Air popped popcorn as a late evening snack

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winningthin
winningthin Posts: 31 Member
in Recipes
Hi guys,

I'm not sure about any of you, but there are late evenings when I really want a light and tasty snack, but not one that will threaten my diet. I try hard not to eat after 8pm (I'm not always succesful, but it is a constant aim). That said, I decided to invest in an air-popper, since 3 tablespoons of popcorn kernels cooked this way yields approximately 6 cups of popcorn and only 120 calories (provided you eat 6 cups!). I am so happy that I did b/c not only does the popcorn taste great with a few sprinklings of low to no calorie toppers, it's yummy, fulfilling and appeases my tummy for the night. I usually eat only one or two cups (less than 20 to 40 calories). You should try it!

BTW -- as of the date of this post, Wal-Mart currently has them on sale for $14.88 ( a worthy investment). It also evokes such an enticing and yummy spelling aroma...totally cool.

Replies

  • kaymd
    kaymd Posts: 470 Member
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    And they make awesome Christmas gifts...:-)
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
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    I had one for years, they work great, but used to end up put way more butter on it just to get it salty - more and more as time went by. Now i'm wanting to do it lighter and try some more. Microwave popcorn can have that fake butter that's no good for your lungs. I have a 10 yr old that has hardly had anything but microwave or movie popcorn.

    No salt, no butter, no taste. Do the spray butters work good? Taste good? Do you spritz it with water to make flavor powders stick?
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    We do the 94% fat free Orville Reddenbachers with ICBINB spray on it, it gives you around 8-10 cups in a bag which at most is 150 cals (at 10 cups).

    I dont get what the fuss is about not eating late, a calorie is a calorie, if you have it left for the day and you are hungry then eat.
  • molina76853
    molina76853 Posts: 143
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    I too have been eating air popped popcorn as evening snacks. I also found that pickles have 0 calories, so I have been eating pickles too.
  • xxthursday09xx
    xxthursday09xx Posts: 85 Member
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    I LOVE popcorn. It is my staple and I can eat gallons. And I love that it is low cal. I want an air popper. I make mine on the stove and add cajon seasoning...amazing. :)
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    An Air popper is great and I still use one that my family got as a christmas gift 25 years ago (And it still works). So long as you;re not drowning it in butter I would say it's fine.

    Far better than the processed Microwave stuff. If the list of ingredients is 25 items long then something is seriously wrong there.

    I personally strive for Clean eating and air-popped popcorn fits that list nicely at one ingredient.

    Cheers!
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    We do the 94% fat free Orville Reddenbachers with ICBINB spray on it, it gives you around 8-10 cups in a bag which at most is 150 cals (at 10 cups).

    I dont get what the fuss is about not eating late, a calorie is a calorie, if you have it left for the day and you are hungry then eat.

    The "fuss" about not eating late stems from the fact that your metabolism is the slowest while you're sleeping, so if you injest a huge meal right before bed, you're not going to burn it off as effectively as you would being up and about during the day.

    That being said, it's also a question of what you're eating and when. A a small bowl of popcorn while watching a movie before bed won't be as much as a giant plate of lasagna and handful of dinner rolls.

    As a result, people generally aim to space their meals so that you're not going to bed with their largest meal still trying to digest in the stomach.
  • laurasimmons
    laurasimmons Posts: 578 Member
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    I eat popcorn almost every night too! I buy the 98% fat free bag kind!
  • orange_avocado
    orange_avocado Posts: 232
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    I too have been eating air popped popcorn as evening snacks. I also found that pickles have 0 calories, so I have been eating pickles too.

    The only problem with pickles is they have a high sodium. So just watch out with that water retention!
  • winningthin
    winningthin Posts: 31 Member
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    Yes, the sprinkle toppings (can't think of the official name, but it's a powder like substance) taste pretty good. You may also opt to add a tad of light butter (like Smart Balance Light or I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Light) and you're still doing excellent on calories. A collegue prepares it here in the office and it always smells and tastes so great. It really works for helping to carve my hunger.
  • winningthin
    winningthin Posts: 31 Member
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    I hear you :).
  • winningthin
    winningthin Posts: 31 Member
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    Absolutely!
  • winningthin
    winningthin Posts: 31 Member
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    I'll also keep that in mind :).
  • Yarnpiggie
    Yarnpiggie Posts: 181
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    I do not crave popcorn... ever. I worked in a theatre many moons ago (like 20 years) and still haven't gotten over the popcorn overdose i had there.

    However... I kinda want to get over it so I have a good excuse to buy popcorn and try this!

    http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/11/brown-paper-bag-microwave-popcorn.html

    Helloooo! Microwave popcorn without the nasty micro popcorn chemicals? And at probably a fraction of the cost. I could get signed up for that.

    If I had any interest in eating popcorn. :-)
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
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    Try air popped pop corn 6 cups, add 1.5 mini shredded wheat bite size, 1 cup cranberries (dried) and 1/2 c mini chocolate chips. :)

    I make this up and bag it into little paper bags for on the go snacks. :) Covers the whole sweet salty aspect very nice. :)

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