Posts Tagged ‘Snacks’
Monday, January 25th, 2010
We’re still stocking your cupboards and refrigerator with healthy food. Snack are so important! in the heat of hunger we grab what’s easiest. If you have something healthy right beside you- that’s what your going to eat. Plus you’re less likely to get famished because you have emergency snacks where ever you go.
Whether it’s snacks for your purse, your car, desk, or the house- if your making healthy lifestyle changes you should always make sure that you have snack on hand.
GOOD FOR THE CAR, YOUR PURSE OR YOUR DESK:
- 1 ounce raw nuts. I like Almonds, cashews and brazil nuts.
- Fresh cut up veggies. I like celery, carrots, cucumber and peppers. If you can’t stomach veggies on their own try it with 2 tbsp of hummus or 1 tbsp of low-fat Ranch or Cesar dressing.
- Cheese Strings. ( These last a few hours outside of a refrigerator)
- An emergency bar like a LARA Bar or The Simply Bar.
- Piece of fruit.
- Whole grain crackers like WASA crackers and some Light Laughing Cow to spread on top.
- Celery/ whole grain crackers and Natural Peanut Butter.
If you are going to have a snack like rice chips, pretzels or something processed like that. Just make sure you look at the back of the bag and portion out your one serving. Place your 8 chips or whatever it is in a zip lock baggy and bring JUST THE BAGGY to work with you.
Snacks for your house OR if you have a refrigerator at your office:
- 3/4 cups skim milk with 1/4 cup chocolate milk. Have it on the rocks or warm it in the microwave for a hot cocoa.
- Cottage cheese with cinnamon for a sweet tooth.
- Cottage cheese with cucumber and tomato for a savory tooth.
- Cottage cheese with fresh berries for a sweet tooth.
- Single servings of yogurt.
- 1/4 cup low fat Ricotta cheese with fresh berries.
I never leave the house without something on hand. And if I do find myself in a situation where I don’t have anything to eat and I’m out running errands – I grab a tall non-fat latte. It’s approximatly 8 ounces of milk and a great tide me over snack that holds me until my next meal.
Feel free to write in with ideas and thoughts!
Tags: calcium, Calories, dairy, diet, healthy eating, Lean Protein, low fat, protein, quick snack, self control, Snack, Snacks, Treats, weight loss, Will Power
Posted in General Health Tips, Recipes and Meal Ideas, Weight Loss Tips | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 18th, 2010
At the end of 2009 we talked about cleaning out your refrigerator, cupboards, car and purse. If you have not done this already, now is a great time to throw away all the processed, salt ridden, trans-fat hidden foods in your house. CLICK HERE for a list of what to toss.
I promised I would give you some ideas as to what to fill your cupboards and refrigerator with. Let’s start with breakfast. I’ll hit snacks, lunches, dinners and your purse/car in the next few days. Keep these lists handy and use them to help you grocery shop
Even put them on your refrigerator door so that you can use them as a reference when you are deciding what to have in the morning. The key here is to have healthy (yummy) things readily available to grab in the morning on your way out the door. This way you don’t have the option of grabbing a high sugar processed cereal bar – or even worse, noting at all.
- Skim or 1% milk.
- 1% Chocolate milk
- Yogurt – I personally would choose a Greek Style Non Fat Plain Yogurt- but if you hate plain yogurt, pick one that you like.
- Eggs.
- Cheese.
- Cottage cheese.
- Fresh fruit like apples, bananas, berries, grapefruit, kiwi’s and pineapple.
- Oatmeal.
- High Fiber, low sugar cereals like Weetabix and Bite Sized Shredded Wheat
- Whole grain or sprouted wheat bread.
- Natural peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter.
- Pea-meal Bacon.
10 healthy breakfast ideas you can make with this list:
- Fresh Fruit Plate.
- Cottage Cheese and Berries.
- Yogurt and berries.
- Toast with Peanut (or other nut butter) and a glass of 1/4 cup chocolate milk – 3/4 cup skim milk.
- Breakfast sandwich with pea-meal and eggs. – Great to go!
- Cereal. With or without fresh berries.
- Banana dipped in Peanut butter with a glass of milk. (add 1/4 chocolate milk to this for a delicious chocolate peanut butter banana breakfast)
- Oatmeal. You can add banana to sweeten it up. I have a client who puts 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter in her oatmeal!
- Scrambled, poached, soft boiled or sunny side up eggs and toast.
- Cheese Toast.
Tags: Blood Pressure, breakfast, Calories, dairy, diet, Easy Meal, feeling good, fiber, Fruit, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, Heart Health, Holiday Eating Guide, Lean Protein, protein, quick snack, recipe, Snack, Snacks
Posted in General Health Tips, Motivation/Rants, Weight Loss Tips | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
It’s very hard to find healthy energy/protein bars. Most of them are filled with chemicals, fake food and tons of sugar. They are branded andmarketed as healthy, but for 99% of the bars out there- healthy – they are not. This is why I love the LARA bar so much. It’s simple two ingredence make it top bar pic on my list. BUT I FOUND A NEW BAR I LOVE! It’s called The Simply Bar.
Here is why I love it:
- Although it has more than two ingredents, all it’s ingredence are real whole foods. No preservatives, no chemicals.
- It’s low on the glycimic index scale which means it won’t spike your insulin levels. AKA – you won’t feel hungry after you eat it.
- Lower in calories than most bars, it’s a great mid – afternoon snack.
- It’s packed with protein! For an all natural bar the amount of protein is very impressive at 16 grams a bar.
- Great for those with food allergies- it’s milk and gluten free.
- It contains 20% of you recommended daily intake of iron.
My favorite flavors are Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cinnamon Raisin (obviously) and Cocoa Coffee. You can find these at most health food stores. Big supermarket chains such as Loblaws are selling them as well.
Tags: diet, healthy eating, healthy living, Heart Health, protein, quick snack, Snack, Snacks, weight loss
Posted in Foods and Products | 2 Comments »
Friday, December 4th, 2009
Yes. It really is that bad for you! And come on, it always smells WAY better than it tastes. Normally it’s cold and stale – or so salty that you scrape the roof of your mouth off.
A small popcorn, buttered (5 cups) has approximately 470 calories and 37 grams of fat. Of which, 22 are saturated.
A large popcorn, buttered (20 cups) has approximately 1640 calories and 126 grams of fat. Of which, 73 are saturated. AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
A large un-topped popcorn has approximately 1, 200 calories- more than half a day’s worth for most people. And that’s without the topping!
This does not even factor into account the amount of sodium you get from a small bag of popcorn. Not to mention the sugary pop you may have to wash it down.
NOW THAT YOU KNOW… IS MOVIE THEATER POPCORN REALLY WORTH IT?
Some Ideas to avoid popcorn at the movies:
- Bring your own home made air popped popcorn and save 345 calories, 35 grams of fat and 21.7 grams of saturated fat for 5 cups.
- Get a large tea and drink it during the show! This is what I do The hot beverage takes any cravings I may have away. Plus it takes a long time to finish, leaving less time to think about popcorn.
- Bring a bag of fresh cut veggies, an ounce of nuts or even a snack like a Lara Bar.
- Some movie theaters now have Yogen Fruz in them. I sometimes get a small low fat with strawberries. Yumm.
Tags: fast food, motivation, self control, Snack, Snacks, Tips for Eating Out, weight loss, Will Power
Posted in Foods and Products, Tips for Eating Out | 2 Comments »
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Every weekend I do the same thing: I go to the grocery store and stock up on snacks (meals too, but this post is about the in-between mini meals) for the week. And every week my grocery cart looks pretty much the same.
Here is what my snack list looks like- pretty predictable if you read this blog!:
- Skim milk/non fat milk
- 1% chocolate milk
- 1% cottage cheese
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Carrots. Not the baby kind, but the real ones.
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Almonds and Cashews – Raw, unsalted
- Non fat plain yogurt
- Cheese strings
- Brick of Cheese (Parmesan or Old Cheddar)
- Lara bar
- Fresh Fruit
When I get home from the grocery store (before I put these snacks away) I portion them. I cut up all my veggies and put them in water and store them in the fridge so they’re easy to grab and munch on. No prep work needed when I’m hungry at 2.30 pm and I don’t want to cut celery! I also divide my nuts into one ounce bags.
For me personally it sets me up for success during the week. I know I have a house stocked with tons of snack options to choose from. When I get hungry at home- I have no excuse but to reach for one of theses healthy munchies. As well, most of these snacks travel well – so if I’m going to be out all day- I carry at least two snacks with me. If I don’t need them, I just bring them home! But chances are I eat them both Being prepared keeps hunger at bay which keeps a binge at my next meal at bay.
*Don’t feel like you have to have the same snack list as I do. The point of the list is merely to have one. Stock your house with healthy snacks and carry them with you. Chances are you are going to reach for what’s easiest when you’re hungry. And if the cut veggies happen to be the easiest thing to grab, your laughing!
Tags: calcium, Calories, dairy, diet, feeling good, fiber, Fruit, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, Heart Health, quick snack, self control, Snack, Snacks, weight loss, Will Power
Posted in General Health Tips, Weight Loss Tips | 2 Comments »
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
I love finding new food products. It makes me so happy!
I know this may sound funny, but I’m always on the look out for snacks that feel like chips. You know that feeling of reaching into a bag and grabbing something crunchy, then reaching into the bag again and grabbing another and another. Munching on something that’s not celery! (Although I do love celery!) We’ll I think I just found the answer to my snack in a bag dilemma! It’s called Sensible Foods and it’s simply freeze dried fruit. Nothing added, nothing taken away (expect the water!) They are crunchy and sweet and taste just like a treat. ( I fully had not intention of rhyming, but I’m leaving it) But the secret is- they are really healthy! All natural, no added preservatives no added sugar! Packed with fiber and Vitamin C!
Have a look in your local health food store for them! I just discovered the Cherry Berry Flavor – freeze dried blueberries, strawberries, cherries and apples. Yumm. I’m almost tempted to go buy a freeze drying machine because I loved them so much! I figure they must be crazy easy to make with the right equipment! Anyway, for now, they are worth of the pricey two or three dollars that I paid for them.
Check them out:
http://www.sensiblefoods.com/
Here is the breakdown for one bag (21g) :
| Calories |
Carbohydrates |
Protein |
Fat |
Fiber |
| 84 |
19 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
Tags: feeling good, fiber, Fruit, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, Heart Health, Snack, Snacks, Treats
Posted in Foods and Products | 2 Comments »
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
This is a great, easy, simple and nutritious snack. To be honest, I’m not such a huge fan of cottage cheese. I started eating it because I knew it was good for me. But, when I discovered this combo – I have not looked back. The crunch of the cucumbers paired with the tomatoes is everything cottage cheese needs
Try this:
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese (my favorite brand is Sealtest Country Choice Cottage Cheese – you can find it at Walmart)
- Cut up cucumber
- 1/2 a chopped tomato (or you can use cheery tomatoes)
Tags: calcium, dairy, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, Heart Health, recipe, Snack, Snacks
Posted in Recipes and Meal Ideas | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain your current weight, I’m sure you’ve quickly figured out that you cannot have a treat every-time you feel like it. You have to pick and choose your moments, allowing yourself a bit of sacrifice for the greater good.
This is a great list to help you cope when a sweet tooth hits. It’s composed of snacks I reach for when a craving hits- or if I feel like a little something sweet. This is not my treat list, it’s my sweet tooth fix list.
1. 3/4 cups
milk with 1/4 cup chocolate milk
4. Low fat vanilla yogurt
5. Coffee with cinnamon
6. Tall deaf latte
7. A piece of fruit
8. 1/2 a
banana dipped in 1 Tbsp peanut butter
9. Flavored herbal tea
10. Sugar snap peas
Tags: Snacks, Sweet Tooth, weight loss
Posted in Foods and Products, General Health Tips, Weight Loss Tips | No Comments »
Monday, July 20th, 2009
I’ve rediscovered something from childhood that I’m so excited about!
My husband and I went to the movies the other night. Normally we grab an extra large hot tea to take into the theatre with us so that we can avoid the snack bar all together.
But we rushed to the movies without dinner (bad girl, I know) so I grabbed a Lara bar for each of us and stuck it in my purse. When we arrived at the theater, they had a Yogen Fruz stand beside the snack bar. The bars, stayed in my purse and we opted for frozen yogurt instead!
We both ordered low fat vanilla with a blend of mixed berries and extra strawberries. It was delicious!
I love that they take the frozen fruit and blend it into the yogurt! I just forgot how good it was, or even that it existed really!
The reason I went with low-fat instead of no-fat or sugar-free is because the no-fat has chemicals in it to replace the fat, and the no-sugar added has fake chemical sugars added! I would rather have the sugar and so would my digestive system! For the extra 10 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, I didn’t feel it necessary to put the chemicals in my body.
For a small low fat
Yogen Fruz ( just the yogurt) here it the breakdown :
You get almost 10% of you
RDA of calcium and you get fiber and other vitamins from the fruit you put in it!
This is a great treat to say cool on a hot summers day! I can’t say enough how much I love this rediscovery! It’s definitely on my guilt free treat list!
Tags: calcium, dairy, Snacks, Treats
Posted in Foods and Products | 6 Comments »
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
I love, love, love the feedback, questions and concerns everyone writes in – so thank you and keep ‘em coming! Sometimes when I receive a comment, I think it’s worthy of it’s very own post. Having said that, this post is kind of a follow up to a previous post.
Yesterday I wrote that I would rather grab ‘real’ food over a bar any day and a concerned reader wrote in and questioned whether a cheese string was ‘real’ food. My personal thoughts are this: In order to eat healthier, lose weight and maintain weight loss we have to find easy, convenient ways to help us do it. It’s really nice and romantic to think that we can cook all our meals at home and always eat whole foods – but the reality of the situation is that we are all busy with work, kids, school and a million other things. And the majority of the time, unhealthy snacks seem to be easier to grab than healthy ones. So I’m always looking for ways to make healthy snacks the easy bite to grab.
A cheese string is a great pre-portioned snack that you can carry with you. With 15% (150 mg) of your RDA of calcium and 6 grams of protein, this grab and go food is a good kick in the pants to help fight off the mid afternoon munchies- and it’s full of protein that will help keep you full. The ingredients are listed as follows: Partly skimmed milk, modified milk ingredients, bacterial culture, salt, microbial enzyme and calcium chloride (a common salt). Yes, there is definitely salt in a cheese string. And those watching their sodium intake should be careful not to eat too many, but at 140 mg per string, that’s about 6 or 7% of your maximum daily allowance.
I don’t necessarily think that this is the snack to end ALL snacks, but I do think it’s good for you. And I also think that it’s way better than going to work without a snack and then turning to the candy machine when you get hungry.A cheese string versus an apple? Well, they are both great AND they both provide different sources of energy and different nutritional benefits. With the cheese string you’re getting protein and calcium. The apple provides you with carbohydrates, vitamin c and fiber. When in doubt, take them both.
Tags: calcium, dairy, easy snack, healthy snack, protein, quick snack, Snacks, weight loss
Posted in Foods and Products, General Health Tips, Weight Loss Tips | 5 Comments »
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