Food & Tips

RENAEJAE

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No chit chat so if we want to go back to find them they are at our fingertips.

RENAEJAE

I just came across this list of healthy snacks and thought i would share:

1. Frozen Grapes
2. String Cheese
3. Banana small
4. ½ Banana Popsicle (peel it first, stick in the freezer overnight)
5. Low-fat Yogurt
6. Sugar-free or fat-free pudding
7. Apple slices dipped in Peanut Butter 1 tablespoon
8. 100-calorie bag of popcorn
9. Applesauce - Unsweeten
10. Raw veggies with hummus
11. Almonds - 2 oz
12. Apple small
13. Skinny S'more (graham crackers, marshmallow, sm sq dark choc)
14. Smoked Beef Jerky (about 1 oz- look for low-sodium!)
15. Chocolate Milk 8 oz
16. Hard Boiled Egg
17. Sunflower Seeds
18. Cottage Cheese
19. Sliced Cantaloupe
20. Raisins - 1 oz
21. Pita Bread and Hummus
22. Rice Cakes
23. Sugar-free Jello
24. Dried Fruits - 1 oz
25. Frozen Yoplait Whips Yogurt (taste like ice cream when frozen!)
26. Air-Popped Popcorn
27. Pistachios ~ 12 - 15
28. Clementine
29. Fruit Smoothie
30. Handful of olives ~ 6 -8
31. Pickles - Dill or sugar free sweet
32. Handful of blueberries with 2 tablespoons fat-free Cool-Whip
33. Ants on a Log (celery with peanut butter and raisins) 2 table s bbutter
34. 1 cup mixed berry salad (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries,
and/or blackberries) tossed with one tablespoon fresh orange juice
35. Peanut Butter and Bananas on whole wheat bread
36. Trail Mix (dried fruit, sunflower seeds, nuts, light cereals)
37. Orange Slices
38. Cherry Tomatoes
39. Graham Crackers - 2 sqs
40. Small Green Salad with light dressing
41. Mango smoothie (frozen mango, Greek Yogurt, splash of orange juice)
42. Kabobs (low-fat cheese, pineapple and cherry tomatoes on a stick)
43. 1/2 Cinnamon-Raisin topped with peanut butter and banana slices
44. Grilled Pineapple (grill or skillet on med. heat until golden)
45. Baked Apples (one apple, cored, filled with 1 tsp brown sugar and
cinnamon, and baked until tender)
46. Animal Crackers
47. Strawberries dipped in fat-free Cool Whip
48. Light tortilla topped with egg salad, carrots shreds, cucumber slices
49. Parfait (Greek yogurt or plain yogurt, fruit, and granola)
50. Bowl of bran flakes with 1/2 cup skim milk and berries
51. Guacamole with veggies
52. Triscuit's Thin Crisps dipped in cottage cheese or hummus
53. Cashews
54. Pretzels
55. Sun Chips (portion control! Read the serving amount on the side!)
56. Cheesy Breaded Tomatoes: Two roasted plum tomatoes sliced, topped
with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
57. Sugar Snap Peas
58. Steamed Veggies (steam non-starchy vegetables in a microwave safe
bag and sprinkle with 1 T of parmesan cheese or 1/4 C pasta sauce)
59. Apricots
60. Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges
61. Any 100 calorie pack of nuts
62. Snack/Granola bar (around 150 calories or less, all natural)
63. Baked chips (about 7-10) with no salt salsa
64. Soy Chips
65. Protein Bar
66. Sweet Potato Fries (one light-bulb sized sweet potato sliced, tossed with 1 teaspoon olive oil, and baked at 400° for 10 minutes)
67. Wrap (suggestion: turkey slice, swiss cheese, baby spinach leaves,
cranberry relish wrapped up in a tortilla
68. Pumpkin Seeds (2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, sprayed with oil (just a
spritz!) and baked at for 400° for 15 minutes or until brown. Sprinkle
a tiny amount of no salt seasoning on top.
69. Bean Salad
70. Broccoli Florets
71. Peaches and Cottage Cheese
72. Chopped Red Peppers (dipped in fat free ranch)
73. V8 Vegetable Juice
74. Tuna with Triscuit crackers
75. Cooked and Cubed Chicken Breast
76. Homemade Popsicles (puree watermelon, strawberries, mango,
banana, etc and freeze in popsicle molds)
77. Dates with almond butter or rolled in coconut
78. Quesadilla (whole wheat (or corn) tortillas w/cheese (or not) warmed
in microwave - adding on tomatoes, beans, corn, olives, guacamole)
79. Watermelon
80. Cubed Apples and Cubed Cheese
81. Craisins
82. Goldfish Crackers
83. Edamame
84. Cheesy Roasted Asparagus (four spears (spritzed with olive-oil) and
topped with 2 T grated parmesan cheese, baked for 10 minutes, 400°)
85. Turkey Roll-Ups (Four slices smoked turkey rolled up and dipped in
2 tsp honey mustard)
86. Strawberry Salad (1 cup raw spinach with ½ cup sliced strawberries
and 1 tablespoon balsamic)
87. Oatmeal
88. Banana Smoothie (½ cup sliced banana, ¼ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt,
and a handful of ice blended until smooth)
89. Lime Sherbet (1/2 cup serving) with sliced kiwi
90. Apple Chips (dehydrated apples- they are so good!)
91. Black Beans (mix 1/4 cup black beans with 1 tablespoon salsa and 1
tablespoon Greek yogurt for an added twist!)
92. Lettuce wrap (try two slices honey-baked ham with 2 teaspoons
honey mustard rolled in a lettuce leaf)
93. Pecans (try five pecans roasted with 2 teaspoons maple syrup and 1
teaspoon cinnamon)
94. Chocolate Covered Strawberries (dip 5 strawberries in 2 squares of
dark chocolate.
95. Honeyed Yogurt (½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt with a dash of
cinnamon and 1 teaspoon honey)
96. Blackberries (so good mixed with plain yogurt)
97. Frozen Mangos
98. Tropical Juice Smoothie (¼ cup pineapple juice, orange juice, and
apple juice, blended with ice)
99. Healthier Banana Bread
100. Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip with fresh fruit

Peppah7

Cool, thanks!

Here is a snack my friend told me about from her Weight Watcher's meeting. It sounds a little odd, but trust me, its delish & SO satisfying! Good fuel for exercise with carbs & protein.

Peanut Butter "Pizza":

- Toast a whole grain English muffin or one of those round flat breads
- spread 1 tsp peanut butter (or other nut butter) on each side
- sprinkle with part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
- microwave for a few seconds or re-toast until melted

YUM!!! enjoy!

RENAEJAE

READ THIS ON ANOTHER BOARD - ALL GREAT REMINDERS:

1. If you bite it, write it. No food is really free.

2. Mindful eating. Don't read or watch tv while eating. Pay attention to what goes into your mouth.

3. To deal with those cravings..just remember chocolate or whatever the current want is, is NOT going to be pulled off the shelves anytime soon. It WILL be there when you can safely trust yourself to eat it (and yes, those cravings will pass) I still ate junk food/fast food AND lost the weight & got to goal!!

4. Speaking of cravings, before you cave in to them, is it worth the calories? will this satisfy me? can I just eat one? will I regret eating it?

5. Drink water before meals. It really does fill you up.

6. Dressings: Don't pour onto your salad, dip the fork tines into the dressing, then go into the greens.

7. Speaking of the fork, put it down between bites, don't have the fork already loaded with the next bite as you're chewing the first.

8. Before you go for a second helping, wait 20-30 minutes. Perhaps a piece of fruit will satisfy instead.

9. Goals >> if you set them, set them small & manageable.

10. One day at a time-One pound at a time.-One step at a time

11. Take it slow. Small goals.

12. You didn't put all the weight on over nite, it's not going to come off over nite.

13. Get a good digital food scale, measuring cups/spoons. Weigh and measure everything.

14. Take your measurements and pictures too (I did not and I wish I had)

15. I pre plan/pre log my meals/snacks in advance. I put a nice amount of cals/carbs for late snacks so I can adjust throughout the day (in case I eat something unplanned, or have seconds or forget something I ate)

16. Before eating out, check out website for nutritional stats...again, pre log the fast food/restaurant meal then plan your eating around it.

17. When you do exercise, go easy especially if you are a couch potato like I am (I actually did not do much till I lost a nice chunk of weight and still am set as sedentary on MFP)

18. Take the calorie burn you will see on MFP or exercise machines with a grain of salt, especially if you plan to eat most of them back. Invest in a HRM w/chest strap.

19. Add some buds that have open diaries, I find some great meal ideas and recipes from my buds (& i hate to cook)

20. Read labels, take your time in the grocery, compare products before adding to your cart.

screwmenopause

Cool, thanks!

Here is a snack my friend told me about from her Weight Watcher's meeting. It sounds a little odd, but trust me, its delish & SO satisfying! Good fuel for exercise with carbs & protein.

Peanut Butter "Pizza":

- Toast a whole grain English muffin or one of those round flat breads
- spread 1 tsp peanut butter (or other nut butter) on each side
- sprinkle with part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
- microwave for a few seconds or re-toast until melted

YUM!!! enjoy!

THAT SOUNDS AWESOME! GOING TO TRY IT! THANKS

screwmenopause

thanks for all of the great tips renaejae!

I love love a rice cake smeared w PB and topped w a bunch of blueberries - crunchy, sweet - yummy!

Dressings - if I need one, I use a little balsamic vinegar. sweet and does the trick!

Apples are a great snack too - w a little PB or hummus. Apples have pectin in them which helps to make you feel full.

one more favorite of mine...... microwave a whole sweet potato for about 5-6 minutes - when done, remove skin and mashed it up with cayenne pepper, a little cinnamon and a few sprays of "fake butter". LOVE IT! I sometimes have it with a side of LF or FF cottage cheese - it's a great meal!

josparkle

My favourite snack, often a staple of my breakfast, is some crispbakes (like round melba toasts) and cottage cheese, or super-low-fat cream cheese. The crispbakes are only 29 cals and the cheese is up to you but I find I rarely put more than 10g or less.

I have also developed an addiction, as has my youngest son, for paprika rice cakes. Sadly they aren't the lowest cal rice cake around at 50cals each but they are big, and the spice makes them so tasty. Good for me, since crisps (chips to my US friends) are one of my weaknesses.

I don't like chocolate so the sweet cravings are not much of an issue for me, but it is hard to find really good tasty low-cal treats.

dmariet116

Great ideas ladies! I tend to keep dill pickles around for when I want crunchy salty snacks and occasionally popcorn. I prefer to pop it myself in coconut oil then lightly drizzle with real butter. Yummy! That's for when I want to head off a major chip, onion dip, rotel dip binge!!! Popcorn with real butter may sound decadent, but it will still save hundreds of calories or more over chips with various full fat cheese or sour cream dips!

screwmenopause

yummy thread!
also....I bought some kale popcorn the other day - awesome!

josparkle

For the calorie cost of a potato - you decide how big - you can have some crisps (chips). I tried this with my son during the holidays and it works really well - possibly too well.

How To Make Microwave Potato Chips

1 or more potatoes or other root vegetable, scrubbed clean
Salt and other seasonings, optional

Mandoline or sharp knife for the less clumsy
Bowl of cold water
Microwave-safe plate
Paper towels

1. Weigh potato and log into MFP. Thinly slice the potato aiming for slices 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Immediately put the slices in cold water. Repeat with the other half of the potato and any other potatoes you are preparing.

2. Soak and Rinse the Slices - Rinse the slices in cold water until the water stays clear. If you have time, let them soak for a few extra minutes before rinsing.

3. Dry the Slices - Dry the slices between two clean dish cloths or spin them in a salad spinner.

4. Season the Slices - Arrange as many slices as will fit in a single layer on a dinner plate lines with a few paper towels. Make sure the slices do not touch or else they stick together. If desired, sprinkle with salt or other spices.

5. Microwave the Slices - Microwave the slices at 100% power for 3 minutes. Flip them over and microwave at 50% power for another 3 minutes. Remove any chips that are starting to crisp and brown. Continue cooking the remaining chips at 50% power in 1 minute intervals until they are all crispy and golden.

screwmenopause

1. Weigh potato and log into MFP.

LOVE IT! the most important part thanks for the recipe!

jennygillott

I wish MFP had a "like" button. Some excellent ideas here!

sprintto50

I second the microwave potato chips. I even invested in the racks you can get. Sweet potatoes are to die for!

I love the individual Greek yogurt cups you can get at Costco, the ones with the little jam sections. They are 150 calories for most of them, and with the addition of some crunchy bran cereal and a bit of hemp hearts, make a great, portable before workout snack. I especially love them on nights when I go to fencing after work so have no time for dinner until later in the evening.

When I really need dessert, sugar free pudding eaten with Nilla wafers cookies as the "Spoons" fills the void, and is kind of fun too, in a childish sort of way.

josparkle

Have just had a lunch that I wouldn't have thought about making but it was delicious so I'm sharing.

I bought a pot of edamame, broad bean and green bean salad from the supermarket (it was very near lunch and after yesterday I wanted to make sure I didn't lapse again).

I ditched the dressing sachet as there were far too many things in it that I couldn't pronounce with -dehyde and -artamine at the end. So instead I teamed it with drained tuna in spring water, chopped red onion & baby plum tomatoes and shredded cucumber & courgette. A quick sprinkle of sea salt and red wine vinegar and it was gorgeous. Even with a lot of tuna (110g) it came in at under 280 for the whole thing and with 23g protein for the tuna and 14 for the mixed beans. Also 16g of fibre.

Next supermarket trip will be to stock up on frozen versions of the beans so i can always make this a go-to lunch.

canadjineh

Have just had a lunch that I wouldn't have thought about making but it was delicious so I'm sharing.

I bought a pot of edamame, broad bean and green bean salad from the supermarket - I ditched the dressing sachet as there were far too many things in it that I couldn't pronounce with -dehyde and -artamine at the end. So instead I teamed it with drained tuna in spring water, red onion, baby plum tomatoes and shredded cucumber & courgette. A quick sprinkle of sea salt and red wine vinegar and it was gorgeous. Even with a lot of tuna it came in at under 280 for the whole thing and with lots of protein.

Sounds delish!! high carb/low in fat - will work perfectly for one of my meals! I'm going to steal this... :devil:

josparkle

Sounds delish!! high carb/low in fat - will work perfectly for one of my meals! I'm going to steal this... :devil:

It is 12g carb - might be too hight for some of the ladies wanting to do very low carb but all that protein and fibre is just what I'm after.

josparkle

One of my MFP friends was bemoaning the curse of salsa and chips at a mexican restaurant which prompted me to search out this recipe from my books. Haven't found a good lowfat/carb/sodium tortilla chip yet in the UK but it tastes just great with almost anything. I sometimes marinate chicken or pork in it with a little extra lemon juice or vineger.

Salsa recipe

1 tin of chopped tomatoes (drained if very wet)
1 sweet pepper (I use a mix of whatever bits are lurking in the fridge)
1-2 chili peppers
small knob ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 red onion
Sea salt - pinch
4-6 black peppercorns
1tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Put all ingredients in a processor and pulse till desired texture.

If I am serving it straight away and I know it will all get eaten I also add 1/2 bunch coriander (cilantro?) but if I know its going to be kept for a while then I don't add it as it can go slimey, so I just chop a little as I use it.

The entire thing has 196 cals with 9g fibre and 9g protein and I would say gives 20 generous dessert-spoon fuls. Therefore each spoonful is 10 cals with 2 carbs.

canadjineh

josparkle this is a 'salsa fresca' the only red salsa a Mexican home cook usually serves - except for the chili vinegar ones like Cholula. Most of the commercial salsas in a jar contain added sugar. There are a few that don't but I always add my own fresh cilantro or if I don't have any on hand I dry-fry cumin seeds to add to it. I also prefer lime juice instead of lemon but that's me. This is great on a baked potato (with no butter of course) and a dollop of greek yogourt on top for higher protein/carb food at my lo-fat meal of the day.

josparkle

Well that's good to know it has a name.

I 'made it up' based on one that I adore in Cafe Pacifico in London but that one has oil, sugar and tons of sea salt and this is the nearest I've ever got to it but without those additions.

I'm rather pleased to know that I've unwittingly stumbled on a classic recipe. I love it with baked potatoes too - also with roasted stuffed peppers.

screwmenopause

I wish there was a "like button" too on MFP! Thanks for sharing the great recipes and tips gals!

canadjineh

Maybe not totally classic with the Worcestershire & ginger, but PDC :happy:

canadjineh

37 calorie brownie - maybe useful for 4th of July picnics??
Sounds good, haven't tried it myself yet but it is even GF with clean oats & baking powder.

http://www.bromabakery.com/2013/04/37-calorie-brownies-and-no-im-not.html

canadjineh

Bump for some yummy food ideas, & great tips!