my new favorite snack

I am a simple girl. I am doing my best to eat healthy, but I've got a very strict budget. Eating healthy foods, around here, can sometimes be expensive. So if you're looking for something that is going to have crazy, healthy, exotic ingredients in it, this isn't the place to look. I'm all for those types of food. I just can't get them around here. Just to give you an example: I have to travel around 35 miles to find a really expensive bag of quinoa. So I'm working with what I can get my hands on.

psst...Sometimes I want to eat junk food. I do. I'm going to admit it. Sometimes I want nothing more than a bowl of ice cream and a can of chocolate frosting with a spoon. Hey, I'm being honest here. The thing is, though, those types of things are (obviously) not so good for my new healthy lifestyle. So I'm making it work.

This is my newest addiction:

It may not look like anything other than popcorn, but oh. Let me tell you. It's sooo good I can barely stand myself. This, my friends, is cinnamon toast popcorn. That's right. Cinnamon Toast Popcorn.

Pretty much all you do is pop some low calorie popcorn. It needs to have some kind of butter-ish type flavoring. Or something that will make the popcorn slightly damp-ish. The cinnamon and sugar need something to hold on to.  (I know, I give such great directions.)

While the popcorn is popping, mix together, in a small bowl, three packets of splenda (12 calories) and 2-ish teaspoons of cinnamon (15 calories). When the popcorn is done, dump it in a bowl, sprinkle the cinnamon and splenda mixture on top, shake it up, and eat. It is seriously good. Plus, since you've already counted the calories, go ahead and lick the bowl clean. All that good cinnamony sugary goodness may have sunk to the bottom and you do not want that to go to waste.

Your caloric total will be different depending on the brand of popcorn used. Currently, I'm using Orville Redenbacher's Lite Butte Popcorn. There are approximately 82 calories in the whole bag. So my awesome afternoon snack is costing me 109 calories. Not to shabby! It's giving me the crunch I want for my afternoon snack and fulfilling my sweet tooth a bit.

Now, I know someone out there is going to tell me how horrible splenda is for me. Go ahead. I'll listen. But right now, when I'm still in a little bit of sweet tooth withdrawal, I'll eat my splenda and like it! You could use sugar if you wanted. I'm not sure the calories in that though. So do what works for you!

Tell me some of your favorite, low calorie snacks. Ready, discuss! : )

(p.s. do people still use emoticons like i just did at the end of this post?)