Thursday, August 28, 2014

3 HEALTHY SNACK RECIPES

Don't let snack time derail your DIET. Skip the vending machine and try these easy, healthy recipes instead.


It's the start of the week. You've done your research and have a line-up of healthy meal ideas all ready to go. 

You're feeling pumped to tackle this DIET stuff and—once and for all—achieve your fitness and bodyweight goals.


But, have you forgotten to include healthy between-meal snacks? 
Far too often, people only perfect their three main meals each day. 
Come snack time, they're left opting for vending machine fare or whatever they can find at the local convenience store or. 

Worse yet, they swing by a local greasy spoon for a drive-thru visit. 
If they skip snacking entirely, they miss their CALORIE and macronutrient target.
Don't let this happen to you. Plan ahead so that you have some smart SNACK IDEAS on hand! 
To help get you started, here are a few great between-meal options that you can use for each point in the day.

1
 MID-MORNING MUNCHIES

You ate a balanced breakfast and were feeling great for the first half of the morning. But now it's 10:30 a.m. and your 6 a.m. meal is starting to wear off. What do you reach for?
Rather than making the common mistake of grabbing a sugar-loaded coffee, grab this favorite : protein peanut butter balls. The recipe below provides the perfect mix of protein and slow-digesting carbohydrates, which is the requirement of any between-meal snack he eats.
These protein peanut butter balls are a great way to get extra healthy CALORIES in throughout the day if building lean mass is your goal.

PROTEIN PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup 100% whole wheat oats
  • 2-3 scoops Cellucor Molten Chocolate COR-Performance Whey
  • 1-2 tbsp. honey (optional for added sweetness)
Directions
  1. Mix all ingredients together, and roll into 1-2 inch balls.
  2. Sprinkle extra oats or crushed almonds over tops of the rolled protein balls.
  3. Place in fridge for several hours, or overnight.
NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 serving
Recipe Yields: 3 serving
Amount per serving
CALORIES 420
Total Fat23g
Total Carbs31g
Protein29g

2
 MID-AFTERNOON FUEL

With lunch now well behind you, you're heading into an afternoon meeting and can feel your BLOOD SUGAR levels plummeting. 
There's nothing like that mid-afternoon low to make it nearly impossible to stay focused on the task at hand. And, if you choose the wrong snack at this time, your low will turn into a slump and you'll be ready for your mid-day siesta.
Choose wisely and you can get around this. My all-time favorite between-meal snack is cottage cheese and watermelon. To change things up, he'll occasionally swap the watermelon out for freeze-dried fruit.
This snack is ideal because it doesn't hit you with a load of carbs, which will just make you sleepy. Instead, it gives you a few carbohydrates from the watermelon and some very slow-digesting protein from the cottage cheese to keep you going until dinner.

COTTAGE CHEESE AND WATERMELON

Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1 cup watermelon
  • Honey to taste
NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 serving
Recipe Yields: 1 serving
Amount per serving
CALORIES 316
Total Fat8g
Total Carbs27g
Protein37g

3
 PRE-BED SNACKING

Perhaps the hardest time of the day to control your cravings is right before you go to bed. Many PEOPLE get caught up in the late-night munchies, which leads them to mindlessly plow through bags of chips, boxes of cookies, or a little more ice cream than they had planned to eat.
Staying in control of your DIET is essential at this time, especially because you're about to be sedentary for eight or more hours while you sleep. 
Choose wisely and you can fuel your body, helping it complete the important repair processes needed for you to wake up the next day feeling strong and energized.
However, don't think you have to fight your SWEET CRAVINGS and nosh on chicken breast and broccoli. If you plan ahead and learn some smart recipes, you can please both your taste buds and body.
I'm always on the lookout for delicious and simple ways to have my protein treats while keeping my abs.

PROTEIN COOKIE DELIGHT

Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup frozen or fresh berries
  • 3/4 cup raw old-fashioned oats
  • 1/3 cup light/unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 scoops Cellucor Red Velvet flavored whey protein powder
  • Chocolate or rainbow sprinkles (optional, but great when not cutting)
  • Honey to taste
Directions
  1. Place berries in a bowl and microwave for 45 seconds. Once finished, mash with a fork.
  2. Add remaining ingredients to create the batter. Make sure to stir thoroughly so all ingredients are evenly mixed.
  3. Place 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto a plate to form each cookie, then place in microwave for 45-60 seconds.
  4. Remove, let cool for a minute or two and enjoy.
NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 serving
Recipe Yields: 2 servings
Amount per serving
CALORIES 262
Total Fat2.5g
Total Carbs29g
Protein31g

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