My Top Ten Favorite Snackables!

Here is some of my advice about healthy snacks: 

First, never leave home without em. Put them in your car. Your purse. Your gym bag. You get the idea.

Secondly, make sure you actually look forward to eating them. Just because you lovingly set an apple on your desk everyday does not mean you will stop hitting the vending machine at work. Do you even like that apple? Are you really going to choose baby carrots over those Peanut M & M's? Be honest with yourself and choose a healthy snack that feels like a treat! 

And finally, think outside the box (or bag). Choose snacks that are real foods more often. Add fruits and vegetables when you can. 

1) The Berry S' More

I adapted a recipe that I found to make this snack with a few of my patients and have been noshing on it ever since. It is quite simple and a hit with the kiddos. Grab your favorite graham cracker (ideally one without partially hydrogenated oils a.k.a trans fat) and top with a few blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and/or strawberries. Mush them down just a little bit. Top the berries with a big dollop of vanilla yogurt and then add another graham cracker on top to complete your s'more. S'more please!

2) Curried or Chili Popcorn

This snack is a pretty economical one if you can snag a bag of unpopped kernels for around a buck. Once you have popped your popcorn on the stove top or in an air popper, drizzle with a bit of oil or melted butter, if you have not already done so (or spray with cooking spray), and then sprinkle with curry or chili powder to your liking. Toss the popcorn around to coat. The sky really is the limit here if you experiment with a variety of seasonings--some of my other favorite combos are dill and Parmesan or cinnamon with just a hint of sugar.

3) Almond Butter and Banana Sushi

Spread a whole-wheat tortilla with almond butter (or another nut butter of your choice). Place a banana on one edge of the tortilla and roll it up. Slice the banana and tortilla roll halve wise into pieces. Enjoy!

4) Eggcellent Choice

 Hard boiled egg dipped in a bowl with cracked black pepper and dill. One dip per bite! Make it a fun appetizer by sticking a skewer into the egg and then serving with a variety of herb/ seasoning combinations for dipping!

5) Mini Pizza

Half a whole-wheat English muffin topped with tomato sauce, assorted diced vegetables and shredded cheese. With my teeny patients I have them decorate the pizzas to look like faces. 

6) Cucumber Bites

Top whole grain crackers with cucumber slices. Top your cucumber slices with garden veggie cream cheese or a thin layer of goat cheese. This snack is also a simple, yet elegant, appetizer.

7) Roasted Chickpeas 

Drain and rinse off a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Pat dry. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil and seasonings of your choice, spread in an even layer on a cookie sheet, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. My favorite toppings are honey, cinnamon and sugar or cayenne powder and chili pepper or turmeric and a teeny bit of sea salt. 

8) Pumpkin seeds. In the shell. That is all. Every time I go to Trader Joe's I snag a bag.

9) Cashews. Sometimes I will throw them in container with golden raisins and whole-wheat Chex cereal for a simple trail mix.  

10) Yellow or Orange Bell Peppers sliced and dipped in a fun hummus. I have really been enjoying coconut or curry inspired hummus lately. 

So those are my top ten favorite snacks. What are yours?