One of the biggest struggles for me to staying on track with my weight loss goals is snacking. When I get hungry if I don’t have the right kind of snacks right at hand, it’s easy for me to make the wrong choices. Benjamin Franklin was a smart man known for many things, but one of his most famous quotes still rings true today.
That’s why I found that by following these 5 tips for snacking smart you can stay ahead of hunger and stay on track with your goals.
Never Grocery Shop Hungry.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to the store starving and justified buying snacks that I didn’t need and wouldn’t help me to stay on track with my goals. If it’s a little bit before my next meal when it comes time to go shopping I grab a Yoplait yogurt and a handful of almonds to keep my hunger at bay. I love the Yoplait whipped yogurts, they are so light and delicious it feels like I’m treating myself when in reality I’m still staying right on track!
Take the Time to Portion Out Your Snacks.
As soon as I get home from the grocery store, or every Sunday night I like to create portion sized snacks that are easy to grab and go when I’m really hungry.
- Cut up and portion out your veggies and fruits. While I pretty much eat unlimted veggies, I do like to protion size fruits especially to keep even my natural sugars low.
- Make individual smoothie packs and put them in the freezer so you can just blend and go.
- Try buying cheese sticks, hummus, guacamole, and yogurts in individual sized portions so you’re not tempted to eat more that you should.
- Portion out your nuts and dried fruits into grab and go portions.
- Always keep your favorite protein and snack bars on hand.
Don’t Be Afraid to Get Creative
Eating the same snack over and over gets boring, and bordom usually translated to cheating (at least it does for me). That’s why I like to try new recipes or snack ideas, which is how I ended up creating this Strawberry Pistachio Yogurt Bark. To end my day I love eating a yoplait yogurt, but sometimes I want 1-up my cup and try something different.
This yogurt bark makes me feel like I’m eating chocolate, but doesn’t ruin my day. I can pretty much whip up a batch in less than 10 minutes and it will last us a week or more.
Plus my boys loved it too. I keep it in the freezer and we can grab a few peices for desert or whenever we feel the sweet tooth cravings coming on. It does get a little bit messy if you let it sit out too long, but I think that’s one of the things my boys loved best – licking their fingers!
The vanilla Yoplait yogurt gives it a sweet and smooth base, the fresh strawberries add just the right amount of sweetness, and the pistachios are salty and crunchy.
- 21/2 cups Vanilla Yoplait Yogurt
- ¾-1 cup Fresh smashed/pureed strawberries
- Small handful chopped pistachios
- Spread the yogurt evenly over a lined cookie sheet
- Add the Strawberry mash and swirl it into the yogurt
- Top with pistachios
- Freeze for at least 2 hours (or overnight)
Check out my video to see how it’s made!
Make Your Favorites Healthier!
One of the things I love are chocolate covered blueberries, but the problem with those is I never seem to be able to stick to the portion size recommendation. So I thought I’d solve that problem by making my own.
I covered blueberries with a small amount of the vanilla Yoplait yogurt that I had left over from making the bark, and stuck them in the freezer. Simple vanilla yogurt is amazing on it’s own, but vanilla covered blueberries had me feeling I was indulging, but I was really snacking smart! Eating them right out of the freezer forces me to to go slowly with them and not over eat!
Get Moving Before You Snack
I love this tip from the Fitness Fashionista to label all your snacks with an exercise you can easily do before you eat it. Her examples include 20 second wall sits, 15 jumping jacks, or 20 squats. I think it would be fun for kids to get involved this way too! She even provides free printables for you to download if you want to do this.
So are you ready to get snacking smarter?
Head over to Walmart to pick up various Yoplait items to help you keep healthy and on track; ready for all that life throws your way! If you want more ideas on how to 1-up your cup, check out this pinterest board and get ready to be inspired!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills. The opinions and text are all mine.
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That is so creative. I would have never thought to do that. I love your tips for snacking smart. I totally agree on not shopping while hungry. I swear every time I go to the store hungry my basket gets filled with so much junk food. Thanks for the tips and recipe.
Shopping while hungry is my weakness. Everything just looks so good and I want to buy it.
My kids are Yogurt lovers. We always mix different toppings in for a new treat.