I like food. I mean, I REALLY like food. I think this same comment shows up in all of my posts because, well it’s the truest statement about me, lol. I think my dream job is to be a professional eater. Ideally, a professional donut eater. However, I also like being alive and healthy. Which means I don’t get to sit around eat dozens of donuts. So, I have to find other ways to fill my belly. This has become especially tricky when I’m in prep. The rules become more strict on what is allowed and what is not.

Luckily I’ve found some options to hit the cravings without busting the diet.

cucumbers with ranch popcorn seasoning: Personally, this is probably my favorite snack and one I seriously have just about every day. I’ve always loved cucumbers. I remember my grandfather cutting up cucumbers and putting them in a bowl just for me. I’d sprinkle a little salt on them and eat it all myself. We’d go to his house every Sunday for dinner and without fail, I always had my own bowl of cucumbers. I’ve found that sprinkling some ranch popcorn seasoning on top almost makes them taste like chips.

sliced veggies: So yes, technically the first suggestion is a sliced veggie. I do slice my cucumbers before I sprinkle my seasoning. Separate from that I will sometimes slice up some bell peppers and celery and portion them into snack-size zip locks.

turkey roll: This is really just as basic as it sounds. I take some sliced deli meat, add a sprinkle of fat-free cheese, add a dash of mustard, and roll it up. There are times when I’m giving extra effort to keeping my fats and carbs at a certain number (contest prep), so I’m not always able to add a wrap or full-fat cheese. When I’m feeling really feisty I’ll put it inside a piece of lettuce and heave a leather turkey roll.

unbuttered popcorn: I actually don’t eat this very often. I’ve never been a huge fan of popcorn. Eeeeeevery so often I’ll have that craving. It’s the heavy butter that gets added that makes this such an unhealthy snack. So I stick to a dash of the popcorn seasonings. They even have a butter seasoning so it’s pretty darn close to melted butter if you put it on warm popcorn.

pb2 and rice cakes: I love peanut butter. Really, I love any nut butter. I could eat an entire jar in one sitting by myself. I haven’t been able to convince my coach to let me just eat PB all day every day. But a tablespoon of pb2 with a dash of almond milk or water, and there you have it. I was really surprised just how much it tastes like the good stuff the first time I tried it.

sugar-free Jell-O: Sometimes I’m lazy and buy the already made little cups of it, sometimes I’m all domesticated and I buy the box and make it myself. When it comes to the sweet tooth, this one really does it for me. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth for candy or cakes (not saying I never do, but it’s not my main craving) but I actually have a craving for fruit a lot. This really hits that spot for me.

broccoli chips: It doesn’t have to be broccoli. Cauliflower, zucchini, almost anything can work here. The method is simple; season cut up veggies with some seasoning of choice, place cut up veggies in either a dehydrator or in the oven and they come out crispy and chip-like. I use a dehydrator for mine because I have a nice one. But I’ve done this in the oven and it works just as well. TRY THIS RECIPE FOR GREAT OVEN “CHIPS”

cucumber with stevia and cinnamon: Similar to the popcorn seasoning, this is simply sliced cucumbers with a sprinkle of stevia and cinnamon. This is for that dessert sweet tooth craving that comes on rare occasions.

buffalo cauliflower: I recently bought an air fryer so I’m trying to play around and learn what great things it can do. I found this recipe and while I don’t often crave chicken wings when I do…this does the trick. These are probably my favorite air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites.

because I like to save the best for last: Combining the pb2, rice cakes, and Jell-O…well that’s a very sneaky way to get PB&J without getting all the calories. Take a strawberry sugar-free Jell-O cup and a small amount of pb2, and smear them on a rice cake. Boom, healthy childhood favorite snack.

As with anything, moderation is key. You can’t eat massive amounts of anything and not see some response. So even overeating low-calorie foods will add up. However, these are some options for something a little cleaner that allows you to satisfy that craving. That being said, don’t be afraid to occasionally have that cookie. 🍪 And comment below some of your favorite snacks.