Yesterday, I stopped by the local pharmacy to pick up something for my son. I was feeling a little hungry, so I looked for some plain, Lay’s potato chips. I only saw a large snack bag, so I asked the clerk if there were any smaller bags of chips, like single serving size.
Mustafa smiled, raised his arms, and with a happy accent said, “This is America! Everything is big!”
I slapped my leg and replied with feigned exasperation, “That is so true, darn it!”
His smile faded, and he gave me a perplexed look. After his initial shock over someone thinking big is not necessarily better, he led me to the chip aisle, and we looked in vain for a small bag of chips. I gave in and got the bigger bag, telling myself I would only eat part of it and save the rest for later. Yeah, right.
I ate part of the bag in the car and consumed the rest in the house after unloading groceries. I felt regret, and I thought I should look at the nutrition info and admonish myself. I guessed the bag contained two servings. Wrong! It contained almost three servings. After doing the math, I realized I had consumed 460 calories worth of chips and almost 30 grams of fat! How many calories have I been consuming eating chips without measuring a serving size (aka: eating out of the bag)? I stood dumbfounded in the kitchen, realizing that chips are not my friend. All this time they were my frenemy, looking all wholesome with that crunchy, salty taste. Potatoes, oil, and salt sound pretty harmless, but they can be devastating to the waistline. I mean, who can really eat just one, or one serving for that matter?
So today, I made a crunchy, sweet, salty wholesome snack. One with good fats, protein, and good nutrients. I have paired this snack (sans banana) with an apple, or other fruit, and almond milk for a lunchtime meal. Nutrition info: 258 calories, 11.5 grams of fat, 6.25 grams of protein, not to mention potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin E, etc. Wash it down with 1 cup of unsweetened, vanilla almond milk for 35 extra calories and added calcium and vitamin D. Take that, you low nutrient chips!
Crunchy, Sweet, Salty Snack
1 Coco Lite Pop Cake, original
1 1/2 T plain almond butter, unsalted, no added sugar (Whole Foods 365 is the best)
1 T roasted & salted sunflower seed kernels
1/2 ripe banana, thinly sliced
Spread almond butter 0n pop cake. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Place thinly sliced bananas on top. Thinly slicing the banana keeps the banana from over taking the rest of the flavors and lets the crunchy texture stand out.
Note:
Pop cakes are found at Marsh (bakery) and Whole Foods, although all locations might not carry them. You can also order them online at: http://www.cocofoods.com/ They have the texture and flavor similar to a cake cone ice cream cone, only a little lighter. They are awesome, with only 16 calories and 4 carbs per pop cake! I use them as a crunchy vehicle for poached eggs, hummus, guacamole, and other snacks.
Better to Laugh 