I've heard you can pop popcorn in the microwave in a folded over and stapled paper lunch sack...might be cheaper AND dairy free. You could buy a stack of paper bags and a bag of plain popcorn, add maybe a little salt, assemble 100 cals or however much you want worth of popcorn in the bag, and stow them in your desk. No additives/no dairy. I haven't tried it, but they supposedly pop up like regular popcorn microwave bags.
ETA - this Alton Brown recipe has olive oil, but I know people have done this with just cooking spray or no oil in the bags...just wanted to give you a recipe for technique!
I never buy the 100 calorie snack packs, I don't find that kind of food very filling and it's likely to trigger bingy feelings.
My common snacks:
yogurt (especially Fage 2% Greek yogurt with fresh blackberries)
string cheese
1/4 cup nuts or trailmix
fruit (particularly berries, tangelos)
soy chips
cut up veggies (I have this everyday - grape tomatoes, baby carrots, orange pepper strips, sugar snap peas)
herbal tea
cottage cheese (especially with mandarin oranges or pineapple)
Whole wheat tortilla, smeared with a little peanut butter, heated and wrapped around a banana (decadent)
Chopped apple, nuked for 4 minutes, add 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, cover, nuke 1 more minute, top with a little bit of crunchy granola
Cliff Nectar Bars (only fruit and nuts, all organic - the chocolate/walnut ones are DIVINE)
tall non fat sugar free latte (sometimes with a 100 calorie biscotti)
roasted squash (especially butternut, I roast a big squash for nearly 2 hours, until it is soft, then I mash it with a fork. I love it heated, with a tbs of maple pumpkin butter stirred in)
Wow, these are all some great snack ideas. I'd never even thought about putting grapes in the freezer! I'm going through what everyone's said & making a short list of new or different things I should try >.< Thanks for all these neat ideas everyone!
I love the string cheese and the pre-cut cheese cubes. They are spendy when compared to cutting it up myself but very easy to count out a 110 calorie portion of 7 pieces. I have pretty much weaned myself off of sweets and sugar so I don't typically crave it anymore. I also love nuts but I have a tendency to overdo them. I do have a handful of baked chips with salsa every now and then if I really want a treat.
As far as fruit goes, is there a certain amount you have to limit to? I know fruit has lots of sugar. I know it's natural sugar, but I was never sure on that. I loooove fruit. Strawberries, bananas, apples, raspberries, etc etc. Are there certain ones that are better for you than others?
I never limited fruit in any way - my rule was always as much fruit/vegetables as I wanted (the exception was dried fruit - it's just too easy for me to eat a lot of dried fruit). My favorite fruits are: berries, cherries, oranges, watermelon, mango and pomegranates (so messy, so worth it!).
Mandalinn,
I had heard of that method before but I had been afraid to try it, imagining a bag exploding and popcorn kernels everywhere. I might though DH makes me popcorn with either water or water and a little oil on the stove and it is pretty good.
I have used that method of making popcorn. It's easy and effective. My kids don't like the plain stuff, though, and I haven't yet made an effort to buy healthy additives, so they just add the butter, etc., and it's just like the garbage I can buy in a box - but much cheaper!
I've heard you can pop popcorn in the microwave in a folded over and stapled paper lunch sack...might be cheaper AND dairy free. You could buy a stack of paper bags and a bag of plain popcorn, add maybe a little salt, assemble 100 cals or however much you want worth of popcorn in the bag, and stow them in your desk. No additives/no dairy. I haven't tried it, but they supposedly pop up like regular popcorn microwave bags.
ETA - this Alton Brown recipe has olive oil, but I know people have done this with just cooking spray or no oil in the bags...just wanted to give you a recipe for technique!
Yes, I've done this, though it was quite some time ago. It came out great. Only don't staple it. You shouldn't put metal in a microwave. You can just fold it down.
Alton uses staples, and the man has never steered me wrong. Still, if you are concerned about the metal in the microwave thing, just fold over (some people even use tape!)
DH makes me popcorn with either water or water and a little oil on the stove and it is pretty good.
