Super Snacker

Let me start this off by saying I love snacks. A lot. I am and always have been a serial snacker.  There is no doubt this probably contributed to my former size, because unfortunately I was not being a smart snacker.   Snacking is not bad, in fact it actually helps with maintaining and losing weight, the key is to be smart about how and what you snack on.  Snacking between meals allows for you to continue to feel satisfied, which prevents you from being famished at meal time and over eating.  I personally eat about 2-3 snacks a day. I aim for a snack  between 100-200 calories,  and try to eat it at about the half way point between my meals. Today I am going to share with you some of my favorite snacks to take to work, which is where I do the majority of my snacking.

                One of my favorite snacks to bring to work  is a veggie bag. At the beginning of the week I fill a few sandwich bags with my favorite veggies, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, and anything else I may have in the fridge. This  makes it super convenient to just grab a bag in the morning and go. I also buy the individual ranch cups to go along with these. Buying the individual cups may be a bit more pricey than just buying a bottle but it insures that I am not over-ranching. You can be even better and avoid the ranch all-together! I am not that strong yet!

My fruit bowl is a bit bare right
now, time to restock!

                Fruit is another one of my go-to snacks for work. Normally I keep a bowl full of assorted fruit (bananas, apples, oranges, pears, etc) on my kitchen counter. This makes it so easy to  grab one and toss it in my purse on my way out. My favorite is pineapple so I almost always have a container of freshly cut pineapple In the fridge, as well as watermelon in the summer.  If you don’t think fruit will fill you try adding something with it, like yogurt or cottage cheese. Both are healthy and add just enough substance to help keep you full and satisfied, plus the fruit is going to please that sweet tooth!

My most recent delivery!
 

                Fruit and veggies sound boring? Want to try something new? Well I saved my favorite, and most exciting snack pick for last.  For my birthday my boyfriend signed me up for Naturebox.com, which is a company that sends you 5 assorted healthy snacks a month for 19.99.  You have the option to choose what you want or let them surprise you. I personally let them surprise me every month and have yet to receive something I don’t like . I love Nature box because it’s convenient, healthy and introduces me to new things.  Each of the bags comes with about 4-5 servings,  so  really the price is fairly reasonable considering you would pay the same or more for a less healthy option at the grocery store. Some of my favorite that I’ve received are cinnamon and sugar covered corn nuts, honey glazed sesame chips, garlic plantain chips, pop-pops (these are the best, they are half popped popcorn kernels, which sounds weird but is crazy delicious), and cocoa covered almonds. Really I could just keep going and list off everything I’ve received from them in the last 5 months but I think I’ve made my point.

                I’m not sure if you noticed or not but my snacking follows a bit of a trend. Quick, easy and convenient. Snacks shouldn’t take long to prepare, and you are more likely to grab a snack on the go that is quick. This will help divert you from hitting the vending machine and getting a quick bag of chips (which can equal over 360 useless calories a bag! That’s basically lunch!) . As with anything  knowing the serving size and sticking to it makes a huge difference!