I (Heart) Snacks

I love to eat snacks throughout the day. Really, I do. Don't believe me? Ask my coworkers. I almost always have some snack at my desk I'm eating on throughout the day. If I had my way I'd probably snack all day and not eat any meals. Or maybe I love snacks so much because when I do sit down to a meal, I'm not ready to eat the table, too. Either way, snacks are an important part of everyone's day. Not only do they give your metabolism a boost and give you energy, but they also help control your glucose levels, making you less susceptible to hypoglycemia. I love coming home from work and eating a snack, just like when I was in school. Now though, unlike when I was in high school, snacks are more healthful and I'm now more portion-conscience. So I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite snack substitutes:

When I want: salty, crunchy potato chips
I eat: light popcorn

When I want: something, anything that's sweet
I eat: apple with peanut butter

(A note about nuts and nut butters: nuts are high in fat (albeit good fats, but still fats nonetheless), so you really have to watch portion control. Clearly, I still struggle with this - I love nut butters and Brent & I can down the new large sized bottle of Nutella along with a pint of freshly ground honey roasted peanuts from Whole Foods in less than a day and a half. Yeah, we know that's ridiculous - we're working on it!)

When I want: a chocolate candy bar
I eat: a chocolate coated protein bar

When I want: a piece of chocolate
I eat: dark chocolate or cocoa almonds*

Other snacks I love:
-Hummus with carrot chips/sticks
-Trail mix (we make our own since the kind you buy ready-made has so much sodium)
-Any fruit
-Yogurt, fruit, and granola
-Jerky
-Dry cereal (mostly Cracklin' Oat Bran (when it's on sale) or Cherrios)
-Cheese (string cheese is easy to transport, and I also snack on sliced cheese)
-Fruit-flavored yogurt
-Protein-fruit shake that's been frozen - it's like a sorbet!


*Now since you've been a champ and read my post, I'll give you a quick and easy recipe for cocoa almonds:
6 oz whole, unsalted almonds (in case you don't have a food scale, 1 oz is about 22 almonds)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 single-serve packet (like the packets you put in coffee) Splenda/Equal
Put in a sandwich bag and shake everything together. That's it - enjoy! These remind me of what a Hershey's Bar with Almond should taste like (the commercial ones don't have enough almonds for me). They're a little on the messy side since some of the cocoa tends to stick to your fingers, so I'm not sure how well these would hold up if children got a hold of them. (I'm imagining cocoa hand/finger prints everywhere.) Perfect for that chocolate craving!