RD FIT LIFE

Guilt Free Snacks For a Crunch!

When people are dieting, one thing I always hear is how much they miss the crunch during meals or snacks.  Sometimes there are desires for a snack with a crunchy texture, but the only way people really fulfill that is through potato chips, rice cakes, and crackers…

Firstly, make sure you are going for that snack because you are truly and physically hungry.

Secondly, ask yourself, “Is this going to nourish my body?”

So here are some of my favorite snacks that I keep around for a crunchy texture when I just can’t make it to the next meal.

APPLE AND PEANUT BUTTER

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Now, I know what most of you are thinking… “Peanut butter is loaded in calories!!”

Yes.  It is considered high in fat and containing some protein.  Fat is not always a bad thing as you’ll read later on.  This is actually what is going to keep this apple digesting more slowly in your gastrointestinal tract which means you’ll feel satisfied until that next meal.

And of course you ALWAYS want to monitor your portions size of any food healthy or not.  Even peanut butter.  There are great individually packaged serving sized cups of peanut butter on the shelf ready to purchase.  If you feel you can’t control your portions directly from the jar, go for the cups.

SWEET PEPPERS AND HUMMUS

For some reason most people associate hummus with pita bread/chips.  Yes, this combination is common in the restaurant industry because carbs are cheap!  But at home, why not use the veggies?

The small sweet peppers are my favorite with hummus, but you can also use cucumbers, regular bell peppers, and carrot sticks!

ALMONDS AND WALNUTS

These nuts are the most beneficial nuts you could choose when aiming for the most heart healthy option.

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As you can see above, the main reasons nuts keep us satisfied is because of their fat content.  When eating something high in fat, you want to make sure that fat is going to benefit you (mono-, poly-) and not work against you (sat-).

Saturated Fat:

  • Increases your risk of cardiovascular disease
  • Increases your bad cholesterol (LDL) levels
  • Mostly come from animal sources (beef, dairy)

Monounsaturated Fat:

Polyunsaturated Fat:

One way I way I use almonds and walnuts in my regular snacks is by making a trail mix.

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Check out my TRAIL MIX RECIPE HERE to also learn more about the health benefits of nuts!

CELERY

Celery is an amazing food that is so low calorie.  A lot of people believe celery is an empty food without a lot of nutrition, but that is not entirely true!

Celery is only about 10 calories for 1 large stalk.  It provides roughage for your colon as well as Vitamin C, A, and Folate!

Paired with peanut butter, cheese, or hummus, celery can make a great snack to keep blood sugars stable as well as ward off hunger until meal time.

I hope this has helped you find a way to add crunch back to those snacks!  These are some of my favorites that I keep on hand and hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

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Lemon Chicken Quinoa Soup

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Since it is getting cooler outside, people are starting to cozy up and make soups in their crock-pots.  Most soups can be high calorie and make you feel like hibernating after eating them… so here is how we avoid that feeling by boosting the nutrients in our soups!

Most people assume you need noodles, rice, or potatoes to have a soup… but you can actually use quinoa instead!  Find out why quinoa is one of my favorite grains HERE!

So here is my recipe for one of our favorite fall soups made in a crock-pot.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 organic chicken breasts, whole
  • 2 containers of organic chicken broth
  • 3 stalks of organic celery, chopped
  • 1 organic leek, chopped
  • 5 organic carrots, sliced
  • 1 cup organic red quinoa
  • 1 organic lemon, sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp. organic dill weed
  • salt/pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place all chicken and broth into your crock-pot.  Add celery, leek, carrots, lemon, and dill to your crock-pot and let cook on high for 5-6 hours or until chicken is done.

After adding all of your ingredients to your crock-pot, place your quinoa in a bowl of water off to the side to soak as shown below.  I will also add extra water to the crock-pot depending on how much broth I have.  Here I used both containers of broth and about 1 cup of water.

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After your chicken has finished cooking, take out all chicken and shred chicken with a fork.  The chicken should just fall apart as you scrape it.  Once shredded, put it back into your crock-pot.

Strain water from your quinoa and add quinoa to your crock-pot 30 minutes before you plan to eat.

**Note:  I always use red quinoa because it does not get mushy.

Please feel free to salt/pepper to taste.  And 30 minutes later, voila!  You have a healthy and flavorful soup!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post and please feel free to share using the social media icons below!