It's officially summer and some of us are going to be living our best hot girl version of it, or at least making a good effort to. While our clothes are at a minimum amount, we wanted to share with you our favorite healthy snacks so you too can have the energy you need to make the most of summer 2021.
We here at Nic Hyl Clothing, LOVE a good snack as much as the next girl. Before we share some of our favorite healthy snacks, you should know that we eat pretty healthy anyway, and try to use all natural food, made from real ingredients and stay away from processed sugars and foods. Keep that in mind as we share our favorite snacks with you; those real ingredients will make for better quality results in the end.
Popcorn
If you've ever met me (Nic Hyl), then you know that I love popcorn. My grandma introduced it to me when I was 8 years old and that was all she wrote! It was love at first bite. We used to go to Publix Supermarkets and buy the long, clear plastic bag of buttered popcorn in the deli and eat it over the course of the next few days while watching Days of Our Lives; it was totally our thing.
While I stopped watching day time soaps in college, and my grandma is no longer with us, I still LOVE popcorn. Today, I pop my own at home, on the stove top in a pot that is dedicated to popcorn only. My husband, friends and family all love it and it's a hit on movie night. It's also a great snack to take to the beach, or to share with kids.
You'll need:
6 Qt saucepan (or any size pot that you have)
Good quality popcorn kernels (amount depends on the size of your pot)
Kosher salt to taste
Olive oil or Avocado Oil (amount depends on the size of your pot)
Me working at our old popcorn stand
1. In your saucepan, cover the bottom of the pan with oil. Because the amount depends on the size of the pot you use, eyeball the amount. The bottom should be covered, but you shouldn't have too much excess. In my 6 Qt pot, I'm using about 1/4 cup of oil. Just enough to pop all of the kernels without making your popcorn greasy.
2. Next, put 3-5 kernels in the pot. Turn on the heat. It will take a few minutes for the kernels to heat up. Once those 3-5 kernels pop, you're ready to put in the rest of the kernels.
3. Put in enough kernels that the bottom of the pot is covered in a single layer of kernels. You may have to wiggle you pot to get the kernels to settle into a flat layer. Make sure to put the lid on the pot *the oil shouldn't be any higher than the layer of kernels. If you notice that there is way more oil than kernels, then add a bit more kernels just so it's not too greasy. You will have overflow of popcorn in the end of it if you have to do this, but at least your popcorn won't be greasy.
4. Listen carefully. Your popcorn is done when there are 3 seconds between pops. Tun the fire off, remove the lid. Keeping the lid on too long after the corn is done popping will make it chewy and not crunchy.
Pour it out into your favorite bowl, sprinkle with salt to taste and enjoy!
All Natural Blueberry Oat Muffins
These muffins are good, but taste healthy if you know what I mean, but this is about our favorite healthy snacks, not our favorite super yummy snacks. I make these for my husband so he can have them with his coffee in the morning since he doesn't eat breakfast; I know I've told him he should but he's not hungry in the morning, so this is the best I can do.
The best part about this recipe is that it's so quick and easy, is all made in a blender, and clean up is simple.
You'll need:
A blender
Spatula to remove the batter
Muffin pan
2 cups of old fashioned oats (not quick oats)
2 bananas (the more ripe, the better)
1 1/2 cups of milk (I use almond, but use the milk you prefer)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract
1-2 pinches of kosher salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or agave, or to taste. If you don't have these natural sweeteners, brown sugar will do.
1teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 cup or the amount you want of blueberries (fresh blueberries will leave your finished muffin with a more "wet" texture when done, dried blueberries will be more cake like in texture.
1. Put everything in the blender except for the blueberries. Blend on low until all ingredients are blended together and it looks like batter. Once complete with blending, add the fresh or dried blueberries, mix around with your spatula so it's blended well. While you're blending the ingredients, preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Next, pour your batter into a lightly greased muffin pan, or use the cupcake liners in the muffin tray if you don't want to use an oil. Add a few more blueberries to the top, so it's pretty when done and you can see some of the blueberries on top.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done in the center. Use a toothpick to test doneness. The toothpick should come out clean.
4. Enjoy!
*The next time I try these, I'm going to put a neutral tasting protein powder in them so that the hubby can start using these to substitute his protein bars. I'll keep you posted.
Actual footage of my All Natural Blueberry Oat Muffins.
Let me know if you like these recipes and I'll start sharing more with you loves! Did you try any of these? Which was your favorite? Comment below and tag me in your pictures, I'd love to hear how you liked them.
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