Health

Easy to make Healthy Snack Ideas

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Snacks come with a negative connotation because they’re often associated with junk food like Doritos or Oreos. But snacking isn’t necessarily a bad thing! You’re allowed to snack and STILL BE HEALTHY! Just watch what you’re eating and how much you’re eating.  Here are ten healthier snack options to help you get rid of those fatty junk foods.

PEANUT BUTTER WHIPS

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The Creative Bite – Skinny Frozen Peanut Butter Whips

 

I found this one from The Creative Bite on Pinterest and I am so happy I did. These are some of the yummiest things I’ve ever consumed and they’re super easy to make…

All you have to do is mix together one container of fat free Cool Whip (don’t worry, the fat free option tastes exactly the same as the regular kind) and about a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter. If you want a stronger PB taste, feel free to add more to your liking. Add cupcake liners to a muffin tin and scoop a heaping spoonful of the mixture into the liner. Freeze them until the mixture is solid and enjoy! And trust me, you will definitely enjoy.

 

SOUR PATCH GRAPES

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PureSugar.net – Sour Patch Grapes

I also found this one on Pinterest (from Pure Sugar), but these have seriously cured my candy cravings. And they’re also easy to make!

Here’s what I did: I mixed together lemon and watermelon Jell-O packets (unprepared) in a plastic bag. You can use whatever flavor combinations you wish, but this is what I tried! I washed some (green) grapes, while still leaving them damp (don’t dry them completely!). Throw the grapes into the Jell-O mixture and mix it all around. Take out the grapes, throw them in a bowl, and cool them for about an hour or two.

I snacked on these like crazy and they tasted just like Sour Patch Kids… except they’re healthier than Sour Patch Kids! Nothing better than that.

 

OVEN BAKED VS. TRADITIONAL CHIPS

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Frito Lays – Oven Baked Chips

 

Of all the junk food items in the world, it’s impossible for me to throw out potato chips. I just can’t do it. So a better alternative to your traditional chips are the baked options (and kettle cooked/popped chips are often better than the traditional versions too). The baked versions still aren’t the healthiest of all snack options, but they’re definitely a better option than the traditional versions if you’re counting calories and fat!

The biggest downfall for these is that the baked chips usually have more carbs than the traditional choices. So if you’re on a no-carb diet (Regina George, anyone?), these probably aren’t your best option. Check out my favorite baked flavors (and some nutritional comparisons) below:

OVEN BAKED BARBECUE LAYS: These are my go-to baked snack. They always cure my chip craving. One serving contains 120 calories and 3 grams of fat. Compare that to the traditional BBQ Lays, which have 160 calories and 10 grams of fat.

OVEN BAKED SOUR CREAM & CHEDDAR RUFFLES: These are definitely my favorite, right after my go-to BBQ chips. I will admit, the traditional Sour Cream & Cheddar Ruffles do taste better, but the oven baked option are almost as good! The nutritional value in these are similar to the BBQ Lays, with the oven baked chips containing  120 calories and 3.5 grams of fat, and the traditional chips containing 160 calories and 10 grams of fat. The amounts may not seem like much, but everything adds up, right?!

 

FRUIT DIPS

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Skinny Mom – PB Yogurt Dip Apple Slices

http://www.skinnymom.com/pb-yogurt-dip-apple-slices/

I love fruit. But when I have the option to choose between Hot Cheetos and an apple, which do you think I’ll go for? If you picked Hot Cheetos, you couldn’t be more right. One thing that motivates me to eat more fruit is to have an appetizing dip to go with it. Of course, you can keep it simple and dip your fruit in peanut butter or Greek Yogurt (both yummy options!) or you can make your own dip like I did!

 

I experimented around with this and came up with some delicious fruit dips for you to try. I encourage you to experiment with the amounts of each ingredient because this is all based around your taste preference! Also, all of these dips contain peanut butter, so if you’re allergic to peanuts or just don’t like PB, try substituting other solids, like Nutella, almond butter, cream cheese, or Greek yogurt!

 

The first dip is a mixture of peanut butter, chocolate syrup, honey, and vanilla yogurt. I mixed together one cup of Yoplait’s vanilla yogurt, one tablespoon of peanut butter, one tablespoon of chocolate syrup, and about three teaspoons of honey. Mix it together and cool it for about 20 minutes. Dip your fruit and enjoy!

 

My second consists of fat-free cool whip, peanut butter, and honey. I used about half a cup of  cool whip, one tablespoon of peanut butter, and about two teaspoons of honey. Mix it together, cool for 20 minutes, and enjoy!

 

My last idea contains Banana Crème Pie yogurt, one tablespoon of peanut butter, and honey to taste. You know the drill by now, mix together the ingredients, cool for 20 minutes and tadaaa!

Yummy.

 

FROZEN YOGURT

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Simply Savory n Sweet – Frozen Yogurt Pops

My favorite thing as a kid was freezing my Gogurt. Who else remembers doing that? Well, we’re basically going to do the same thing here! You can definitely go about this a few different ways, but I’m not talking about going to a Froyo place every day (and dumping a pound of gummy bears on top of your yogurt) if that’s what you’re thinking!

For one, you can scoop your favorite yogurt into a popsicle mold and freeze it to enjoy a yummy yogurt popsicle. Or you can make yogurt dots, by scooping tiny little dollops of yogurt onto wax paper. Freeze the dots, peel them off the paper, and enjoy little snack size frozen yogurt!

 

Another good idea is to freeze fresh fruit inside of your yogurt. Starting off with a sheet of wax paper, spread your favorite yogurt along the surface (not too much, just large enough to pick up and eat). Toss some fresh fruit on top of the yogurt (my favorites are strawberries and blueberries), and then put another layer of yogurt on top of that. Freeze and enjoy! It’s like your own little fruit and yogurt bar!

 

POPSICLES

Escoffier Online Frozen Fruit Popsicles

Escoffier Online Frozen Fruit Popsicles

Believe it or not, popsicles aren’t as bad as you think. Of course you can make your own popsicles with fresh fruit, yogurt, juice, or coconut water, but store-bought options aren’t too bad either!

Popsicle brand actually makes “Better For You” options, which consist of low fat, low calorie, and sugar-free treats. But even their regular popsicles aren’t crazy bad! I recently picked up a box of Popsicle’s Jelly Belly popsicles. I wholeheartedly expected the sugar value to be off the charts (above 20 at least), but to my surprise, it wasn’t. One Jelly Belly popsicle has 7 grams of sugar (still more than I’d like to consume, but a lot less than I had thought), and only 50 calories. And they’re fat free! Plus, just one of these will definitely cure your sugar tooth.

And of course, there’s a ton of healthier versions of store-bought popsicles too. Fruit bars are definitely a good way to go!

 

VEGGIE/FRUIT CHIPS

 
I am the world’s pickiest eater. Okay, maybe not the pickiest in the world, but I’m pretty far on the top of the scoreboard. So when I saw this craze about veggies turning into chips, I was not pleased. I mean, tomatoes baked into crispy chips? Nope. No thanks. However, I have come to terms (great terms, actually!) with two natural chip options.

 

APPLE CHIPS:

Inspired Edibles - Cinnamon Nutmeg Apple Chips

Inspired Edibles – Cinnamon Nutmeg Apple Chips

So easy. I followed Sally’s Baking Addition for this, but basically you’re going to start by cutting an apple into super thin slices. Bake the slices at 200 until crispy (about an hour on one side, another hour on the other side) and then wait about an hour before removing them from the oven. You can add some cinnamon or drizzle some chocolate or caramel for extra flavor if you’d like. So much better than those greasy potato chips!

 

ZUCCHINI CHIPS:

Table for Two - Zucchini Chips

Table for Two – Zucchini Chips

I’ll be honest. I had never even TOUCHED a zucchini before doing this recipe. I may not be a fan of plain, raw zucchini, but I am a fan of zucchini in chip form! I followed One Good Thing by Jillee’s recipe for this. Cut the zucchini into thin slices and bake at 450 until crispy (about 25-30 minutes)! You can add garlic, salt, or even some melted cheese for some added flavor.

 

DIY TRAIL MIX

 

A Beautiful Mess: Bonefire Trail Mix

A Beautiful Mess: Bonefire Trail Mix

Instead of purchasing store bought trail mix, I like to make my own. Since you aren’t buying prepackaged trail mix and you’re throwing in your own ingredients instead, you’re able to pay attention to the individual nutritional values for each of the items. If you want less sodium in your diet, add unsalted nuts. If you want less sugar, eliminate sweets like marshmallows or M&M’s. Read the nutritional facts of all your items so you’re able to add in the best possible ingredients.

Plus, making your own trail mix is super fun because you get to add the ingredients YOU like! If you’re the type of person that avoids all the raisins in your trail mix, simply don’t add raisins to your DIY mix. It’s that simple!

Some of my favorite trail mix ingredients are peanuts, cashews, pistachios, pretzels, M&M’s, yogurt covered raisins, and chocolate covered almonds. You can also try banana chips, mini marshmallows, dried cranberries, caramel or chocolate chips, granola, pumpkin seeds, or Cheerios. But really, your options are endless for this.

 

DRIZZLED POPCORN

 

Cupcake Artist - Fancy Schmancy Caramel Nutty Pretzel Popcorn

Cupcake Artist – Fancy Schmancy Caramel Nutty Pretzel Popcorn

This is basically trail mix, but with popcorn instead of nuts. And it is so good!  To start, I popped Orville Redenbacher’s kettle corn (the healthy version). You can always pop your own kernels or you can also buy prepackaged popcorn from healthier brands like Smartfood  and Boom Chicka Pop.

Next, I spread my popcorn along a sheet of wax paper. I threw some pretzels, cranberry clusters, and mini marshmallows into the mixture. I mixed it all together (still on the wax paper though) and drizzled some dark chocolate all over the mixture. After the chocolate hardened, I broke the mixture into pieces. It’s salty, sweet, crunchy, and sooooo good!  And you can definitely play with the ingredients which is the fun part. Add in some nuts, Cheerios, or granola. Drizzle with caramel instead of dark chocolate. Just like the DIY trail mix, your options for this are also endless!

 

SMOOTHIES

 

Life Hack - 20 Healthy Juice and Smoothie Recipes

Life Hack – 20 Healthy Juice and Smoothie Recipes

So you may not think of a smoothie as a snack, but why not make it a snack? Smoothies can be extremely fulfilling and depending on what ingredients are in your smoothie, they can be super healthy for you. Not to mention that you can definitely find a ton of smoothies for under 150-200 calories if that’s what you’re trying to watch. And while fruit is definitely healthy for you, mix up your smoothie recipes with other ingredients much as spinach or avocado. It might sound weird, but trust me, you can’t taste them! I also recommend adding something like chia seeds to your smoothies for added nutritional value.

It can be easy to eat healthy during mealtime, but finding a perfectly healthy snack can be a

difficult task. I hope these ten ideas are able to motivate you to eat at least a little bit healthier!

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Gloria is a journalism major who happens to love puppies and french fries probably a little too much. Her hobbies include fashion, cooking, DIY, and binge watching Breaking Bad with her boyfriend. Coming from the heart of Tucson, Arizona, Gloria hopes to create content that will inspire others to voice their personal creativity throughout their own lifestyles.

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