SCARY

HYDROGENATED OIL (AND ADDED SUGAR)

Although most companies are trying to adhere to a trans-fat-free way of existence, you still need to peek at the nutrition label to figure out if bags contain the toxic ingredient that can extend shelf life, but also raise your LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower your HDL (the good guy). As a general rule, to cut back on calories, fat and sugar, the smaller the size the better. Stick with “snack size” and “fun size” options:

Mini Dots, 70 calories, 1 box

York Peppermint Patty Pumpkin, small size 50 calories each

Raisinettes, fun size: 56 calories each

Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzels Snaps 100 Calorie Packs

FUN

ALLERGY FREE

Most schools are “no peanut” zones these days, so it’s a good idea to consider this when buying for your visitors. Peanut Free Planet’s candy bars, trail mixes and chocolates are all peanut free and holiday appropriate with their spider, mummy and bug shapes.

SCARY

NATURAL, BUT…

We like trail mix. It has that sweet and salty thing going on and is actually filled with some healthful nutrients in its nuts and dried fruits. However, the portion sizes on these babies deserve a close paying attention to. A cup could of trail mix could add up to 700 calories and 44 grams of fat with added sugar and sodium depending on the specific content. Aim for the individual 1 oz. size bags with 150 calories or less. For the stay at home crowd, make it yourself.

Our favorite mix: Combine a pound of raisins (or craisins), unsweetened pineapple rings, raw sunflower seeds, raw almonds or walnuts and toss together. One handful clocks in at 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 12 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fiber with some protein, calcium and iron.

FUN

ECO-FRIENDLY

Because you don’t want to be the neighbor that gives out fruit, dole out individual packs of Surf Sweets.-eco-friendly, gluten and allergy free candies (made from organic and natural ingredients) instead. These chews are loaded with 100 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C and are only 120-130 calories, have 22 grams of sugar (yes, this is high so share it or save 1/2 for tomorrow!), zero fat and cholesterol.

SCARY

IGNORING YOUR CRAVING

If you’re craving a chunky chocolate chip cookie and are eating plain almonds instead, your taste buds won’t be tricked. They’ll just stomp their little glands until they get what they want. Rather than trying to eat the “healthier” option (and eventually doubling up on calories), decide which lip-smacking snack you want to have and dig in…a little. Just try to keep it to one serving (below 150 calories).

FUN

ENGLISH MUMMIES

Courtesy of Disney FamilyFun Magazine

Spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of an English muffin. Set olive slices in place for eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils. Lay strips of cheese (pull-apart is easiest) across the muffin for the mummy’s wrappings. Bake at 350° until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty, about 10 minutes.

PICKING UP 100 CALORIE SLACK

We used to giddily skip along with our pre-portioned Twinkies and Reeses and their cute, colorful, kid-lunch-like plastic exteriors. That was, until FoodNavigator.com shook us out of our sugar-induced stupor:

“Consumers are looking for value over convenience in the current economic situation; 100-calorie packs were a diet fad that has been shown not to work; and they use an unsustainably large amount of packaging.”

Oh.

So we got to thinking. How can we most efficiently snack at 3PM without sabotaging our diet, the environment and our budget?

IN THE KITCH: We hit the bottom of the bag waaay too soon when it came to those pre-portioned bites. So we’re preparing a balance of protein, fat and carbs coming in at 100 to 180 calories.

Toast a 1/2 Sabra pita, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 1 slice low fat American cheese, add fresh ground pepper & sprinkle oregano, to taste 140 cals

• 1 tbs Peanut Butter & Co.’s Cinnamon and Raisin Swirl, 80 cal whole wheat bread 165 cals
  

• Boil or bake or stir fry 1⁄2 (40 gms) Plaintain Banana 150 cals

• 3 tbs. Friendship Farmer Cheese, 4 Trader Joes Reduced Guilt Wheat Wafers 155 cals

• 1 pack regular oatmeal, 1⁄2 cup sliced strawberries, cinnamon 140 cals

• 8 oz. Kettle Cuisine Chicken Vegetable Soup with Rice 100 cals
  

• 5 tbs. Argo Tzatziki Yogurt sauce, 1 cup raw veggies 150 cals
  

ON THE GO: Because sometimes we don’t see our refrigerators for days.

• Figamajig Bar 130-150 cals
• KIND Bar Fruit and Nut Delight 170 cals
• Vitalicious Muffin Top 100 cals
• 

Fullbar Bites 150 cals

Go-Mango-Man Peeled Snacks: 150 cals

Kooloos Oven Roasted Soynuts and Flax Seed Honey BBQ 130 cals

We may not scream for them, but chips are indispensable in our summer snacking. Still, scanning rows of sustainable, low fat, low sodium and fair trade options fills us with more anxiety than the seductive Cheetos guy does. The organic aisle has us questioning (are they for real veggies?) and shaking (are there more than ten chips in the bag?). So we went ahead and tested some of the healthful looking items to determine which are good for us and which are just dressed in colorful costume. At least they all agreed to be trans fat and cholesterol free.

Cals 105 (30 gm). Sodium 120 mg. Fiber 3 gm.

Crispy Delites: Carrot Chips Baked and jam-packed with a pound of vegetables, 390 mg of potassium, (helps all cells) and lots of Vitamins A and C, this snack has your green needs in mind. No. You’re not seeing things, they’re helping you see better.

Not much of a rabbit? Try cucumber, celery, red onion or Fuji apple.

Extend Crisps: White Cheddar Soy Crisps

Cals 130 (32 gm). Sodium 160 mg. Fiber 3 gm.

This light, airy low glycemic index snack gets its mild cheese taste from a combo of dehydrated cheese and whey. That, together with the uncooked corn starch (read: a slow burning carb that controls blood sugar release) keeps us fuller, longer, preventing us from tearing through another bag.

Cals 140 (28 gm). Sodium 140 mg. Fiber 3 gm.

Garden of Eatin: Multigrain Tortilla Chips with Everything Actually packed with Multi (seven of them) Grains (organic corn, cracked wheat, steel cut oats and flax seeds to name a few), this speckled snack is baked in sunflower and safflower oils (high in monosaturates, like olive oil) and combined with savory additions of poppy seeds, onion, and garlic to really give you everything.

Cals 140 (28 gm). Sodium 80 mg. Fiber 3 gm.

Food Should Taste Good: Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

Although sweet potato isn’t the first on the nutrition label’s list (its stoneground corn), we get all the benefits of the soft orange vegetable’s Vitamin A (20%). With just the right balance of sweet and salty flavor and conveniently sized for dipping, this chip goes well with mango salsa and bean dip. Though something that tastes this good doesn’t need much added kick.