Snacking Right to Get Slim for Summer 2012

By: Finance Foodie

Now that the weather is literally over 100 degrees, it's time to break out the short shorts and tank tops - cause baby it's warm outside! However, showing more skin means I gotta be trim - I'm sure no one wants to see a muffin top (unless it's edible) walking down Newbury Street. And as many of you may know, I'm a hardcore snacker - and it's only gotten worse since I started my internship (those afternoon slumps really hit especially hard in the office setting). But luckily as a food writer, I'm fortunate enough get the first dibs on all types of cool new foods - including the healthy ones. So here are some of my favorite snacks (all under 200 calories per serving) that taste great while keeping me at a feel great weight - along with daily exercise, of course. 

Fruit Bliss Dried Fruits (100-110 calories per 1.5oz serving) BKLYN based Fruit Bliss grew out of founder Susan Leone's passion for snacking healthy and tasty. Fruit Bliss' soft dried fruit is all natural and preservative-free, perfect for on-the-go and stay-at-home snacking. Every piece is infused with a touch of moisture so that it is soft, juicy and truly irresistible! The current line of products include 6 oz. re-sealable pouches of soft dried figs, apricots and plums, as well as 1.76 oz. individual packs of mini apricots. As a bonus, Fruit Bliss also donates 5% of their profits to local organizations that share this same purpose of healthy living.

Pete and Gerry's Organic Blue Heirloom Hard Boiled Eggs (100 calories per egg)
I first discovered Pete & Gerry’s eggs at this summer's Food Fete in NYC for food writers. An egg is not just and egg - Pete and Gerry's is a producer of a small family farm based, Certified Humane, sustainably raised organic heirloom eggs. These naturally blue eggs come from hens fed only organic grain - free from antibiotics, medications, pesticides and herbicides. These eggs are also super fresh - as soon as the eggs are gathered, they’re chilled to 45° and shipped in refrigerated trucks the morning after they’re washed, graded and packaged, and remain chilled until they reach my grocer's dairy case.

Bai5 Drink (5 calories per 8oz serving)
Bai5 is a delicious low calorie (sweetened with Stevia) and 100% natural and made from the most super of all superfruits, the coffeefruit. My faves? The Costa Rica Clementine with a cool, crisp clementine finish and the Sumatra Dragonfruit, a tasty little beast without the scales but rich in antioxidants to fight off free radicals. (Note: Bai5 is the lower calorie version of the original full calorie Bai drink).

Fiber One Nutty Clusters & Almond Cereal (180 calories per 1 cup serving)
Fiber One's newest cereal is not only tasty but also has 43% of the Daily Value of fiber in each serving, with crunchy nut clusters, real almond slices and whole grain flakes. I like to have this as a mid-morning snack - the cereal is hearty enough to eat right out of the box without milk. Convenient, nutritious and delicious - a real winner in my book! 

Kettle Brand's 30th Birthday Collection (150 calories per 1oz serving)
It’s hard to believe that Kettle Brand made its first batch of all natural, flavorful kettle-cooked potato chips nearly 30 years ago! To usher in this milestone, the brand has brought back four of its favorite retired flavors for a limited time: Red Chili, Jalapeño Jack, Salsa with Mesquite and Cheddar Beer. My favorite? I liked them all but the Cheddar Beer - a slick combination of tangy sharp cheese with malty beer notes that formed a perfect balance of smooth and salty flavors - was the clear standout from the pack.

Olympus Greek Yogurt (115-160 calories per 6oz serving, depending on flavor)
New to the American market, Olympus Greek yogurt is the only Greek yogurt in the US imported directly from Greece- and the difference is in the taste. It's velvety thick, luxuriously creamy texture is perfect for cooking or simply eating on its own! These all-natural, non-GMO and Kosher treats come in eight flavors - Plain, Honey, Blueberry, Vanilla, Cherry, Peach, Strawberry and Lemon -  one bite and you'll forget about being mad at the country that's at the heart of the Euro crisis (sorry - bad finance joke!).

****Giveaway****
Congrats Lisa!

Fiber One wants one of  financefoodie.com's readers to make sure they are getting their fiber on while eating well! One lucky reader will a win a three month supply of Fiber One cereal and a $30 Kroger's giftcard, in case you wanted to sample the other treats in the post!

Grand Prize: One $30 Kroger's gift card and five (5) product coupons good for a free box of Fiber One cereal (ARV: $60)

There are THREE ways to enter
1. REQUIRED: In my comments section, tell me what is your favorite workout (mine is the elliptical). Also please include your email address so I can contact you if you win!
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave separate comment telling me this)
3. Reblog / Retweet this giveaway (leave separate comment telling me this)

Contest ends Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards!!

Full Disclosure: The  coupons are being provided by Fiber One. Finance Foodie Media Productions purchased the Kroger's Gift Card. I was not compensated for this post.