Hunger-Squashing Snacks

I got another helpful email from Eat This Not That people. This is "12 Hunger Squashing Snacks." Good timing because lately my snacking is a bit out of control and mostly consisting of sugary carbs. Seems I always have my hand reaching in a cereal box or grabbing crackers or muffins or bread. Nothing totally unhealthy, just things that don't keep me full for long and often leave me feeling tired and/or bloated. Many of the snacks on this helpful list are protein rich which is what I need to keep me full longer and not cause that sugar crash that I get sometimes.

I really like the articles on this site, but I find it annoying that you have to click through each one to see the next featured food, restaurant, whatever. I know they do that to up the advertising opportunities, but sometimes it takes so long that I just give up. I'm listing these snacks here more for my benefit than anything, to have them in a place that I can refer back to when I need ideas. So here they are:

12 Hunger Squashing Snacks

1-Warm toasted nuts: Toss a combination of nuts - pecans, almonds, peanuts, cashews - with chili powder, black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Roast in a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes, until warm and toasty.

2-Ants on a Log: Slather celery with smooth or chunky peanut butter. Dot with raisins.

3-Boil a few cups of frozen edamame until tender. Drain and toss with a light coasting of sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and kosher salt.

4-Make your own souped-up trail mix: Combine 1 cup almonds, walnuts, or cashews or a mix of all three) with 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and 1 1/2 cups dried fruit: raisins, apricots, apples, prunes, and/or banana chips

5-Spread the inside of a pita half with plenty of hummus and top with sliced tomato, onion, and lettuce.

6-Stuff cherry peppers or bottled Peppadew peppers with soft goat cheese or mini balls of fresh mozzarella.

7-Lay a slice of swiss cheese on a cutting board. Top with a slice of deli turkey and a spoonful of hummus or guacamole. Wrap like a jelly roll and eat.

8-Cut fresh mozzarella into 1/2-inch cubes. Skewer on toothpicks with pitted green olives and sundried tomatoes.

9-Pop a bag of popcorn. While it's still hot, toss the popcorn with a half cup grated Parmesan and a good amount of chopped fresh rosemary.

10-Combine a can of tuna with your favorite salsa. Use Triscuits for scooping.

11-Pop a bag of popcorn. While it's still hot, toss with a tablespoon of melted butter, then 2tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

12-Pave a slice of toasted wheat bread with peanut butter and banana slices. Top with a drizzel of honey.

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Don't those all sound good? Except for the olives and goat cheese, ick! And I have no idea what Peppadew peppers are, but I'm willing to find out cause they sound really fun. And that last one actually confused me at first with that word "pave." I thought that was some fancy food term pronounced pa-vay, like it was French or something. But now I see it's just the word pave. Like pave your bread like you'd pave your driveway. I think my brain is officially fried from spending most of my waking hours with a crazy 3 year old. That's my only excuse.

Happy snacking!