Beat Snack Attacks with a Handful of Almonds

The clockbrstrikes 11 a.m. and the breakfast you had a few hours earlier isn’t keepingbryour stomach from growling, yet it’s too early for lunch. A snack, perhaps?brGreat idea, but it’s the unplanned mid-morning and mid-afternoon meals that oftenbrsteer people off the healthy track and smack into a bag of caloric trouble.

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CynthiabrSass, registered dietitian and author of New York Times bestselling book “Cinch!brConquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches,” is an advocate of snacking your way to a pair of skinny jeans. Allbrit takes is a little smarts when it comes to choosing snacks and for Sass, herbrfavorite is a handful of almonds.

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“Ibrencourage snacking. It helps one stay slim and healthy,” Sass says. “The rightbrsnack keeps metabolism revved up and energy levels high while preventingbrmid-morning and mid-afternoon snacking. This is why I always encourage abrhandful of almonds as the ideal snack to turn to when you have the snackingbrurge.”

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If there is time to prepare a more complexbrsnack, Sass recommends the following easy ideas to satisfy mid-morning orbrafternoon hunger:

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• Layer a parfait in a special clear glass dish. Choosebr vibrant colors and textures, like crisp sliced almonds. Arrange even simplebr snacks in artful ways, and garnish with fresh mint or edible flowers.

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• Make a few squares of 70 percent cocoa or darker yourbr second snack of the day, or whip up my signature dark chocolate truffles,br made with almond butter.

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• Slather twobr tablespoons of almond butter on a slice of whole grain toast topped with abr sliced peach and a dash of cinnamon.

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• Combine frozen,br pitted, unsweetened cherries, a small scoop of rolled oats, almond milk,br almond butter and a pinch of cardamom.

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When Sassbris on-the-go, she fills her Almond Board of California tin with whole naturalbralmonds and tucks it in her purse for a tasty and portable snacking fix.

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“It’s thebrperfect snack of 23 almonds,” says Sass. “It can help avoid energy crashes andbrgets me through the work day without indulging in not-so-good foods.”

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To learn more about Sass’s book and getbradditional delicious snacking tips and ideas, go to www.almondboard.com/Consumer/Pages/CynthiaSass.aspx.

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Tropical Granola Parfait

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Createdbrby: Almond Board of California
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Servingbrsize: 1

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1          (6-ounce) container low-fat orbrfat-free flavored yogurt
br1/2       cup sliced fruit
br1/3       cup Tropical Granola (recipe below)
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TropicalbrGranola:

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1/4       cup vegetable oil
br2          tablespoons brown sugar
br1/2       teaspoon vanilla extract
br2          cups old-fashioned oats
br1          cup sliced almonds
br1/2       cup flaked coconut
br2          teaspoons wheat germ (optional)
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Layerbryogurt, fruit and granola in a juice glass. Try a combination of:
brPineapple yogurt with sliced mango or kiwi,
brLemon or peach yogurt with berries, or
brVanilla yogurt with sliced bananas
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brTropical Granola:
brPreheat oven to 300°F. Combine oil, brown sugar and vanilla in a mediumbrbowl, mixing until smooth. Stir in oats. Transfer mixture to a bakingbrdish and bake 15 minutes. Stir in almonds, coconut and wheat germ ifbrdesired, and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until almonds and coconut are goldenbrand fragrant. Cool and serve, or store airtight up to 1 week.

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Nutritional analysis per serving.

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Caloriesbr316; Fat 13g; Sat Fat 2.4g; Mono Fat 6.7g; Poly Fat 3.2g; Protein 15g; Carbbr36g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 3 mg; Sodium 134mg; Calcium 388 mg; Magnesium 121mg;brPotassium 317mg; Vitamin E 3.8 mg*
br*Total alpha-tocopherol equivalents