Best on-demand snacks

Top snacks for binging your favourite shows, sports, or gaming
Published September 22, 2020

Binging your favourite TV show? Taking in what sports are on TV? Gaming with your buddies? These classic snacks are made healthier so you can snack freely while staying on track.
 

Popcorn 

 

To make this easy seasoned popcorn snack, you’ll need air-popped popcorn, oil or cooking spray, and the low or 0 SmartPoints seasoning of your choice. Feel free to improvise with your favourite oils, dried herbs, spices, and seasoning blends.

 

Tip: Use your hands to evenly coat the popcorn with the oil or butter-flavoured spray.

 

*Each serving contains 2 cups of plain air-popped popcorn (2 SmartPoints), 1 teaspoon of oil (1 SmartPoints) or 3-5 sprays of butter flavoured cooking spray (0 SmartPoints) and a topping made from low or ZeroPoint foods.

 

  • Double truffle popcorn: Truffle oil and truffle salt.
  • Pizza seasoning popcorn: Olive oil, dried Italian herb blend, dried red chilies, and a scant amount of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.
  • Honey spice popcorn: Butter flavoured cooking spray, pinch of cayenne pepper (or other spicy ground pepper), pinch of kosher or sea salt, and a small drizzle of warmed honey.
  • Savoury vegan popcorn: Dark toasted sesame oil, nutritional yeast or “nooch” and finely crumbled or ground strips of nori.   

 
Stuffed pickle boats

 

This snack is perfect for pickle-lovers and can be easily customized depending on game day preferences. To make the pickle boats, cut a large pickle in half lengthwise, you should have two boat-shaped halves. Using a teaspoon or small melon baller, scoop out the flesh of the pickle leaving enough of a buffer around the edges to keep the pickle half from collapsing. These pickle boats can be stuffed with any of your favourite sandwich ingredients, vegetables and dips. This recipe works best with larger, deli-style pickles (feel free to use spicy dills, bread and butter pickles or any other pickle variety.) Extra large pickles can be sliced into thick rounds, scooped out and stuffed. Stuffed pickle boats can be made 3 hours before serving.

 

Tip: To keep the stuffed pickle boats from tipping over, cut a thin slice off of the pickle’s underside.

 

  • Tuna sandwich stuffing: Water-packed tuna, minced red onion, plain nonfat yogourt, and finely diced sweet peppers or jalapeño peppers.
  • Mediterranean stuffing: Hummus mixed with an equal amount of plain nonfat Greek yogourt, finely diced cucumber, tomatoes and olives, capers, and a scant sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese.
  • BLT stuffing: Shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, and crumbled turkey bacon.

 

Fruit and accompaniments spread

 

Take a cue from the popularity of cheese and charcuterie plates and assemble a board filled with ZeroPoint fruit and low SmartPoints accompaniments. Choose a large variety of fruit or stick to a few variations on the same type (for example, an entire board dedicated to tropical fruit, stone fruit or berries.) Leave berries and cherries whole, larger fruits should be cut into smaller pieces. Most types of fruit can be prepped and arranged ahead of time. Apples and pears should be cut up and added just before serving (or sprinkle with diluted lemon juice to prevent browning.)

 

Tip: To improve the flavour of unripe or out-of-season fruit, roast them in a hot oven until soft and just beginning to brown.

 

  • Dips: Vanilla or coconut-flavoured skyr, dry chocolate pudding mixed into plain nonfat Greek yogourt, chocolate hummus, avocado cocoa dip, or low fat whipped topping.
  • Sweets: Good quality dark chocolate, dried citrus peel, thin ginger cookies or chocolate wafers, small chunks of brittle or toffee, dried apple chips or sweetened roasted chickpeas.
  • Salty: Salted pistachios or pecans, selection of gourmet salts for sprinkling, crumbled feta cheese, or shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.