healthy snacks

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Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway and to Way Better Snacks for hosting! The winner is Beth. Beth, please email me with your contact information so I can have your snack pack shipped!

 

I am a chip-a-holic. True story, if I had to pick a last meal, it would involve chips and salsa and guacamole, a buttered lobster, oysters, and really good fries. And Champagne, obviously.

Chips are a regular part of my diet, so when faced with healthier options I am always curious and sometimes disappointed. That was not the case when it came to the arrival or my Way Better Snacks chips. I was most excited to received this sampler pack of chips because of the Pumpkin Cranberry Tortilla Chips (There’s a bag missing from the below photo!), but I quickly learned that all of the Way Better Snacks chips offer great texture and flavor and stand up to chunky salsa, guac, and my favorite hot sauce. They are also perfect all on their own.

Here’s a little bit about Way Better Snacks’ story:

It all started with a simple vision to create a better snack.  We wondered, wouldn’t it be great to go back to a time when the food we ate was actually nutritious and good for you.  You know, before decades of environmental harm and mega food conglomerate processing wiped out most of the nutrients which used to be abundant in the food your grandparents ate.  To make products you could feel good about eating again and sharing with others.  Well, with that in mind, we decided to do just that.  And we were led to the miracle of germination (you might know it as sprouting).  Now we know that nutritionists and naturalists have been touting the incredible nutritional benefits of sprouting for years.  And we knew how sprouting unlocked all the “good” that is inherent in all grains, seed and beans and brings them back to life (nutritionally speaking).  So we thought, why then couldn’t we combine the powerful benefits of sprouting to a great tasting snack?  You know sort of like those old TV commercials with that guy and girl tripping into each other with their chocolate and peanut butter.  Anyway, you get the picture.

So, supported by the memories of simpler days gone by, we began to craft our products.  And after many tries, we can say we’re proud to share Way Better Snacks with you.  All are high in omega 3’s, antioxidants and other vital nutrients, and all are low in sodium and saturated fat.  Way Better Snacks!  They pretty much named themselves.

 

way better snacks

First, let’s talk about the Pumpkin Cranberry Tortilla Chips. They are a teensy bit sweet, delightfully salty, a little buttery, and chock full of good ingredients. My sister doesn’t like pumpkin anything, and she loved these. There’s no overbearing pumpkin spice latte flavor here at all.

Way Better Snacks

I love that the ingredients list on Way Better Snacks is short and full of real food. Little bits of quinoa and flax hidden in my chips? Yes, please. I will take a little added nutrition when I am snacking, especially because these don’t taste healthy or cardboard-y like many other healthy products.

Way Better Snacks Ingredients

My second favorite flavors were the Sweet Chili, which make me think a little bit of Doritos, in the best way ever, and the Sweet Potato, which offer a nice sweet potato flavor and a serving of fiber. Each and every one of the Way Better Snacks has some sort of healthy addition, whether it be whole grains, antioxidants or both, all from natural sources like broccoli and daikon radish seeds. I found myself craving these chips, and if I am good about doling them out into Ziploc bags for single servings at work, I think they make an excellent addition to my daily diet. Maybe notsomuch when my hand, mouth, and an entire bag spend an afternoon together, while I’m icing my ankle prior to the NYC Marathon. . . even healthier foods in moderation!

Way Better Snacks is making it easy for one lucky reader to give their chips a try. One winner will win a snack pack sampler of chips, like the above.

To enter, take a look at the Way Better Snacks website and leave a comment letting me know what snack you would like to try the most. For an extra entry, follow Way Better Snacks on Twitter and tweet “I want to win a @waybettersnacks snack pack from @traveleatlovemm.”

I will choose a winner next Wednesday. Good luck!

 

This giveaway is open to the US and Canada, however, the Pumpkin Cranberry Tortilla Chips are not widely available in Canada and will be substituted if the winner is from Canada.

Tags: chips, giveaway, healthy snacks

Happy Friday! With the New Year upon us and so many people looking to add a little more health into our lives, I thought today would be a perfect day for a tasty guest post from a fellow Boston area food  blogger who is also a registered dietitian. I first saw Janel Ovrut speak at the Healthy Living Summit in 2009, and between her session there and her blog posts, have come to love how balanced she is. She shares great recipes and is all about healthy food that is delicious. She may be a dietitian, but hers does not come across as a diet blog.

Janel’s baked chickpeas are perfect for a snack-lover like me; I would definitely add chili powder for a little kick.

We are supposed to be getting some more snow here in Boston today, and O am thinking about making up a batch of chickpeas in addition to some homemade habanero hot sauce. What are you looking forward to on this lovely Friday?

chickpea snack

Are you a snacker, or can you get through the day with three solid meals and nothing in between? I am a serious snack-lover, for sure. Oftentimes when I meet with clients or chat about food with friends, I find out they’re not enjoying snacks between meals to stave off hunger. I’m always shocked by this as I see snacks as an opportunity to add in more nutritional powerhouses to my diet, and well, enjoy more food! Who doesn’t love eating more?! But when planning snacks, I always make sure to keep satiety in mind – I need something that’ll satisfy me between meals without causing me to crave more, and taste great as well!

One of my favorite flavorful and filling snacks to make is baked crunchy chickpeas. Chickpeas in any form are by far my favorite legume. Also known as garbanzo beans, they can be added to soups and stews or blended to make hummus. Chickpeas are very low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are a good source of protein and fiber. That filling fiber and hunger-blasting protein are the two key components to picking a satisfying snack.

Baking chickpeas brings out a nutty flavor, and slightly chewy texture with a little crunch. Whenever I’m in a snack rut, I’ll bake a batch or two and will keep them on hand in an airtight container for a few days (if they last that long in our home!) to grab and go between meals. My favorite thing about this snack, besides how satisfying it is, is the multitude of different flavor combinations you can use when baking a batch. For my latest batch, I kicked up the heat by sprinkling the chickpeas with a spicy buffalo wing seasoning from The Meat House. In the past, I’ve kept it simple with just salt and pepper, or an Italian seasoning blend. This snack doesn’t always have to be savory. I think next time I’ll try sprinkling on some cinnamon and sugar for a sweet treat.

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon garlic powder*

⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning blend, or chili powder, etc.*

Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Drain canned chickpeas and rinse in a colander under running water. Pat chickpeas dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add oil; sprinkle with spices/seasonings and salt. Stir to coat.

3. Spread chickpeas on nonstick rimmed baking sheet; bake 20 minutes. Stir; then roast 5 to10 minutes longer, checking frequently, until crisp but not burnt. (Cooking times may vary). Allow to cool before eating. Will keep several days refrigerated in a covered container.

*Here is where you can get creative with any spice or seasoning combo you’d like!

Have you ever made baked crunchy chickpeas? What’s your favorite flavor combo?

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Janel Ovrut is a Boston-based registered dietitian and food blogger. She writes about her kitchen creations while following a primarily plant-based diet in her blog Eat Well with Janel. A nutrition consultant to a variety of companies, institutions, and clients, Janel uses her nutrition expertise to help others make healthy changes, one bite at a time.

Tags: chickpeas, cooking at home, Food, guest post, healthy, healthy snacks, snacking, Vegetarian

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