A Healthy Habit

On this edition of Thankful Thursday I decided to finally listen to my belly brain and make note of my regular snacking habit.  I L.O.V.E. to snack.  The great thing about my snacking habits is that I can pretty much eat any vegetable known to man and be satisfied. I like fruit.. well- I love fruit.  So they work for seeking my snacking satisfaction, too.  As a dietitian I educate my clients about the importance of snacking on a daily basis.  Snacks should be thought as 'mini' meals based on healthy whole grains (preferably high in fiber to keep us with that full feeling and to promote heart health) and a combination of a heart healthy fat (mono and poly unsaturated fats) and a lean protein.  Fat and protein take longer to digest and combining them with a fiber-rich carbohydrate with make that mini meal stick with us significantly longer than, say, a single apple (a carbohydrate with fiber- if you eat the skin!).  Add some peanut butter or a low fat string cheese and that apple will hopefully satisfy your hunger until your next meal time.  Ok- stepping down from the soapbox, now.  So- what am I thankful for exactly?  Oh- the glories of 'grab-and-go' vegetables. 

Frozen vegetables are my best friend during my work day.  I am lucky enough to have a fridge in my office- and so bringing boxed/bagged vegetables to steam up in a jiffy is so easy!  My favorite at the moment is Green Giant Boxed Vegetables- Baby Brussels Sprouts & Butter Sauce.  Delicious :)  I know my girl Ashley (and her momma) can appreciate this- although my office friends holler when I make it stinky with the cooking of a cruciferous vegetable.  The most awesome part about these vegetables in particular is that-yes, it is 60 calories per serving.. a little more than 2 servings in a box (I eat the whole box..) So- total: 163 calories, 2.7 grams fat, 25 grams carbohydrates, and 8 grams of both fiber and protein.  Read  it- eight grams of fiber.  This dietitian approves this rockstar of a snack!!  (Plus- I like it acceptionally well. So, thats what counts.)
 
My other favorite snack is new found..
Standing in the soup aisle last week, these boxed soups caught my eye and after reading the label a couple made their way into my basket.  I have made Cambell's V8 Soup into my regular rotation this week for my snacking habit.  I purchased the Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup last week, and the soup is on my grocery list again for this week.  One cup (of the tomato herb): 90 calories, zero fat, 19 grams carbohydrates, and 3 grams of both fiber and protein.  I added a part-skim mozzarella string cheese into the mix ( It was a toss between the cheese and Kashi TLC Pita Crisps..the cheese won out..this time, anyway.) I stick with the one cup versus eating the entire box because (as with any pre-packaged food item- soups in particular) of the high sodium content-480 mg/svg.

So there you have it- A Thankful Thursday dedicated to several things..
1.) My love for snacking..
2.) My love for vegetables (more so than my love of cookies, thank goodness.. or else my snacking habit could be a lot worse, I'm afraid.)
and C.) I am so darn thankful for my pre-packed-on-the-go frozen (and boxed) veggie products!

Whatchu thankful for today?