POP!

My favorite snack, BY FAR, is popcorn.  Nothing beats sitting on the couch with my love, a good movie on TV, a bowl of popcorn...and maybe a glass of wine.

I'm not talking about the microwave popcorn stuff that we've been hearing horror stories about in the news.  I'm talking about freshly air-popped "homemade" popcorn that you can season or sweeten as you wish.

My old roommate in New York City introduced me to her air popper when we moved in together years ago.  She would pop kernels in her air popper, spray the popcorn with cooking spray and add her toppings.  Her favorite was parmesan cheese and salt.  It just tasted so much more fresh than microwaved popcorn.  I started doing cinnamon and a dusting of brown sugar (before my Tone It up days- now I use Stevia).  That became my favorite.

When I started dating my boyfriend, I introduced him to air popped popcorn and he got hooked too!  His favorite is parmesan and garlic sea salt.  We also use Smart Balance, Olive Oil, Sunflower, or Coconut Oil cooking sprays to make the toppings stick and to remain on the healthy side.  Some of our other concoctions are below.  We don't mess around!

• Rosemary & Garlic Salt
• Dill, Cracked Pepper, & Garlic Salt
• Parmesan, Chili Powder, & Hot Sauce
• Drizzle of melted PB and Cocoa Powder
• Cocoa Powder & Stevia
• Crumbled Turkey Bacon & Stevia or Brown Sugar 
• Crushed Oreos, Sea Salt, & Melted White Chocolate (WARNING: This is dangerous!  We made it for a Superbowl party and it didn't last long)

The possibilities are pretty much endless and you can definitely go more INDULGENT or more healthy- depending on the day or occasion.

What makes air popping popcorn even more enticing is that it's a lot more economical!  An air popper can cost anywhere from $20 to $50 but kernels and toppings are super affordable and last through several batches of popcorn.  It has taken place of microwave popcorn bags, bags of chips, crackers, etc.  And I always have kernels in my pantry to satisfy my crunch craving.

Since I do a lot of distance running about 10 months out of the year, popcorn also is a healthy and light way to carb up and get the necessary salt that your body needs without going overboard.

I'm craving it now!!!

I know there HAS to be more topping ideas that I'm not thinking of.  Let me know how fancy you get with your popcorn! I must not be the only one;-)