It's question and answer time!!

Sue from Phoenix, AZ asks:

"What are the top 5 EASY, satisfying, nutritious snacks?"

Snacks are so important because it keeps our blood sugar in check and helps to curb our hunger so that we aren't tempted to binge later on in the day.  They key is to reach for those snacks that will serve us and help increase our health.  

In my latest webinar on ways to increase your energy naturally, I talked about what I call, "Intuitive Grazing" .  It is so important to use our intuition when it comes to food.  Really tap into what your body is telling you.  Instead of mindlessly reaching for the M and M's, we need to come to the point where we naturally reach for those snacks that will satisfy us. Ideally, when we intuitively snack or "graze", we will consume snacks that will 1. satisfy our nutrition needs 2. satisfy our craving for a certain texture of food (such as crunchy foods or creamy foods) and 3. help to curb our hunger

So I am so glad you asked about snacks that are both satisfying and nutritious, as well as easy!  Snacks should be simple to prepare.  Otherwise, we will get overwhelmed and reach for that bag of chips or cookies instead.  This is not only important for us as women, but also for us as moms with young children.  

So, if I were to pick just 5 snacks, these would be my personal list of my favorite, easy, satisfying and nutritious snacks.

My Personal Favorite Snacks!

1. Home ade hummus with carrot sticks or cucumber slices

2. Raw almond butter spread on an apple

3. Trail mix (contains raw nuts, raisins, Goji berries and raw cacao chips) 

4. 1 or 2 squares of a 72% dark chocolate bar

5. A Green Smoothie (blended fruits and leafy greens) 

• Hummus normally contains chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and some cumin. For my recipe, see below. The chickpeas (garbanzo beans) contain fiber and protein to help fill you up.
• Almond butter contains almonds which contain healthy monounsaturated fat, which is great to increase your good (HDL) cholesterol.  Look for it raw as that way the important nutrients are not cooked out.  Almond butter is also good spread on a rice cake or a piece of whole grain bread.
• Trail mix: goji berries contain lots of vitamin A, they contain some protein and are very high in antioxidants. You can find them dried at your local health food store.  Raw cacao is unprocessed cocoa beans. Dark chocolate contains a high amount of antioxidants, iron and magnesium which is good for heart health.  Look for chocolate that is 72% dark chocolate or higher. 
• Green smoothies are great because it's a good way to get those leafy greens that most people don't eat enough of.  We may not care for the taste, or we may have trouble chewing it raw in a salad.  Therefore, blending it up is a good solution! Look at my website here: for some ideas!

Hummus Recipe

1 can garbanzo beans

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup Tahini

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon cumin (more or less to taste)

1 teaspoon of sea salt

I highly recommend a good quality food processor, such as Cuisinart brand!  I just blend all these ingredients up in the food processor and it is so easy!  I usually just start off with blending the beans, and then add the other ingredients.  If it turns out too thick, I add a bit of olive oil, blended in.  

Enjoy!!

Please leave a comment if you have any thing to share or if you have any questions!!

For those reading, what are YOUR favorite healthy snacks?  I want to hear from  you! Don't hesitate to leave a comment below this post! :)