Works for Me Wednesday: Healthy Snacking
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Most of the bad choices we make where snacks are concerned are a matter of convenience. It’s a whole lot easier to grab a bag of chips and a carton of dip than it is to find something healthy to eat, right? Well, not anymore at my house. I used to think that chips and dip were my weakness. I’ve discovered, however, that it’s actually just the dip. Carrots and broccoli work just as well for transporting dip to my mouth as chips do. So now, my biggest vice has become my best, easiest and lowest fat snack.
It starts with low-fat dip. It was simple to convert my favorite, full-fat recipe to a delicious, low-fat version. I simply replaced the 16 oz. carton of sour cream with 8 oz. of Greek yogurt and 8 oz. of light sour cream. Then, I added 1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix. Yum! The Greek yogurt is tangy and could easily replace sour cream in most recipes. However, it’s also four times the price of sour cream, so I’m going to stick with the half-and-half mixture.
I just cut up fresh broccoli and slice some carrot sticks, storing them in the fridge for a quick, easy snack. The only problem — that isn’t really a problem — is that I can’t keep the kids out of my healthy snacks! I’m so happy that they’re making healthier choices…I just wish they’d leave me some.
The other healthy snack favorites that I keep on hand are:
- Fruit (The favorites are apples and oranges right now…in the summer it’ll be grapes and strawberries)
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Yogurt
- String Cheese
What are some of your favorite quick, healthy snacks?
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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
to make it even healthier . . .
blend a 16 oz. carton of cottage cheese until smooth to replace the sour cream.
Roasted chickpeas (you just have to watch how much you eat! cus I can eat the entire can)
Homemade pita chips and popcorn.
Interesting…I may have to try this. I love dip, but we never keep it around. Probably because of the weakness issue!
Ha ha, I have the same "problem" with my kiddos…they eat all "my" snacks! We have air popped popcorn almost every night and I love some vanilla yogurt with cut up fruit (pineapple is my fave right now) and lots of cinnamon on top. Mmm.
What a great snack! We love greek yogurt around here and try to substitute it as much as possible. I like to add the dry onion soup mix to it for a dip as well:)
mashed avocado with lemon juice, minced onion
or mashed chickpeas with lemon juice, garlic and a drizzle of olive oil
Thanks for the tip—I'm amazed that my skinny-mini kids don't have my dip weakness…I should call it a "scoop" weakness, they actually dip, I scoop:-)
mashed avocado with lemon juice, minced onion
or mashed chickpeas with lemon juice, garlic and a drizzle of olive oil
Thanks for the tip—I'm amazed that my skinny-mini kids don't have my dip weakness…I should call it a "scoop" weakness, they actually dip, I scoop:-)
mashed avocado with lemon juice, minced onion
or mashed chickpeas with lemon juice, garlic and a drizzle of olive oil
Thanks for the tip—I'm amazed that my skinny-mini kids don't have my dip weakness…I should call it a "scoop" weakness, they actually dip, I scoop:-)
What is the difference between Greek yogurt and reg. yogurt?
I like the idea of making your own dip. I'm not a fan of ranch as a general rule but I am guessing that you could use any variety of soup mix to make a favorite (mine would be onion & garlic). I will be keeping this in mind for future reference.
Elaine H
Elaine,
According to my Biggest Loser book, Greek yogurt has the same number of calories as regular, fat-free yogurt, but it has twice the protein and half the carbs.
I *think* that I read somewhere that it is strained less than regular yogurt. It has a more sour taste than regular, which is why it can be easily substituted for sour cream.
Love your tip. When I make homemade dip, I usually use plain, low-fat yogurt. It is a good substitute for sour cream also. The big benefit is the yogurt has more calcium than sour cream, or cottage cheese, as was mentioned earlier. I like to use hummus as a dip for my veggies, regular and roasted red pepper varieties. And I was recently introduced to pomegranate. When taken out of the peel, the little bits can be popped in the mouth and are crunchy, so a good substitute for chips.
Elaine,
According to my Biggest Loser book, Greek yogurt has the same number of calories as regular, fat-free yogurt, but it has twice the protein and half the carbs.
I *think* that I read somewhere that it is strained less than regular yogurt. It has a more sour taste than regular, which is why it can be easily substituted for sour cream.
What is the difference between Greek yogurt and reg. yogurt?
I like the idea of making your own dip. I'm not a fan of ranch as a general rule but I am guessing that you could use any variety of soup mix to make a favorite (mine would be onion & garlic). I will be keeping this in mind for future reference.
Elaine H
Ha ha, I have the same "problem" with my kiddos…they eat all "my" snacks! We have air popped popcorn almost every night and I love some vanilla yogurt with cut up fruit (pineapple is my fave right now) and lots of cinnamon on top. Mmm.
Roasted chickpeas (you just have to watch how much you eat! cus I can eat the entire can)
Homemade pita chips and popcorn.
Interesting…I may have to try this. I love dip, but we never keep it around. Probably because of the weakness issue!