On Late Night Snacking

I see so many people talking about how they have the hardest time sticking to their program in the evenings. It's a normal thing; when we're tired, our bodies want more food for energy. That's a proven fact.

So how do we keep ourselves feeling satisfied without blowing the program and eating three Nutrisystem desserts in the evening?

I'm a late night snacker myself. I like to sit in front of the TV and eat while I'm watching a movie or my favourite show. And I want it to be bulky and satisfying. Much as I love the Nutrisystem desserts, they're still on the smaller side and I want something that will take longer to eat.

So on those days where I am really hungry, I make myself a delicious snack platter. It will last through an entire movie, it's low calorie, and very filling.

While some of our habits have to change to maintain weight loss long term, I don't think the late night snacking has to go- we just have to watch what we're doing the snacking on!

While the easiest go to dip recipe I have found is just to mix a packet of ranch seasoning into a serving of plain Greek yogurt, I think that you'll agree that this recipe is worth the extra time to make. I've brought this in a bread bowl to parties and no one has any idea that it's diet. It's zesty and flavourful, and was gone very quickly!

Skinny Spinach Dip (Powerfuel):

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2/3 cup water chestnuts
3 green onions, base removed
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup FF sour cream
1/2 cup plain FF Greek yogurt
1 tsp hot mustard
black pepper to taste

Put the spinach in a strainer and press out as much liquid as possible. Set aside. Pulse the water chestnuts, green onions, and garlic in your food processor. Add the spinach and continue to pulse. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

This dip recipe is full of flavour- plus you're getting in even more free vegetables along with your free vegetables! The recipe makes 11 quarter cup servings each with 30 calories so you can use it as a free food along with your free vegetables, or you can have 3/4 cup of dip if you really enjoy heaping your dip and count it as a Powerfuel with 12g of protein!

If I want a little more variety, I flex my evening snack as well and I can have fruit with my veggie tray for my SmartCarb, or I can have some whole wheat crackers. I like cutting up the sweet & tangy meat stick as well to have little bits to snack on in between vegetables, or a hard boiled egg, or a string cheese as a PF.

So it's your choice- even if you have no Nutrisystem portions left, you can have a big platter of free veggies + 1/4 cup dip as an extra, or you can use your evening snack and also have a SmartCarb and a bigger portion of dip, or have a SmartCarb AND a Powerfuel and just use the dip as an extra. I think either way, you'll find this a very satisfying snack for those evening cravings!