Healthy substitutes for unhealthy snacks-what are your favorites?

Not sure if this topic has been touched on recently, but I thought I'd let some of you know what I eat when I'm craving ice cream.  I freeze bananas (peel them first) and then I add just a drizzle of chocolate syrup. It has the texture and coldness of ice cream and it is sublime. I also freeze grapes and put them in lowfat vanilla yogurt. It is great. What are some of your substitutes that get you through the rough times?

When at night I realize that I have not had enough calories I do the banana, peanut butter, chocolate syrup and a nice ending to the day.  I have not yet frozen the banana.  I will have to try that next.

I never thought that I would be saying that I haven't had enough calories today!  But eating a correct breakfast and lunch, and having active kids with active schedules in the evening often leaves me short.

I like Organic Fig newmans wheat and dairy free. I also like the tofuitti cuties ice cream sandwhichs 5g fat 130 calories for the whole thing yum.

I have too many to list, but Hungrygirl.com has a buttload of healthy recipes for not-so-healthy things!  You should definitely go check it out. :)

I'll second that!  I bought the Hungry Girl recipe book and I LOVE it! Every recipe I've tried out of it has been really good.  Sometimes there are super easy low cal solutions to food I love!

I just bought nsa (no sugar added) vanilla jello pudding....60cals, no sugar.  So tasty.  I also like bananas mixed with fat-free plain yoghurt and a little vanilla, instead of proper puddings...I like pudding.

 

Sweet:

I loooovvvveee Stonyfield Farm vanilla fat-free frozen yogurt.  It's only 100 calories per serving and it tastes just as good as the Hagen Daaz 300-calorie-per-serving vanilla.

 

Salty:

I dip large celery hearts into spicy salsa.  It has the same crunch and spice as chips-and-salsa with very few calories.

Here are a few of my faves:

• Hummus and a whole wheat pita
• Carrots & cucumber sticks with light ranch dressing
• All Bran snack bites
• Probiotic no fat yogurt (sometimes i put strawberries and granola on top)
  
• Almonds are always good

i love fresca, so i freeze it in ice cubes in the summer for an icy treat.  kinda cool with the bubbles too.  and i LOVE pineapple and fat-free plain yogurt.  the sour/sweet combo...  so good...  also a fan of the hummus with pita, with carrots...  i also like to dip a banana in quik (the chocolate milk powder).

oohhh Haven't had pineapple in months.  What a great idea!

I mix non-fat vanilla yogurt (used to use Dannon Light & fit), with non-fat farmers cheese, and frozen strawberries (cut in to small pieces). I buy a big bag from Costco, and keep it in the fridge. Let strawberries thaw and mix everything thoroughly. Very delicious, and provides tons of protein. Non-Fat Farmers (or farmers cheese) is hard to find. I usually buy it in International stores, or Russian Stores/delis.

P.S. Funny thing about Frozen Strawberries. I might avoid eating fun size snickers, 40 cal, but will munch on 100+ calories worth of Strawberries. lol

UD

I like frozen bananas too, especially if you blend them together with a little soymilk (whatever kind of "milk" you like, really)...it tastes just like a milkshake, only a lot healthier.  Sometimes I throw in a little cocoa powder or peanut butter too.  If the bananas are really ripe you don't need to add sugar.

*Mini graham cracker shell, sugar-free vanilla pudding and fresh fruit =  fruit tart

*Fruit with fat-free Cool Whip, or frozen Cool Whip by itself in place of ice cream

*Skinny Cow ice cream cones or TCBY low-fat frozen yogurt

MMMMMMMMM!  Sorry!  I'm just enjoying my snack this thread inspired me to make!

 

I took:

1 slice Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat Thin Slice brand (about 36 cals)

1 Serving PB2 (54 cals)

1/2 Tbsp Reduced Sugar Strawberry Preserves (15 cals)

and made me a little open face pb&j!  It was sooooo yummy! And for only 105 cals!  I actually just finished another one because it was so satisfying!  These little thin slices are great!

- decaf coffee with stevia in a blender with ice & water = blend it all up to a yogurt like consistency = ICE CREAM

- freeze the above in ice cube trays = popsicles 

- tomato paste for tomato ketsup

- nori or lettuce for tortillas 

- spaghetti squash, zucchini or cabbage for spaghetti 

- bison bratwurst for pork bratwust 

- sugar free gum for anything sugary 

 

I love making low-cal, wheat free burgers:

Make a patty out of lean chicken mince, spring onion and grated carrot, grill it without any oil and wrap it in a rye roll with some lettuce leaves and a salad on the side. Tastes better than home-made beef burgers on white rolls!

I also like filling tortillas with a lettuce leaf, some shredded red cabbage, grated carrot and grilled chicken strips with parhaps some low-fat sweet chilli sauce.

Bran muffins are a healthy alternative to normal muffins, oatmeal cookies vs regular cookies and wheat free pasta tastes just like normal pasta, just with fewer calories.

sugar-free jello.

i add a scoop of protein powder and lots of fresh berries.

it's like a lite custard and satisfies my sweet tooth.

next time i'll add coconut milk to  the mix.

also like protein shake in blender with 2 tbsp. peanut butter and ice cubes

i don't crave salty snacks often, but seasoned nori has only 30 calories, and shiritaki noodles only 20

try 1cup of oat cheerios cereal (: they're really good. just abit over 100cals and i can eat on them for a long time. i also love raw lettuce with ketchup for dips..hahah weird i know! but i can eat anything with ketchup.

where do you get nori??

There are alot of ideas from hungrey girl that I like.

 Also, now days almost everything comes in a "healtier" version. ( A low fat, low cal, low sodium; low carb, ect.)I try to be sure that I a least look for those healthier alternatives first. 

My best advice try something new when ever you can. For example: I a from Oklahoma where everything is covered in gravy and you eat beef like every other meal and pork 4 times a week. I never really ate fish because we dont really have a large  supply of it here. When I did it was like fried catfish maybe once a month. I have recently decided to reduce my pork intake to no more than once a week, also increaseing my fish intake to 2-3 times a week. I have started tring new fish that I have never eaten before. Like Flounder!!! I am sure thats sounds wierd but I had never eaten it. Wal-Mart carries it in frozen fillets. Its great. Broil it with a little lime juice and cilantro-yummy!!

I crave pancakes and I always make banana protein pancakes on my total body days cause I know it is well deserved...A little high in calories but if you are burning 7-800 calories a day it can easily be added.

4 egg whites (low calories & healthy protein)

1/2 cup of oatmeal (good in fiber)

1 banana mashed up (good for potassium)

w/ low calorie syrup--I use Smuckers and it is only 25 calories per 1/4 cup

even sometimes add vanilla extract and cinnamon--yum-o