Snacks

Snacks are an important thing for you to control in your lives.  This blog isn't only about fancier meals.  I will occasionally write about practical items you can prepare quickly, without sacrificing flavor.  It's easy to grab a bag of chips, cookies, ice cream, etc. when you're hungry.  But this is where a lot of hidden calories lie in our daily routines.  It's like that discretionary cash that you can't really account for in your budget.  You know the big items, but it's the little impulse things that slowly add up.  I have a good control of breakfast, lunch, and dinner in terms of how many calories I'm consuming in a given day.  But then later in the evening, that snack craving sneaks up on me.

This dish doesn't involve any cooking.  You are just assembling.  But it's a healthy way to satisfy those snack cravings.  You'll get full too, which is always important.  But just as importantly, you'll get to enjoy a crunch, a richness, and sweetness that will hopefully keep you from snacking again later in the evening.

This parfait pictured is strawberry-banana yogurt with sliced bananas, granola, and fresh raspberries.  One of my personal favorites is vanilla yogurt, granola, and blueberries.  But this one is also very good.  If you want to bulk it up a little more, sometimes I dice in an apple.

I use Dannon Light & Fit yogurt because it is only 90 calories, instead of the 150 found in most yogurts.  It isn't any smaller or less flavorful either.  Their vanilla is probably my favorite of any brand.  We get Kashi Go Lean granola.  Be careful with the granola, though, because while it seems like a health food it actually has a lot of calories.

A dietitian friend of mine once told me that your snacks should try to have "protein & produce".  Here is her free advice:

If you are not eating a full size meal after working out, it's recommended to eat a snack of protein and complex carbohydrate such as:

 

fruit + cottage cheese

whole grain crackers + tuna (don't eat albacore tuna everyday like my husband used to do due to mercury content, if you like tuna, use chunk light instead of albacore, or limit to 2 times per week)

string cheese + fruit

hummus (bean dip) + veggies - boring, but low calorie

yogurt + low fat granola

peanut butter + apple or PB sandwich

1 oz nuts + fruit

low fat milk + graham crackers

 

<whatever combination of the above should be about 200 calories or less, if it's a snack, that's why using fruit is a good choice. Don't drink juice, very high sugar content, or limit to 4 oz per day>