Healthy Sweet Treats & Savory Snacks

Ooh how I love a good snack, especially when it's filling, healthy and of course delicious. I'm always one to choose savory snacks over sweet, and let me tell you I have a weakness for french fries which is unfortunate. So I try to regulary snack healthy to help make up for my french frie splurges. On the other hand, TJ has a major sweet tooth, so together the two of us can really do some damage. Anyways, I have a couple very satisfying treats up my sleeve that can satisfy your cravings whether they're for a savory snack or a sweet treat!
My favorite sweet treat to make is a frosty delicious fruit smoothie. I use plain Greek yogurt because it has a thick texture and has lots of protein to fill you up. In fact, one of my favorite afternoon snacks is a 'deconstructed smoothie.' That's my unnecessarily fancy way of saying, plain Greek yogurt with fresh berries and a tiny bit of honey- perfect snack to curb severe afternoon hunger when you're in the office without ice cubes and a blender.

Guiltless Fruit Smoothie

• 3/4 Cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup fresh fruit (strawberries, 1/2 banana, blueberries, mango, whatever you have)
• 1/2 - 1 cup ice cubes
• splash of orange juice or milk (optional)
• 1-2 Tablespoons honey

Ok, confession. Per usual I didn't actually measure this recipe but I pretty much adjust the proportions each time. Sometimes more ice for an extra cool treat, sometime a splash of OJ or milk to make it thinner, more or less honey depending on how sweet the fruit is that you're using. Overly ripe is good for this! If you only have frozen berries then use less ice, but you'll probably have to use more honey. Just roughly chop the fruit and put it in a blender or use an immersion blender to mix in the rest of the ingredients. I think one of my favorite combinations is strawberries with a 1/2 banana. This is so satisfying, refreshing and filling and really guilt free. If I have extra sometimes I'll freeze in an ice cube tray for an extra cold treat later on.

A delicious frozen treat!

Next! Savory snack time. Now, I know healthy microwave popcorn is no new invention. But I love dressing it up with a few easy tweaks to make it a lot more fun and flavorful.

Dressy Popcorn

• Popcorn
• fresh ground sharp cheese
• 1 Tablespoon fresh minced herbs
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 Teaspoon salt

I like to use Pop Secret 94% fat free brand popcorn. Actually, that's a lie. I love Pop Secret Homestyle but it is super bad for you so I let TJ buy the healthy stuff for us, which kind of tastes like cardboard unless you dress it up. And there are plenty of ways to do that without using butter! I prefer microwave popcorn simply because it's easier but it's super tasty if you pop your own- just heat a little oil in a pan and pop your own kernels (you'll need to have the lid on your pan and shake it constantly, yum! I like to add a TON of fresh cracked pepper and some extra salt. It doesn't get better than adding fresh herbs; rosemary, thyme and/or sage. Fresh herbs are perfect with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano on the popcorn. That's my favorite cheese pick for this because it's got a strong flavor so you don't have to use as much to get a strong punch of flavor. Plus popcorn has fiber so it should fill you up. Enjoy!