Healthier and Tastier Popcorn

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Popcorn Kernels

2-3 tablespoons Coconut Oil

Sea Salt (to taste)

Serves: 4-6 cups of cooked popcorn

Instructions:

Step 1) Put a large pot (with lid) on the stove, and turn to  medium heat.

Side Notes: If you are wondering why I am not asking you to use a microwave, please read about the Harmful effects of the Microwave.

Step 2) Add the coconut oil to the pan, and coat the bottom of the pan.

Step 3) Add popcorn kernels to the the pot, and put the lid back on the pot.  Soon, you will notice the kernels starting to pop, and allow them to do just that!

Step 4) Once the popping starts to slow down, remove the pot from heat. There still may be some popcorn kernels popping, and that’s OK. It is better to have some kernels not pop, then all the kernels pop and you get burnt popcorn.

Step 5) Once you have removed the popcorn from the heat of the stove, add the salt to taste, and stir the popcorn as you add on the salt.

Side Notes

I use Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil rather than butter! But….why? Coconut oil is one of the few (perhaps only) oils that are still good for you when heated. If you are worried about the taste, do not worry! I discovered this way of making popcorn when I looking for a better solution to butter. When you cook your popcorn with Coconut Oil, the popcorn actually taste as if I cooked it with butter- without the effects of butter!

I use Real Salt, by Redmond. This is the only Salt I use, and I love it for not only it’s taste, but wonderful Health benefits.

Health Benefits of Popcorn

Popcorn is high in Fiber, which helps with your digestion. Popcorn also is considered a “Whole Grain”. As long as you don’t drench it in butter, preservatives, and other harmful ingredients (think Movie Popcorn), then you should feel good about your snacking choice. Another great benefit to popcorn, is that it is a low calorie snack.

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Tags: coconut oil, corn, corn kernel, easy recipe, healthy recipe, healthy snack, high fiber, high in fiber, low calorie, organic extra virgin coconut oil, Popcorn, popcorn kernel, quick recipe, snack

Fruit and Nut Food Bars by LÄRABAR®

I try to have a healthy snack available to me at all time, which pays off when I least expect it. If I am ever hungry, I don’t have to come to the point of desperation where I would have ended up eating something I would have later regretted. I like to carry a delicious LÄRABAR® with me, and I will tell you why.

LÄRABAR® Beats the Competition

Most food bars that are marketed as healthy are actually full of processed ingredients or lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners.

The only way to know for sure if any food bar is healthy, would be to check out the label – ingredient by ingredient. I encourage you to check out the ingredients in a Fruit and Nut Food Bars by LÄRABAR®, and you will soon see the difference between these bars and other food bars.

Flavors and Ingredients

I was shocked to find out how delicious these food bars are, once I realized how few of ingredients were involved in making them. When you have flavors that reference a pie, you would think that they would be comparable to junk food rather than raw food.

Check out my favorite LÄRABAR® flavors, and the ingredients that they contain. The only way for you to know how delicious they are, would be to try them for yourself.

Pecan Pie – dates, almonds, unsweetened apples, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon.

Cinnamon Roll – dates, walnuts, almonds, raisins, cashews, and cinnamon.

Coconut Cream Pie – dates, unsweetened coconut, almonds, cashews, and extra virgin coconut oil.

Peanut Butter & Jelly – dates, peanuts, unsweetened cherries, and salt.

Lemon Bar – dates, cashews, almonds, lemon juice concentrate, and natural lemon flavor.

Apple Pie – dates, almonds, unsweetened apples,  walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon.

Serving: 1 bar
Calories: 200 or less

You can buy the Fruit and Nut Food Bars by LÄRABAR® at your local grocery store, health food store, or at LaraBar.com

Image Credits: LaraBar.com

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: healthy snack, LÄRABAR®, low calorie, Nutrition, product review