Snappy Snacks

Whoever told you to avoid snacking was way off target.
Post this list on the back of a kitchen cupboard door and go for good snacks. When you try a new idea, check it off; then add your own inventions to the list.

• Fresh pear with "light" cream cheese
• Half hard-cooked egg with bran crackers; low-sodium tomato juice with no-salt seasoning or a dash of hot pepper sauce
• Frozen yogurt: stir 1 cup plain, low-fat yogurt into a cup of commercial fruit yogurt and freeze
• Toasted, unsalted soybeans
• Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon and nuts or a spoonful of granola
• Whole wheat blueberry muffin with a cup of skim milk
• Tart or sweet lemonade: juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 cup sparkling water; 1 teaspoon honey or to taste
• Carob cocoa: heat 1 cup low-fat milk, 1 to 1/2 tablespoons carob powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, pinch of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon honey or to taste
• Plain yogurt mixed with a spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate, topped with fresh orange slices
• Blender gazpacho: 1 cup tomato juice, 1/2 stalk celery, 1/2 green onion, 1/4 to 1/2 cucumber, 1 to 2 teaspoons lime juice, sprinkle of garlic, few drops of hot pepper sauce
• Fresh peach with low-fat cottage cheese and graham cracker
• Trail mix: salt-free sunflower or pumpkin seeds, almonds, raisins, dried apricots
• Main-dish leftovers or soup with a salad and a cup of low-fat milk
• Fruit juice soda: mix equal parts cranberry-apple juice, orange juice, or another fruit juice with plain carbonated water (Nature's answer to soft drinks)
• Fresh apple with part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Club soda with grapefruit juice; a handful of granola
• Tomato-buttermilk cocktail: combine 1/2 cup tomato juice, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and a dash of no-salt herb seasoning
• Summer punch: 1 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup pineapple juice (unsweetened), 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1 cup plain carbonated water, ice cubes
• Hot chicken stock or broth, fat-free; whole wheat low-salt pretzels
• Plain low-fat yogurt with a handful of fresh blueberries; raisin-oat bran muffin
• Whole grain rye crackers with part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Apple tea: combine equal parts apple juice and herbal tea, such as peppermint; serve iced with lemon
• Frozen grapes, frozen banana slices (dipped in lemon juice before freezing)
• Raw veggies--carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber chips, cherry tomatoes-- and powdered dip mix prepared with plain low-fat yogurt and blended cottage cheese in place of sour cream
• Popcorn Parmesan: sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese over air-popped popcorn
• Peanut butter spread thin over brown rice cakes, topped with raisins
• Potato crisps: slice raw or lightly steamed new potatoes into 1/4-inch rounds; bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (or until crisp and golden), turning once