Category Archives: snack recipes

Tasty and satisfying snack recipes.

June 26, 2017 · 8:11 am

Southwestern Chopped Chicken Nachos

Sometimes there’s really nothing more comforting than marathoning a trashy TV show and indulging in a big ol’ plate of nachos.  I mean, how DELICIOUS do these look?

southwestern-nachos4

I’m a sucker for nachos…I’m a sucker for any chip and dip, really.  I love the classy nachos with the delicious poblano pepper sauce and I love the dirty nachos with the hot Velveeta cheese sauce that’s definitely not real food.  If it’s a chip with meat and cheese and sauce on it, chances are I’ll be on board.

So the other day as I was marathoning New Girl (I’m SO behind), I had a serious craving for some nachos…I had all these ingredients to make a healthy southwestern salad…but who wants salad when you can make nachos in 10 minutes?!

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Filled with amazing flavor and perfect with a pint of beer and a guilty pleasure Netflix show that you only watch when your significant other is at work, these Southwestern Chopped Chicken Nachos are everything you need in your life right now.

Southwestern Chopped Chicken Nachos

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag tortilla chips (I LOVE the El Ranchero chips with salt)
  • 3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 ½ cups frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • ½ red onion, diced
  • 2 cups (or more!) shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like!)
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 avocado, diced

Directions:

Arrange chips on large baking sheet.  Top with chicken, corn, beans, tomatoes, onion, and cheese.  Bake in 450 degree oven until cheese is melted.  Baking time depends on your oven size, but 10 or so minutes is probably good.

Remove from oven and top with avocado and cilantro.

 

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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May 8, 2017 · 8:47 am

11 Healthy(ish) Vending Machine Snacks

The 10 am hunger slump…the 3 pm hunger slump…the daily stress that just makes you want chocolate ERR DA TIME…the fact that food is 100% more interesting than anything you’re doing at work…that hopeful thought you have every time you pass the break room…

party food celebrities reactions jennifer lawrence GIF

Sometimes you just have to feed the craving.

If you work in a corporate job, chances are there’s a vending machine in your break room…probably filled with candy bars and packaged baked goods, these snacks have most likely been sitting in there since before you were hired, just waiting for a despite hungry worker to come buy an old granola bar when no one was looking…just to have a little munchy.

And, if you’re one of the really lucky ones, you might have a vending machine that has a nice assortment of options…filled with chips, granola bars, and a few sweets here and there for those emergency moments.

And for those of us who are trying to be healthier, the vending machine can be a pitfall of despair, offering little to no options to actually help the hunger slump.  However, if an emergency hits, there are better options than others hidden in that vending machine.  So, if you are in dire need of a snack or something to get you through the day, here are 11 Healthy(ish) Vending Machine Snacks that won’t drag you down and make you feel like a slug.

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11 Healthy(ish) Vending Machine Snacks

Overall nuts, granola, trail mix or anything high in fiber and protein will help tame the hunger beast.  Look out for meal replacement bars that are packed with sugar or fatty snacks masked as healthy options. 

  • Snyder’s of Hanover Mini Pretzels (110 calories)
  • Quaker Chewy Low-Fat Granola Bar, Chocolate Chunk (110 calories)
  • Sun Chips Original (140 calories)
  • Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts (160 calories)
  • Planters Sunflower Kernels (160 calories)
  • Nature Valley Granola Bar, Oats & Honey (180 calories)
  • Fig Newtons (190 calories)
  • Baked! Lays Original (210 calories)
  • Traditional Chex Mix (220 calories)
  • Triscuits (240 calories, but packed with fiber)
  • Peanut M&M’s (250 calories)

…And a Few You Should Avoid

All those muffins, pastries, and candy bars may look tempting, but they’re just gonna drag you down even more.  Plus, most of them carry tons of trans fat, sugar, and empty calories that are just no good!  If you must indulge…because really, sometimes you must, share these with a friend!

  • Austin Cheese Crackers with Cheddar Cheese (210 calories, also high in fat)
  • Doritos (250 calories)
  • Skittles (250 calories, also high in fat)
  • Twix (280 calories, lots of fat and saturated fats)
  • Lay’s Potato Chips (280 calories, packed with BHT)
  • Snickers Bar (280 calories)
  • Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry Pastries (420 calories)
  • Drake’s Apple Fruit Pie (440 calories)
  • Entenmann’s Jumbo Iced Honey Bun (660 calories, a serving is half a bun!)

 

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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November 7, 2016 · 8:55 am

15 Late Night Snacks That Are OK to Eat Before Bed

Let’s be real…sometimes life just gets in the way and we can’t even sit down to have dinner until freaking 8 or 9 o’clock.  Or sometimes dinner leaves us unsatisfied and we just need a little somethin’ somethin’ before we head to bed…

But not all snacks are made alike.  Some do more help than hurt, but some can even help you sleep after you eat them!  In short, you want to avoid anything fatty, spicy, super sugary or caffeinated.  Capsaicin, which makes food spicy, can cause indigestion and discomfort, which will naturally affect your sleep.  Foods with a lot of oil or fat takes a while to digest, which can cause acid reflux if you lie down right after eating anything super fatty or deep-fried.  And obviously sugar and caffeine will do nothing for your sleeping schedule.

So here are a few late-night snack ideas that won’t keep you up but will help tame the hunger beast.

snacks-for-bedtime

String Cheese:  One serving of string cheese contains filling protein and fat, so you feel satisfied after eating it.  One cheese stick is only about 80 calories and contains tryptophan, which also may help make you feel drowsy.

Nonfat Greek Yogurt:  Yogurt also contains tryptophan and protein, so it’s a great snack for before bed time.  Yogurt can also help calm your stomach so you’re less likely to wake up with heartburn or indigestion.

Sliced Apple and Peanut Butter:  Slicing an apple helps convince your brain that you’re eating more than you actually are, and the peanut butter also helps fill you up without feeling too heavy.

Chocolate Pudding Cup:  The creamy pudding is sweet and satisfying and doesn’t contain a ton of fat.

Baby Carrots:  The crunch of these carrots is super satisfying, and at only 4 little calories per carrot, this is great for big late night munchies.

Banana:  Like dairy, bananas are also loaded with tryptophan, as well as satiating fiber.

 

Other Snacks to Try:

  • Cherries
  • Almonds
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Hardboiled Eggs
  • Avocado on Toast
  • Turkey Slices
  • Popcorn
  • Pistachios
  • Dark Chocolate

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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May 2, 2016 · 8:16 am

13 DIY Snack Foods from the 90’s

rs_600x796-150430104629-CD20z_PVIAAfh6j OK, I know I’m a little late to the party because it’s already May, but I just couldn’t resist!

If you’re unfamiliar with this meme, here’s a little background: Fellow 90’s kids might remember the 2000 NSYNC hit, “It’s Gonna Be Me” (simultaneously the coolest and creepiest music video ever).

 

Since about 2012, a variety of memes and GIFs with Justin Timberlake singing the lyric with the misheard caption have been circulating all over the web, particularly during the last week of April leading up to May.

To honor the awesomeness that was NSYNC, I’m gonna take you way back to the nifty 90’s with this collection of DIY 90’s snack foods. From Dunkaroos to Sunny D, you can get a taste of your childhood with this snack-attack of after-school goodness.

 

Screen Shot 2016-04-13 at 11.04.04 AM

 

 

Let’s get cookin!

1990s cooking 90s kid katey sagal married with children

 

Homemade Dunkaroos
Credit: Hey Wanderer Blog

IMG_2514

 

Butterfinger BB’s
Credit: Glazed and Confused

Homemade Butterfinger BB's // Glazed & Confused

 

Ecto Cooler
Credit: Food and Wine

 

DIY Pizza Lunchables
Credit: Mommy’s Kitchen

 

Jell-O Pudding Pops
Credit: Delicious as it Looks

Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pops

 

Handi-Snacks Cheese
Credit: Culture Cheese Mag

back to school snack of homemade snack cheese (commercially known as handisnacks) with pretzels and crackers

 

Choco-Tacos
Credit: Wheel n’Deal Mama

https://i0.wp.com/www.wheelndealmama.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Choco-Taco-prep.jpg

 

Uh-Oh! Oreos
Credit: King Arthur Flour

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Dino Grrrahams (I loved these!)
Credit: Mama Gone Green

 

Dino Nuggets
Credit: New York Family

https://i0.wp.com/www.newyorkfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/dino-chicken-nuggets-751x500.jpg

 

SunnyD
Credit: Sweaty Girl

 

Homemade Zebra Cakes
Credit: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

 

P.B. Crisps
Credit: etcrumbs

 

 

What was your favorite 90’s snack food? Tell us in the comments!

 

 

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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January 31, 2011 · 9:24 am

Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

One of my favorite salad toppings, believe it or not, is chickpeas.  I love them.  So when I came across this recipe, I just had to try it.  Eat these toasted chickpeas in a salad, in soup, or munch by the handful.

Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

ROASTED SPICED CHICK PEAS

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 TB. vegetable oil

Ground cumin

Ground coriander

Ground ginger

Ground hot paprika

Kosher salt

Parsley

*These are the spices I used.  I almost never measure when using spices…I just toss them in according to flavors.  But if you’re one of those that must have a measurement, add 1/4 teaspoon of all to get a good mix of flavor.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss chickpeas with oil and spices (except parsley) until evenly coated.  Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until chickpeas are golden and crunchy, about 30 minutes.  Shake the pan occasionally to allow for even cooking.  Let cool completely.  Sprinkle with parsley when plated.

These can be stored for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips. 

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