How To Break Packaged Snacks Addiction

I’ve always bought “healthy” snacks. My cupboards were full of GMO-free chips made with Himalayan salt and seaweed packets flavored with organic soy sauce. But at roughly $4 a pop, those packaged snacks added up—especially when my teenagers devoured a bag in one sitting. I was tired of the whining, “We don’t have anything to eat…” just a few days after I’d gone to the market. “Grab an apple!” I’d tell them, but they’d just shake their heads, rummaging through the shelves for a wayward packet of flaxseed crisps. They were addicted to the salt and the crunch of packaged snacks. And it had to stop.

At $4 a pop, packaged snacks add up—especially when my teenagers devour a bag in one sitting! Here’s how I broke their packaged snack addition. So a few weeks ago, I announced that I was done buying packaged snacks. If they wanted something crunchy in their lunchboxes, I would air pop a bowl of popcorn each morning. I knew that popcorn could be a healthy snack–low calorie, high fiber–if prepared correctly. (If made the wrong way, popcorn can be deadly. But that’s another post.)

My kids complained but accepted the bulging wax paper bags, shoving them petulantly into the bottom of their backpacks. Eight hours later, my son bounded into the kitchen to ask me, “What did you put in that popcorn? It’s amazing!” Later, he bragged to his friends about my incredible popcorn. And one recent morning when I forgot to turn on the popper before they woke up—filling the kitchen with the delicious smell—they worried that I wouldn’t have time to fill their wax paper bags before school.

What was the magical formula that transformed ordinary popcorn into a treat so delicious my kids gave up their packaged snacks addiction? It’s so simple you’ll laugh. Ready?

Air pop a bowl of popcorn. Spritz it a few times with organic olive oil, tossing with a spoon to coat. Sprinkle on a few pinches of organic sea salt, tossing again. Seriously, that’s it! It’s so easy, even my teenagers can do it.

Be honest: What’s your favorite snack? Please tell me about it in comments, below!