Okay all you nibblers – it’s time to test your snacking smarts. A few questions… When do most people snack? What are the most popular munchies? The ones hardest to resist? Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart magazine surveyed 1,000 women about their snacking habits. So grab a quick healthy bite and check out the results:

ShopSmart’s Snacking Survey

Snack Time!
3% snack before breakfast
43% eat something between breakfast and lunch
74% snack between lunch and dinner
45% grab a bite after dinner
25% nosh before bedtime
23% munch in the middle of the night

Why snack?
53% of women say snacking has kept them from gaining weight
24% say it has helped them with their diet

Portion Control
54% of women who snack buy portion-controlled treats
33% use plastic bags to control portion sizes

Problem Snacking
94% said they munch even when they are not hungry

Top snacks
Fruit
Chips/pretzels
Cereal/granola energy bars

Snacks we can’t resist
24% said chocolate
19% said chips and pretzels

I’m a big snacker myself, but I tend to stick to healthy bites. Some of my favorite munchies are carrots with hummus, whole wheat crackers with light cheese, protein smoothies, nuts, yogurt, popcorn, fruit – so many!

What are your snacking habits?

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]

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You may be holding off on buying some items in this tough economy, but are there other things – maybe treats of sort – that you still buy for yourself? A new report shows some of the products flying off store shelves during this recession:

• Chocolate (Profits at Hershey Co. are up 20 percent)

• Wine, but people are buying cheaper vintages

• Vegetable seeds (Sales of seeds like green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and lettuce went up 30 percent)

• Spam, Dinty Moore stew, chili (Hormel Foods Corp. had a six percent increase in its grocery products unit)

• Macaroni and cheese (Kraft Foods Inc. had double-digit growth in macaroni and cheese dinners)

• Running shoes

• Bicycle helmets

Also, see:

Slow economy doesn’t stop sweet tooth

Are you eating comfort foods in these tough economic times?

Is the bad economy making us fat?

I’m definitely contributing to the up sales in chocolate, but I’m not buying more now than I usually do – I just always buy chocolate.

How about you? Anything on that list you’ve been buying more of during this recession? Anything off the list?

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Don’t these look divine? And can you believe they only have 54 calories each? I am practically drooling just from this picture of Devin Alexander’s Chocolate Chocolate Brownie Cups from her cookbook, The Most Decadent Diet EVER!

From Devin:

I showed up to my pitch meeting for this book with brownie batter on my jeans. I have had so much success with these brownies and another variety that I’ve been making for years that I rarely go anywhere without taking them. I truly believe that in the case of my cooking, tasting is believing.

They’re so moist and chocolaty, they often end up on me or even on my publicist’s cell phone as we scurry to wrap up pretty platters of them. But we don’t mind because they’ve landed me tons of TV spots and even made this book possible.

I hope you’ll enjoy baking them as much as I do and that you’ll consider creating your own platters of them to give to people you care about. They’re sure to love them and you’ll be doing them a huge favor by saving them tons of fat and calories.

Note that they freeze extremely well if you want to keep them on hand for your children’s after-school cravings or your midnight sweet tooth. With only 54 calories and less than 1 gram of fat each, you really can’t go wrong!

Ingredients:
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 large egg whites
2 cups raw sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly mist two 12-cup nonstick mini-muffin tins with spray.

Use a sturdy whisk or spatula to mix the applesauce, vanilla, egg whites, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined and no lumps remain. Working in batches, fill each cup until just barely full. Sprinkle about one-fourth of the chips evenly over the brownies in each of the tins. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs are okay).

Transfer the tins to a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to gently lift the brownies from the muffin tins (if they stick, carefully run the knife around the edge of each cup). Cool on the rack for another 10 minutes. Repeat with the second half of the batter and the remaining chips.

MAKES 48 BROWNIE CUPS; 24 SERVINGS
Each 1-Decadent-Disk serving (2 brownies) has: 109 calories, 2 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, <1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 139 mg sodium

You save: 151 calories, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat

Traditional serving: 260 calories, 3 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 165 mg sodium

[Reprinted with permission]

[Photo Credit: Lisa Cohen]

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Yes, I’m part of the majority – I always go for the ears first! How about you?

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We all have a weakness food, right? Of course it’s okay to give in from time to time… but what if those time to times are too much of the time? Last month I asked you what you do to keep from over-indulging in your weakness food. I had a lot of fun reading your answers and wanted to share them. Maybe they’ll give someone else a creative way to resist temptation… when necessary.

• CPA Mom – I grab a cup of hot tea first…usually it fills me up and helps me forget I want the candy!

• Angie (Losing It and Loving It) – I have found the best way to keep me from eating too many snacky items is to portion it out into a bowl and not eat straight from the container. Sometimes I still find myself taking the whole container so it’s been a challenge to break that habit over the years.

• Deb T. – I try not to buy chocolate anything. But I tend to sneak chocolate chips when I am craving chocolate so I have my husband hide them from me, sometimes I find them and sometimes I don’t but I am sure I burn some calories trying to find them right?

• Annette – I put things deep in the pantry ….for me it’s out of sight, out of mind most of the time.

• Tamara B. – This will sound crazy but when I indulge myself buying chocolate (Lindt White Chocolate Truffles) to keep myself from going hog wild I will eat one and put the rest in the freezer. They are not too good frozen and hard to bite into them so I don’t eat them but maybe one a week.

• Mimi - If I’m chewing a piece of gum, usually something cinnamony, I can stay away, or if I brush my teeth, that will help. If it’s in the house, I have to put it up high, out of sight and a lot of work to get to..at least I have to burn a few calories before I eat what it is I’m after!

• Lisa @ Serah’s - I keep from eating lots of sweets because luckily I don’t have a sweet tooth but I do have an addiction to Pepsi so the way I stop myself from drinking lots of it is to either not buy it or keep frozen bottles of water in the fridge b/c I love ice cold water. Another thing I found is that when I drink lemon water, it makes Pepsi taste nasty so if I drink a glass of that, I’m less likely to drink the Pepsi b/c it takes a while for my taste buds to adjust.

• niwa4me2 – I keep my “office chocolate” across the office and take it to team meetings so others will indulge. Plus – I only have it for holidays.

• Jean F – I give it to my kids, and ask them to hide it for me

• DeeAnn S - My downfall is potato chips, the kettle fried, really, really crispy ones. OK, I’m drooling now! Anyway, I found if I buy the small, single serving size bags, I will pour half the bag into a very small bowl (which makes it look like there’s more), then save the rest for another day. The smaller bags are more expensive per serving which helps me not buy as many, I’m a penny pincher from way back!

• Caroline – Let’s see, chips are my weakness — specifically, potato chips. To keep from eating them, I just don’t buy them. At all. Honestly, I can only buy them if we’re having a big party or something, when I know most of them will be eaten, not by me!

• cammy – I tend to buy chocolate in singles, but I do have a bag of Dove dark chocolate in the cupboard. So far I haven’t opened it, which is my control mechanism. If I over-indulge when I do open it, I can always take the left overs to the office.

• dmarie - Chocolate is my total downfall. I love it all! So, to trick myself to think I”m getting a special treat I like to set out a pretty plate and add how ever much of the chocolate I”m allowing myself for the day. When it’s gone, i put the dish away and I tell myself I’m done.

Anyone else want to add to the list?

Me – I hide chocolate from myself in my jewelry chest. No, I’m not kidding. And yes, it really works for me! I trick myself to some extent – I think it’s just because the chocolate is not sitting right in front of me. Hey, whatever it takes, right?

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]

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Congrats to FFTV members – rlr260 and Lisa @ Serah’s – for winning the Weight Watchers by Whitman’s Double Chocolate Mousse chocolates. Enjoy!

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[Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample of this product. I only post giveaways about products I honestly like, or those I think FatFighterTV members would enjoy.]

Since my birthday is coming up this week, I thought it would be fun to celebrate with all of you – my loyal readers/viewers – with freebies every day! I mean, it’s not a party without presents, right? Just stop by FatFighterTV Monday – Friday this week to see each day’s giveaway and enter for a chance to win. WooHoo! Let’s get this party started with today’s yummy offerings!

Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I think something sweet is in order. How about some rich chocolates without all the fat and calories? These Weight Watchers by Whitman’s Double Chocolate Mousse chocolates are really, really good! They are only 1 WW POINT and 53 calories per piece. But be careful, because like anything else, those points and calories can add up if you have too many. I suggest hiding them if you have no chocolate self control (see below)…

Up for grabs – 2 bags of the Weight Watchers Double Chocolate Mousse candies… so 2 winners!

Just head down to the comments and tell me how you keep from eating too many chocolates/chips/whatever your weakness food…

Me – I hide chocolate from myself in my jewelry chest. No, I’m not kidding. And yes, it really works for me! I trick myself to some extent – I think it’s just because the chocolate is not sitting right in front of me. Hey, whatever it takes, right?

Today’s contest ends at midnight EST tonight and I will announce the winners tomorrow so you can have the chocolate in time for Valentine’s Day.

The rest of the week’s contests will run through midnight EST this Friday, February 13 and I will announce the winners over the weekend. Also, you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter… and a random number generator will pick the winners.

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng, WeightWatchers.com]

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As you can tell from reading this or if you know me at all, then you must know I LOVE chocolate and I’m happy to exercise more to make up for my indulgence. Now Rebecca over at Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat? has found a way to fit the Hershey’s Kiss Diet into her eating plan. She makes a good point:

The Kisses® are a good choice for me because you have to open each one. This takes time so it slowed the experience down.

So, how many Kisses does Rebecca savor? And how many calories are in each one? Find out here.

Then come back and tell me – does eating chocolate that you have to unwrap help you eat fewer pieces? It’s one of those mind tricks that definitely works on me – except sometimes it doesn’t always work on Dove chocolates… unless I hide the bag. I think they should individually wrap Peanut Butter M&Ms.

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As you can tell from reading this or if you know me at all, then you must know I LOVE chocolate and I’m happy to exercise more to make up for my indulgence. Now Rebecca over at Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat? has found a way to fit the Hershey’s Kiss Diet into her eating plan. She makes a good point:

The Kisses® are a good choice for me because you have to open each one. This takes time so it slowed the experience down.

So, how many Kisses does Rebecca savor? And how many calories are in each one? Find out here.

Then come back and tell me – does eating chocolate that you have to unwrap help you eat fewer pieces? It’s one of those mind tricks that definitely works on me – except sometimes it doesn’t always work on Dove chocolates… unless I hide the bag. I think they should individually wrap Peanut Butter M&Ms.

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