We were talking on a different thread about strategies for eating when you enter the 20 point per day zone. I was thinking that it would be really helpful to find some snacks that don't cost much or anything, but fill you up. We are talking BANG for your BUCK here.

For me, boiling a whole artichoke with 1/2 cup of vinegar (I prefer balsamic for this) and chopped garlic really does the trick. It is 0 points. It takes quite awhile to eat. It is as handy as having a bowl of chips out, and it is good for you.

My other staples are

• an apple with a glass of water (1)
• stir fry veggies with 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (2)
• stir fry veggies with an ounce of reduced fat feta (1)
• 1/2 cup of beans stirred into 0 point soup (2)

thank you for starting this post, i'm looking for ideas
i'd really like to try an artichoke.. but i have no clue how to cook it lol

Pick one with a fat stem whose leaves squeek. Boil for about 45 minutes, let cool, eat. When you get to the heart you can't eat the hairlike parts, you cut them out and then eat the rest.

The leaves you just peel off and scrape the bottem meat off with you teeth (I used to have a dog that loved doing this and would bare her teeth to get a good hold).

You can also cook a few, throw them in the fridge to eat cold later, or microwave for 1.5 minutes later to reheat.

2 hardboiled egg whites with a 1 pt. Fiber One muffin (1)
green beans with TJ's roasted pepper sauce and fat-free feta (1)
a large celery stalk stuffed with Laughing Cow Light (1)
coleslaw mix with TJ's tzatsiki sauce and fat-free feta (1)

I've never had an artichoke before! So forgive me if this sounds odd...

Do you just eat the little leaves? Like you would potato chips?? How does it taste?

I'm a big celery person! I could munch on it all day! (Unfortunately I've got a tooth ache and so I can't lately )

I also always have zero point soup in the fridge! (Which reminds me that I need to make a new batch!)

We always ate them growing up, and I can't really describe them. But my kids nearly two and 3.5 both love them. I think mostly because they are fun to eat. Of course, I grew up dipping each leaf in Mayonaisse or Garlic Butter - we don't do it that way now.

They are a thistle comprised of 50 or so leaves surrounding an undeveloped flower and "heart". You cannot eat the entire leaf (since the top of it has a thorn). They are quite pokey. My MIL uses kitchen scissors so snip off each and every thorn before cooking, but I am too lazy. After boiling for 45 minutes, you peel the leaves off the flower, put the bottom of the leaf in your mouth, and scrape the meat off with your (either top or bottom) teeth. The outer leaves are kind of tough, and they get better and better towards the center. Once you get most of the leaves off (they get thinner and thinner) you reach the inner part of the (unbloomed flower). You don't eat this part (it resembles fine hairs) - my parents gave us dire warnings, like it would bind up our intestines? who knows? Anyway, you scrape that part out with a spoon and you are left with the heart. The entire heart is edible. I usually peel off (with a knife) the very outside layer of the stem. Then eat the heart.

The heart can also be thrown into a blender for some awesome guacamole-like dip, but without any fat. You can make the dip out of canned artichoke hearts packed in water (kind of spendy, but still good). Most artichoke hearts are packed in oil, and thus not really an option.

Very interesting... I will definately try it

I *love* artichokes! Especially when I dip the leaves & the heart in melted butter. (Or, now, just spray with 0-point I can't beleive it's not butter spray!) Only I cook mine in water in the microwave for 16 minutes with a bit of lemon juice.

I've never had an artichoke, and I'm not brave enough yet, but in the way of low point snacks, I really like air popped popcorn w/ I can't believe it's not butter spray...3 cups is 1 point... it fills me up and I really like the taste. Sometimes I'll put some grated parmesan on too.

I usually make a pot of 1-2 point soup and have that if I'm really hungry. Also the Orville Redenbachers 94% fat free popcorn is 7 cups for 2 points.
I also like a carb friendly bagel, just watch the fat and calories, but you can find the 1 point kind and put FF cream cheese for another point, so 2 points. I also have that for breakfast with lite sugar jelly and it's only 3 points for the whole shebang!
Anyway, those are my favorites!

More snack ideas:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55634

Campbells Soup at Hand Vegetable Beef and Chicken and Stars are 1 pt each. I'm not sure about the other varieties - I haven't checked yet.

Cup-a-soup low carb chicken noodle soup is 0pts for one serving and it's just a packet that you add water to, so it travels easily. Sodium might be high so if you're watching that you might need to give it a second look.

I still like the Weight Watcher's chocolate cakes for 1pt when I need a choc. fix.

Quaker multi-grain mini's are 9 for 1pt. They are sweet, crunchy and pretty yummy.

I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's ideas. Now that I'm down to 20pts a day I need all of the help I can get!

For a low pt. snack on the go I like the Chips Ahoy 100 Calorie Snack Packs and then there are the Right Bites also. Each snack pack is 2 pt.
SF pudding is 1 pt. so that is another good one. SF Jello is 0 pt. So those are my fav. on the go snacks....

I think that the sugarfree-fat free jello pudding is only 1 point alone, if you make it with milk, it increases to 2 points ( at least that's how I figured it out )... I figured it again before typing this post, since pudding is one of my favorite ways to boost my dairy

Wasa sesame cracker ( 1 pt each) with laughing cow cheese lite (1). I just had it for the first time and it was really good.

bev