I liked trail mix as a kid; however, many traditional mixes have something with corn syrup in them. Although they're still tasty, I'll pass on them these days. (In my opinion corn syrup is one of the more insidious additives to food ... pretty much ever. I don't want it, even in my soda pop, but some of the things it pops up in are surprising, such as clam chowder. Does that need to be sweet? OK, will stop ranting and get back to my post.)
I have tried out a few different kinds of Sahale Snacks, which are healthier, I think than your traditional trail mix with candies in it.
Valdosta (which has pecans in it) and Soccoro (featuring macadamia nuts) are my favorites, although I think they're all worth trying, as they are both healthful and tasty. Starbucks sells single-serve packs of these as part of its healthy snack entourage. Bon appetit!
Showing posts with label trail mix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trail mix. Show all posts
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Healthy Eating on a Road Trip?
My attempts at healthy eating are not always perfect. Despite some good planning, my friends and I still ate a lot of junk when we were in Louisville this weekend.
Besides being in the car for about eight hours on Friday and Sunday, we were at the Kentucky Exposition Center (which is also the site of the state fairgrounds) for about 10 hours all told on Saturday; that day, healthy eating fell by the wayside, primarily because we didn't feel like hiking the length of the fairgrounds to go to the cooler in our car. I can find healthier food at the Tigers' Comerica Park! Someone could make a killing selling salad along with the pizza sold at the exposition center (that was a hint, by the way).
I did have trail mix in my purse, but it wasn't enough to stave off hunger for hours on end combined with sleeping under four hours that night, even with a decent 1/2 sandwich and salad dinner on Saturday night. We also hung out afterwards, having pizza at 1 a.m. Sunday as well as lunch at Buckhead Mountain Grill in Jeffersonville (just across the river from downtown Louisville) at 2:30 p.m. that day (where we also ate dinner Saturday night). There are some healthy things on the menu, and my entrees were not only excellent, but fairly good for me. Unfortunately, their rolls and cinnamon butter are also wonderful. Stopping at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday at a McDonald's in Ohio didn't help, either.
On the up side, I did stay away from the ice cream and the cotton candy that were everywhere the eye could see at the convention center. The healthiest things there were smoothies and pizza.
If I had to do it over again, I would have tried to get more sleep so I wasn't starving and walked to get the salad, fruit and hard-boiled eggs out of the cooler Friday night and Saturday afternoon. I'd also have skipped the pizza. I'll need to eat very healthy food the rest of the week and do a little exercise to make up for it!
Besides being in the car for about eight hours on Friday and Sunday, we were at the Kentucky Exposition Center (which is also the site of the state fairgrounds) for about 10 hours all told on Saturday; that day, healthy eating fell by the wayside, primarily because we didn't feel like hiking the length of the fairgrounds to go to the cooler in our car. I can find healthier food at the Tigers' Comerica Park! Someone could make a killing selling salad along with the pizza sold at the exposition center (that was a hint, by the way).
I did have trail mix in my purse, but it wasn't enough to stave off hunger for hours on end combined with sleeping under four hours that night, even with a decent 1/2 sandwich and salad dinner on Saturday night. We also hung out afterwards, having pizza at 1 a.m. Sunday as well as lunch at Buckhead Mountain Grill in Jeffersonville (just across the river from downtown Louisville) at 2:30 p.m. that day (where we also ate dinner Saturday night). There are some healthy things on the menu, and my entrees were not only excellent, but fairly good for me. Unfortunately, their rolls and cinnamon butter are also wonderful. Stopping at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday at a McDonald's in Ohio didn't help, either.
On the up side, I did stay away from the ice cream and the cotton candy that were everywhere the eye could see at the convention center. The healthiest things there were smoothies and pizza.
If I had to do it over again, I would have tried to get more sleep so I wasn't starving and walked to get the salad, fruit and hard-boiled eggs out of the cooler Friday night and Saturday afternoon. I'd also have skipped the pizza. I'll need to eat very healthy food the rest of the week and do a little exercise to make up for it!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Snacks on the run
It can be hard to come up with a healthy snack on the run, especially if you’re always on the run. So it’s a good idea to plan ahead and have snacks with you.
I often carry a granola bar (Nature Valley Original Honey and Oat Granola Bar’s the one for me, as it has no high-fructose corn syrup). Another thing I often carry with me is a measured amount of mixed fruits and nuts in a zippered sandwich bag. (These also will keep well in a desk drawer, along with other snacks, such as instant oatmeal packets. They are not just for breakfast!)
Women have a bit of an advantage in that we can carry either of these snacks in our purse. (I’m frankly of the opinion that it’s amazing how much stuff the huge “mom” bags will hold, anyway. There’s definitely room for a granola bar or the fruit/nut mix, preferably in a side zipper pocket so it’s not squished at the bottom of the purse.)
Guys: your lunch bag, briefcase or a zippered coat pocket would be a good location for the dried fruit and nuts. Even the glove box works, although the mixture gets a bit too hard when it’s below freezing. You’ll want to thaw before eating in that case.
Fruit is another good snack to keep in your desk, work frig or in your car. Don’t leave fruit in the car in the heat or in freezing weather. I can attest to the fact that hot bananas do not taste good. Also, most whole fruit — aside from berries — will not have a very desirable texture after it’s been frozen.
Other healthy snacks include:
Hummus and your choice of cut veggies (red pepper and cucumber slices are good choices, but I also like hummus on crackers)
Rolled-up lunchmeat and soy/dairy cheese slices, which will give you a protein boost.
English muffin “pizza.” This can cross the line into meal territory. I use a half-muffin for a snack or two halves for a light lunch. Toast the whole-wheat or other high-fiber English muffin half or halves first, then lightly top with tomato sauce, low-fat soy or dairy cheese, and your choice of veggies or lean meat, such as ham or Canadian bacon. (It just doesn’t work with too many toppings on it.) Put in microwave for a few seconds, until the cheese is melted. You could heat the already-topped muffin half/halves in a toaster oven (usually about 5 minutes on “toast” in mine; yours may be different). Be sure to keep an eye out for your “crust” burning.
What’s your favorite healthy snack? Let me know and include your name and city. I’ll feature any snacks I like in another blog and credit them to you!
I often carry a granola bar (Nature Valley Original Honey and Oat Granola Bar’s the one for me, as it has no high-fructose corn syrup). Another thing I often carry with me is a measured amount of mixed fruits and nuts in a zippered sandwich bag. (These also will keep well in a desk drawer, along with other snacks, such as instant oatmeal packets. They are not just for breakfast!)
Women have a bit of an advantage in that we can carry either of these snacks in our purse. (I’m frankly of the opinion that it’s amazing how much stuff the huge “mom” bags will hold, anyway. There’s definitely room for a granola bar or the fruit/nut mix, preferably in a side zipper pocket so it’s not squished at the bottom of the purse.)
Guys: your lunch bag, briefcase or a zippered coat pocket would be a good location for the dried fruit and nuts. Even the glove box works, although the mixture gets a bit too hard when it’s below freezing. You’ll want to thaw before eating in that case.
Fruit is another good snack to keep in your desk, work frig or in your car. Don’t leave fruit in the car in the heat or in freezing weather. I can attest to the fact that hot bananas do not taste good. Also, most whole fruit — aside from berries — will not have a very desirable texture after it’s been frozen.
Other healthy snacks include:
Hummus and your choice of cut veggies (red pepper and cucumber slices are good choices, but I also like hummus on crackers)
Rolled-up lunchmeat and soy/dairy cheese slices, which will give you a protein boost.
English muffin “pizza.” This can cross the line into meal territory. I use a half-muffin for a snack or two halves for a light lunch. Toast the whole-wheat or other high-fiber English muffin half or halves first, then lightly top with tomato sauce, low-fat soy or dairy cheese, and your choice of veggies or lean meat, such as ham or Canadian bacon. (It just doesn’t work with too many toppings on it.) Put in microwave for a few seconds, until the cheese is melted. You could heat the already-topped muffin half/halves in a toaster oven (usually about 5 minutes on “toast” in mine; yours may be different). Be sure to keep an eye out for your “crust” burning.
What’s your favorite healthy snack? Let me know and include your name and city. I’ll feature any snacks I like in another blog and credit them to you!
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