I crave crunchy stuff, both sweet and salty, I am always looking for ideas.
HERE IS ONE: Raw broccoli dipped in non-fat, sugar free yogurt spiced with herbs, salt etc.  I use ready made powder spices found in the spice section, specially made for dips. I make sure they don´t contain Trans Fats, monosodium glutamate or high fructose syrup.
Do you have any other ideas of the sort you can share with me? I want more crunchy stuff.

The dip idea sounds very good.  I’ve done something similar with non fat sugar free yogurt, a small amount of light mayo - make sure it’s 0 trans fat, and curry powder.  It’s great with sugar snap peas, baby carrots, and celery.

Hiya Miguel,

There is a great company that makes mail-order deliveries, and even has a website now.  If you google LEONARD MOUNTAIN (out of Leonard, OK), you can check it out.

I load up on their mixes at craft shows, as they are made with REAL ingredients.  Here’s a snippet from one of their boxes:

“Those of you who know us, know of the commitment Leonard Mountain has for bringing you food that is fun to make, healthy and tasty.  We are concerned about creating herart healthy food that can be prepared low fat, yet has “high” taste.  We blend our products so that all you need to add is one ingredient, but also give you the option of adding other ingredients… to customize your menu.”

They make some really tasty soups - just add water, and it’s ready in 20 minutes.  My kind of “fast -n- healthy food”.  My absolute favorite is the dips that they make… which sounds like the dips that you are making.  You add the seasonings to no-fat sour cream or yogart, and they are fantastic! 

Anyway, check them out if you like.  I like variety, and this is one of the things that makes a good addition to my weekly menus.

Cheers,
~ Josette ~

Have you tried soy nuts? There dry roasted soy beans, incredibly hi in protien and very crunchy,Kadami-lebanese roasted chick peas,you make your own sesoning, homade brown paper bag microwave popcorn(oil is an option).

Whats the recipe for homemade brown paper bag microwave popcorn?

Soy nuts?  never tried them.  I will go and look for them today.  It sounds definitelly crunchy.  Thanks for that tip.
Hey, there could be a section in this forum named WHAT YOU CRAVE, and we all post healthy alternatives to that particular craving.

Thanks for the popcorn tip also, but, I will stay away from that, pop corn means to me POPCORN, SALT, BUTTER, COKE and watching a movie so I don´t even know how much I am eating, It´s like a chain reaction.  Soy nuts and water sounds just right for me.

Miguel, popcorn is not so bad,it’s the stuff you put on it thats bad. The soy nuts I buy come in couple of flavors, I like the barbaque flavor myself. Nit sure if they put MSG in the barbaque flavor.
Tom, here is a recipe I found, you don’t have to use the oil or the staples, but if you dont use the staples fold the bag with a heavy crease and place the fold down so the weight of the bag holds it closed.

Plain Brown Popper
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show:  Good Eats
Episode:  Ear Apparent
1/4 cup good quality popcorn
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or popcorn salt
Sprinkle jalapeno seasoning mix
Paper lunch bag
Stapler

Toss the popcorn with the olive oil, salt, and jalapeno seasoning mix in the paper bag. Fold the top of the bag over and staple the bag twice to close. Place the bag in the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes to 3 minutes, or until there are about 5 seconds between pops.
NOTE: Popcorn salt is a super-fine salt that is designed especially for sticking to food such as popcorn. It has the taste of regular table salt, but its granules are much finer.

Wouldn’t staples arc in the microwave?

I havent tried it with the staples, I do it without oil and just fold the bag. Heard about a good trick for getting the kernels to pop, put them in the freezer for a little while.

Crunchy? I love fruit salad made of fresh fruits mixed with a drop of orange or apple juice. I mix one apple, one orange, one pear and whatever I can find in my fridge. It’s very tasty, a bit sweet, very healthy and very crunchy! If I had a very light meal, I put roasted unsalted nuts over it just before I eat it.

Also, I love roasted unsalted nuts of all kinds. I also enjoy nut and fruits mixes. I usually try to find dried fruits with as little as possible of added sugar.

Finally, rice cakes with a bit of peanut butter can do the job. Again, it’s low in calorie and high in benefits for your health.

Yummy and crunchy enough for me!