Just a Girl Who LOVES Snacks on a Weight Loss Journey

I don't know about you, but I LOVE to snack. I try to find snacks throughout the day that are tasty but help me during my health & weight loss journey....

Healthy Snacking Tip: 

The key to healthy snacking is to find foods that have as much nutritional value as possible that will fill you up so you aren’t hungry again an hour later. For example: a 100 calorie ‘snack pack’ of chips or cookies will leave you feeling hungry again very soon AND they are not providing you with any nutrients. If you eat a banana and a few almonds, you are eating something super healthy (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.) that will fill you up longer (and help you feel better) and help you avoid the sugar crash. The more “whole foods” (unprocessed or minimally processed) you eat,
the better. Have different snacks during the week to keep it interesting and to increase the different types of nutrients you are getting.

Healthy Snack Ideas
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1. Almonds, walnuts or cashews (a small handful is a serving)
2. Sunflower seeds and raisins
3. Celery and almond butter (peanut butter or sun butter) 1-2 tbsp
4. Popcorn (air popped or stove top is best; not microwave popcorn)
5. Rice chips with hummus
6. Organic  Blue Tortilla Chips and salsa or guacamole 
7. Veggie sticks (celery, carrots, cucumber) and hummus or
guacamole
8. Kale chips (make your own)
9. Zucchini oven chips (make your own)
10. Sweet potato chips or fries (make your own)
11. Apple slices with nut butter or sun butter ( my favorite😋)
12. Pumpkin seeds
13. Greek yogurt with granola (IF you tolerate dairy. Tip: read labels –
avoid high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors & sweeteners) You can also try non-dairy options following the same guidelines. 
14. Green smoothie 
15. Fresh fruit or fruit salad
16. Make your own trail mix with raw nuts seeds and dried fruit
17. Baby carrots and/or celery, cucumber with hummus
18. Dinner leftovers
19. For an easy on-the-go snack, check out Lara Bars (get the ones
without added sugar).
20. Mixed berries (or mixed berry smoothie)

Recipes

​Kale Chips

Ingredients:
4 cups of raw kale, washed & dried, stems removed, torn into bite-sized
pieces
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon  ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt 
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Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Place the kale leaves in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the kale.
3. Gently toss kale in the olive oil until all of the leaves are coated.
4. Place the kale leaves on a baking sheet, spread evenly.
5. Lightly season the kale with sea salt and ground black pepper. (you
can always add more later, so season sparingly.)
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake for another
5 minutes, or until the kale is crispy.
7. Let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!
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Hummus
Ingredients:
• 2 Cups Chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons Tamari
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 3 tablespoons Tahini (sesame butter)
• Splash of Lemon Juice

Directions: Puree all ingredients in a food processor and blend until
smooth. Add the Chickpea water slowly and as needed to make the
hummus the right consistency.  Garnish with red pepper for added flavor (optional) 

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Guacamole
2 Avocados, riped
2 tomatoes, small
½ lemon juice
¼ cup purple onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pinch salt

Puree and blend all together. Dip and Enjoy

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