Midnight munchies

Some have asked me, what do I snack on? I use to snack on Oreo, bite size snicker bars, Cheetos, chips. You get the picture. I can’t afford to do that anymore. My body would freak out. I still crave them at times, its hard to reprogram 27 years of bad habits. However I have found contentment with new snacks that I feel happy and good eating. I can eat these things, still lose weight and feel great. So will I ever go back? Maybe on the next blue moon. For now I am quite happy with my snacks. Not to mention they are amazingly good. You know me, I only eat the good stuff. Believe me—that was not always my thought process. in the past I Subconsciously thought I didn't deserve the best. I think I felt like I would be mocked for being excessive or “an un-savvay” shopper. My sister and law would say: “a cucumber at the Asian market is 3 for a dollar, but a cucumber at whole foods is 1.50 each! That’s not smart Linda.” I can’t say for those of you with families but as for me who eats for one. Three cucumbers are a lot and go bad before I can eat them anyways. So…I’m pretty content with my expensive pesticide free cucumber that I will eat before it goes bad. So to you who want to look down on me I’m going to say, “don’t hate participate.”

My doctor once said to me, “its not a matter of how healthy you want be, it’s a matter of how much do you want to invest into it.” This has resonated ever since and I stopped scrutinizing all the money I’ve poured into all of this. The irony is, when you eat well, you eat less and therefore my food has lasted just as long. While I use to eat a whole bag of chips at a time. I now only eat a handful so my bag will last for weeks!

All things are organic and mostly gluten free of course so let’s just always assume that from now on, I won’t have to repeat myself. Also when you buy items such as crackers, chips or broth stock you want to always make sure that they are low sodium. It might take a bit for your body to get use to. Once you do, you will realize you don’t thirst as much and your body won’t retain as much water. Over consumption of sodium as been linked to many serious diseases related to the heart and even diabetes. Too much sodium doesn’t allow the pancreas to digest the sugar well. Everything is connected. And in for you think sugar is addictive, salt is also a hidden addiction. Time to face all your addictive demons!

So what’s in my healthy snack pantry. Lets see…

Sprouted raw Almonds. these babies are the best! You'll notice the lighter color and the plumper look then regular almonds. There's a buttery salty/sweet taste to them and they have a crispy crunch to too!

Dark Chocolate covered almonds: So far only found in Eureka, these aren't your standard candies. they are made with spouted almonds, but the chocolate is so high quality it as a fruity taste to it too. at 15 bucks a lb for these items, they are completely worth it!

Hummus: Not all hummus is created equal. Trader Joe's has a good verity, but this one is found in the Eureka Co-op. Its hard to find hummus that is creamy and full of flavor without being tart. I can't stand tart course flat tasting hummus. the kick from the jalepenos make this a perfect super bowl snack. What to eat it with? well that comes next

Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips: its a chip and a cracker is its slogan. You might notice on the bag it says "all natural" then you turn over and you can read that its made with Stone ground corn, high oleic sunflower oil/safflower oil, evaporated cane juice, garlic, onion, poppy seeds, sea salt and caraway seeds. YUM

did I mention that sweet potato is considered a super food that ranks above spinach? Yes! its extremely healthy. But it has a higher carb count and therefore needs to be eaten in moderation. I love this chip, and be careful people have been known to chow down whole bags at a time. Avoid doing this because its low in sodium but enough of it, well, makes it high in sodium hehe.

Rye crackers: Although wheat products reign supreme on the shelves of supermarkets in the United States, foods made from whole rye are worth looking for, not only for their rich, hearty taste, but for their numerous health benefits. Like most grains, rye is available throughout the year.

Rye is a good source of fiber, which is especially important in the United States, since most Americans do not get enough fiber in their diets. Rye fiber is richly endowed with non-cellulose polysaccharides, which have exceptionally high water-binding capacity and quickly give a feeling a fullness and satiety, making rye bread a real help for anyone trying to lose weight.

Cinnamon: speaking of metabolize-rs, this is also another one you can add to your morning protein shake, don't be stingy really shake it in there. Other metabolize-rs are Apple cider vinegar, celery,

top 10 metabolizers (according to fitness for life):

1. Water-stimulates your digestion without any Cals. "one diet water please!"

2. Green tea-antioxidants and natural caffeine

3. Soup-it takes less "food" to fill you up

4. grapefruit- if your on meds ask your Doc before eating since it can have adverse reaction.

5. apples- has healthy amount of caffeine.

6. Broccoli

7. Low-fat Greek Yogurt

8. Lean turkey

9. oatmeal

10. Hot peppers- Capsicum (a chemical found in jalapeno and cayenne peppers) temporarily stimulates your body to release more stress hormones, which speeds up your metabolism and causes you to burn more calories.

So these are all just general ideas of what I eat. Mostly I stick to fresh foods such as carrots, cherry tomatoes, home made guacamole etc. the closer you are to raw the better. think of it this way. your snacking and your feeding your body with nutrients. which in my books is far more satisfying then a salty chemically made Cheeto =)

And as always here's a recipe I spotted, modified it and made it better!

Sweet Pita Pizza

Ingredients: Items in this recipe were purchased at Trader Joe’s

Whole wheat or gluten free pita bread

Goat milk brie

Dried Bing cherries

Dried Hibiscus flower

Pistachios lightly salted

Fig spread

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Spread the brie on the pita. Spread the fig spread on the brie, coarsely crop dried fruit and flower and add on top. Finish with pistachios. Pop all this in the oven until the brie is melted, and all the toppings come together. cut and serve.

The taste is phenomenal, the soft tender pita with the saltines of the creamy brie and the sweetness of the fig spread. The dried items are tart and the pistachio adds a light hint of perfumed nut. This is my Sunday brunch treat with friends. Treat yourself to this and you can thank me later.