream Cheese

Organic Brown Rice cake
1/3 less fat cream cheese (I prefer organic)
cucumber slices and/or shelled pumpkin seeds

Spread cream cheese on your rice cake...top with thinly sliced cucumber (I prefer English) and or Pumpkin seeds...or both! So satisfying!

Protein Smoothie

Ice
1/4-1/2 c. Almond milk (I prefer original flavor, Almond Breeze)
2 TBSP nonfat plain Greek Yogurt (no sugar added)
2 tsp. chocolate flavored Almond Butter (I love Justin's)
Arbonne Vanilla Protein Powder (1/2 single serve packet)

Mix all ingredients in blender or Magic Bullet and enjoy with a fat straw or a spoon.
This is excellent as a post-workout recovery shake or as a meal replacement. It took me a while to enjoy protein powders, but this recipe actually made me LOVE it!

Strawberries with Balsamic and Basil

Hulled, sliced strawberries (of course, organic are preferred)
Dried Basil
Black Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar (I love Moderna)

Simple mix ingredients together to taste and refrigerate for several hours....soooooo good!

Maple Cottage Cheese

1/2 c. lowfat or nonfat cottage cheese
1 tsp. organic pure maple syrup

Heat cottage cheese in microwave for 30 sec- 1 min. Top with a drizzle of maple syrup and enjoy!

This is only a few of my fav snacks...I will write more, soon!