It's no secret that I have trouble with portions and that I can snack all day long, especially if I'm stressed out with impending deadlines. I've been very mindful of how much food I actually eat, measuring out portions to get a better idea of what my plate should look like. It has been challenging for me, however I am getting used to smaller portions as the days go by. I am certainly not eating "diet foods," but rather smaller portions of everything that I normally eat. Therefore, I'm not depriving myself of anything that I love to eat. Also, I've been doing simple things like replacing white bread with a beautiful, multi-grain yoga bread or cutting down my sugar. For example, I'm down to a level teaspoon of sugar in my coffee from two heaping teaspoons, and I've switched to a teaspoon of honey in my tea from a teaspoon of sugar.
I'm not necessarily a "bad eater," preferring whole foods and home cooked meals over crap and fast food joints. That's just the way we were brought up by my Mom. Dinner was prepared by my Mom, was never out of a box or bag, and was eaten around the dinner table by the whole family. My parents insisted on it. So, I've taken this habit with me ... however, I've also taken Mom's habit of cooking for six people, and therefore eating for two.
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| A variety of snacks that I've been eating. |
However, I do like my snacks, especially on Tuesday night when we RPG. In order to control my intake I've decided to try snacks that are prepackaged in 100-130 calorie packs. This past week I took a pack of Skinny Cow's "Dreamy Clusters" and a pack of Newtons Minis in strawberry. I love fig and fruit Newtons and the minis are just like the big ones. The Skinny Cow "Dreamy Clusters" are small clumps of dark chocolate, puffed rice and caramel. HOLY YUM! They have about 5 or 6 clusters to a pack and boy! are they satisfying.
I recently tried Kefir, which is a drinkable yogurt drunk by many Eastern Europeans and Middle Eastern cultures. I have to say, it's good. VERY good. It's very filling and one cup (240g) is only 120 calories, which makes it a perfect snack or a wonderful addition to breakfast. Like I said, I'm going with real food with big flavor because it satisfies both the taste buds and psyche.
Of course fruit is always a good option. Oranges are in season here in the US and yummy varieties are flooding the NYC market from California and Florida. Pictured is a blood orange (left) and a navel orange (right), both varieties have been incredibly sweet this year.
Let's talk ice cream. Darling readers, I am an ice cream fiend and this is where I get into trouble. I can eat a HUGE bowl of ice cream without thinking about it and have done so quite a lot. Both Ed and I know that it's bad to eat that much ice cream in one sitting but we just can't help ourselves when we scoop. So, we switched to prepackaged, individual portions by Skinny Cow. These cups of ice cream are quite small, but it's real low fat ice cream. Each container ranges from 120-150 calories and is quite satisfying when you are craving that ice cream goodness. I highly recommend the Strawberry Cheescake and Dulce de Leche flavors.
What good stuff do you snack on? What do you crave?
For the most part,I like popcorn(http://boredtodeathhomeschooler.blogspot.com/2012/01/healthy-alternative-to-microwave.html)The other day I put some agave and salt on my popcorn,it was oddly like caramel popcorn(and pretty good).
ReplyDeleteI also like fruit(pears,preferably),and I was practically raised on Kefir.
Recently I've tried something new- Wasibi peas.They AWESOME.
*They're...
ReplyDeleteMom never bought Kefir, but we definitely had tons of yogurt. I guess it wasn't really available in Staten Island when I was a kid. Oooo ... I LOVE Wasabi peas! They are SO good, especially when they're super hot! YUM!
ReplyDeletesnacks XD i'm one of those people that eat / snack a lot when i'm bored or stressed or in a bad mood but i refuse to buy those evil things for a year now (before i was an ben&jerries and salt&vinegar chips person like... every day)! and switched to 'healthier' things... what i LOVE to snack:
ReplyDelete- bloody mary without alcohol (tmoato juice, lemon juice, tabasco, salt an pepper) esp. after my workout!
- camembert with jalapenos. i put the camembert in my pan, ~5min one side, turn around, open the upper side like an x, put jalapenos in, close it and after a minute or two turn around for two more minutes and then enjoy!
- apples.
when i have visitors at home i have to do muffins though because most of my friends force me to *lol* i try to do them without sugar but with fruits and nuts though ;-)
I'm with you -- I don't buy the calorie bombs anymore. If they aren't in my house I won't eat them. Muffins? There's a story behind this! Why muffins?
Deleteactually no big story behind it but when i found out how much i like cooking and baking i loved trying what can be used for muffins and created some strange but also some tasty ones, my friends always loved to eat them and then guessed what i used. we did this nearly every week and it was so much fun and fun things you should stick to so whenever we find a date to meet i have to do surprise-muffins or will see sad faces *lol*
DeleteAH! I agree, you should stick to those things that are fun! Muffins it is then! What was the craziest muffin that you made?
Deletei think that would have been some chocolate, cherry, chilly muffins :-)
DeleteOooo, that doesn't sound so weird at all! Those sound delicious!
DeleteFruits, fruits and more fruits. Specially berries, they're nature's candy.
ReplyDeleteSome veggies and home made hummus.
I'm RPGing tonight, but not at home and I didn't prepare a snack so I'll have to find a healthy on the go snack downtown, somewhere between a McSomething and a PFK they're must be a salad bar or something. Otherwise, Sushi!
What RPG to do play?
Berries are my favorite, but I never eat them out of season because they taste like cardboard. BLECK. Currently we are playing Mutants and Masterminds (D20) that's being run by another member of the game crew. Ed and I will be co-GMing for the same crew in March -- Vampire. :) HELLZ YEAH!
DeleteWhile on an elimination diet recently, I stumbled upon a fix for two problems at once. I missed ice cream, but it can give me stomach probs (I wish I could quit you...). And the diet encouraged me to try berries again, but I don't like the texture of fresh berries. So I put the berries in the freezer, and now frozen berries have completely replaced ice cream in my life :-)
ReplyDeleteI also replaced chips and wheat crackers with rice cakes and nuts on the elim diet, but the nuts were a little too much fat + fiber for my stomach to handle in my compulsively large portions. Whups.
And since I started to come off the elim diet (gave me more energy, but more stomach probs somehow) I've been craving chocolate and other sugary and starchy things like crazy. But not at all when I was focused on the elim diet. Very odd, it was like my brain clearly labeled refined sugars with "this is not food!" And now the label is off.
So many folks have tried this elimination diet! I have to say, and this is my own personal opinion, everything in moderation. Sure, refined flours suck the life out of you, but give up sugar and caffeine? Sorry, no. I use either sugar in the raw or the unbleached stuff (or honey) and there's no way I'm giving up caffeine. Teas and coffee are so unbelievably delicious. They provide massive amounts of anti-oxis, are fabulous aromatherapy methods, and can make me happy and calm in a nanosecond.
DeleteThere's nothing wrong with sugar and starch ... IN MODERATION. An 8 oz glass of Coke is a treat, small ice cream is a reward for a good week, a small plate of pasta can warm my heart on a cold, dreary NYC day. :) Food is the friend. Our relationship to food is the problem.
Chocolate mousse!
ReplyDeleteYeah, a healthy, raw, vegan, gluten free chocolate mousse is possible.
4 Avocados
2/3 c cocoa powder
1 and 1/3 cups Agave (or less if you like me enjoy the bitter taste of cocoa)
1.5 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
So yummy.
If you find Agave to be too expensive or impossible to find, you can replace it with maple syrup, but it won't be ''raw'' anymore. But again, I'm Canadian so maple syrup is quite cheap and easy to find here. So maybe Stevia, but be careful it's about 300 time more sweet than sugar.
Avocados and chocolate? ooo, I don't know. I actually don't like Agave, it's too sweet. And Stevia makes my tongue crawl, unless it's the dried leaf already in things like tea. I like honey much better. I'm weird about my sugars. If I'm going to eat it I want the real thing in small amounts.
DeleteBut this is an interesting recipe! I like using avocado in lots of things like dips and sandwiches. Avocado dips on a cold day can really brighten up any party or gathering. It's so "summer."
Last year I was on a very restrictive diet and love to share what I've learned. I have some health issues which makes mobility a problem once in awhile, so a lot of my food prep has to be super-easy. Here are some of what I call "grabables"... healthy snacks that you can just grab and eat. Some require advance preparation, but they're all extremely easy.
ReplyDelete1. Cereal (sans milk) is a perfect snack because it's "small food" -- you can eat a couple of little pieces at a time, and it takes awhile to eat. My favorites are reduced sugar Froot Loops and generic Rice Chex. Anything that's approximately 100 calories for a cup (or almost a cup) works for me. Sometimes I buy several types at once to mix and match my own cereal snack blend. :)
2. Fruit! My favorites are just plain old apples and oranges -- again, the whole grab-and-go thing -- but pomegranates are hard to resist when they're in season! And never underestimate the power of frozen grapes (I just pop grapes onto skewers and stick in the freezer for later) to tame a craving for something sweet.
3. Bagel thins -- like a standard bagel, only thinner and about 100 calories. My two favorite ways to eat these: a wedge of Laughing Cow spreadable blue cheese & some spring mix for a veggie sandwich, OR a little peanut butter & a few sliced strawberries. Both are healthy and tasty.
4. Sugar-free pudding & Jell-o. Prepackaged pudding cups are convenient, or just make your own; the kind you cook is lower in sodium than the instant. Or I'll make sugar-free Jell-O with 2 chopped up fruits (my fave is orange jell-o with half a grapefruit & a small orange). Makes a few refreshing servings, great when a craving for something sweet hits.
Cereal with the milk is the BOMB! I like to dunk Kashi's cinnamon harvest shredded wheat into coffee. hehehe ... just like cookies. :D Have you tried pretzel thins? Their excellent with salsa.
DeleteThanks for the hints!
I'm so supportive of your choosing a healthier lifestyle; you are really motivating me to be better and to think about what I'm eating more! I am a huge fan of giant bowls of ice-cream, but I have noticed here in my mother's house she only has SMALL bowls and I am in turn eating less! Magic!
ReplyDeleteYES! The size of the bowl or plate really affects how much we eat. The Food Network Magazine just ran an article in their light issue that states that the size of the fork even affects how much we eat, but it's opposite of what we think. The larger the fork the less we tend to eat. Weird.
DeletePortions are key. And everything in moderation!
I crave chips, chips, chocolate and chocolate on chips.
ReplyDeleteHow I "snack" is having pretzels and a Tiki drink! Tiki drinks are full of fruit juice (and booze), but the serving is usually about a 4-6oz drink and satisfies my sweet tooth and rum tooth. If you get too crazy with having too many it can effect the waist line, but of course you can't "snack" on this while on the go....or can you ;)
My hubby is on weight watchers and can still have his Tiki drinks :)
Ok, I'm coming to your house for "snacks!" Tiki drinks make me happy! WAHOO!
DeleteMostly I go for crunchy, salty snacks:
ReplyDelete-dill pickles
-plain (non-buttered) popcorn
-chips and salsa
And I have a penchant for raw fruits and vegetables:
-raw baby carrots
-raw apples - cut into pieces, with a little salt added
-raw cabbage - with a little salt added
-raw cauliflower - with salt and a touch of Catalina dressing. I can't help but think "Braaaains! Braaaains!" when I eat cauliflower. :)
-raw cucumbers - with a little salt added
-raw potatoes - peeled, with - you guessed it - a little salt added
Bane, YES! Pickles!!! I love pickles as a snack!!! And olives too! Salt on apples? hmmm, I'll have to try that. I like salt on melon, especially watermelon. YUM!
DeleteSalt makes vegetables much more palatable! We hardly use salt on anything else, but without it on the veggies, we'd hardly touch them. Mr. Kitty, being half Japanese, introduced me to an amazing cucumber concoction called Sunomono. It's thinly-sliced baby cucumbers with a bit of rice vinegar, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds. Google it for a recipe if you like cucumbers, salt and vinegar - it's super-simple and SO delicious.
DeleteI actually made Sunomono once for a Luau! It's YUMMY beyond belief!!! Ms. Kitty, I get the feeling that you aren't too thrilled with veggies. Have you tried roasting the buggers? Cauliflower, carrots, beets, etc. do really good with a high heat roast. Toss with a little EVOO and some salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes depending on the size and type. YUMMO!
DeleteOh man, I need to find myself some Newtons -- I haven't had those in forever!
ReplyDeleteI actually know a family that is trying to lose weight together and they eat a bunch of snacky food that's full of icky chemicals for the sake of being "healthier." Sure, some people could actually down healthy healthy PopTarts or generic Oreos (er, I mean "chocolate cookies with creme in the middle). But seriously, I believe in having the real thing.
1. MANGO. Saviour of all snacks healthy and yummy.
2 Strawberries. Preferably from the farmer's market.
3. Pickles. I like to snack on the crunchy, little fellas but I like to chomp on the larger, juicier ones too.
4. Annie's Chocolate Chip Bunny Graham cookies (love this brand!)
And I'm guilty of:
1. Grabbing a fast meal from Arby's now and then. Can't stand most fast food but for some reason I really like my Arby's sandwiches ..
2. Cereal. Full of sugar and whatnot.
I rather have the real thing too. Skinny Cow's stuff tends to be real and good. YUM! I LOVE strawberries from the farmer's market, and will down the entire pint in one sitting. I really like strawberries warm from the sun, mmmm.
DeleteHmmm ... I'm guilty of ice cream. And potato chips. I LOVE potato chips!
Try Nut Thins in pecan flavor- they're a rice cracker made by Blue Diamond and taste so deliciously salty without being salty (not sure how...). Extremely good for you! I always eat mine with cut up cubes of Muenster cheese, always making sure that there are way more Nut Thins in the portion than cheese to make it healthier.
ReplyDeleteI love rice crackers! I like the crunch and the saltiness of them. Muenster cheese is good stuff! I like little slivers on English Muffins.
DeleteI'm lucky on the snack-side, because I prefer fruits, dark chocolate, and nuts, such as pistachios, and cashews.
ReplyDeleteI only crave for ice-cream in the hot summer time, so we take a walk to the local confectionary, wich offers handmade ice-creams from fresh fruits.
Oh, and my Mum can make ice-cream, just mixes some fruit with milk, and ice, and powdered sugar, adds some lemon, and turmixes the whole thing. ^^
I'm guilty of eating too much fast-food, like chinese food, and pizza.
We're big on nuts in this family but we have to be careful because we *do* over eat, making our tummies sour. :( Fruit -- fresh and dried -- is always a welcomed addition to my snacking. I have a container of prunes in my fridge as I type this. I'm thinking about heating them up and having them with toast. hmmmm ...
DeletePizza is a BIG treat in this house. Ed is a pizza fiend!
My toughest thing with food was learning to eat more slowly. I don't know how I had developed a habit of scarfing it down so quickly (too busy? trying to keep up with everyone else?) but it always led to eating too much. Now that I eat slowly, I don't remember the last time I experienced the awful "too full" feeling that was previously far too typical for me!
ReplyDeleteMr. Kitty and I are pros when it comes to healthy snacking! Here are some of our favorites:
- Almonds and hazelnuts with golden raisins
- Figs, prosciutto, and reduced-fat string cheese
- Pretzel thins with slices of lean lunch meat
- Lower-sodium vegetable soup (oh, how I love Lentil!)
- Whole-wheat English muffin with a tablespoon of Better 'n Peanut Butter
- Multi-Grain Cheerios (I *love* them dry)
- Homemade tortilla chips and salsa verde. I make the chips by cutting a whole bag of corn tortillas into wedges, lay them out on cookie sheets, spray lightly with fat-free cooking spray, and bake at a low temp until crispy. They are a bit coarser than regular tortilla chips, but virtually no fat!
- Homemade hummus, raw zucchini and carrots, and calamata olives!
- Homemade whole-wheat crackers (no fat and almost no salt)
- Sugar-free Werther's Originals (only 8 cals each!)
- SKINNY COW ICE CREAM!!! We love the fudge pops and the mint cones.
- Extra-dark chocolate (just one per day, always GOOD quality so it's worth the calories ;-D )
PS: I'm so glad you wrote this post! It's awesome to get even more great healthy snack ideas from everyone to keep the old favorites from getting boring. I'll be referring to this page when I make my weekly shopping lists!
Delete:) Cool beans! I love Skinny Cow ice cream! You NEED to try those cups, especially the dulce de leche. WAHOO! Caramel goodness. Soup is a go-to snack/meal for me. Heck, I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I like apple butter on my English muffins! Especially during the fall when it's apple season. hmmm .... :)
DeleteAnd of course my favorite snack: cherry tomatoes straight from the garden! sigh ... how many more months until I can start digging in the mud?
sliced apples with cinnamon sprinkled on them are delicious. Greek yogurt with fruit (it's heavier and really fills you for few hours). If I have a sweet tooth, I have meringue cookies. (2 points each).
DeleteI discovered crumpets at Trader Joe's- it's only 2 points- it's great toasted with a pat of butter (adds another point) with coffee (no sugar- skim milk) it's YUMMY!
Thanks for sharing!
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