FitSugar

Get Fit Challenge: Trader Joe's Trail Mix

Fit Community — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:00:57 -0700

We're up to week 10 of the Get Fit For 2010 giveaway and this week's challenge is to share your favorite healthy snack. Here's a satisfying idea from nic222 that's easy to munch on anywhere.

I try to fit in a piece of raw fruit for my morning healthy snack, but in a pinch, I grab an individual bag of "Just a handful of simply almonds, cashews and cranberries" from Trader Joe's. The combination is bound to hit most cravings: crunchy, chewy, sweet, and salty. At 210 calories, it feels indulgent, but it's not too calorie-laden, and the bit of protein is filling as well. Plus, the individual bags prevent you from eating the entire package!

You gotta love Trader Joe's! Tell me about your favorite healthy snack in the Get Fit For 2010 community group. By participating, you'll also be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as our awesome grand prize.

Get Fit For 2010 Healthy Snack Idea: Cinnamon Apples

Fit Community — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:46 -0700

We're up to week 10 of the Get Fit For 2010 giveaway and this week's challenge is to share your favorite healthy snack. Here's a tasty one submitted by garlandofroses that's sure to satisfy your sweet cravings.

I am so grateful that my family owns an orchard - I love apples so much! I usually just like to bite into apples, but sometimes I would cut them up and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on them or toss them in a fruit salad. Here is a photo I took of one of our apples.

Mmm, so simple, yet so delicious. Tell me about your favorite healthy snack in the Get Fit For 2010 community group. By participating, you'll also be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as our awesome grand prize.

Get Fit Challenge: Snack on Sweet Potato Fries

Fit Community — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:50 -0700

The tenth challenge for the Get Fit For 2010 giveaway is to share a healthy snack. FitSugar reader SnackGirl likes to munch on sweet potato fries.

The most eaten vegetable in the United States is the potato. Found in fast food venues from coast to coast the delicious French Fries are hard to avoid. BUT, it is possible to bake something that will satisfy the craving. Baked sweet potato fries have the crunchy outside, and the soft inside and they pack a nutritional wallop with 219% of your daily allowance of Vitamin A in one serving. And that is just ONE of the benefits of eating them. How do you make sweet potatoes taste amazing? Add a little sugar and there is a caramelization that takes place. Do you notice the word "caramel" here?

Anyone else like the taste of brown sugar and salt?

The key to this recipe is to hang around and flip the fries after 15 minutes, and not to crowd the pan. These are really EASY to make. If you don't have a decent vegetable peeler, you should get one. Having a working peeler makes you want to peel vegetables. Having a crappy peeler makes you want to order from Burger King.

After you make these, just pop them in your fridge. Eat them as a snack or add them to your salad. Mush them in your yogurt or eat them for breakfast After they are refrigerated, they aren't as crunchy but they still taste really good. Sweet potatoes are available all year, though their season is Fall and Winter. Choose potatoes that are hard to the touch, because the soft ones are rotten.

Check out the recipe when you read more.
Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
(serves 4)
aluminum foil for pan
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F. Half the sweet potatoes lengthwise. Place on flat slide and slice 5-6 spears (thick and long strips) of sweet potato. Place them on the aluminum foil and toss with olive oil and sugar. Spread them in one layer. It is important that they have space around them and aren't piled up on each other. Bake for 15 minutes and turn with tongs or a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.

See snack-girl for great healthy snack ideas!

Share your fave snack in the Get Fit For 2010 community group. By participating, you'll also be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as our awesome grand prize.

Spice Up Your Popcorn For the Academy Awards

FitSugar — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:30:04 -0800

This Sunday I'll be celebrating the Academy Awards in style at an Oscars party. Besides a large spread of food, my friend - who is hosting the party - is supplying each guest a bag of popcorn. Since most people love having popcorn while watching movies, it's the perfect snack for celebrating the film industry. And if you can skip the butter bath, it's also low calorie, high in antioxidants, low fat, and filling.

Since my friend's Oscar party leans closer to a fancy affair, she's glamming up her popcorn with creative toppings. Before even thinking about what goes on top, make sure you make it the old-fashioned way: on the stove with a little canola oil. It tastes better, is healthier for you, and doesn't contain all the junk found in store-bought microwave popcorn. If you're worried about calories, try our fat-free popcorn.

For a glammed up event like an Oscars party, I like sprinkling healthy toppings like nutritional yeast or seaweed onto popcorn. If that doesn't sound good to you check out YumSugar's popcorn recipe roundup. How do you like to dress up your popcorn?

Snack Attack: Kale Chips

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:30:00 -0800

My first experience with kale chips was at Blue Hill New York - the highly respected farm-to-table restaurant owned by James Beard winner, executive chef Dan Barber. I was in heaven when I tried the first bite: light, crispy, and nutty, with the perfect amount of salt to complement the subtle taste of kale. The chips were a goner in less than a minute. Months after returning home, a craving hit me and I attempted to duplicate the recipe. Who knew it would be so easy!

Last night I was going through one of my favorite food magazines - Bon Appetit - and saw Dan Barber's own recipe within its pages. I guess I am not the only one addicted to these things! Try making them for yourself and you'll see what I mean. Besides being a great alternative to potato chips, kale chips make a great party snack or mid-afternoon treat.

Do you have a healthy snack to share? Post it in our Snack Attack community group - I'll need something to munch on after my kale chips are gone.

To see the recipe, read more.

Kale Chips
Inspired by a dish from Blue Hill New York

If you cannot find Tuscan kale (aka dinosaur or dino kale) at your grocer, it's OK to substitute the recipe with another type of kale. Just make sure you remove the leaves from the tough parts of the kale. Don't discard the stem and ribs though - use them to make a veggie broth!

Ingredients

1 large bunch Tuscan kale (10 to 12 leaves)
1 tablespoon oilve oil
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 275°F.
Remove stalks and ribs from kale. Rinse and dry leaves.
Toss leaves in a large bowl with olive oil. Sprinkle leaves with sea salt and ground pepper.
Arrange leaves in a single layer onto a baking sheet.
Back for approximately 30 minutes or until crisp.
Transfer and let cool onto a wire rack or paper towels.

Serves 2.

Print recipe with images | without images

Source: Flickr User ilovemypit

Snack Attack: Nutty Craisin Cottage Cheese

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

If you're looking for a snack that'll fill you up, give you energy, and also satisfy your need for something creamy, crunchy, or sweet, then have I got the snack for you. It's made with only three ingredients, so it's super simple to whip up, and has become my new favorite afternoon snack.

To learn how this snack is made and find out how many calories and grams of protein it contains keep reading

Food Review: Sticky Fingers Blueberry Scone Mix

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:05 -0700

I love a good baked good. And even though I resist the croissants, scones, and muffins that stare at me through coffee shop windows, my desire remains true. I've been searching for a healthier version of these delightful treats with little success until now. Enter: Sticky Fingers Wild Blueberry Scone Mix.

These things are so easy to make: just add water, stir, and bake. The ease of it made me dubious at first but as the scent of fresh blueberries began to fill my kitchen I knew I found a winner. The scones are the perfect amount of sweetness and not dry at all. Whenever I buy a scone from a bakery it feels like a paperweight but Sticky Fingers scones are much lighter - somewhere between a piece of cake and a biscuit.

Best of all they are completely natural, no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, no cholesterol, and they don't have any trans-fats or saturated fats in them. They contain a total of seven pronounceable ingredients in them that include freeze-dried wild blueberries. One Sticky Fingers scone contains 150 calories and 3.5 grams of fat, compared to a blueberry scone from Starbucks, which contains 460 calories and 18 grams of fat.

The company offers a bunch of other flavors and baked goods like breads and muffins, I can't wait to try everything!

Speak Up: Your Healthy Go-To Convenience Store Snack

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:00:03 -0700

July strikes me as the month for Summer travel. Hitting the road is a great way to see the country, but finding healthy food in the middle of nowhere can be a challenge. One of my must haves for this month is healthy and informed car snacking, and I have also told you about ways to keep the calorie count under 300 when fast food joints are your only option and you're watching your waistline. The convenience store has so much to offer, but you have to steer clear of the Doritos and Chips Ahoy. What's your healthy go-to convenience store snack?

Packaged Hard-Boiled Eggs: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

The company Eggology, known for selling pasteurized egg whites, is now selling packaged hard-boiled eggs - $1 for two eggs. They're cage-free, organic, and pre-cooked and peeled, so if you enjoy eggs for breakfast, in your salad at lunch, or as a pre-workout snack, you don't have to boil or peel their shells off. Not that boiling and peeling an egg is that difficult, but anything that makes it easier to eat healthy seems like a plus. So are you eggcited about these pre-cooked eggs?

Snack Attack: Creamy Peanut Butter Dip and Fruit Slices

FitSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:00:00 -0700

One of my favorite go-to snacks is apples and peanut butter, or ants on a log, but a serving of peanut butter (two tablespoons) contains 180 calories. So if you're watching your calorie intake, here's a way to enjoy that creamy, nutty taste without all the calories. It's made with nonfat Greek yogurt so it's creamy, low in fat, full of protein, and I swear it tastes like peanut butter ice cream!

To find out how to make this creamy peanut butter dip read more.

Take one 5.3-ounce container of nonfat Oikos Greek Vanilla yogurt.
Mix in two tbsp. peanut butter (I prefer crunchy), 1/2 tbsp. honey, and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.
Serve with slices of apple, banana, and pear. Store unused portion in the fridge.

Makes four, two-tbsp. servings. Each serving contains 80.5 calories, 3.75 grams of fat, .5 grams of saturated fat, .75 grams of fiber, and 5.5 grams of protein.