Mia Lane
After work, a good film on TV and something to nibble or snack on. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Potato chips, chocolate, or biscuits are delicious and really round off a cozy movie night. Unfortunately, it often doesn’t stop with a biscuit or a handful of chips.
You don’t have to do without snacks
As grandma used to say: “One second on the tongue, a lifetime on the hips!” But that doesn’t mean that you have to give up the evening snack. But it shouldn’t necessarily be peanut chips, crackers, or fried potato chips. We have delicious alternatives for you, healthy snacks for a quiet end to the day, or a party buffet.
Here come the classic methods of low-calorie munching. We didn’t reinvent these healthy snacks, but we’d like to remind you of these easy alternatives to potato chips.
Vegetable sticks with dip
THE classic when it comes to healthy snacking is the raw food platter with dip. Cucumbers, carrots, or peppers cut into strips go together on a plate, a bowl, or in tall glasses. For a small bite in between, you can use cherry tomatoes or radishes. Everything goes with a light, delicious dip.
Ideally, you should make the dips for your raw food platter yourself, because many ready-made dips contain sugar and oils as flavor enhancers. When mixing your dip, use plain, low-fat yogurt, which has no added sugar. If you are not a fan of creamy dips, conjure up delicious dips from tomato passata with spices and herbs. Quick to make and very healthy: homemade guacamole, a hearty dip made from the avocado with garlic.
Nuts – but right
Although nuts have a lot of calories, they are very healthy due to their high content of unsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, you should nibble on a handful of nuts rather than chips in the evening. But be careful: Don’t reach for the can of roasted peanuts now. These contain added fats and often even flavor-enhancing sugars.
It is better to buy untreated nuts and roast them in a pan without oil. Almonds in particular create a wonderful feeling of satiety. Of course, you should eat these peeled but best with brown skin, because they contain a lot of fiber. Clinical studies in the USA are said to have proven that pistachios, despite numerous calories, help with weight loss. Despite everything, you should be careful with nuts and don’t snack on more than a handful.
Dinner to nibble on
Instead of nibbling, simply lengthen your evening meal a little. Postpone a slice of (black) bread until later and enjoy small sandwiches in front of the TV or on a game night. For a real nibble feeling, toast black bread or pumpernickel in a coated pan, in the oven, or in the toaster. Another good idea: reach for crispbread.
As a spread, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the classic cottage cheese. 1 tablespoon of sugar-free peanut butter, the healthy alternative to peanut butter, provides important energy and makes you feel full.
That pops: popcorn is healthy
Popcorn is spontaneously associated with the cinema and the pleasure of snacking while watching a film. In itself, the popped corn kernels are not heavy calorie bombs. The calories only come with the addition of oils, butter, or sugar. 100 grams of popcorn corn can be easily prepared in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. If the constant shaking of the pan is too time-consuming and you also want to save fat, you can get a popcorn machine. These work with hot air and allow the small grains to pop up safely without the addition of oil.
Simple iodized salt is suitable for salty popcorn, but seasoning with sea salt spray works even better. Don’t use too much, though, or the popcorn won’t crisp as much. If you like to experiment and like new flavors, you can mix the popcorn with salt and dried herbs. Curry powder and other spices can also be used to spice up this healthy snack. It is best to fill the still warm popcorn together with the other ingredients in a cling bag immediately after preparation and shake it well closed.
For a healthy snack: chickpeas
Love roasted peanuts? A can of the small nuts is in your stomach faster than the crime scene inspector can solve his case. We have something for you: chickpeas! No joke, the small, round legumes are as good as fat-free and provide important protein and iron – especially important for vegetarians and vegans. Roasted chickpeas aren’t just a healthy snack, they’re super easy to make at home:
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons oil
- a bit of salt
- 1 teaspoon each of paprika and chili powder
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (top/bottom heat). Rinse the chickpeas and drain well. Mix the chickpeas with the other ingredients in a bowl. Spread the chickpeas on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast for about 35 minutes.
By the way: Roasted chickpeas keep well in a closed container and can be made in advance.
