Banana Chips

Who else loves to munch on banana chips?! Who loves munching on banana chips that are full of sugar? Not me! I borrowed a food dehydrator from my wonderful sister-in-law (thank you!), and decided to take advantage of the situation by making healthy banana chips that have no added sugar!

I think you will enjoy this easy recipe. It’s so basic, can I really call it a recipe? Hmmm… I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Ingredients:

4 (or more) bunches of ripe Bananas

Spectrum® Coconut Oil Spray

Instructions:

Step 1) Peel the bananas and slice the bananas into 1/8 inch thick slices.

Step 2) Spray the dehydrator sheets with the Spectrum® Coconut Oil Spray. I recommend putting some paper towels underneath the sheets for an easier clean up.

Step 3) Place the banana slices on the dehydrator sheets.

Step 4) Follow the instructions from your dehydrator on how to dehydrate bananas. The dehydrator I used had be use the 135 temperature setting and I turned the machine on for about 8 hours.

Step 5) Remove the banana chips from the dehydrator sheets and enjoy!

Notes:

I suggest making as many banana chips as you can with the dehydrator that  you have access to. Also, you will want to make sure that you use ripe bananas, otherwise it can be a little mushy and I just don’t think that it’s the best texture for banana chips.

Tags: banana, Banana Chips, Healthy, no sugar, Recipe, snack

“Low Calorie” doesn’t mean “Healthy”

Everyone seems to be obsessed with the term “low calorie”. Companies market their product as a “low calorie” meal or snack, which as a result, leads consumers to believe they are buying a healthy product. Unfortunately for us, “low calorie” doesn’t mean that it is “healthy”! This concept is a huge misunderstanding that I would like to clear up for everyone.

When Low Calorie doesn’t mean Healthy

I went searching for what consumers thought was a great low calorie snack for weight loss. Here are some of the most common low calorie snacks consumers suggested to others, and my suggestions of healthy alternatives.

•JELL-O Brand Gelatin and Pudding Snacks- The low calorie snack packs make this product easy to consume on a daily basis, which is concerning once you read the label and see what ingredients are listed in the product. They may be labeled as sugar-free and fat-free, but there are tons of artificial sweeteners and unhealthy ingredients you just shouldn’t be putting into your body.

Alternative- You can make your own Pudding using Dr. Oetker’s Organic Pudding mix. You can make a small batch and divide it into small serving size containers to enjoy throughout the week. This product still contains sugar, but I think this is a better alternative than the snack packs mentioned above, but still should be used only in moderation.

•Quaker® Rice Cakes - What’s not healthy about a low calorie snack that is gluten free containing 9 grams of whole grains in it? Lots of sugar and corn syrup. Once you add the sugar and corn syrup (among other things) to the healthy ingredients, it’s no longer healthy.

Alternative- If you are looking for a yummy whole grain, check out Arrowhead Mills® Organic Puff cereals. You will find that there is only one ingredient in this product, just how it should be! They taste fantastic plain or with your choice of milk.

•Popcorn- These are usually full of ingredients that are anything but real butter. Lots of chemically altered ingredients and additives.

Alternative- Buy popcorn with nothing added or make it yourself.

•Frozen Desserts- Consumers recommended Sugar-Free Fudgsicles, Low-Fat Ice Cream Bars from The Skinny Cow®, and Sugar-Free Ice Pops. Notice a common theme here? Companies are selling frozen desserts in small quantities and replace the sugar and/or fat with even more harmful artificial ingredients and tell you that they are now healthy because they have fewer amounts of calories. Sadly, a lot of consumers fall for this gimmick.

Alternative- I love Organic Blackberry Sorbet Bars by Julie’s Organic. Natural ingredients with no sugar or artificial sweeteners added. You can also try making your own healthy desserts, such as frozen grapes!

•Dannon Light ‘n Fit Non-Fat Yogurt- This is made with Splenda®, and goes along the same line as the gelatin and pudding snacks.

Alternative- All Natural Yogurt or Greek Yogurt with no added ingredients.

•100 Calorie Snack Packs- These low calorie snack packs were highly suggested by consumers, mainly due to taste and because it’s a “mindless alternative”. You can choose from cookies, crackers, and chips. Low calorie? Yes. Healthy? Not one bit. The company just provided small portions that are prepackaged and sold as low calorie. These products are full of sugar, which creates fat in your midsection. Not something you should do for fat loss, right?

Alternative- There are plenty of healthy crackers or other snacks to much on, without all of the processed ingredients, additives, and preservatives.

•Fiber One® Chewy Bars- Consumers suggested this low calorie snack because they taste like a candy bar. Not surprised, considering these snacks contain a lot of sugar and high maltose corn syrup (a sneaky way of adding a cousin of “high fructose corn syrup” into products).

Alternative- Looking for a chewy bar that tastes delicious? Check out all of the Fruit and Nut Bars by LÄRABAR®. Most of the flavors are made with healthy ingredients, with only six ingredients or less. The Pecan Pie flavor, for example, only has three ingredients; dates, pecans, and almonds. You wouldn’t believe these are healthy and low calorie once you taste how delicious these bars are.

•Campbell’s® Healthy Request® Soup- The soup may only have 90 calories per serving, but with two servings per can, most people are going to eat more than one serving. 180 calories still isn’t all that bad, but considering there are 410 mg of sodium per serving, that means you would be consuming 820 mg of sodium in just one serving. This soup may be marketed as “Heart Healthy”, but that still doesn’t make this soup healthy for you. It’s crazy how marketing works sometimes.

Alternative- Make your own homemade soup. Even if you buy an Organic or All Natural Soup with very few ingredients (think Amy’s Kitchen soups), you are still going to find more sodium than you bargained for.

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Image Credits: arrowheadmills.com; larabarstore.com

Tags: all natural, artificial ingredients, Dessert, gelatin, Healthy, Healthy Alternative, healthy snack, jell-o, Lara Bar, low calorie, low calorie snack, Nutrition, Organic, Popcorn, pudding snacks, snack, soup, sugar, USDA Organic

Sliced Pear and Cottage Cheese

I love snacks so much that I decided that I needed to learn how to make healthy snacks for myself. If you are going to enjoy a snack, make sure that it is delicious, easy to make, and guiltless.

Ingredients:

2 Pears

1/2  cup low fat Cottage Cheese

ground Cinnamon or Poppy Seeds (garnish)

Instructions:

1) Cut pears in half and throw out the core and seeds.

2) Scoop cottage cheese over pear halves

3) Sprinkle on desired amount of Cinnamon or Poppy Seeds on top of the cottage cheese.

Enjoy!

Notes:

This is a great snack to have any time of the year. This snack not only taste great, but it’s also very quick and easy, inexpensive, and low in calories. You can use fresh (preferred) or canned pears for this recipe. 

The pear is about 75 calories or less (depending on size), and the low fat cottage cheese is about 90 calories.

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Tags: Copper, cottage cheese, dairy, easy recipe, fiber, healthy snack, pear, potassium, Recipe, snack, vitamin C, Vitamin D

All Natural Yoghurt by Mountain High

Health Benefits

There are many benefits to yoghurt, and it is important that you get it from the right source. What I mean by that, is that there are plenty of yoghurts out there being marketed as “healthy” or a “weight loss food”. Be sure that you are not being fooled by marketing campaigns, and actually reading the back of the label for the truth.

The yoghurt from Mountain High is  labeled as “All Natural”. That wasn’t what sold me on it. What attracted me to this yoghurt was the ingredients: No sugar added! What a lot of people don’t know is, the added sugars takes away from the health benefits you would have otherwise received from the yoghurt, which is the good bacteria such as live, active, and probiotic cultures (acidophilus is the most commonly known, which is said to help lower cholesterol). Those who are lactose intolerant should actually be able to eat yoghurt, but because of the added sugars in most yoghurts, they will have a hard time digesting it. If you are lactose intolerant and want to eat yoghurt, you might want to get a plain yoghurt with nothing added. And when I mean nothing added, No artificial growth hormones, no sugar, aspartame, etc.

This yoghurt is also high in calcium and protein. As stated on the Mountain High Yoghurt website, “Adequate daily dietary calcium intake over a lifetime can prevent osteoporosis. New research also indicates calcium may help in the prevention of heart attacks, PMS (premenstrual syndrome), and colon cancer.”

Taste

As far as taste goes, the plain flavor is a little bit of a mix between bland and tart all at the same time. Not quite sure how to explain this one. If you are used to the fruity and sugary yoghurts, it may take you a while to get used to the taste, but I can’t say it tastes bad necessarily, just different

Preparation

No preparation needed. You can eat this yoghurt as-is. If the taste is a little too bitter for you, you can try adding fresh fruit, agave, or even honey. You can also just add yoghurt with frozen berries and make a shake out of it. Use this yoghurt in any recipe that calls for yoghurt as one of the ingredients.

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories: 120

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Image Credit: mountainhighyoghurt.com

Tags: acidophilus, all natual, fat free, gluten free, Healthy, no artifical growth hormones, probiotic cultures, snack, sugar free, yoghurt, yogurt

Health Benefits of Pears

Pears are not only a delicious snack, but also very healthy and beneficial for your body.

Nutritional and Health Benefits

Pears have a wonderful cooling effect to them. If you should have a fever, having a pear may be helpful in reducing your fever. Some say to drink pear juice, but I personally try to stay away from fruit juices unless you make them yourself. Otherwise, fruit juices you buy tend to be very high in sugar- sometimes even more than soda.

Pears are an excellent source of fiber. The fiber in pears may help regulate bowel movements.

Pears are full of Vitamin C and Copper, making Pears very antioxidant rich, which helps with the immune system.

Pears are high in Vitamin B and Potassium. This is great because it is healthy for your heart and has beneficial effects on your overall blood pressure.

Pears have plenty of Pectin, which helps with digestion, and a natural cleanse of toxins in the body.

Snack

Another great reason to have this snack? Delicious and low in calories! Perfect for anyone who would like to lose or maintain their body weight.

Serving: 1 Pear

Calories: 75 or less -depending on size

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Tags: antioxident, bowel movements, Cleanse, Copper, fever, fiber, Health, juice, low calorie, natural cleanse, Nutrition, Organic, pears, pectin, potassium, regular, snack, Toxins, viatmin C, vitamin B