Snack Girl’s healthy snacking tips and banana quesadilla recipe

Today?s guest post is from Lisa Cain, Ph.D. who writes about healthy snacks on Snack-Girl.com. She?s a published author, mother of two, and avid healthy snacker.

Healthy snacking tips

What is the best way to snack healthily?  This age old question has been answered by many health experts and nutritionists, but Snack Girl has her own answer.

The first question to answer is: ?Is snacking bad??  Like any decent politician, I refuse to answer this direct question. But, instead, I ask you to reflect on your own eating habits.

Are you eating meals during your day or snacking all day?  For me, the answer is snacking all day. I find that I don't have time to sit for lunch or breakfast. I?m usually getting my kids their breakfast and making their lunches in the morning, and the afternoon is just a quick sandwich. Dinner is the one meal that I would not call a snack.

Now, I know this isn't the best way to eat. And, I definitely have bad habits, but I also believe that most of us are the same way. We?re juggling school, work, kids, relationships, family, the gym, and so on. Our time is just SO precious that many of us have decided that eating comes last.

Snack Girls tips for a ?snacking lifestyle?

Make each snack a mini-meal. Do you eat carbs, protein, and a vegetable for dinner? Well, do the same for your snacks. My banana quesadilla recipe below has fruit, peanut butter, whole grain tortillas and mimics an actual meal.
Ignore the snack aisle. The snack aisle is full of empty carbohydrates and junk food. Food marketers have defined the word ?snack? for us. Don't let them!
Plan your snacks. This is a difficult one for most people. Usually, we feel hungry and grab a snack from a vending machine, the convenience store, or a fast food outlet. Think ahead and you will save yourself from eating unhealthily.

I find it easier to plan healthy snacks if I have a few tools at my disposal. For example, I have a Swiss Army Knife for cutting up an apple at work, and a jar of peanut butter in the work fridge. On Sunday, I pack little baggies with 100 calories of my favorite nuts and shove them in my purse for an emergency.

These tricks will save you both calories and money! And here?s a delicious healthy snack that will keep you from eating that coffee shop cookie.

Banana Quesadilla Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 whole wheat tortillas
1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon peanut butter
a few chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Mash banana in bowl with potato masher.
Spread peanut butter and mashed banana on tortilla. Add chocolate chips, and top with other tortilla.
Warm in microwave for 20 seconds. (Time may vary depending on your microwave.)
Slice and serve.

Nutritional information per serving

(without the chocolate chips)

Calories 240
Calories from Fat 65
Total Fat 7.2g
Saturated Fat 0.9g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 207mg
Total Carbohydrates 37.0g
Dietary Fiber 4.0g
Sugars 9.0g
Protein 6.6g

From CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5