Crisp Cravings

One of the hardest things about reducing one's carb intake is finding suitable snacks when the need to nosh comes knocking. (You like that alliteration, don't ya'?) Sure, there's the old standby of raw almonds, full of protein and packed with crunch, but after a few days of eating these and chances are good you're looking for something else to satisfy the munchies.

Granted, when you're eating controlled portions of carbs, your blood sugars don't fluctuate much so you tend not to get those pesky cravings all that often. But believe you me, the time will come when you'll want to chomp on something salty, crunchy and, well, let's face it, unhealthy. Potato chips come to mind. Particularly the sea salt & vinegar variety. Oh my, have I a weakness for those. Obviously, these are not conducive to my weight loss efforts, thus I find myself often having to suppress the cravings for these delightful crisps. And on the days I can't fight the urge or it's been suppressed one too many times? Yeah, I cave and wind up eating the whole cracklin' bag. <hangs head in shame.>

Because I refuse to gain back any of the weight I've lost over the last 9 months, I am always on the lookout for healthy alternatives to the carb laden, salt & vinegar potato crisp. Terra has some tasty options in their chip line; their Taro chips and their Sweet Potato chips are among my favorites. Unfortunately, they are hard to find and though I'm sure I can get them online, they are pretty pricey at $3.98 for a 6 oz bag of Terra Taro Chips, and $3.75 for a 6 oz bag of Terra Sweet Potato chips where Kettle Salt & Vinegar chips average about $2.27 for a 5 oz bag. Like I said, pricey.

Lucky for me, there are alternatives to the alternatives. Wait, what? Yeah, so here's what I'm saying. I can make my own sweet potato chips, and probably my own taro chips if I could get my hands on a raw taro. I can even make my own zucchini chips, should I be so inclined. And guess what? I am inclined.

I am going to try my hand at making my own veggie crisps by way of a food dehydrator. I have access to one for 30 days, and plan to start with some sweet potato chips, some zucchini chips, and some strawberry chips. Yes, strawberry chips. Maybe lightly drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Seems like a pretty painless process, so the real test will be in the results. And I should have those for you on Friday. Join me on the road to healthy snacking, won't you?

Here's to clobbering crisp cravings!

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