It’s nine o’clock.

This Post: PCOS + Recipes: The No-Guilt Way to Snack with PCOS-Friendly Recipes

You are hungry. You crave something sweet. As you walk into the kitchen, you spot the plate of your favorite cookies on the counter.

What do you do?

Let’s take a moment to rationalize…

You have done so well today sticking to your diet.

You sat in the lunchroom at work with your lunch bag and a salad, some veggies, and a nice bowl of fruit to finish it all off while your coworkers went out to Chick-fil-A.

Those cupcakes Susie brought in to celebrate her birthday? Nope. You didn’t give in.

Dinner? Oh yeah. You fixed a nice big grain, veggie, and lentil bowl.

Now it’s late.

Those cravings are intense.

You have been so good all day long, can’t you have a little treat?

This is a critical point in following your PCOS Friendly diet.

 

What are you going to do?

 

Snacking can be one of the biggest diet sabotages to our weight loss goals.

Does this mean you shouldn’t snack at all?

Absolutely not!

In fact, I recommend the complete opposite.

If you only eat the three big meals during the day, you run the risk of your energy and blood sugar levels dropping in between. This could cause you to reach for unhealthy food options when you get desperate or overeating at the next meal.

The key is to be strategic. Plan ahead.

Once I started meal planning, I was better able to curb my cravings and stick with my healthy eating plan.

Grab my meal planning worksheets here.

 

Here are my favorite quick and easy snack options that are PCOS friendly.

Popcorn. This satisfies the grazing I like to do in the evening. However, microwave popcorn has all sorts of nasty ingredients that can wreak havoc on our already crazy hormones. I use an air popper to make the popcorn. I then put a mix of salt, cumin, chili powder, and nutritional yeast on top. Yummy!

Energy bars. This tends to be more of a last resort when I’m in a pinch. Definitely read the nutrition facts and beware of the calories you are consuming. The healthiest brands are Luna, Lara, Kind Bar, or Raw Revolution.

Homemade Trail Mix. When you buy this in the store, it is high in salt and fat. It is so easy to just mix your own. Take a little coconut, roasted chickpeas, whole wheat pretzels, a few nut varieties, and some dried fruit. Be careful of the calories in the nuts though!

Banana Wrap. This is a new favorite. Take a sprouted grain wrap, spread a nut butter like almond butter, place some cut up bananas and then roll it up. Don’t forget to add some coconut and ground cinnamon to the outside for a yummy snack.

Roasted Chickpeas. This is the best combo of a crunchy snack that is both sweet and salty. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Bake in your oven at 400 F for 15 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon. Bake another 15 minutes. Easy travel snack!

Chips. Yes, you can still eat chips. Make your own out of whole wheat pita bread or corn tortillas. Dip in a healthy salsa.

RED : American Red Cross Lifeguarding Training YMCA

Baked potatoes. Dip them in hummus, salsa, or even ketchup. Simple but filling.

Rawnola. This is so chewy and satisfying. Take ½ cup rolled oats, 8 pitted dates, ½ cup coconut, and then a little sugar and little cinnamon. Pulse all in a food processor until it all starts sticking together. I love rolling these into little balls.

Frozen grapes. Perfect snack for those long summer days. Enough said.

Frozen popsicles. Blend up a smoothie of fruit, some green leafy veggies, protein powder, and whatever you would like to throw in there. Pour into popsicle molds and pop in the freezer. Don’t forget the popsicle sticks. Freeze overnight. This is a healthy and yummy summer treat!

Simple tomatoes. Slice up some heirloom tomatoes and drizzle with some balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle some cilantro on top.

You can always keep it super simple with ideas such as:

• Fresh fruit with a nut butter

• Raw veggies such as carrots, celery, or bell peppers with some hummus

• Sweet potato with hummus

• Dried fruit

• Applesauce

 

I give you full permission to snack away. Just be strategic about it. Plan ahead and you can have lots of treats that make you feel you are cheating on your diet. 

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Need a little help planning ahead? Grab my complete PCOS meal planning worksheets by clicking here.