It’s 11 a.m. and you are so hungry but lunch isn’t for another 90 minutes, or worse, 2 hours. What do you eat?

It’s 3 p.m. and you are really dragging but you still have miles to go before you are done for the day and able to head home for dinner. What do you eat?

It’s 7 p.m. and you had dinner, but suddenly you are hungry.  What do you eat?

I’m so glad you asked!

So many of us are on the go from the time we get up in the morning until we finally return home at the end of the day. Whether we are at work, or school, or running kids around from activity to activity, the best option is to plan ahead (like I always advise my patients about meals) and bring along some snacks. Even if you are at home, it can hard to choose foods to fill in the gap between meals.  So to make it easy, I’m introducing you to some of my favorite snacks.

Homemade Kale Chips

Store bought kale chips can be one of those items that has stuff in it that you wouldn’t necessarily want. So after much experimenting in my lab- my kitchen-  I’ve come up with a way to make kale chips at home. And they are so much better than store bought kale chips.  I use organic lacinato kale.

Wash it really well and then let it dry completely. If I know I am going to be making these chips ahead of time, I just let it air dry for the day after washing it. If I’m in a hurry and want to make them right away, then I use a blow dryer to completely remove any moisture from the leaves. These will not become “chips” if there is any water on the kale when you add the oil, so remember, dry kale is the key. Once my kale is dry, I separate the leaves from the stem. This could be time consuming, but I’ve mastered the art of quickly separating the leaves from the stem by making two small slits at the bottom and running my two fingers down the stem on either side. Cut your kale leaves to the chip size that is ideal for you. (I like my kale chips medium sized.) Melt some coconut oil and add whatever spices you desire. It could coconut aminos and cayenne. It could be salt and herbs de provence. It really depends on your taste. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the kale chips to the spiced coconut oil mixture and make sure they are well coated. Place the kale chips in a single layer on the parchment paper. I bake these in a preheated 300 degree oven for 20-30 minutes to achieve that crispy, crunchy texture that I love about kale chips. I store them in a paper bag sealed tight if there are any leftovers.

Brown Bag Popcorn with Coconut Oil

We all love popcorn. Love it! Love the crunch! Love the salty, buttery flavor! What I don’t love is all the terrible ingredients in microwave popcorn. Have you ever flipped one of those bags over and read the ingredients? Half of them don’t even sound like food.  Instead, you should try my brown bag microwave popcorn with coconut oil. It’s delicious. Okay, here’s the key. You have to stand at the microwave and listen to your popcorn. Otherwise a) you will burn the popcorn and the bag or b) it won’t all get popped and you’ll have a bunch of seeds. First I melt the coconut oil, or grassfed butter, or a blend of both. I put my salt and spices in the melted fat and put it to the side.  Next, take your brown bag and fill the bottom with one layer of popcorn kernels. The amount of popcorn you put in the bag, depends on the bag size. So again, we just want a single layer of kernels. Don’t add anything else to the bag. Fold it over a few times so that it is sealed tight. Put it in the microwave and turn it on for five minutes. IT WILL NOT TAKE FIVE MINUTES. Now, I want you to listen as the popcorn is popping. When it gets to the point where it is 2-3 seconds between pops, pull that bag out. Open it up, pour the spiced, melted coconut oil or 100% grass fed butter into the bag. Shake it up really good, and enjoy! I swear this is the best popcorn you’ll have ever had.

Hummus and Vegetables

This is super easy. I make my own hummus, but you can use store bought as long as all the ingredients are real and it is organic (no citric acid, we are looking for lemon juice.) I love hummus with carrots and celery. It’s so fast and easy. If you love raw veggies, try green beans, tomatoes and peppers, zucchini and cucumber sticks- the list can go on and on.

Fresh Fruit

Seriously, it doesn’t get any easier than this. We all have our favorite fruits.   My favorite fruits include bing cherries, grapes, and bananas.

Hummus with Almond or Rice/Seed Crackers

This is also super easy. If you can find a real ingredient hummus (remember, organic with no citric acid, we are looking for lemon juice) try adding one of these two crackers to your snack. I’m including the pictures because it helps when you are looking for them in the grocery.

Guys, these are my favorite snacks! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Do you have a favorite snack? Tweet me @drrenae.

-Dr. Norton

#GetSunEatCleanBeWell

Dr. J. Renae Norton is a clinical psychologist, specializing in the outpatient treatment of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder (BED), as well as obesity.

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Medical Advice Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information on this website does not create a physician-patient relationship. This information is not necessarily the position of Dr. J. Renae Norton or The Norton Center for Eating Disorders and Obesity.

©2017 Dr. J. Renae Norton. This information is intellectual property of Dr. J. Renae Norton. Reproduction and distribution for educational purposes is permissible. Please credit ‘© 2017, Dr. J. Renae Norton. http://www.eatingdisorderpro.com/