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Snacks are super important. Just as you shouldn’t skip a meal, you shouldn’t skip snacks either. Eating a morning and afternoon snack will help keep blood sugar levels in check, give you needed energy throughout the day, and boosts metabolism. Here are a few ideas for healthy snacks that you can make ahead and have on hand.
Hummus with Sliced Veggies
This Middle Eastern chickpea spread has protein, fiber and good-for-you unsaturated fats. Eat it with carrots, bell peppers and broccoli and you will also be getting great nutrients, like beta-carotene and vitamin C. Two tablespoons of plain hummus has 50 calories and 3 grams of fat, so measure out two to three tablespoons rather than opening the entire container and eating from that.
Portion: 3 tablespoons of plain hummus plus 1 cup of sliced veggies
Total calories: 120 calories, 7 grams protein
Trail Mix
Almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts or pecans have healthy fats, fiber and protein. Making your own trail mix is super easy. Portion out a handful of nuts and mix in two tablespoons of dried fruit like raisins, cranberries or apricots. To keep the calorie count down, choose nuts that are dry roasted or raw. For a change of pace, throw in whole-wheat pretzels or some of your favorite cereal (I’ve been on a Puffins kick lately). Packing your trail mix in plastic bags or containers makes it easy to grab and go. If you find yourself plowing through your snack mix, try using shelled nuts that will take longer to eat.
Portion: 15 nuts plus 2 tablespoons of dried fruit
Total calories: 170 calories, 7 grams protein
GORP
Ingredients
• 1/2 ounce whole shelled (unpeeled) almonds
• 1/4 ounce unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 1/4 ounce dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon chopped pitted dates
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chocolate chips
Preparation
1. Combine almonds, peanuts, cranberries, dates and chocolate chips in a small bowl.
Nutrition
Per serving: 102 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 29 mg sodium; 69 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium, magnesium, fiber, vitamins E and C.
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 fruit, 1 fat
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I hope this won’t spark a debate about whether snacking is good or bad, or about good carbs versus bad carbs…I just know that we’re all human beings, and darn it, humans are hungry people – hungry people who might want a snack. With that in mind (and because I like to snack too!), I decided that once each week I would highlight a “healthy” snack that I have personally taste tested, and approved (i.e, I’ll only highlight snackies that I liked, and that are also healthy).

Corazonas Tortilla Chips
First up…Corazonas tortillas. A couple of years ago, a big box full of Corazonas products arrived on my doorstep, unsolicited, but welcome none-the-less
 I was coaching local teams for Moms in Motion at the time, and the company sent us a bunch of tortillas and chips to sample. As luck would have it, our family was head to the Outerbanks for a week of fun, and I thought it would be nice to share them with the other relatives vacationing with us. By day 2, the stuff was gone. Eaten. Devoured. Yet, the overwhelming comment was, “they were really good. Different, but good.” And that’s the thing – you can grab any tortilla chip, and most of them will taste the same, and most of them are full of trans fats, sodium, processed gobbledy-gook, and Lord knows what else. I shudder to think. But Corazonas tortillas are different, in both taste and the way they are manufactured. They are healthier.
First, the tortillas are gluten free (Celiac sufferers…rejoice!). Second, these chips have plant sterols that help lower cholesterol. They use healthy oils, such as safflower oil and sunflower oil, and are lower in sodium than competing brands who shall remain nameless (but it starts with Tost…). Each serving has 18g of whole grains, 3g of fiber, no sugar, and 40% less fat than regular tortillas. Yes, these still have fat – 7g per serving, but 5g of that are monounsaturated, and 1.5g are polyunsaturated – so, “healthy fats” (and no, this doesn’t mean you can eat the whole bag in one sitting.) Finally, the chips truly are very tasty. And, they taste different – especially the black bean and cheese, but yummy different, not gross different.
So, IF you’re tempted to grab a snack, or you’re headed to a party and are looking for a healthy snack to bring, Corazonas probably won’t kill your diet in one serving – just practice control and eat them in moderation (they are very addicting – trust me!) Grab some organic salsa to go with too.
Where to buy:
Target, Safeway, Costco, Winn Dixie, a bunch of other retail grocers (check here online), and they are also available from Amazon.
(Disclaimer: I am not a Registered Dietitian, but I do try to eat well as often as possible, and avoid like the plague foods that contain trans fats, hydrogenated oils regardless of how they are worded (partially-, fully-, whatever, it is all bad), salt, sugar and high fructose corn syrup, chemicals and other GMOs – in other words, I’m a fan of whole foods, healthy carbs, fruits, veggies, fish, organic varieties of nearly everything, and you get the picture. But I am not a dietitian, and I can’t tell you what to eat. But, I can tell you what I like.
Just don’t sue me if it makes you sick.
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Pumpkin Pie-sicles
Another healthy snack the whole family will love! This recipe uses butternut squash (not pumpkin), but these healthy popsicles taste like the real thing.
Ingredients:
1 Butternut squash
1/2 low-calorie maple syrup
2/3 cup light cream
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Butternut squash cooking instructions: Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place face down (dome-side up) in a glass microwave dish with about ½” of water in the dish. Microwave on high until the squash is soft (time varies, so start with 5 mins and keep cooking until the squash is soft enough to scoop out).
Let cool, then scoop into mixing bowl. Add ½ cup pure maple syrup (low-sugar variety) and 2/3 cup light cream, ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice. Use potato masher to blend the ingredients. Mix well. Spoon mixture into ice pop molds (fills about 10 molds), add sticks.
Freeze approx. 6 hours prior to serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes
* Low-fat Pumpkin Pie
* Pumpkin Raisin Ginger Cookies
* Pumpkin Oat Bran Muffins
* Pumpkin Pudding