Snack Attack

Well, this was going to be a post solely about the snacks that I've been enjoying while completing the Farrell's 10-week challenge, but as soon as I titled the post, I thought of this video and can't seem to get it out of my head.

You're welcome.

Side note: I'm pretty sure my brother and I (my sister was too young) watched every. single. one. of the Saved by the Bell episodes -- at least five times.

But I digress.  Back to the topic at hand: snacks.

As previously mentioned, the Farrell's nutritional plan suggests eating six small meals a day, and according to my weight and body-fat percentage, I am to be eating 33 grams of carbohydrates and between 14-18 grams of protein for each "meal" (with the exception of the "before-bed" meal, which calls for as few carbohydrates as possible).

Because I was used to my snacks consisting of Sour Patch Kids and/or Flamin' Hot Cheetos, it took me a while to figure out exactly what a quality snack would look like.

Here are some suggestions that I have been loving lately:

Morning:

The nutritional plan recommends consuming all fruit for the day prior to noon.  Therefore, my morning snack usually consists of a banana or an apple with some other protein-y things.  I have found, though, that apples keep me longer than bananas, so I tend to go that route.

Oh, and generally I scarf this down while grading papers or between passing periods.  It's lovely.

Medium Granny Smith apple, 1/8 cup wasabi peas, two Babybel Light cheeses

I have also found that I am one cranky lady if I do not eat fruit.  Therefore, I try to over-buy every weekend, yet I always seem to run out come Friday or Saturday.

Another of my favorite morning snacks is an apple, two tablespoons of crack sunflower butter, and a piece of Babybel or string cheese.

Full Circle Sunflower Butter

Seriously.  If you haven't tried sunflower butter, do it.  Now.  I have gone through a jar of it each week for the past two weeks, and I'm well into my third jar already.

OMG.

But moving on...

Afternoon:

What I eat for a snack in the afternoon largely depends on what I have going on for the rest of the evening.  If I have a chill afternoon at home watching Jeopardy! with The Boy, I might opt for this:

Carrot sticks, hummus, Babybel cheese, and savory edamame crackers.

Or, I might opt for my absolute favorite snack of late:

Tomato, two ounces of fresh mozzarella, multigrain wheat thins.

If I have a busy evening or have to run with the kiddos or have meetings or errands or whatever after work, I generally grab something that is more easily on-the-go:

A chocolate-dipped coconut Luna bar (usually accompanied by a piece of Babybel or string cheese).

Obviously there is a plethora of protein/meal-supplement/nutrition bars out there, but I found that Luna meets my nutritional requirements and tastes pretty darn good, so that's what I'm sticking with for now. The chocolate-dipped coconut bar is seriously delicious and is almost a "treat" in the middle of the day.

Evening:

Because I am not supposed to have too many carbohydrates before I go to bed, my evening snack is usually a protein shake.  I couple 1.5 cups of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze or Unsweetened Coconut Almond Breeze with a scoop of protein powder:

Arbonne Essentials: Vanilla Protein Shake Mix

When I make the shake with the Arbonne protein powder, I generally only put in one of the suggested two scoops so that it's not overly chalky and so that it tastes like liquified cookie dough.  For real.

(Also, if you are interested in purchasing Arbonne protein powder -- seriously the best I've tried -- please let me know, and I'll put you in contact with my provider.

Side note: despite that sounding super shady, I swear AG is not a drug dealer -- unless your drug-of-choice is spectacular protein.)

But I digress.  As usual.

Random Comments About Snacks:

As I've said before, the Farrell's nutritional plan specifically says to not count calories and to only worry about proteins and carbohydrates.  However, I still find myself analyzing the magic calorie number like a crazy woman.  Most often, I stay within a 1,500-1,700 range, but there are a few things that I try to take into consideration when planning out my snacks:

• If I have Dessert Oats for breakfast, I do not accompany my morning fruit with sunflower butter. Two tablespoons of that heavenly goodness contain 200 calories, and I do not need a quarter of my daily calories coming from a condiment.
• While I love me some cheese, I do try to limit that intake as well and not have it for every snack.  First of all, it's expensive.  Second (and more importantly), it generally has a fairly high concentration of saturated fats, something that I certainly want to watch.

So, there you have it: the current favorites in my snack rotation.  I'm sure I'll totally OD on some/all of this sooner or later, so hook me up with your yummiest of yummy snacks.

What is your first choice for healthy bites?