1 3 snacks - amazon s3 · 2015-10-12 · my top 50 snacks and mini meals contain both sweet and...

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And keep it off50 50KG . . . SNACKS

TO HELP YOU LOSE

& MINI MEALS

And keep it off50 50KG . . . SNACKS & MINI

MEALS TO LOSE

Snacks and mini meals (such as those you might consume if you eat five to six times a day like I do) are an important part of weight loss:

They need to be delicious They need to be nutritious And they need to be filling.

My top 50 snacks and mini meals contain both sweet and savoury options. Many are “grab and go” type foods, others require a little more time (but not that much).

I am not a nutritionist, but these are what worked well for me in order to help me lose weight and maintain that loss. Should you have any specific medical conditions or dietary needs please seek appropriate professional advice.

For further information about my approach to food, please refer to “50 Steps to Lose 50 kgs... And Keep Them Off” and “50 Recipes to Lose 50 kgs... And Keep Them Off”. Both are available for purchase on my website www.sallysymonds.com.au.

While I am not paid to endorse any particular products, I have mentioned specific brand names when it was vital for their identification or if there are a wide variety of brands which provide the same products, but with widely differing nutritional values.

Eat up! Enjoy!



TO HELP YOU LOSE

& MINI MEALS


MEALS TO LOSE

Luken and May Chocolate Hazelnut Butterbursts Biscuits x 3

Chocolate biscuits may not seem like a very healthy snack, but three of these actually contain fewer calories than a Carman’s Muesli Bite and they satisfy chocolate cravings at the same time!

Planet Organic Lightly Salted Roasted Soy Nuts (1 x 30 g packet)

Soy is great for reducing cholesterol and assisting with the symptoms of menopause. These nuts are an unusual and delicious alternative to traditional soy sources such as soymilk and tofu.

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Blueberries (1/2 punnet) + almonds (1 – 2 tablespoons)

This is an old favourite, but there are many variations of this one, such as:

a. substitute different types of berries

b. use frozen berries (especially nice in summer)

c. mix two types of berries with the nuts (some manufacturers also now make packets of frozen berries with two or three types inside)

d. heat the berries in the microwave first and then stir in the nuts (really nice in winter – just be careful not to burn your mouth!)

e. use slivered or flaked almonds instead of whole almonds – it seems to make them go further that way!

Prunes (4 x pitted) + walnuts (about 4)

Snacks

The “God’s Pharmacy” food theory suggests that God left us clues as to how to heal ourselves by making certain fruits and vegetables resemble the parts of the body whose function they assist. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, a carrot slice does resemble an eye (and carrots are good for vision), a tomato has four chambers (and is good for your heart) and walnuts resemble your brain and help with its power, function and longevity.

Image courtesy of Luken & May



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MEALS TO LOSE

Olives (3 x smoked and rinsed kalamata) + 1 x Light Mini Babybel cheese

Mainland On the Go Light Cheese and Crackers (1 x 120 g packet)

Sakana Catch of the Day Rich Lobster Taste or Juicy Crab Taste (1 x 110 g packet)

Snacking on free lobster or crab would be even better of course!

Natural oysters – 1 dozen

Mini Meal option: 24 – 30 natural oysters

Most weight loss programs will tell you not to reward yourself with food. But I did. Frequently. I just rewarded myself with healthy foods and natural oysters were one of my favourite healthy food rewards.

SeaLord Marinated Mussels – ½ tub

Mini meal option: double quantity

Fresh Chef’s Chilli Crab or Scallop Pate (1 x 120g tub)

Sometimes I eat this spread on crackers, but usually I just use a cocktail fork and eat it straight from the tub!

Sushi rolls (2)

Mini meal option: double quantity

Sushi is my number one pick if you are stuck in a shopping centre food court. Just remember not to choose the fried varieties. Sushi is also great if you are having people over (unexpectedly) for drinks and nibbles – just bring home a few sushi rolls and slice them up on a beautiful platter and serve with wasabi, soy sauce and ginger. Quite filling, and healthy.

Snacks

Again, according to the “God’s Pharmacy” theory olives are good for the ovaries! Cheese is also really important for calcium and bone health. Many studies also suggest that calcium assists in weight loss by triggering the body to burn fat more effectively. While there is some debate about this issue (like many issues in weight loss), personally I consumed approximately three serves of low fat dairy throughout my weight loss and maintenance periods. Part of the reason for this is because I am afraid of developing osteoporosis. But the other major reason is because I love cheese and it is a great way to make less tasty foods more delicious. Just about anything tastes good with melted cheese on top!

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MEALS TO LOSE

1 jumbo boiled egg

Either boil individually and eat immediately or boil a dozen or more at a time, pickle them and store in the fridge for convenience.

Sally’s Pickled Eggs

12 – 18 eggs 1½ cups brown sugar 1½ cups white vinegar 1 tablespoon pepper 1 tablespoon salt

Boil eggs until extra hard

Cool, peel and place in sterilized bottles.

Mix all other ingredients together in a l arge saucepan and boil until the sugar has dissolved.

Allow to cool slightly and then pour over eggs.

Add extra seasoning (such as bay leaves) if desired.

Place one or two layers of cling wrap over top of bottle before screwing lid on tightly.

Stand upside down for the first 2-3 days in the fridge and then place right way up.

Leave for at least one week before eating.

Four Bean Mix / Chick Pea Mix / 3 Beans and Corn Mix

(1 x 125g tin) Rinse these for a slightly healthier option.

Mini meal options: add a small serving of tuna

Baked Beans - (1 x 130 g tin)

(Mini meal options: add one whole boiled egg or up to six boiled egg whites)

Microwave for approximately 50 seconds and serve with freshly cracked black pepper.

Tuna is readily available in various sized cans and pouches and its health benefits are enormous. Depending on how hungry I am when I am having a mini meal I will either add a 95g tin of tuna or a 180g tin. Tuna in pouches is slightly more expensive, but they are easier to open and there is no messy draining. If you are quite hungry, it is better to fill up on a healthy food, such as tuna, rather than to leave yourself only partially satisfied and then more likely to eat something not so healthy a little later on. Furthermore if you are completely satisfied after eating, you won’t then spend the next few hours thinking about food.

Tuna is one of those “beware” foods. It is really good for you when packed in brine or springwater, but can actually be quite full of fat when packaged in particular flavours. Some 95g tins of tuna contain less than 1g of fat. Others contain over 12! Always read the label carefully if you are buying a flavoured-variety.

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MEALS TO LOSE

Low GL (Glycaemic Load) Fruit

Corn on the cob

Fresh corn tastes far superior to frozen corn, although both are easy to heat in the microwave. Just remember not to add any butter on top!

Tomatoes

Perino tomatoes are a fairly new variety of tomatoes that are a lot sweeter and more flavoursome than traditional small tomato varieties. However, cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes are also great snacking options. Tomatoes are really low in calories, and so I have no problems devouring a whole punnet as a snack.

Commando Caramel Crunch Bar

E.g. 1 cup cherries, 1 punnet strawberries, 1 apple, 1 pear, 2 kiwi fruit, ½ rockmelon, 1 cup watermelon

Low GI was a relatively unknown concept to the ordinary person when I lost weight back in 2002-2003. Today, it is much more widely understood. Low GL, however, is still a bit of a mystery to most.

To recap, GI stands for glycaemic index. Only foods containing some kind of sugar (such as carbohydrates, including fruit) will have a GI. It doesn’t apply to protein or fat. The glycaemic index essentially measures how quickly the sugar in the foods we eat hits our bloodstream. High GI foods give you an instant energy boost, but this doesn’t last long. You soon crash and burn. Low GI foods offer a smaller and steadier increase in the sugar levels in our blood. Low GI foods keep you fuller for longer.

Many diets recommend you limit your intake of fruit because many fruits have a high GI. However, the GI doesn’t take into account the actual serving sizes of individual foods. This is where the GL comes into play. Generally, most low GL foods are also low GI. However, some high GI foods (including many fruits) can actually be low GL because their actual carbohydrate content is quite low. Many fruits are mostly water. The GL rating of a particular food can be calculated using the following formula: GI/100 x net carbohydrates (net carbohydrates are equal to the total carbohydrates minus the dietary fibre).

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If you love the combination of caramel and chocolate, you will love this too!

One of the most helpful elements of healthy eating that I discovered along my path to weight loss were supplements (such as protein bars and shakes). Supplements are not a strict necessity in terms of weight loss, but they can make life a lot easier for you. Supplements are one of the most convenient ways to ensure that you are eating well, especially if you are busy. Another benefit is their overall nutritional content: many supplements are packed full of essential vitamins and minerals (such as iron and calcium) that a lot of people, women in particular, may struggle to get enough of otherwise. I think that healthy eating, together with the use of supplements, contributed significantly to the dramatic overall improvements to my hair, nails and skin that occurred during my weight loss journey.

Supplements are a lot more common now than they were eight years ago. Even so, some people may dismiss them as a food source because they think they taste like cardboard. Unfortunately, some of them do. On the other hand, some of them are so delicious that I have to remind myself not to eat too many of them. It’s really a matter of trial and error. I’ve tried a lot of supplements over the years and have probably only liked about 50% of them, but the impact of discovering the 50% I like has been well worth the taste, and sometimes waste, of the 50% I didn’t like. Having supplements on hand at any time makes a huge impact in terms of always being prepared.



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MEALS TO LOSE

Atkins Endulge Bar – Caramel Nut Chew flavour 1 x 34 g

These taste like just like a Snickers bar! You have been warned!!!

Slim Secrets Choc Chip Designer Cookie

Again, a really delicious snack.

Weetbix and Vegemite

Cut Weetbix into four thin fingers and spread with Vegemite.

Light peanut butter also tastes nice. It is higher in fat, but makes the snack slightly more filling because of the protein content of the peanut butter.

Burgen Snacks

One slice of Burgen Bread – any variety, toasted – with either one tablespoon light peanut butter or 3 – 4 tablespoons Weight Watchers low fat cottage cheese.

Cous Cous

½ sachet Ainsley Harriott Cous Cous – any flavour - combined with low fat cheese (e.g. two slices Kraft Free Cheese or 2 tablespoons Weight Watchers low fat cottage cheese)

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Nachos

3 x SunRice Nacho Cheese Corncakes spread with avocado or low fat cottage cheese (and a sliced tomato on top if you have the time)

Tuna Spread

½ x 120g bottle John West Spreadable Tuna with Mixed Herbs on one original rye Ryvita (add a sliced tomato on top if you have the time)

Crab Roll

1 x 170g tin Always Fresh Crab Meat, drained, + 1 x Baker’s Delight Cape Seed Roll (I usually take out some of the bread inside of the roll and give to my dog if I am just having this as a snack). Add a thin layer of avocado if you have the time.

Smoked Oysters

1 x 85 tin John West Smoked Oysters in Vegetable Oil – rinsed and drained – served on one original rye Ryvita

50g smoked salmon + two boiled egg whites

This is also nice with one packet of fresh spinach – either cooked or raw.

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TO HELP YOU LOSE

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MEALS TO LOSE

Vegemite Egg Whites

Up to 6 boiled egg whites mashed with 1 teaspoon Vegemite (or to taste).

Devils on Horseback

Vegetable Dip

Carrots or fresh green beans + low fat hummus, low fat beetroot dip or tomato salsa.

Cheesy Vegies

1 X 150g Heinz Steam Fresh Single Pack Carrots, Corn and Broccoli and one slice Kraft Free Cheese melted over the top

(Mini meal options: double or triple this amount, or make with 1 – 1 ½ cups of other frozen vegetables of your choice).

Cheesy Vegies is one of my most frequently eaten snacks. It is just so convenient and so healthy.

Magic Mushrooms

8 sliced mushrooms (or approximately ½ a bag) fried in a non-stick pan with onions, garlic and rosemary.

(Mini meal option: add 100 g of low fat bacon or ham)

Pre-sliced mushrooms from the supermarket are the most convenient option, but gourmet mushrooms from the farmers markets are the most delicious! All are equally healthy.

Brushetta Crumble

1 punnet tomatoes, ½ Spanish onion, garlic, basil leaves chopped and mixed together with three mini melba toasts or one Ryvita crumbed over the top. (Option: add ¼ avocado)

Pumpkin Wedges

1 wedge (approx 1 – 1 ½ cups) of pumpkin.

Leave skin on pumpkin and place in the microwave to cook. Serve either as is or with cracked black pepper, rosemary or low fat cheese. Sweet potato can also be used. I prefer to opt for the farmers markets or organic varieties of these vegetables when I cook this. The small extra cost is well worth the big extra taste!

Sanitarium Vegie Delight Lentil Patties (1 x 75g pattie)

Although Sanitarium recommends cooking these in the oven or frypan, it is much quicker just to microwave one for 2 minutes. Serve with 1 – 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese or a melted Kraft Free Single on top if desired.

100g turkey breast + 200g whole baby beans

Microwave beans from fresh or frozen and serve with ¼ sachet Gravox Lamb and Rosemary Gravy.

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Prunes (4 – 5) served with ½ x 125g packet Hans 97% fat free bacon. Microwave the bacon to cook, wrap bacon around the prunes and eat.

Sometimes I also add a dash of my Mango Sauce (see “50 Recipes to Lose 50 Kgs” for the recipe for this) to make it even more like the original appetizer without any dramatic calorie increase.

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TO HELP YOU LOSE

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MEALS TO LOSE

Nut Bars

Go Natural’s “Nut Delight” and Be Natural’s “Nut Delight” are both good options. Both companies also offer a range of other nut bars, but many aren’t quite as good for you as these “delightful” options so, as always, it is really important to read the labels carefully.

Muesli

½ cup Kellogg’s Komplete Oven-Baked Muesli, served without milk, nibbled on like trail mix.

Granola Clusters

1 packet Sanitarium Granola Clusters – Vanilla and Almond – 1 x 115 g serve. Again, consume without milk and nibbled on like trail mix.

Pears and Peanut Butter

1 pear; sliced and spread with two tablespoons of light peanut butter. Apples also taste nice eaten this way.

Protein Yoghurt

1 small tub (approx 200g) low fat yoghurt (e.g. Nestle Diet, Forme No Fat, Pauls All Natural or Barambah Organics) mixed with ½ serving of protein powder. The protein powder makes the yoghurt much more filling and increases its nutritional content as well.

Protein Milk

1 x Rush Low Fat Iced Vanilla Malt mixed with ½ - 1 serving protein powder.

Pate

Pride of France Mini Toasts – approximately 5 - spread with ½ packet Wattle Valley Traditional Pate (approx 60 grams of pate)

French Connection

St Dalfour Ready to Eat Gourmet to Go Tuna and Pasta (1 x 175 g can) + one small serve of tuna. One packet of fresh spinach also makes a nice addition and helps fill up an empty tummy.

Mega Miso

S&B Instant Tofu Miso Soup – 2 sachets - approx 10 g each + Joyce Silken Firm Tofu – ½ packet - approx 150 grams – cut into cubes.

Mega Mushrooms

Velish Sensations – Creamy Field Mushroom soup – ½ x 550 g packet + Joyce Silken Firm Tofu – ½ packet - approx 150 grams – cut into cubes. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper.

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TO HELP YOU LOSE

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MEALS TO LOSE

Cheesy Soup

Ready-made soups are often not that filling. I regularly add 3 – 4 tablespoons Weight Watcher’s low fat cottage cheese to a bowl of soup in order to make it a really filling, yet nutritious, mini meal. Ready-made soups can

vary significantly in terms of their calorie and fat content. Some of my favourite soups to add cheese to are:

Campbell’s Country Ladle Minestrone – 1 x 290 g tin

Baxters Autumn Vegetable with Mild Spice Soup – ½ x 540 g tin

Heinz Very Special Veg, Beef and Pasta Soup – ½ x 535 g tin

Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup – ½ x 411 g tin

Chicken, Cheese and Spinach

1 x Steggles Chicken Breast Steak (Smokey BBQ flavour) + one packet fresh or frozen spinach + one slice of Kraft Free Cheese. Put the spinach on the bottom, then the cheese, with the chicken on top, thus melting the cheese. I ate chicken, cheese and spinach a lot when I lost weight.

Cheesy, Fishy Veggies

This is one of my most common lunch mini meals and there are many variations:

a. 1 small serving of tuna / salmon +

b. 2 tablespoons Pantalica low fat ricotta / 2 tablespoons low fat cottage cheese / 2 slices Kraft Free Singles +

c. frozen or fresh spinach / frozen peas, carrots and corn / other fresh or frozen vegetables.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon and/or freshly cracked black pepper.

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1 3 snacks - amazon s3 · 2015-10-12 · my top 50 snacks and mini meals contain both sweet and...

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