Great Snack Food Choices!

photo credit: www.chron.com

Here is a list of great snack food choices (approx 200 -250 calories):

1/4 cup whole milk yogurt/1/2 cup low sugar granola
Apple/1 T. nut butter (with no added oil)
Celery or carrots/1 T nut butter
1/4 cup raw nuts/1 T dried fruit (with no added sugar)
3 cups popcorn (recipe below)/1/4 cup nuts/1 T dried fruit
2 rice cakes/1 T nut butter/1 T dried fruit and/or 1 apple sliced
1 slice whole wheat toast/1 T nut butter/ 1 t honey
5 whole grain crackers/2 T hummus

photo credit: http://www.momgoesgreen.com/

Microwave popcorn is very quick and easy but it is loaded with unhealthy oils and salt.  My family has found it almost as easy (and a lot more nutritious and thrifty) to add 1/3 cup popcorn kernels (we buy organic) to a paper lunch bag, fold it over a couple of times at top and micowave the bag for about 2 minutes.  We had to play with the time.  We actually put it in for 1 min. 50 sec.  My daughters can't forgo the butter so we melt about a tablespoon in the microwave and stir it into the popped corn, adding a bit of high quality salt (not table salt).