Tag Archives: afternoon snack

My Current Health Food Obsession: Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almondmilk and Coconutmilk Blend

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I typically do most of my shopping at Trader Joe’s, but last week I found myself in a major time crunch and had to settle for a conventional grocery store…and I am glad I did!.  While strolling through the dairy aisle, I noticed an increase in the amount of milk alternatives now available. While I still enjoy conventional cows milk- skim of course,  I decided to change things up and try the unsweetened almondmilk and coconutmilk blend from Almond Breeze. The packaging made it look super delicious and at only 45 calories per 8 ounce serving, the only thing I had to lose was $3.99.  I tried it first in my coffee as a creamer alternative. Yummy! Then, with some high fiber Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. Amazing! Do yourself a favor and try this combo for breakfast.

This is a great product for those with a lactose intolerance, avoiding gluten, soy, or want to shave a few calories here and there. I must point out, there is one gram of saturated fat from the coconut milk, but there are new studies that suggest major health benefits from medium chain fatty acids.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Power Balls

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Happy National Peanut Butter Day! It’s true, there is officially a day for everything it seems. I prefer to honor peanut butter and all of its creamy, delicious glory everyday. Not only is it the perfect punch of protein, but it is temperature safe which makes it handy for an on the go snack- perfect to complement fruit, veggies and whole grain crackers!  Peanut butter is full of the heart healthy “good fats” and can be part of a healthy meal plan.  It is best to keep peanut butter servings in moderation (about 1 tbsp)  to avoid racking up the calories. I  recommend low-cal versions like PB2 by Bell Plantation or Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter to avoid any hydrogenated oils (yuck).  Try the following no-bake peanut butter oatmeal power balls from caloriecount.about.com for a filling afternoon snack or pair with a piece of fruit for an easy breakfast.

 

What you will need (makes 18):

-4 tbsp peanut butter

-2 tbps honey

- 1 tbsp skim milk

- 2 cups oats

 

Get Started:

Mix peanut butter and honey together in medium bowl. Add oats until combined, adding milk if necessary to moisten (should be crumbly). Roll into tight balls and store in refrigerator
 
The Nutritional Breakdown (1 ball): 
64 calories, 2.4 grams of fat, 8.7grams of carbohydrates and 2.3 grams of protein.

 

Dark Chocolate Berry Fruit Pop. Pssssst! It’s Good For You.

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Beat the heat with this sophisticated upgrade to the old, cellophane wrapped,  sugar-laden Popsicle.  

What you will need:

-2 cups frozen berries

-2 cups Greek yogurt

-1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Get Started:

Puree the frozen berries and Greek yogurt together.  Stir the chocolate chips into the berry and yogurt blend.  Evenly spoon the mixture into the freezer pop molds and freeze (about 6 hours).

The Nutritional Breakdown:

Per serving: 65 calories; 0-3 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber; 18 mg sodium; 69 mg potassium.

Skinny Wraps

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Looking for a low-cal, convenient meal or snack? Always! Try wrapping it up. I tend to avoid most wraps at restaurants and cafes because the shell alone can easily pack in 45 grams of carbs or more……that’s equivalent to  three slices of bread! And we are not even at the middle yet. To keep it light, make sure you start with a sound foundation……that would be whatever it is that’s doing the wrapping.  I make sure I always have  low carb, whole wheat tortilla shells in the fridge for this purpose.  My favs are Trader Joe’s low-carb tortilla shells (about 45 calories) and La Tortilla Factory’s high fiber tortilla wrap (45 calories, 7 grams of fiber!). Next….fill-er-up

Skinny Breakfast Wraps Fillings:

savory

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup cooked spinach
  • tomato slices
  • 2 tablespoons low fat shredded cheese
  • garlic

or sweet

  • 2-4 oz fat free Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1/2 sliced banana
  • 1 tbsp sliced almonds
  • drizzle of honey

There you go!  An easy, filling, balanced breakfast to-go all under 250 calories.

Healthy Snacks for People on the Go

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My husband I will soon embark on one of our many glamorous road-trips from New Jersey to Cleveland.  Since I refuse to eat a meal at any place that doubles as a restroom/gas-station/shower/Roy Rodgers, I make sure I load-up on plenty of healthy snack options to get us through the 7.5 hour journey.  I feel better starting my vacation knowing that I was eating sensible snacks while I was somewhat immobile for eight hours reading and catching up on trashy reality TV shows-thank you Bravo and iTunes!  And thank you to my amazing husband who drives while I go comatose during a Real Housewives marathon. I am the worst!

For those of you who will find yourselves in a similar scenario, travel often for work….or  just looking for healthy convenient snack items, check out my picks.

    • Wild Garden Hummus Packets
    • Gnu bars
    • Veggie sticks and Fruit slices (slice-em-up and throw them in a BPA-free container)
    • Blue Diamond 100 Calorie Almond Packets
    • Sensible Foods Crunch Dried Snacks Roasted Edamame
    • Bearitos Popcorn Organic Lite

  • Shelton’s Turkey Jerky
  • Kettle Tortilla Chips-Sesame Rye with Caraway
  • Justin’s Peanut Butter Squeeze Packs
  • The Laughing Cow Semi Soft Cheese Light

 

Toss your healthy goodies in a tote and hit the road!

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

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I realize it can get a bit cliche to recommend fruit as a dessert option. Sometimes you really just need a cookie, ice cream, slice of cake…….mmmmmmm….I could go on and on. But, if you are like myself and already indulged in a giant Otis Spunkmeyer cookie earlier this afternoon, you need to be mindful of how the rest of your meals and dessert are played out. You can have your cake and it it too-just not twice in the same day!   It’s a balancing act for sure, but I will stick to my promise to keep it as simple as possible.

The following recipe takes all of about-ummmm-5 minutes of your day.  To be honest, no recipe is even necessary. Center the parfait around whatever fresh fruit you have around the house and top with whatever low-fat yogurt you may find in the fridge.  Never-the-less, this is what I used, and it was pretty darn delicious:

Makes Two:

The nutritional break-down:

108 calories; 0.5 g fat; 9mg sodium; 23 g carbohydrates; 3.2 g fiber; 3 g protein

What you will need:

  • 1 banana sliced
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla 0% fat Greek yogurt

Layer the parfait with alternating fruits.  Serve with a tablespoon of yogurt.

Sound too boring? Try one of the following add-ons.