Easy portion-controlled snack ideas

By Lisa Spodak (ResultsNotTypical@worldnow.com)
Provided by WorldNow

Week 61 Weigh In:

Change this week:  -4.5 lbs
Change overall:  -83 lbs

I'm much happier with my weigh-in this week!  And now I've got 21 weeks to lose 17 pounds in order to hit my goal of losing 100 pounds by my 40^th birthday.  It certainly seems a lot more doable than it did a week ago! 

One hundred pounds is not my final goal, though at this point I'm not sure what my final goal will be.  It's been so long since I've been less than 100 pounds overweight that it's hard to envision what a realistic final goal weight could be.  I'm trying not to obsess over that, though, and will continue to re-evaluate how I feel as I continue losing so I can close in on a good goal.

This week has been all about new snack ideas for me.  And it's because of one simple purchase.

I'd been exploring buying more single serving versions of foods that I really like and need to control portions of (ie, peanut butter, hummus) but they're so expensive.  Then I came up with the idea of buying little plastic cups with lids to make my own. 

I finally found exactly what I was looking for at a restaurant supply store and I've been going crazy with snack ideas ever since!  I purchased 1-ounce cups - which equal 2 tablespoons and are the perfect serving size for so many things (they also cost less than $10 for 250 cups and lids!).  I put my cup of liquid with whatever I'm going to eat it with in a plastic bag so I have an easy-to-grab snack.

Here's what I've been using them for:

• 2T peanut butter with a sliced apple
• 2T hummus with baby carrots or a sliced Arnold Sandwich Thin
• 2T tzatziki sauce with cucumbers sliced in half-circles
• 12 almonds
• 2T fat-free salad dressing with carrot chips
• 2T black bean dip or guacamole with 6 tortilla chips
• 1T (I eyeball half the container) olive oil with a sliced Arnold Sandwich Thin
• 2T reduced fat cheese to add to a salad or soup
• 2T goji berries or dried blueberries
• For a splurge (that's still controlled)! 2T Nutella and 2 pretzel rods

What would you serve up in a 1 ounce/2 T cup??  Tell me at resultsnottypical@worldnow.com