Wow, as soon as I saw this thread title, I thought "chips and salsa!"... that used to be my love affair! It seems good, until you think of all the fat in the chips and all the sodium in the salsa (if it's store-bought).
I've replaced my chips and salsa with hummus and pita chips, but I make my own pita chips at home. You just slice a whole wheat pita into triangles, or even a whole wheat tortilla, and bake in the oven till crispy, and love on that hummus! Hummus can be easily made at home, too, but I don't have a food processor so I buy it from the store. Still super healthy, with good fats and veggies!
Salsa is pretty healthy already and you can buy baked tortilla chips that are low in fat and lower in calories. Or my new thing is jicama. It reminds me of a cross between a potato and an apple in taste. You eat it raw. It's extremely crunchy, low in cals and although I'm not a huge fan of salsa, I think it might go well together if you like it. It's crispy and refreshing...very very low in calories and high in fiber. Try it!
Hey! Jicama is a root vegetable--looks like a big turnip, kind of. You have to slice it to make "chips" to bake, but I like it plain. It's also good cut into strips to put in a salad.
Glenny's Soy Crisps have solved my chip habit. I'm especially fond of the garlic and onion flavor. Had to order a case from Amazon because I couldn't find them locally. They come in small bags which helps with portion control. Watch soy crisps though - some are very hight fat.
I also like snap peas and hummous and dehydrated apple crisps for sweet cravings.
Snacking is my weakness so I knew I had to find ways to be healthier about it. Realistically, there's no way I'll ever be a reformed snacker. Just a healthier one
I love cheese but I can't stand any of the low-fat or fake stuff. I really can't. I'd rather have one small bite of real cheese than any amount of any of the others.
I buy a block of cheese, come home and IMMEDIATELY chop it up into 1 oz portions (using my kitchen scale for accuracy). I put those into snack baggies and in the fridge. That way when I want cheese I know exactly how much I'm eating (or using to cook with).
Hi, my name is Serena and I am an Oreo O's addict. I used to buy it as a treat, thinking I'd have a small bowl just for something sweet. Well, it takes over my life. I can't buy it anymore at all.
I now eat Smart Start cereal (the maple and brown sugar variety) and it's just sweet enough to satisfy that craving, but not enough to make me addicted!
My snack obsession was chocolate. Frozen M&M's and Kisses! Yumm! I replaced all that with one Balance Bar on the four days that I workout at the gym. It gets my chocolate craving out and it gets me through a workout. As for my snack obessions...I just stay away! The longer I'm a way the easier it is to resist.
I think the shorter list for me would be what wasn't my favorite snack......
I've replaced the sweets with berries - the frozen ones (whole, no syrup) make my mouth think I'm eating ice cream - and the crunchies with raw nuts (almonds and walnuts). Still have to be careful not to overdo but I've noticed that after about 10 almonds I'm actually realizing I'm done rather than being amazed that I scarfed down a whole bag of chips without even noticing.
What are your bad snack obsessions, and what have you replaced them with?
