FitSugar

What 100 Calories Really Look Like: Fresh Fruit

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:30:45 PST

I'm constantly craving juicy, refreshing fruit, and although it's low in fat, it's not void of calories. If you're watching what you eat, it's good to know how many calories you're consuming, so here are some visuals to let you know just what 100 calories of your favorite fruits look like.

DIY 100-Calorie Snack Packs For Summertime Travel

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:25:55 PDT

Summertime is vacation time! If you're heading to the airport any time soon, along with your bikini and flip-flops, be sure to pack some snacks. Since airport food is notoriously pricey and unhealthy, bringing food along will save you money and unwanted calories.

Eating before and during your flight will maintain your metabolism and can help prevent the dizziness and headaches sometimes associated with flying. Snacking will also keep your energy levels up (and your crankiness levels down) so you won't have to dose up on caffeine, which tends to make jet-lag symptoms worse.

Grab some Ziploc baggies and make these 100-calorie snack packs prior to boarding the plane.

One Horizon organic mozzarella cheese stick: 80 calories
Three cups of air-popped popcorn: 93 calories
One Lundberg organic brown rice cake smeared with one tablespoon hummus: 70 + 23 = 93 calories
Two large red bell peppers cut in strips: 85 calories
Eight Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips: 93 calories
One date paired with five almonds: 66 + 35 = 101 calories

Keep reading for more 100-calorie snack ideas.

Get Fit For 2011 Giveaway: Challenge 7, Share a Healthy Snack

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:52:53 PST

This is your year to get healthy and fit, and FitSugar is here to help. We've created weekly challenges for our Get Fit For 2011 giveaway that will help you stay on track.

This week's challenge: Share your favorite healthy snack in the Get Fit For 2011 community group. Include a stellar photo of your dish, and we might just post it on FitSugar!

By meeting this challenge, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win our weekly prize - a $100 Nike gift card and our grand prize! At the end of the three-month challenge, we will pick a grand prize winner at random from all of the weekly challenge entries. Remember, the more you participate, the more chances you have to win the grand prize: a Get Fit Boot Camp in Los Angeles that includes a round-trip flight to Los Angeles, a four-night stay at the W Hollywood, a personal training session with celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins, a nutrition consultation with C & J Nutrition, and four workout sessions with our very own FitSugar editors that will be featured on PopSugar LivingTV.

If you're ready to join the fun and feel the community support, log in and head directly to Get Fit For 2011. Need a little help making a blog post? Here are tips on posting in our group.

You have until 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, Feb. 27, to complete your second challenge. Ready. Set. Snack attack!

Edible Gift: Toasty and Tasty Almonds

Michele Bell — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:10:28 PST

One of my favorite perks of the holiday season are the homemade treats that my friends deliver to the house. To reciprocate the kind gesture, I considered doing some canning and cooking for their gifts, but then thought better of the little time I have and decided a jar full of tasty and toasty almonds was a better option. On their own, almonds offer up a bevy of health benefits with the loads of protein, vitamin E, and fiber, just to name a few. Add a dash of cinnamon and a bit of egg protein and you've got yourself a snack that is bursting with flavor and other healthy perks. So before you go buy a bottle of wine for that holiday party, remember to give this a try. It may be more memorable and tasty than any old merlot could hope to be.

Ready to see the recipe? Just

Name That Dish!

Tara Sharp — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 07:00:31 PDT

Do you know what these pancake-like balls are called? Hailing from Denmark, they can be prepared sweet or savory, for a snack, dessert, or breakfast.

Make Your Own Dried Fruit - It's So Easy!

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:30:14 PDT

Besides freezing fruit and making smoothies, another way to use up all that farmers market bounty in your kitchen is to dry it. Dried fruit is a great healthy snack that's easy to tote around, and it also doubles well as a salad topping, cocktail garnish, or trail mix ingredient. Drying your own fruit is easy though a bit time consuming, but it's totally worth it! Say goodbye to high prices, added sugar, and sulfur, and hello to an all-natural fruity goodness that's sure to make Martha Stewart weep from joy, or whip around a stripper pole in total glee.

See the recipe when you

10 High-Fiber Snacks Under 150 Calories

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:00:18 PDT

You probably know that a woman needs between 25 and 30 grams of fiber each day. I'm sorry to say, but that morning bowl of cereal may not be enough, so here are some high-fiber, low-cal snacks you can nosh on to make sure you're getting your fiber fill.

1 large apple (with skin): 116 calories, 5.4 grams fiber
1/2 cup fresh raspberries: 32 calories, 4 grams fiber
3 large figs: 142 calories, 5.6 grams fiber
3/4 cup Go Lean Crunch cereal: 143 calories, 6 grams fiber
1 large kiwi: 46 calories, 2.25 grams fiber

To see five more low-calorie snacks, keep reading.

See How Snacks Stack Up

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 04:30:43 PDT

Feeling snacky? Take this quiz so the next time a craving hits, you can choose the snack that meets your needs.

Take the Quiz

Make Fruit as Accessible as a Bag of Chips

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:00:38 PDT

I stopped buying bags of potato chips (my weakness) because I found that if they were in my kitchen, I'd snack on them. Not only because of their salty, crunchy goodness, but because it was so easy to rip open the bag and munch away. Healthier choices take only minutes to prepare, but somehow the ease of reaching into a bag of ready-to-eat food makes it so much more appealing.

If you're trying to cut calories and eat more nutritious foods, then plan ahead and make those foods so accessible, you can't help but choose them. Take 20 minutes to precut a variety of fruit. Slice apples, pears, kiwi, and strawberries, and wash grapes, blueberries, or cherries and place them in reusable containers in the fridge (make sure you dry them off). They're so easy to grab and eat that they won't be at risk for going bad. Not only do I find this little trick helps me eat more fruit each day, but it also helps me remember to eat the produce I buy before it goes bad.

Make This: Quinoa-Stuffed Zucchini

Fit Community — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 03:30:00 PDT

Check out this recipe for quinoa-stuffed zucchini that FitSugar member Angelica shared in our Healthy Recipe community group. Inspired by a meaty recipe for stuffed zucchini, I adapted a high protein vegetarian version with quinoa. It turned out delicious! I sliced off the top half of the zucchini and nuked it for three minutes then hollowed the zuccs out. As I filler I cooked a cup of quinoa and added chopped zucchini, two spoonfuls of olive tapenade, crushed mint, feta and salt and pepper. Easy, tasty, and satisfying.

Dying to share one of your favorite recipes? We're dying to hear about it, so share it in the Healthy Recipe Group.