25 ideas for making your own 100 calorie snacks

Most of us only have to look at our own waistline or hips to know that there is an epidemic of obesity in America, and much of the developed world. Yet we have at our disposal all the diet foods and reduced calorie foods we can imagine. There has also been a boom in the production and sales of 100 calorie snack packages of foods.

There are a few problems with these foods. 

1. They are expensive per serving.
2. They tend to be highly processed.
3. If they are a low-fat refined wheat product, such as most of the ones in the pic above, there is a good chance there is actually an increased amount of sugar over the “regular fat” product.
4. There is a lot of extra packaging involved.

25- 100 calorie snack packs made at home

First of all, you may want a supply of small, snack-size zipper bags or small, 1 cup size disposable plasticware (even though considered disposable, these can be reused again and again!) Many of these snacks can be made up for the week in advance, although some may need to be assembled shortly before eating.

1. 29 pistachios
2. 1 cup cantaloupe 
3. 1 hard-boiled egg
4. 1 cup of blueberries
5. 15 strawberries and spoonful Cool Whip
6. 3/4 cup fruit cocktail (in lite syrup or juice)
7. 2 cups of microwave popcorn (check the calorie count on the brand you get)
8. 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese and 6 cherry tomatoes
9. 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt with a sprinkling of nuts or granola
10. 2 graham cracker squares with a teaspoon of peanut butter
11. apple slices and 1 tablespoon peanut butter
12. 2 kiwi sliced into circles
13. 1/2 cup slow-churned ice cream
14. 7 animal crackers  
15. 1 cup of canned mandarin oranges
16. fresh veggies and 2 tablespoons lowfat ranch dressing
17. 1/2 small bagel with teaspoon peanut butter
18. 1 lite string cheese stick and 2 wheat crackers
19. 3 tablespoons hummus with veggies
20. 1 slice lowfat swiss cheese with3 whole wheat crackers 
21. 14 almonds
22. 1/3 cup edamame sprinkled with salt
23. 1/2 cup dry oat squares cereal
24. 40 mini pretzel sticks
25. 1 Tbs peanuts & 2 Tbs dried cranberries

What other “100 calorie snacks” do you like to eat?