New Giveaway – Delicious Healthy Chips & Oatmeal Bars from Corazonas!

Happy Saturday everyone! I’m very excited to announce my latest giveaway courtesy of Corazonas – a great company that makes delicious snacks infused with cholesterol-lowering plant sterols (read more about the benefits of plant sterols here). But first – I have to announce the winners of my HSN giveaway – congratulations to…

Our Grand Prize Winner – Amy!

Our runners up -Debbie, Carol and The Soul Searching Vegan!

Amy – you’ll win $40 in gift cards for HSN, and Debbie, Carol and The Soul Searching Vegan – you’ll receive $20 in gift cards for HSN. Please send me your mailing addresses (email to pickyeats@gmail.com) and you should receive your gift cards in a couple weeks. Congrats again on winning! Thanks again to everyone who entered – we had a new record of over 60 entries this time. And now, you all have a chance to win in my new giveaway: 3 varieties of healthy chips and 3 oatmeal bars from Corazonas (all the products in the pictures below!)

The great thing about Corazonas‘ products is that they have all natural ingredients, have amazing taste and texture, and are packed with nutritional benefits. The oatmeal bars are absolutely delicious: they are a great snack or dessert and have ~180 calories, 13-16 grams of whole grain, 5 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein for a huge portion. The tortilla chips have ~140 calories for 14 chips, 3g fiber and 18g whole grain; and the potato chips have ~140 calories per serving, only 6g fat and 2g fiber.

Only a couple days after I received the products from Corazonas to try, I had already finished the oatmeal squares (they were that good). I also used the Lime Tortilla chips with my guilt-free, 7 layer bean dip which tasted great!

Now the important part:

To Enter: You can enter in one of three ways –

1. Subscribe to The Picky Eater via RSS or via email
2. Follow me on Twitter (@pickyeaterblog)
3. Like The Picky Eater on Facebook

Leave a comment letting me know which option above you chose! Note – if you already are a subscriber, follower, or like The Picky Eater on Facebook, just leave a comment indicating that – it will count as one entry 

This giveaway will be open until Thursday, April 21st at 11:59pm PST. I will be selecting the winners at random (via random.org) and will contact them via email. I’ll be announcing the winners on Friday, April 22nd. Be sure to enter today–these fun and delicious snacks are totally worth it!

Two Quick & Healthy Snacks Under 200 Calories

I often get asked questions about what I eat day-to-day, and what kinds of things I like to snack on. Snacking is totally essential to my life – I’m the type of person who gets hungry more than 3 times a day, and if I don’t snack in-between meals I become – what the husband calls – “hangry.” Basically hungry + angry, the side effects of which are usually taken out on him. I don’t like snacking on packaged foods – because most packaged foods will just cause a spike in your blood sugar, which eventually results in a blood sugar crash (and then you’re back to being hangry).

My criteria for putting together healthy snacks include:

• The snack should have a good combination of fiber and protein, so it’s both filling and nutritious – and of course – tastes delicious. A great example of this is carrot sticks and hummus, or high fiber crackers and laughing cow cheese (or low fat string cheese).
• The snack shouldn’t have more than 200 calories, because then it’s encroaching on meal territory which you don’t want
• Avoid pre-packaged snacks if possible (e.g. chips, granola bars, protein bars, etc.) Although – there are healthy packaged options of all these things which work well if you’re on the go.

Today – I thought I’d share two of my favorite healthy snacks. Each snack has only 2 ingredients, is less than 200 calories, and only takes 2 minutes to make! Don’t you love the running theme here? 🙂

Snack #1: Fresh blueberries and Low Fat Cottage Cheese

I love how filling this snack is – and the creaminess of the cottage cheese goes great with the sweet/tart flavor of the blueberries. I go for low fat (vs. non fat) cottage cheese because it still retains the great creamy texture but is only ~100 calories per 1/2 cup serving and has about 15g protein. The blueberries add a good amount of fiber (3-4g per 3/4 cup) and are about 60 calories for 3/4 cup.

Mixing the two together gives you a great snack for only about 160 calories! And trust me, this will keep you full for a good amount of time – it’s one of my “go-tos” between lunch and dinner. And it helps that the blue and white looks so pretty and fresh together in the bowl – I always eat with my eyes before I eat with my mouth.

Snack #2: Brown Rice Cakes and Almond Butter

I love all nut butters. Peanut, Almond, Cashew, Sunflower Seed, etc – the list goes on and on. I especially love this Almond Butter with roasted flaxseeds from Trader Joe’s – it gives you a nice serving of omega 3s and increases the fiber/protein in this nutty spread. 1 Tbsp of Almond Butter has only 100 calories, and has about 4g protein and 2g fiber. The brown rice cakes give you a ton of volume (one cake is huge!) for only 60 calories and 1g fiber.

I love how creamy this nut butter is – it’s definitely one of my favorites. Putting the two together gives you about a 160 calorie, filling, deliciously creamy snack. For some extra fun, you can add a drizzle of honey (1 tsp has about 20 calories), or a few raisins on top.

Try out these perfect pairings and let me know what you think. Both should keep you feeling full (but not heavy) and energetic (but not on a sugar high) for the time in between meals. And they definitely keep me from becoming hangry.

Healthy Holiday Travel Tips: Food for planes, trains, road trips… :)

The holidays are here! And for a lot of folks that means great food, no work, seeing family, and LOTS of travel! Because of that, I was inspired to write a post about tips on healthy snacks/food to eat while you’re traveling. 🙂 So here are some of my suggestions on how to avoid eating the overpriced, unhealthy, fast-food at airports when you can, and how to navigate those food courts when they’re your only option! Hope this is helpful to all of you in your travels, and I hope everyone has an amazing holiday!!

To start, I’d like to introduce my Healthy Holiday Travel Cardinal Rule: ALWAYS pack food and take it with you to the airport if you can! Don’t worry – if you can’t it’s not a big deal – you can still find healthy options at the airport. But if you can, this is a great way to guarantee your healthy meals and save money too! Here are some of my favorite travel snacks/mini-meals that I always pack for my trips 🙂

Peanut or Almond Butter Sandwiches on Sprouted Wheat Bread with Blueberry Preserves: This is a great one-dish meal that doesn’t spoil, travels well and is super easy/fast to make!

http://anotherbookjunkie.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

Sandwich on sprouted grain bread made from 2 Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges, 1 roma tomato (sliced), salt & pepper: another great go-to sandwich – slightly more perishable than the PBJ, but a good option for a shorter flight or if you know you’ll be eating the sandwich within a few hours of boarding the plane!

Fresh fruit: apples, bananas, berries: Any fruits that are easy to eat, not too messy and don’t get squished easily are perfect options. I usually stick to Fuji Apples because they’re high in fiber and filling as a snack – and they don’t spoil and don’t get squished!

http://thedavidwilsonproject.com/homemade-apple-sauce-rock/

Steamed Mixed Vegetables, seasoned with salt & curry powder or salt & freshly ground black pepper: This is a great snack and a way to make sure you’re eating veggies when you travel! I like to steam the veggies in the microwave, season them, and pack them in a disposable plastic container to take on the plane.

Packets of instant oatmeal (plain), or your favorite healthy cereals (I like Kashi Heart to Heart and Barbara’s Puffins Original) in a ziploc bag: This can be a great snack or breakfast – you should be able to find boiling water in any airport (or even on an airplane) to cook the oatmeal, or low fat milk to eat the cereal with.

http://livinlifeinthefablane.blogspot.com/2010/03/heart-to-heart-kashi-review.html

Lara Bars or other low glycemic protein bars (like dried fruit/nut bars): A great 150-200 calorie snack with at least 3-4g fiber and 3-4g protein!

Trail Mix: Make sure you get the kind without any added oils or sugar (I like a combination of raw cashews, raw walnuts, raw almonds and raisins in the “Go Raw” Trex Mix from Trader Joe’s). And I like to separate them out into mini portion sizes (1/4 cup each).

Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds: Great for satisfying your sweet tooth, with a bit of protein, fiber and an anti-oxidant punch!

http://www.dark-chocolate-life.com/dark-chocolate-almonds.html

Now, if you aren’t able to pack food and have to rely on the maze of fast food options at the airport – here is my list of healthier restaurants at the airport!

• Subway is a great pick (choose wheat bread, tons of veggies on your sandwich and go easy on the mayo/oil)
• Starbucks is another good one – a non-fat tall latte has only 90 calories and tons of protein, and Starbucks also offers healthy meals – e.g. oatmeal for breakfast, whole grain wraps/sandwiches, etc.
• Delis that allow you to customize your sandwiches are great – think of them as a good alternative to Subway
• Au Bon Pain can be found at many airports, and they have customizeable sandwiches (think the Subway strategy here) or great salads / soups too
• Taco Bell – opt for the bean burrito or anything on the “Fresco” menu
• Mexican Restaurants like La Salsa or Baja Fresh have great options – look for soft corn tacos, or the “bowl” option filled with black beans, veggies, salsa for a satisfying treat (try to limit the sour cream/guac!)
• Even McDonald’s and Burger King have been offering a few healthy options – you can get apple slices and salads (make sure to order the dressing on the side and use it very sparingly)
• Some airports have all natural frozen yogurt – like Red Mango or Pinkberry. The small size of this with fruit mix-ins are a great option for a healthy snack or dessert!

I hope these tips and tricks are helpful for you during your holiday travels. This will be my last blog post until after the holidays – so before I sign off, I’d just like to congratulate Anu who won my last giveaway!

Anu – just send me your mailing address and your chocolates should arrive soon! And with that, I’d just like to wish everyone a very happy holiday and a great new years!! Happy eating, and I’ll see all of you in 2011! 🙂

Giveaway deadline EXTENDED!

Hi Everyone! So as you know – I’m running an awesome giveaway on my blog for 479° Gourmet Popcorn! The original deadline was today, Saturday at 11:59pm. But one of my readers very smartly pointed out that she doesn’t tend to read email or be around her computer during the weekend (which is probably a good thing!) And so she missed my giveaway last time and only by chance was able to check it out this time.

And so – for her and everyone else who “unplugs” during the weekend, I’m extending my giveaway deadline to: Thursday, December 9th at 5:00pm PST! So now you have tons of time to enter my giveaway!!

I’ll be announcing the winner on Friday (December 10th) morning when I launch my next giveaway 🙂 Be sure to enter soon and tell your family/friends! For directions on how to enter, and more details about the 479 gourmet popcorn you’ll receive, click here.

Foodie Friday Giveaway: 479° Gourmet Popcorn!!

Woohoo – it’s Friday! That means – the weekend is only a few hours away, no work for 2 days, my hubby and I are FINALLY seeing Harry Potter, and it’s time for another GIVEAWAY! And I promise, this giveaway is really awesome 🙂 But first things first: who won the last giveaway? Well, that would be the wonderful Amanda – congrats!!

Amanda – you should be receiving your honey very soon. Thanks so much to all of you who entered – I really appreciated your comments and support! 🙂 And now you have a chance to win again – with 479° Popcorn! I met the awesome owners of 479° a few weeks ago, and they were kind enough to send me the Globetrotter sampler pack to try.

Isn’t their packaging super cute? 🙂 And I have to say – it is seriously some of the best popcorn I’ve ever had. Their flavors are really inventive, and their popcorn is popped to perfection – they actually bake every batch to order – which means that you’ll always end up with super fresh popcorn when it arrives at your doorstep! And not only that, all of their popcorn is organic, made by hand in small batches, local / sustainable, and of course – amazingly flavorful! I’d highly recommend trying out this product – you won’t be disappointed!

The Globetrotter sampler pack comes with FIVE different flavors of popcorn:

1. Chipotle Caramel + Almonds: smoky, spicy, rich and sweet – and the almonds add a wonderful crunch!
   
2. Ginger Sesame Caramel: ginger infused caramel also gives you that great sweet and spicy flavor, and the sesame seeds give it a great nutty finish!
   
3. Pimentòn de La Vera: smoky Spanish paprika with bursts of ripe organic tomato and onion – you’ll never taste popcorn like this!
   
4. Black Truffle + White Cheddar: a great twist on a classic – the black truffle oil adds such an aromatic flavor to the popcorn
   
5. Madras Curry Coconut + Cashews: reminds me of something I’d get in India – the curry is colorful and fragrant and the cashews are a savory treat 🙂

And one lucky reader will WIN the Globetrotter Sampler Pack as part of this giveaway! I think my favorite flavor was the Chipotle Caramel + Almonds – but they’re all amazingly good! Here’s what the popcorn looks like out of the bag – doesn’t the caramel just call out to you? 🙂

Now the important part:

To Enter: You can enter in one of three ways –

1. Subscribe to The Picky Eater via RSS or via email
2. Follow me on Twitter (@pickyeaterblog)
3. Like The Picky Eater on Facebook

Leave a comment letting me know which option above you chose, and I’d love to hear any inventive popcorn flavors you have tried as well! Note – if you already are a subscriber, follower, or like The Picky Eater on Facebook, just leave a comment indicating that – it will count as one entry

For Extra Entries:

• + 1 Entry if you share this post on Facebook or Twitter
• + 2 Entries if you invite 5 or more of your friends to like The Picky Eater on Facebook!

This giveaway will close on Thursday, December 9th at 5:00pm PST. I will be selecting the winner at random and will contact them via email. I’ll be announcing the winner on Friday, December 10th when I launch my next giveaway!

Be sure to enter – it’s super easy and this gourmet popcorn is totally worth it!