10 Satisfying, Yummy, Guilt Free Snacks 100 Calories or less! WOW

**This blog contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

It’s obviously no secret that I am a huge fan of Noom. I can’t help it. It just makes sense. Depriving yourself completely of certain types of food just doesn’t make sense and isn’t sustainable long term. That’s why people are so successful with Noom. If you are heading to a birthday party and want a little cake…just fit it into your day! You literally can have your cake and eat it too! However, by reducing your calories and learning to in a way that is “caloric density friendly”, you are automatically going to make healthier choices and reduce the amount of things that aren’t great for you without really even having to think about it!

Snacks can be tricky though. When you have a craving or just need something to munch on, it’s important to have good choices on hand that satisfy and are quick and easy.

Here are my top 10 (+1) low calorie snacks that I keep on hand all the time.  They aren’t shockingly new or original, but they are easy, low-cal, realistic snacks that you can always count on.

#10)
2020-02-20_0005.jpg
Dill Pickle Spears. If you are Nooming you have probably found that there aren’t very many crunchy, salty snacks that aren’t in the Red category. Remember, red isn’t bad…it’s just not going to fill you up and if you are like me you like to save those red calories up for something special. Dill Pickle Spears are only 5 calories, have a nice crunch and satisfy salty cravings. I keep them on hand to use as a side for lunch instead of chips or for a mid-day snack!

#9)
2020-02-20_0007.jpg Green Grapes. Quick, easy, sweet, crisp and low cal. These are nature’s perfect grab and go sweet treat. I munch on them when I get a late-night craving for something sweet and want to do a little guilt free mindless munching or as a side for lunch. Try freezing them for a fun treat!  I also like to use my food scale and measure out 100 calorie baggies of them in the fridge. You CAN Noom without making logging a burden! I also keep a variety of berries in the fridge and and bananas and apples on the counter. Fruit is such a great snack or addition to any meal and I have found the the more accessible I keep healthy snacks, the more we make good choices!

#8)
2020-02-20_0008.jpg Hummus. I love hummus. It’s perfect to spread on a wrap, or as a side with some pita chips or for a lower calorie treat a bell pepper or other veggies. Do your research on brands though. One of the top brands which I frequently used in the past is very high in Sodium, Fat, And Preservatives. It also logs as red I believe (which again…is ok but there are yellow brands out there).

#7)
2020-02-20_0009.jpg So speaking of hummus…have you tried dessert hummus yet? I know, I know…it definitely sounds weird. But they are soooo yummy! This Brownie Batter is one of our favorites and goes great with fruit!

#6)

I love Better Oats Oatmeal. It’s not only a quick, easy, low-cal breakfast but it makes a great comfort snack on a cold day! I see a lot of Noomers Swearing by Steel Cut Oats but at only 100 calories, and less than 1g of sugar…not to mention the added flax seed and the convenience, these are my pick!

#5)
2020-02-20_0002.jpg Salsa. It’s Green! Before you go racing off to your favorite Mexican restaurant to dig in to the neverending chips and salsa, be clear that I am only speaking of the salsa…not the chips. Not to worry though. Slice up some bell peppers and dip away or spread some on the pepper slices and top with a little cheddar cheese for some low cal nachos!

#4)
Applesauce. These pouches will make you feel like (and maybe look like) a kid again. I keep these no sugar added pouches on hand for a quick and easy snack for all of us or to throw into lunches! We love the cherry flavor!

#3)
Sometimes you just need some cookies. These little 100 calorie packs of cookie crisps are a good choice. Eat the whole bag without calorie guilt and they aren’t loaded with sugar. I get these at Aldi.

#2)
A frozen dessert treat that is GREEN?!?! This frozen yogurt with no sugar added is pretty tasty and pretty guilt free! If you want to make it a little more exciting try adding some sliced bananas, Peanut Butter Powder and maybe a little brownie batter hummus!

#1)


The Official dessert of all Noomers. These things are so yummy that my whole family has fallen in love with them and we would choose to eat them even if we weren’t eating healthy. There are some really great flavors however I have found that most places only carry a couple and often have the same ones all the time so shop around and see what you can find at places you don’t normally grocery shop. They are a little pricey and you only get 4 in a box but they are so worth it.

Bonus snack.
I didn’t include this in my top 10 because it isn’t really a snack that is going to satisfy your hunger or fill you up and isn’t exactly “healthy”, but sometimes you just need chocolate. Real chocolate. I keep a bag of these dark chocolate Ghiradelli squares on hand for those times when I’m not hungry, I just want a little chocolate. At only 50 calories, they don’t blow the calorie budget and make mama happy.

These snacks are great for ANYONE trying to eat healthier, lose weight or be more fit but are all very Noom friendly as well.  If you have a few extra (or even a lot of extra) pounds you wouldn’t miss and haven’t given Noom a try yet, you can click on my affiliate link at the top of the home page for the two week trial!

Click here for a free two week trial of NOOM!

https://noom.8utb.net/c/2074186/534394/8591

So you’re a New Noomer! Best Tips Ever:

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

You guys have no idea how excited I am! I started this blog because I absolutely love sharing anything and everything that makes life easier or better and lately I have thrown myself into both seeking those things and sharing them. When it came to my success story with Noom and weight loss though, I was a little hesitant. It’s hard to share personal things. But then I thought of the people who inspire ME the most and their stories and the little bits of their lives that they share that are the very things that inspire me the most and realized I had a responsibility to use this platform to share something that changed my life so drastically. So I shared and since then I have had so many friends reach out and say they were thinking of starting Noom or already had! I am almost in tears because I know this works and I know this is going to change your lives as well! In all of my excitement for everyone just getting started, I got to thinking of all of the things I wish I had known when starting out with Noom. So here are some of my best tips to help you be successful!  If you haven’t started Nooming yet, you can find a link to the two week free trial at the end of this post or at the top of my home page (Click on “This Changed My Life”)!

1) Drink water. Lots of water. All day. Water will not only help you feel more full (because decreasing calories is tough at first) but will also help prevent bloating, water retention AND it will help you get your steps in because you will be walking back and forth to the bathroom all day. 😉 Which brings me to #2.

2) Get your steps in. I started when the weather was nice out so I just added extra dog walks, long walks with the kids in the evenings and then longer, faster walks alone and eventually started jogging. Now I go to the gym and do a fast 5k on the treadmill, ab workout and weights but just getting some kind of activity in is the most important thing. Plus getting in extra activity earns you extra calories for the day which is great motivation!

3) Weigh in EVERY day…but don’t put that much importance on any single day’s weight. It’s all about the big picture. Your weight is sometimes gonna go up even though you did everything right the day before. You will have plateaus where you stay the same weight for days of even a couple of weeks for some. You will still be making progress! Inches will be coming off even when pounds aren’t and pounds will come off when inches aren’t. Weight will be affected by sodium intake, water retention, hormones and all kinds of other things. Just keep Nooming! Here is a little clip of my weight chart.

2020-02-11_0005.jpg There are ups and downs and plateaus. But when you squish it all together and look at the whole picture:
2020-02-11_0004.jpg
You see the overall trend was downward even with all the little bumps in the road!

4) Do your best to stay in your color limits but more importantly stay in your total calorie limit. If you go way over on yellows but way under on reds…great! That just means you are going to feel fuller on less calories. As long as you stay under your total daily limit you will lose weight. And remember, Red foods aren’t bad. They just aren’t going to fill you up as much.

5) Log EVERYTHING. No cheats. Even the teaspoon of butter you put on your toast (which I recommend using Sara Lee 40 calorie bread or Daves Killer Breads for). You will start learning how many calories are actually in things and how quickly they add up so you gotta log ’em all!

5) There are a lot of errors in the Noom food log database. Items are entered by users and people make mistakes, companies change labels and nutritional information, etc. There are several items in the wrong color groups or with wrong calorie info. It’s ok. I promise. Check the packaging rather than 100% trusting Noom and manually enter your calories, buy a cheap food scale ( I got this one from Amazon)
2020-02-11_0001.jpg and weigh your fruits, veggies, meats, etc. And don’t stress that much about the colors. Following the colors the best you can will make this easier on you but at the end of the day calories are calories and they don’t know what color Noom decided they were.

6) Caloric density. This is what Noom is mostly based on, yet the thing that people have the hardest time understanding. This photo puts it into really good perspective:
2020-02-11_0003.jpg
Each stomach is full of 400 calories worth of food. Yet obviously if you eat 400 calories worth of oil (ewww) you aren’t going to be full. Noom helps balance your foods for the day by helping you to combine these colors in a way to fill you up while still reducing your calories. There is actually an equation to figure what color an item is. This is handy if you have a feeling a color is wrong or if you are eating something that is not in the database yet and want to know it’s color. (By the way, did you know you can scan the barcode on items instead of typing them in? Just click on the little barcode photo under the word “cancel” where you log your food.). Anyway, here is the equation:

CD = Calories per serving divided by Grams per serving
The table below shows how we classify our foods:

Types Green                                      Yellow                                 Red
Solid Foods Low CD (<1)        Medium CD (1 < x < 2.4)       Higher CD (2.4 < x) Liquids Low CD (<0.4)            Medium CD (0.4 < x < 0.5)    Higher CD (0.5 < x) Soups Low CD (<0.5)               Medium CD (0.5 < x < 1.0)    Higher CD (1.0 < x) Because our program helps you to manage various types of conditions and promotes nourishment through wholesome and fresh foods, there are some things that might be exceptions to this calorie density rule. Here are some of these exceptions: Whole vs. refined foods White and wheat breads or white and brown rice might have similar calorie densities, but we want our users to know which is the better option. To do this, the color of whole grain foods will be adjusted (CD < 2.4=Green and CD > 2.4=Yellow).

Dairy

Non fat dairy is Green
Low fat dairy is Yellow
Whole fat dairy is Red
Drinks with artificial sweeteners

We categorize diet sodas and other low calorie drinks that contain artificial sweeteners as yellow because although they have no calories, many studies have shown that diet sodas do not satiate your desire or thirst and they are super processed. We want to encourage our users to consume these with caution because they can potentially contribute to weight gain and might have high sodium contents.

7) Join the Facebook group: Noom Weight Loss Support. Once you start the paid program, Noom will assign you to one of their groups within the program but honestly most people don’t find them all that useful. The facebook group has almost 30,000 members and is full of ideas, support and success stories! Just try using the search bar before posting a question because it’s probably been covered several times.

8) Starvation Mode.  So this comes up a lot in the Facebook group when people get frustrated that they aren’t losing fast enough, etc. Someone always mentions that “maybe they are in starvation mode”. Here is the way to determine if that is happening:

2020-02-11_0002.jpg
Have you ever seen Naked and Afraid? Those people live off of nothing but grubs and acorns for weeks and still manage to lose an awful lot of weight. Now, some people have reported success with adjusting their weight loss speed (like from Cheetah to turtle) which does increase your calorie limit. My theory is that with a lower limit maybe they were cheating a little even if they didn’t totally realize it and by increasing it, it was more manageable to stay in the limit. A lot of Noom is mental though so if that is what works for you…great!

9) Read the articles. In the beginning I read them but it was reluctantly. I figured out pretty early that my big issue was running around like crazy all day and not eating regularly and then when I finally did sit down to eat I was binge eating or telling myself that I was pampering myself after a hard day. Simply reducing my daily calories pretty much resolved that problem so I didn’t feel like the articles were that important for me. But there were so many times along my journey that I ended up remembering and using something I read or that I realized there were several thought distortions I didn’t even know that I had.

10) Your goal specialist is not your coach and can’t tell you what you need to do. This is one of the most common complaints I see in the facebook group. People say their Goal Specialist (or sometimes they even refer to them as a coach) just answers questions with another question or that their responses are obviously scripted or maybe they are just a robot. The Goal Specialist is there to hold you accountable, help YOU figure out your goals and the best way to reach them. Not do that for you. Everyone has different goals and the best way to reach them for one person isn’t the same for someone else. That’s why they ask you questions that make you think. And yes, a lot of what they say is scripted because let’s face it, they are having the same conversation over and over all day every day if you think about it. But they are real people and there is real conversation in there too. If you are truly unhappy with your GS though, you can request a new one.

Well, that’s it for now. I hope these tips help and that you all will share your progress with me!

If you haven’t started yet and want to do the trial, here is a link:
Noom

Aldi Faves: What I buy at Aldi

I love Aldi. I love having (almost) everything I need in just a few aisles. I love not having 99 different brands and variations of every item on my list to decide between. I love that they cut their business expenses (and pass the savings on to their consumers) with their “bring your own bag” system. This system not only reduces their expenses greatly by not having to purchase bags but it also encourages re-usable shopping bags which is great for the environment! Also you don’t get home to unload your groceries and realize you have 50 bags because there is only 1 item in half of them. I love the no-nonsense way the cashiers slide my items across the scanner an into my cart for me to bag myself which saves me time, allows me to bag the way I want and saves them from paying a bagger. I love that Aldi uses their “rent” a cart for a quarter system which encourages people to take their carts back up to the store themselves to get their quarter back (and also encourages getting more steps in their day…Happy Accident!). This not only eliminates the need of yet another employee to retrieve carts, but I also see people being so kind to one another every trip by passing their carts on to another shopper in the parking lot (which also saves them a trip up to the store to return it so win/win) but also refusing to take that person’s quarter.

Most of the time I can’t, or choose not to, get everything on my list at Aldi and end up heading to the big grocery store nearby afterwards for a few items. But because of all of the reasons listed above it’s still worth it to me to start at Aldi and I kind of make it a game to see just how much of my list I can accomplish there. Another thing I love about Aldi is they have a lot of healthy choices. I love to see what treasures I will find each trip and love sharing those finds.

One thing I think is super important in maintaining healthy eating is not feeling deprived. Not only is this crucial to make eating healthy a lifestyle rather than just a diet, but life is just too short. There definitely is the occasional sweet tooth in our home so I like to keep some choices on hand that aren’t completely full of sugar but will satisfy that craving.
2020-01-25_0001.jpg
This most recent trip I found these Coconut Cashew Crisps in Sea Salt Caramel flavor. These were yummy and like light little cookies. A serving size is 8 pieces and 160 calories but I think 4 pieces is plenty to satisfy most sweet tooth moments which makes a sweet treat for under 100 calories and only 4g of sugar. They also have 3g of protein.

2020-01-25_0012.jpg
My kids also love these Freeze Dried Strawberries. They are tasty but if you are seriously hungry they are not going to fill up your belly. As a matter of fact when you pick up the bag it somehow even feels lighter than empty. How is that even possible? Also 1 serving size is the whole bag which is a lot (but again won’t really make you full). It does mean that you can do some mindless eating with these though and even if you polish off the bag it’s only 130 calories. The downside is that would be 21g of sugar though so I recommend just a few.
2020-01-25_0002.jpg These 100 calorie packages of little cookies are fun to sometimes throw in lunches. At 7g of sugar I can pack these as a fun surprise every once in a while without too much guilt.
2020-01-25_0005.jpg
2020-01-25_0004.jpg

One of the first things I grab every Aldi trip (because it’s the first thing I see when I walk in the door, but also a favorite) is fruit. I have found the day you shop will determine how good the variety is. One recent trip was obviously the day before produce deliveries and there wasn’t much in stock and what was left was over-ripe or even moldy. But most of the time I have better luck with their produce than the big stores and the price is almost always better. I love their berries and packages of sliced mangos. I also love grabbing some dessert hummus to dip it in as a little extra treat for those sweet tooth moments!

2020-01-25_0006.jpg
2020-01-25_0007.jpg
For “non-sweet” snacking I like these Butternut Squash crackers. I often throw a serving of these (about 44 crackers…they are small) into my lunch. For my Noom friends, you know how easy it is to feel like you can’t eat anything crunchy, but remember…NOTHING is off limits and although these are still in the Red catagory, only 100 calories for 44 crackers is a good way to add a little crunch to your life.2020-01-25_0011.jpg
I almost always grab some of these guacamole singles on an Aldi trip. My kids pack them in lunches with corn chips, we put them out to add to turkey tortilla soup, and I use them for avacado bread in the morning (although that only requires about 1/4 of one of these so unless you are making it for several people the big tub is probably better since it can be re-sealed.
2020-01-25_0010.jpg These flatbreads are great for wraps and only 90 calories. I like to use them with some thin sliced turkey, swiss, lettuce and a little mustard.2020-01-25_0008.jpg I grabbed these little egg rolls on my last trip but haven’t tried them yet. I think they will cook up nice and quickly in the air fryer and make a low-cal lunch. 3 of them is only 18 calories!
2020-01-25_0009.jpg

Fun and “Fun”ctional Retro Metal Cart Make-over… Awesome Craft Cart!

This year after Christmas I jumped on the bandwagon, along with everyone else, and purchased a new Cricut machine. What creator is really complete without one of these amazing machines? I jumped into creating right away but quickly realized I needed a storage solution for when I wasn’t using it, but wanted it to be mobile so that I could access it quickly if the urge struck to make something with it. Since it needs to be hooked up to my computer I wanted a cart on wheels. One of the local craft stores carried a cart that was designed just for this and it appeared to be perfect and was on sale! However the reviews were awful and mentioned things like missing parts and wheels falling off and even with the sale price and coupon code it wasn’t worth taking a chance to me. Besides, although I was really looking for function here, a little character and personality would be nice too since this piece would be out on display in my home office. Then I remembered I had been seeing these little vintage metal carts on swap pages and all over the internet. I found one for sale and then spent the next few days harrassing the poor seller and eventually brought this little beauty home.
2020-01-15_0001.jpg
It was in really great shape but had a few imperfections and I also wanted to make it match my home office so I got some Rustoleum paint and went to work. The off-white paint I got was also a primer but the gold I chose for the accents was not so I primed the whole cart first.
2020-01-15_0002.jpg
2020-01-15_0003.jpg
After the primer was dry I decided to tape off the accents (legs and handle) before painting the shelves off-white. Since I was going to be painting them gold anyway it wouldn’t have really mattered if a little of the paint got on them, but I wanted an even finish and thought it was best if I protected them so I taped them off. I should probably also mention that it was snowing on top of icy roads outside and I was in the garage with a little space heater for this whole process, but when I decide I want to do something there isn’t much that can stop me. Unfortunately this meant my car was in the driveway for most of the day.
2020-01-15_0004.jpg
2020-01-15_0008.jpg
After painting the shelves and letting them dry I covered them so that I could start on the hardware. You know those giant rolls of Christmas wrapping paper that you think will be a great idea to buy but then they seem to last forever and years later you just want them to go away? I found the perfect use for them!
2020-01-15_0005.jpg
This was not only the perfect way to protect my shelves, but after the gold paint dried I got to unwrap this little present to myself and see what I created which kind of felt like Christmas anyway! I was so thrilled with the finished result! It was the perfect look and solution to my storage needs for my Cricut and supplies. One note: I believe because the garage was a little cold the gold paint wrinkled up a bit in a few places. I have used spray paint on several projects and have the technique down pretty well to normally avoid this (spray in back and forth motion and not too close) and it looked great when I initially sprayed it on but after drying had a few of these spots). Not a big deal and I may eventually go back and sand them and touch them up, but if you decided to do a project like this maybe pick a warmer place or time. 😉 Anyway, I couldn’t wait to get my cricut out and get it all set up. Our dog Buster was excited too because the protective cover I had the Cricut in made a perfect “pooch pouch” apparently.
2020-01-15_0007.jpg2020-01-15_0006.jpg

Happy, Healthy, and EASY Banana Breakfast Cookies

Quick, easy, Noom-Friendly Breakfast! These are also a great way to use up those over-ripe bananas so they don’t go to waste.


Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 over-ripe banana
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
    • Pinch of sea salt
  • Directions
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash banana with fork in small bowl. In another small bowl, mix oats, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Once oven is preheated add banana to dry ingredients. Drop onto cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper in tablespoon size balls. Bake for 10 minutes then move to wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Noom color: YELLOW

Nutritional Information:

Serving size- 4 cookies (about 62g)

Calories per serving- 130

Fat- 1.7

Carbs- 27.8

Fiber- 3.9

Sugar- 7.8

Protein- 3.2

From Book Reviews and Favorite Recipes to Hobbies, Sports and Saving Money. My Favorite Things.