What a great discussion! Thank you for all the great ideas.

Cheryl

Some of my favs:

String cheese
Vanilla yogurt with fresh raspberries or blackberries
I just discovered Wasa crackers. Add cheese and mmmmm!
Pouch of tuna
Guiltless Gourmet tortilla chips with salsa

And of course, fruit!

I have found smoothies to be one of the best ways to start out my morning on the right foot. They're very easy to make - just toss two handfuls of ice, 3/4 cup of skim milk and some strawberries and half a banana in the blender, and you're ready to go. They're great because they're pretty filling, plus you get 2 servings of fruit right away. If the strawberries are a little tart, sometimes I add a packet or two of splenda to sweeten the smoothie a bit.

My favorites are:

frozen grapes
whole wheat pita bread (toasted w/ tzaziki dip from Trader Joes
veggies w/ fat-free sour-cream dip I make with a package of Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dip
Cranberry sauce made w/ splenda (newest favorite...can't get enough!)

Right on! I'm getting a lot of great tips so far

One thing i didn't think I would like but was SO wrong was using liquid egg substitute instead of real eggs. I like Eggbeaters. If I'm remembering correctly, it's only about 60 cals for 1/4 cup (about the equivalent of a large egg) and they are so good, I can't even tell they aren't real eggs.

I also try and keep WW or lean cuisine frozen lunches in the fridge at work, and oatmeal packets and other snacks in my desk. It keeps me from eating out for lunch! (like i did today .. TOGO's, yikes!)

I like making my own hummus and like the Orville Redenbocker Smart Pop Kettle corn.

i've always been a HUGE fruit lover.

So most of my low cal snacks are

tangerines
nectarines
oranges

pretty much anything citrus and sweet

all of which are under 100 cals each.

And much better for you than 100cal bags and all that jazz they are advertising as being 'healthy snacks'


<3

These are great tips!!!
I jsut had a 15 stick pretzels 100 calories and a string cheese. Its 180 calories, but protien and filling. I was offererd some trail mix and said no, raced back to my desk for my own snack.
So far been doing real well today.

These are great tips!!!

Great ideas.....need to try humus and find wasa crackers!

I just found Lipton Green tea with mandarin orange pieces....awesome....a 0 cal treat.....I also add ice for a cold 0 cal drink....and it's full of anti-oxidants.


I put bazooka joe bubble-gum in my fruit bowl....great for a burst of sweetness and lots of chewing....and I always read the comic and fortune!

I also found chocolate SILK....a soy-based chocolate milk. I drink it for breakfast as I am not a breakfast eater and it's something I don't mind "eating".....plus I use a straw! Later I will have an apple or banana with eanut butter....it's a 350 calorie breakfast that satifies me until my 12 o'clock lunch....so far, it works for me and I am getting that bone-strentghening calcium and soy......and my kids love it too. I suspect my DS may have a lactose intolerance but it is lactose-free!

Ricotta cheese with splenda, a touch of vanilla flavoring and blueberries is a fanatastic protein treat that I got from the South Beach craze....it is awesome!

And yes pop corn and diet dr pepper is a party time treat!


God speed!
thinkerbell

Protein bars are my weakness, but I justify them for the high protein content. I have one for a snack at least three times a week. Usually the Balance Bar Caramel Blast Flavor (210 Cals, 15 grams of protein) or the Zone Perfect Chocolate Peanut Butter (190 Cals, 14 grams of protein). I also love to eat the 50 calorie cheese sticks with an apple (150 cals). Sometimes I will have Natures Path Optimum Power Cereal (Soy, Flax, Blueberry) mixed with vanilla yogurt -- around 200 cals, depending on how much I mix up...

Of course, for just filling the "hole", I will cut up a PILE of veggies...all kinds...and eat them. I like to cut them up at the time because it takes time, and the "prep" time is less time thinking about other food -- and then I really appreciate them when I sit down to eat. I will also make a salad and throw a handful of chicken on there and a splash of basalmic vinegar. Oh, and I also like to eat air popped popcorn for the nighttime munchies -- I like it plain.

Drinking something warm is very helpful -- I like vanilla chai tea because there is a little extra flavor in there. I add a splash of milk.

One trick I have found is to SIT down to appreciate my snacks -- so I really KNOW I've eaten them. I have three little kids and a busy life so it is easy to eat on the run, but I try to appreciate what I am eating.

For anti-munchies snacks:
Dill pickles - strong flavor but low calories.
Li hing mui - it's a Hawai'ian snack, dried plum with salt and spices on it. Very much an acquired taste, but because you have to suck on it so long to soften the dried fruit, it keeps my mouth occupied for a long time while I forget my munchies.

For an actual filling snack, I like pretzel-crackers from Trader Joe's with cottage cheese. And, when they're in season, clementines.

Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Pudding
Sliced Cucumbers with Salad dressing or tuna
Celery with hummus or peanut butter
Dry Roasted Peanuts or Almonds
FF Fudgesicle (the Blue Bunny ones)
Baked String cheese sprinkled with garlic

Omfg. I just found the most perfect snack EVAR...

And this is just the right thread for it!

Jack Links Beef Jerky 'Smart Snacks'

It's a good amount of jerky for those of us who like it (i know alot of people dont)

Here's the facts on it

Cals - 140 (FOR THE WHOLE PACK)
Cals from fat - 15

Cholesterol - 40mg
Sodium - 1060mg (lil high.. but not too bad for tastyfactor)
Carbs - 5g!!!!!
Protein - 27g!

They also have it in teriyaki and cajun flavors =D <3!

English muffin pizzas you could make a half of one for around 75-100 cals easy
Sugar free pudding or jello
Triskits with LC garlic and herb wedge
String cheese with preztels
if you want something sweet 9 hershey dark chocolate kisses
fruit and yogurt

Some of my staples are:

Apples - I'm from WA so of COURSE apples.
Roasted Aspargus with lots of pepper
Triscuits and Goat Cheese
Nature Valley granola bars
Mountain High yogurt with granola
Chicken breast, spinach, and mushrooms with 1 serving bleu cheese dressing
Bananas
Peanut butter and peach preserves in a tortilla
Grape Nuts
Walnuts - about .5 oz a day
Pita with turkey, swiss cheese, and shredded lettuce
V8 Fusion juice (the low calorie version)

Take out:
Subway chicken breast sandwich with pepper jack cheese, lots of veggies, pepper and vinegar (no oil or dressing)

The PBJ tortilla is pretty high calorically at 500 calories but really satisfies me when I'm in a junk food mood or want something sweet and keeps me from getting hungry for a long time.