snacks!!!

I so love this topic of healthy snacks! Mostly because I, unfortunately, all too often find myself on the verge of a hunger breakdown because I haven't planned ahead well enough, or I don't have the right food at home. And there are two major negatives to that situation----the first is pretty obvious that (at least I) tend to then RAID and devour whatever food I can find, whether its healthy or not, and the second is that its a metabolism killer. And if you are a woman, and if you are getting older every year (!!), its really not smart to voluntarily slow down your metabolism. I used to work for a dietician who suggested breakfast in the morning, a (small!) mid-morning snack, lunch, a (small!) mid-afternoon snack, and dinner for the purpose of keeping that metabolism up and healthy.

Just so I don't make this go on and on and on (which I certainly could, ha!) I'll cut to the chase and say that snacks should be SMALL...I personally don't think they even need to be small meals, they basically need to be a fulfilling little something to tide you over until your next meal. If you're a calorie counting person, I'm thinking around 250 calories at the most...although of course it depends on your personal goals, body, metabolism, etc.

The second part of the equation is choosing a good snack that's a balance of healthy protein, fat and carbohydrates. Its really important to have that balance---that's why low-fat, high carbohydrate/sugar foods tend to leave ya hanging...

Ok, so here's a little list of some of my favorite snacks:

(always try to sneak as many fruits and veggies into your snack as possible!!)

hummus* and carrots or crackers

peanut butter* and banana or toast/ww english muffin

yogurt with granola* & fruit

cheese* and crackers

low fat protein drink (like muscle milk light)

whole grain cereal with milk or yogurt & fruit

LOVE Lara Bars!! (especially on the go)

apple with a few small pieces of cheese*

apple with peanut butter*

celery and peanut butter/almond butter*

hard boiled egg

I LOVE taking plain greek yogurt and mixing it with ranch seasoning and using it as a veggie dip---GREAT source of protein and tastes awesome

*these foods tend to be calorically dense so make sure you watch your serving size!!! :) This rule really applies to all of your snacks. If you ARE watching your calories www.sparkpeople.com is a great, free website that is awesome for tracking your calories...

And, my FAVORITE SNACK is (drum roll).....

A SMOOTHIE!!!!!!!

I know they can be a major pain in the booty to make----but its so worth it. Kallen and I share a smoothie almost every day, mostly because its pretty much the only fruit he will eat but that's gotten me into the good habit, so its great!

I seriously just keep my blender out for the most part and rinse it immediately after I use it so I don't have all that gunk to scrub out.

Here's the secret to an awesome smoothie....

FROZEN BANANAS.

I buy tons of bananas every week and use them fresh, but as soon as they start to turn, I peel them, break them into pieces, and put them in freezer bags and pop into the freezer. It makes your smoothie so creamy and delicious!

So, my basic recipe is:

frozen bananas

(handful, give or take)

frozen fruit

(blueberries, blackberries, peaches, pineapples, etc---whatever I happen to have in there---a handful or so...)

Fage Plain Yogurt

(about 3/4 cup-1 cup)

1 scoop of protein powder

(just cause we don't eat tons of meat...I use Muscle Milk light vanilla)

1 T flax oil

(this is a ridiculously amazing supplement---everything from cardiovascular health to mood to skin, etc)

Either water or OJ

(probably about 2 cups-----use less at first and then add as you go if you need it)

Make sure you pulse your frozen bananas first so you don't break your blender (I've done that before!) unless of course you have the coveted Vita-Mixer----ohhhhhhh....obviously I don't--ha!

Ok, that's it----longest answer in history. I promise they won't all be that long!!!

LOVE YOU and have a super happy, healthy day!!!!!

XOXOXOXO!!