Happy Snacks

Snacking has gotten a bad rep over the years, but I'm here to tell you that it's the best thing (almost) you can do for your metabolism. So grab one of these yummy snacks and stave off those hunger pangs!

1. South Beach Peanut Butter Cereal Bars - Have a little protein with your cereal!

2. Cottage Cheese - Single-serving packs are great paired with fruit, but add your own instead of buying the packages with fruit already added. They tend to add fake fruit to theirs--Yuck.

3. Nuts - A handful of mixed nuts is great way to get a little more protein into your diet. I love the cinnamon almonds by Blue Diamond!

4. Dried Fruit - Try the ones with no added sugar. I admit to you, though, that the bananas with no added sugar are downright nasty. Walmart has Wall-E raisins and Hannah Montana dried fruit in a raisin box.

5. Peanut Butter - Add a little peanut butter to whole wheat crackers or apple slices to give you some extra protein and fiber.

6. Cheese - Reduced-fat string cheese is awesome! And I was thrilled to find that Walmart is carrying Hannah Montana low-fat string cheese because we all know that kids will eat just about anything with a Disney character on it!

7. Eggs - Hard boil some eggs and keep them in your fridge for a quick snack. Limit yourself to only two yolks per week, though, to keep your heart healthy.

8. Turkey Jerky - One word--YUM. But it is high in sodium, so you'll have to nix this one if you're on a low-sodium diet.

9. The Obvious Choice - Fresh fruits and veggies! Grapes, carrots, celery, broccoli. Keep veggies cut up in the fridge so they're easy to grab and go.

Happy snacking!