Healthier Munchies

Our Proverbs 31 Ministries office is crazy with excitement over Made to Crave! The books, DVDs and Participants Guides are flying out of here as fast as the big ol’ trucks can deliver our shipments! And our phone lines are lit up with women asking about the webcast, the Online Bible study and asking if we will be providing some healthy snack options for their small groups.

Well… I took that as a call-to-action from She Cooks and came up with some snack ideas that provide a better option to the typical home-baked treats you might expect at a small group study.

If you are looking for snack ideas for your small group, Bible Study, book club, etc., or if you want some healthier options for game night munchies, print the recipes I put together especially for Made to Crave.

Healthier Snack Options for Your Small Group (downloadable PDF)

Ya’ll… I confess… I’m a snacker! I love to munch. I would probably rather graze on little tidbits of goodness than sit down for a full meal. Seriously… at a Christmas Eve dinner I munched on all the appetizers, that were so temptingly displayed, and ended up full before dinner was even served. Of course, that didn’t stop me from eating dinner. That would have been rude!

In Made to Crave, Lysa shares that one of the scriptures she found most meaningful during her process is:

I have the right to do anything,” you say – but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” – but not everything is constructive. (1 Corinthians 10:23)

Lysa would walk into her pantry and look at all the snacks that filled the shelves and then turn to scripture. Yes, she could have anything in that pantry. Would it actually harm her? Maybe not. But… would it be beneficial?

I love this perspective! Of course I can have one of those yummy brownies that came from a box. But would it be beneficial for me in any way? Let’s get real… sometimes you just want to have that brownie. I say go ahead! But if I ate that processed brownie every day, not only would it not be beneficial for me, but it would actually be detrimental to my health.

The good news is that there are lots of good choices. I can keep munching but I can munch on snacks that provide nutritional benefits. So, in addition to the downloadable recipe pdf that you will find on Made to Crave, here are a few of my favorite munchies that I keep around my house for me:

• Natural almonds with sea salt and some dried cranberries (natural – no sugar added!)
• OK – no brainer but… fruits and vegetables! Raw veggies are crunchy and satisfying. Keep them cut up and ready to grab. And, consider freezing berries and grapes. They make a great cool and refreshing snack on hot summer days!
• Low-sodium deli meats with mustard.
• Roasted Chicken (purchase or roast a chicken; remove skin and bones and shred; keep in a tightly sealed container in refrigerator and grab a few bites when your tummy is growling and you are tempted to grab the bag of cookies).
• Hard boiled egg with sea salt and black pepper
• Lettuce wraps – instead of a sandwich, I roll tuna, chicken, or deli meat with veggies, etc. and a little mustard or natural hummus inside a lettuce leaf. It’s basically just a sandwich without the bread!
• Roasted chickpeas (great recipe HERE – notice variations at the bottom of her post)
• BALT (Bacon, Avocado, Lettuce and Tomato) – wrap cooked turkey bacon, avocado (replaces mayo!) and tomato in a lettuce leaf.
• Salsa – dip any raw veggie (or a few wholegrain crackers) in your favorite salsa (just read the label if you purchase the salsa to make sure it is natural and with no added sugars). Consider different types of salsa: black bean, tropical, corn, etc. for variety.

OK – those are just a few ideas. Everyone is different. My body seems to respond better to more protein and no breads or cereals at all so that’s why my “munchies” contain protein. I get my carbs from fruits and veggies and a few whole grains.

I have found that it really helps me if I have good-for-me snacks prepped and ready. That way, when the munchies strike, I don’t have to stop and prepare something. Or… be tempted by the stuff that I know is not beneficial for me. I do keep tempting treats to a minimum but, I have a teenage boy who has no problem with cinnamon rolls so they appear in our home from time to time

Keep your veggies chopped and in the fridge ready to grab and munch.

Cut up some fresh fruit and keep chilled in the fridge for satisfying your sweet tooth.

Have proteins like chicken and almonds ready to grab to satisfy cravings and tummy growls.

The more prepared you are, the more likely you are to make a good choice… a beneficial choice!

Just writing about these snacks is giving me the munchies! It’s a good thing I have a small handful of almonds and dried cranberries in a small baggie in my desk drawer!

Sweetest Blessings,
LeAnn