My Favorite Healthy Snacks

I’ve mentioned it before – I really love snacks. Lots of little meals > 3 big meals. Here are the snacks I most often eat.

1. Greek yogurt. It’s packed with protein, is rich and creamy, and full of flavor. My favorite brands, by far, are Fage and Chobani.. My absolute favorite is Fage’s Cherry 0%. I don’t typically like cherry-flavored foods, but this is the jam.

I also really like their Blueberry 0%.

Of all of the Chobani flavors, Pineapple 2% is the one I buy the most. Just like their Passion fruit flavor, it’s very tropical.

Surprisingly, I love their Lemon 0%. It’s really refreshing!

2. Luna bars. Let’s be honest, these things are “healthier” candy bars. They’re made with 70% organic ingredients and contain many essential vitamins and nutrients. Iced Oatmeal Raisin is ridiculously good.

I’ve noticed that people either love the Iced Oatmeal Raisin or the S’mores flavor, but not both. Weird, right? My other top flavors are Peanut Honey Pretzel, Chocolate Dipped Coconut, and Blueberry Bliss.

3. Nuts! I prefer almonds and walnuts, but put me in front of a can of cashews or peanuts and I won’t deny them. First and foremost, I like plain ol’ nuts in their natural state. I buy them in bulk from either Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

4. Fruit. I love almost all fruit in its natural state. Bananas, blueberries, and strawberries are my favorite. I’ll also never say no to pineapple. Have I ever told you I briefly lived in Hawaii with my mom when I was 3? Yep. Check this out. Someone was eating a lot of pineapple in 1987.

5. Back to the food. In high school, chips were my weakness. Nowadays, I reach for popchips. They’re not baked or fried, but instead air-popped. They have the best flavors and are so crunchy. I have little to no self control around a bag of Barbecue or Salt & Pepper popchips.

Their newest flavor, Sweet Potato, is quite different because it’s sweet, but is absolutely delicious.

Have you guys seen the new tortilla popchips? I’m dying to try them!

6. String cheese. I hadn’t had string cheese in years until very recently when I visited my grandparents. I forgot how convenient of a snack this is. And it’s cheese. Come on. We all love it. These bad boys are only 50 calories a pop (stick?) and, well, they’re fun to play with.

Embrace your inner 10-year-old and buy a bag of these.

7. Cottage cheese + jam. Sorry if you just threw up after reading that. It’s a great combo, I swear! Cottage cheese packs a punch of protein, and if you buy a lower sodium or low-fat kind, is a great post-workout snack. Top it with some jam for extra flavor. Just try it! +

8. Carrots + hummus. Sabra’s Roasted Garlic hummus is the best! +

9. Avocado + toast. It’s one of the most simple, yet delicious, snacks I eat. Just top a piece of toast with a couple avocado slices, drizzle with honey, top with salt & pepper, eat munch away.

10. COOKIES! Of course! Can’t stop, won’t stop. These aren’t healthy, but I could never leave them off my list of favorite snacks. ;)

What’s your favorite snack?

Are you team Fage or Chobani?

Favorite Luna bar flavor?

Impromptu 4 Course Dinner at Crave

Usually when I’m at the gym, I’m daydreaming about what I’ll be having for dinner that night. Sometimes this makes me work harder and sometimes it’s the only thing getting through my workout. Let’s be real.

During my sprint intervals, I received a tweet from Alysa that the chef at the restaurant where she works was now on twitter. Alysa works at Crave Kitchen & Cocktails and their chef, Landen Ganstrom, is a member of my gym. I had met Landen before when we worked out at Eco. As a fellow fitness junkie, he has implemented many healthy menu options onto Crave’s menu: gluten free, vegetarian, paleo, and even vegan.

When I received this tweet, my plans of nuking another spicy black bean burger with some veggies flew out the window. To Crave I would go.

I immediately texted Sarah, who had just finished a Pure Barre class. Sarah is a vegetarian of 8 years, so she was also quick to jump on a healthy meal.

Once at the restaurant, Alysa and our server, Carmela, informed us that Landen would be surprising us with different dishes. Carmela asked if we had any allergies and what our nutritional needs were and then reported back to Landen. For the record, both Sarah and I have no allergies and eat no meat or poultry. To say we were excited to see what we’d receive was an understatement.

Course 1: As soon as this came out, I knew we were in good hands. When I’m presented with beets, my trust is immediately handed over. Friends, this is a beet and carrot salad in a peanut sauce with candied peanuts. Have you ever seen beets in shoestring form? I haven’t, and I loved it.

Course 2: Wild Alaskan salmon with fennel pollen, black caraway seed,and poppy seed over sliced apples and jumbo lump crab sprinkled in some heirloom tomatoes. It was finished with imported Italian mustard. The lump crab meat was hidden underneath the sliced apple and was quite a happy ending.

Course 3: What we initially thought was pasta was actually local zucchini, summer squash and red bell peppers sautéed in oven roasted garlic paste topped with tomato basil chow chow. The peppers were unbelievably sweet, as if they had been plucked from the garden that day. The flower on top was also edible, but it was too cute to consume. I contemplated putting it in my hair and doing a hula dance but I resisted.

Course 4: Dessert. This was our most emotional course. Yup, even more emotional than beets. What you see here are pears and blueberries in a caramel sauce with walnuts and Humboldt Fog cheese. Sarah said this is her favorite cheese and it may just be mine too. The combination of flavors in this dessert was incredible. Get to your store and buy this cheese as fast as you can.

After dinner, Landen came out to chat and see if we enjoyed our dishes. We couldn’t thank him enough for such a delicious, yet healthy meal. If there’s one thing I can get you guys to understand, it’s that healthy food IS tasty. Especially when you have someone like Chef Ganstrom serving you. Carmela, our server, was a delight. She was friendly, attentive, and did an excellent job at explaining our dishes. I highly encourage you to check out Crave – it’s located in the shopping center with Target (The Shoppes at Seaside Farms.) Tell them I sent you!

For more information, check out these links:

• Crave’s website
• Crave on Twitter
• Crave on Facebook
• Chef Ganstrom on Twitter

Are you drooling yet? I am all over again. :)

New Bars from Gnu Foods, Workout Motivation

In June of 2010, I reviewed Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars. They recently offered to send me a package of their three new flavors. I was overjoyed when I found out what they were: Blueberry Cobbler, Carrot Cake, and Blondie. Those are three of my favorite dessert flavors! I was checking my mailbox daily.

Before I tell you about the new flavors, let’s talk about Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars. The bars contain 6 whole grains – grains that have not milled or processed, which strips them of the grain kernel that contains nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.  Each bar contains 12 grams of fiber and is 140 calories or less. All of the bars (aside of the Blondie flavor) are vegan. In addition to the new flavors above, the bars come in the following flavors: Banana Walnut, Chocolate Brownie, Cinnamon Raisin, Espresso Chip, Lemon Ginger, Orange Cranberry, and Peanut Butter. My two favorites are the Banana Walnut and Cinnamon Raisin. Each bar tastes exactly like what they’re named after, so rest assured, you’ll get what you want.

The first bar I tried was the Blueberry Cobbler.

As soon as I opened the wrapper, I could smell the blueberry juice. The bar also contains plums and raisins which give it a great texture and overall flavor.

The next day I tried the Carrot Cake. Yep, it sure did taste like Carrot Cake. The cinnamon and nutmeg flavors were strong, but not overwhelming.

Finally, I tried the Blondie. This one had the least amount of flavor, but was still really good. I have no complaints about a nutrition bar that tastes like a dessert!

Overall, I loved these bars just as I expected. The blueberry was my favorite and I’m excited for them to hit the shelves. In the past, I’ve enjoyed them on their own, or crumbled into oatmeal or Greek yogurt.

Gnu bars can be purchased online or in a store near you. For my Charleston friends, you can pick yours up at Whole Foods. They’re on one of the higher shelves that I can barely reach. :)

For more information, check out their

• website
• facebook page
• twitter

Have you tried these bars before? What did you think?

On a completely different note, the weather here in Charleston is incredible. I’m talking sunny and in the low 80s. Absolutely perfect. This is a slap in the face gentle reminder that Summer is right around the corner. In fact, on Sunday, I went to the pool with my friends Brandy and Lynn. The three of us got sunburns. That’s right, I said" “pool” and “sunburns” in MARCH.

With that said, enjoy some workout motivation as you prepare for bikini season!!

See you tomorrow!

My Chick-fil-A Wish List

So, some people have birthday or Christmas wish lists. I have Chick-fil-A menu item wish lists.

Normal for most of society? No. For me? Totally. The following is a list of items I’d probably have a heart failure if I saw pop up on the menu.

Let’s do it countdown style…

5. Coke Float, Root Beer Float…heck, even a Sprite Float

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This one is so easy. Plop some of that wonderful (low-fat, by the way) icedream into a cup full of soda and BAM, it’s a float. Done and done.

4. Blueberry Pie Milkshakes

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I know they have blueberry topping for the cheesecake. They need to throw some of it into some ice cream, add some cookies, blend, and serve. Mmmmm. I’m thinking it should debut in the Summer. Are you listening Chick-fil-A?

3. Grilled Chicken Quesadilla

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So this one would be a little work. You know those wraps they have? Ok, they don’t have to be rolled. Take one, fill it with grilled chicken strips from the Southwest Salad, throw in some of that tomato-corn salsa, add cheese, and voila, Chick-fil-A goes Mexican. Olé!

2. Strawberry Lemonade

Shhhh, let me tell you a secret. My first job, at 15 years old, was a carhop at Sonic. I wore skates for one day, crashed into a car, and then it was only sneakers for me. During my 6 months there, my beverage of choice was Strawberry Lemonade. Chick-fil-A has the best lemonade ever. If they threw some strawberries in there, I’d do cartwheels.

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1. FRIED PICKLES!

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Anyone that reads my blog knows that pickles are one of my very favorite foods. Chick-fil-A specializes in frying chicken and they just happen to have some of the best pickles around. Tossing some of those sour slices into the fryer has to be possible.

So, Mr. Cathy, and/or any Chick-fil-A big wigs…if you’re listening, can you make one of my dreams come true?

Readers: Which item on this list would you most like to see pop up on the menu?

OR

Have any other new item ideas? Shoot!

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

What’s your morning computer ritual? Mine is:

1. Open gmail
2. Open work email
3. Open facebook
4. Post the day’s post on my blog’s fb page
5. Start work

I’m sure my boss is really pleased by the order of these tasks. While on facebook today I noticed this post from the local Great Harvest.

Had I not just inhaled a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal, I would have driven straight to to GH for breakfast. I exhibited self control and waited for my lunch break to go pick up a loaf. It is 100% heavenly. I am going to have to freeze 1/2 of it so I don’t eat the entire loaf in 2 days.

After work, Mariah and I went for a run around the Old Village, a pretty, old neighborhood in Mount Pleasant. It’s getting darker much earlier, but I did manage to snap a pretty photo of the water before the sun set.

When I got home, I whipped up an extremely easy vegetarian recipe.

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash, makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash
• 1 15 oz. can low-sodium black beans, drained
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 15 oz. can yellow corn
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• juice of one lime

Preparation:

1. Cut squash in half horizontally and scoop out and seeds and strings. Place squash in baking dish cut-side down. Add a little water and bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until tender.
2. While squash is baking, add black beans, tomatoes, corn, and seasonings to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 10-12 minutes or until heated through. Squeeze lime juice over mixture and stir again.
3. Once the squash is done, remove from pan and stuff with the Southwest mixture. Serve immediately.

Oh, I love colorful meals. Colorful = lots of vitamins…usually. Unless we are talking about a bag of peanut m&ms. That just = happiness.

XO!