I often find myself standing in front of the fridge wondering what to have for a snack. Lately, my favorite snack has been cottage cheese.
Many people despise cottage cheese, which used to be me, but I have begun to play around with this lumpy stuff after trying a prepackaged Cottage Double and now absolutely love making it at home!
Cottage cheese comes in many different milk fat percentages and curd size variations. My favorite? I usually get the 1% or 2% small curd cottage cheese. It is low in calories and fat and high in protein and calcium – sounds like a perfect combo to me although, it is relatively bland.
Have no fear, it is a perfect jumping off point for a sweet or savory snack by simple adding a few mix-ins to make it a bit more interesting.
My favorite combo: roasted almonds, dark chocolate chips, homemade granola w/ dried cherries, strawberry jelly and chia seeds. It keeps me full for hours!
I must admit, I am more of a sweet topper kind of person, but this combination (shown above) always fills me up and acts as more of a mini-meal than just a snack. If you haven’t tried cottage cheese in a while and are in a bit of a snack rut, I urge you to take it for a spin!
Topping ideas:
Sweet*-
- almonds or walnuts
- dark chocolate chips
- granola
- fresh or dried fruit
- chia seeds
- jam/jelly (reduced sugar)
- cereal
- applesauce
- pumpkin puree
Savory-
- salsa
- pesto
- cherry tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- Green Peppers
- Cucumber
- on toast as a spread
- mixed with tuna salad
- over scrambled eggs
Cottage cheese can also be added to smoothies for an extra protein punch!
*For a single serving (1/2 cup) be mindful when adding the sweet toppings and just add a small amount of each mix-in. A low fat snack can quickly transform into an unhealthy, sugary mess without portion control! A spoonful or less of each topping is usually plenty!
No comments:
Post a Comment