Fruit and Veggie Snacks

Hello Wednesday!  True story - when I was a kid I wanted to play Wednesday in the Addams Family movies.  When they cast Christina Ricci and didn't bang on my door in Virginia and select me I was sad.

But that story won't 1. Interest you or 2. Help you make better snack choices. We should move onto the post.

Jen is hosting What I Ate Wednesday with a focus on sensible snacks this month.

Last week I talked about my favorite "keep me full" snacks.  This week I wanted to tackle the category of fruit and veggie snacks.

It's easy for snacks to get pretty carb heavy and leave behind the nutrient packed wonders of F & V (fruits and vegetables...stay with me) Vegetables are particularly prone to being overlooked in the snack business. They shouldn't be! They have filling fibers and cancer fighting phytochemicals.

Everyday I have 2 F&V only snacks.  I have a small low sodium v8 around 10:30 and an apple on an empty stomach around 2pm.  Together these snacks only add up to about 100 calories, but they keep me full until I can get to a more formal meal. I also find that the "empty stomach" apple aids overall digestion...if ya know what I mean.

Other F&V snacks I'll grab include frozen grapes, berries, baby carrots, or celery sticks with peanut butter.  I do, however have a confession.  I am guilty of buying the super-NOT-environmentally friendly snack sized packaged carrots and celery. I know this is bad, but if they are not pre-packaged I am MUCH less likely to eat them.  And then what good are they? Doesn't mother nature want me to be healthy?

Here's a list of my favorite Frugetable (fruit + vegetable) snacks:

• Banana
• Red apple (don't like green)
• Low sodium v8
• Kiwi
• Frozen grapes
• Watermelon
• Cara Cara orange
• Baby carrots
• Celery sticks with PB, hummus, or laughing cow cheese
• any berries

That's about it.  There are many, many, many more choices you could make, but those seem to be the ones that end up around here the most.  We obviously eat more F&V in a typical day, but there are just the snacks.

Another word on preparation - it is easy and wonderful to pre-cut your fruits and veggies and put them in the fridge where you can see them.  However when you pre-cut produce, especially those high in vitamins A,C,E, the cut surface allows the plant to oxidize and many of those important nutrients are lost.  I know....how annoying! Thanks a lot plants!  I make a conscious effort to not cut my berries, apples, pears, peppers, or tomatoes until right before serving.

I'm all for finding more ways to increase my "frugetable" intake.  What are your best fruit and veggie snack tips?

Last night was Taco Tuesday.  Tacos are easy to make, but they are so good. Am I right?  We had lean turkey hard shell tacos with fat-free refried beans and cilantro from my garden.

Today I'm starting my morning with a 3 mile run letting my body rest from 4 days of killer workouts and then a trip to Tampa for work.

What's your healthiest daily snack?

Love and un-cut fruit,
Carissa & Kyle