I swear...it seems like FOREVER to me between meals - yes....I really like to eat - I think it's the whole needing to chew on something - I haven't really pin-pointed that out yet and I really don't buy snack foods because snack foods to me are Ho-Ho's and Ding Dongs and Twinkies.......OH MY! So I went on a hunt for some low calorie snacks and compiled this list, because I'm sure I'm not the only one this happens to!
Better Off Red!
There's no reason to get sucked in by scarlet-hued shakes with scary-high calorie counts. Toss a few no-guilt ingredients in the blender, and voilà! Red velvety goodness...
These wonderful and beautiful snack is not gonna last long at your next BBQ!
Fresh flour tortillas are quick to cook up in a pan and produce unbelievably flaky chips when baked. This exquisitely flavored Italian cream cheese is worth the money. Slather it on cinnamon-sugar, baked flour tortilla chips. Then top with fresh fruit and white chocolate shavings for a snack or dessert that will start a celebration in your mouth. If you can’t find Mascarpone, substitute softened and sweetened cream cheese, or whipped cream cheese. For us calorie watchers we can use yogurt cheese or a low-fat Swiss cheese.
Mexican finger food at its finest -- crunchy, perfectly sized, and with an ideal calorie count at only 202 calories for 4 of these bad boys!! So good and SO easy to make!
This easy and fun way of preparing mangoes is sometimes called making mango porcupines. First you use a sharp knife to fillet each side of the mango, cutting off the ‘cheek’, and getting as close to the mango pip as you can.
Then on each cheek make cuts in the mango about 2cm (1/2 in) apart in a criss-cross pattern, but don’t cut through the skin. Now if you push the skin from underneath it will pop the inside out, and the squares become mango cubes that are easy to spoon off or schloop up with your tongue. Then you can go back to peel and eat the small amount of mango left around the pip.
Cut chunks from the skin to serve.
(The skin can cause irritation, so it should not be eaten.)
To store your mangoes, keep unripe mangoes at room temperature to ripen, which may take up to 1 week. A paper bag might help them ripen sooner, but they will not ripen at temperatures below 55 degrees F. Ripe mangoes can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or they can be frozen, dried, cooked in syrup or puréed.
Check out these 10 Healthy Benefits from Mangoes HERE
The delicious and juicy mango has long been one of the world's most popular fruits. The fruit's flavor is often described as an exotic mix of pineapple and peach. Mangoes are available from April to September, but June and July usually offer the best pick and prices. Mangoes taste so good that people forget they are also healthy! Discover how the “king of fruits” can help your health by reading these 10 health benefits.
Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and Eating Well's healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber. With this recipe they Cut calories by 43%.... Cut total fat by 66%.... Cut saturated fat by 68% and added folate and fiber by adding spinach to increase nutrients.
Low-fat milk replaces whole milk to cut down on fat and calories.
Use whole-wheat pasta instead of refined white pasta to boost fiber.
Replace some of the regular (full-fat) cheese with low-fat cottage cheese, which has great creamy texture. Most recipes can be altered like this without losing flavor and adding calories! If you are sensative to wheat, you can also use Brown rice pasta :)
ok, so who doesn't want to impress their friends???? Ummmmm NO ONE! Well, with these 3 flavored homemade popsicles, you will be sure to WOW even the pickiest one of your friends! These fab frozen delights have Regular lemonade, Pink lemonade and best of all.....(drum roll please)....Passion Tea Lemonade! Keep reading for the recipe!!
When it comes to kids, I think they are precious but I don't have any at this time in my life (because I like to give them back to their parents lol ) but that's okay because I'm sure a lot of my readers do and I want to make sure that their little cherubs, devils, or heathens are taken care of health wise too!! So with that being said, I found this little article in Parents Magazine and thought it could be helpful to some of you who are struggling with picky eaters or for those of you who just need some inspiration or creativity in some snack foods for your kids.
Your kids will love this fruity combination of tomatoes, cantaloupe, apples, and a hint of lime. If you want to tone down the heat, use just one seeded jalapeno or none at all. Packed with lycopene from the tomato, vitamins A and C from the melon, and fiber from the apple, this healthy and delicious snack is a big winner.
Raisins have a lot of good things going for them such as fiber, potassium, and vitamins. Even if your picky eaters aren't going for a handful of raisins out of the box, here is a super yummy raisin snack they won't be able to pass up. Kids will love to dip and swirl apple wedges or carrot sticks for a healthy and delicious scoop of creamy covered raisins.
These are sooo pretty!! You can use whatever kind of fruit that you want and for a little extra health kick, use a whole wheat pretzel stick instead of the white flour ones. Make sure you give this to your child with a bowl and spoon too because if they lick it to hard, the pretzel might break and we don't want any body crying cuz their popsicle is on the floor!
All you need are 2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt ( or you can use toddler yogurt - less sugar) 1 cup assorted berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, chopped strawberries)
5 pretzel rods, halved, or 10 baked snack stick crackers . To Make It, gently stir together the yogurt and fruit in a large bowl. Spoon into 4-ounce ice-pop molds or 3-ounce paper cups. (Dixie cups would be great!) Cover molds or cups with foil; use a sharp knife to cut a small hole in the foil and insert cut side of pretzel rod or snack stick. Freeze until firm. Remove foil and mold or cup before serving. These will keep in the freezer for up to a month. Makes 6 pops.
1. Combine peanut butter, yogurt, milk, 2 tablespoons honey, and vanilla in a food processor or blender until smooth.
2. Pour peanut-butter mixture into eight 6- to 7-ounce paper cups or pop molds until they're one-third full. Cover and freeze for 1 hour. Cover and chill remaining peanut-butter mixture until needed.
3. Stir together raspberries and juice, divide among the cups or molds, and insert sticks. Cover and freeze for an hour. Then fill with remaining peanut-butter mixture and freeze for at least 8 hours, or until firm.
4. Let stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes before unmolding. If you want, spoon honey around the rims and sprinkle on sesame seeds.
okay..okay... I know...I know...this is SUPPOSED to be a blog about HEALTHY foods BUT....I saw these fabulous looking little things sitting on a web page and they looked so lonely and I thought I just HAD to share it with you guys! Besides....ONE little tater skin never killed anyone right??
These easy peasy popsicles are bursting with fruity yumminess - All you have to do is pour some Capri Sun (whatever flavor you like best) into a popsicle mold, then add your favorite cut up fresh fruit then freeze! These would be great for the kids and a great conversation treat for that summer BBQ!
