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7 PHOTOGRAPHED Y CHRISTINE PETKOV Recipes Trail mix 2 cups oat squares cereal 1 cup roasted, salted shelled pumpkin seeds ½ cup dried cherries ½ cup dried pineapple, diced In a large bowl, COMBINE cereal, pumpkin seeds, cherries and pineapple. TOSS well. Makes 4 cups (8 servings) Consider your energy needs too as you create your mix. Healthy dried fruit and nuts are still high in calories, says Lemond, but if you're physically active and consume a snack before workouts, you may want a higher calorie combination that provides more fuel. Accordingly, if your exercise isn't that vigorous, reduce the amount of nuts and/or dried fruit in your recipe, she says. GOOD TASTE COUNTS No matter how you adjust ingredients for calorie control, don't overlook good taste. "Flavor is what dictates food choices. You want to make it flavorful," says Lemond. What whets appetites? "A little salty and sweet will amp up the flavor profile," she says, but be sure to keep sugar and sodium levels in check. • Per ½-cup serving: 200 calories / 8 grams total fat / 6 grams protein / 28 grams carbohydrates / 102 milligrams sodium / 2.5 grams dietary fiber Portion control Although nutrition experts may differ on what percentage of your daily calories should come from snacks, they agree that it's easy to overeat when you're munching on trail mix or granola. "Be aware so you're not eating the whole bag," says Malena Perdomo, R.D. Angela Lemond, R.D., recommends limiting a snack serving to 150 to 350 calories, depending on your activity level, while Perdomo says she likes to keep snacks in the 100-calorie range, or no more than a half-cup per serving. "One hundred calories is easier because we see 100 calories [in commercially produced snack packs] and know what it looks like," she says. To stick with your calorie goal, measure each serving and pack into individual containers. Granola 3 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup sliced raw almonds 2 tablespoons shelled hemp seeds ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ cup honey ¼ cup crunchy almond butter 1 egg white, beaten ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup dried cranberries STIR together oats, almonds, hemp seeds, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. STIR together honey, almond butter, egg white and vanilla in a small bowl. STIR into oat mixture, mixing well. LINE 10-by-15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. SPREAD oat mixture evenly on paper. BAKE in preheated 325-degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until oats turn golden and mixture is fragrant. REMOVE from oven. STIR in fruit. Set aside to cool. Makes 6 ½ cups (13 servings) These recipes for trail mix and granola can be made in advance. For freshness, prepare just enough of either snack to last a week at the most. Per ½-cup serving: 215 calories / 9 grams total fat / 6 grams protein / 30 grams carbohydrates / 67 milligrams sodium / 4 grams dietary fiber Think outside the snack box The typical grains, nuts and dried fruit are just the start for trail mixes. Here are some other ingredients you can mix and match to expand your snack repertoire. Carbohydrate foods • Ready-to-eat oat or whole-wheat squares breakfast cereal • Air-popped popcorn • Broken-up pretzels • Brown rice crackers Protein foods • Soy-based breakfast cereal • Cooked, dehydrated garbanzo or other beans • Peanuts • Almonds "Good" fats • Hemp seeds • Flaxseeds • Pumpkin and sunfower seeds • Walnuts • Nut butters (almond butter, etc.) w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m S U M M E R 2 016 S P I R I T O F W O M E N