* Pop Pop * Popcorn as a healthy snack substitute

When looking for healthy snack substitutions, look no further than good ol’ fashioned popcorn.

It is a whole grain that is high in fiber, contains antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and when made at home contains much less fat, sugar and salt than is found in pre-popped bags or processed microwave options.

Making popcorn is quick, easy and can be custom flavored !! It is also more sustainable and doesn’t require special equipment.

Opt 1. You can air pop popcorn right on the stove in a skillet or pan with a tight lid.

Air popping on the stove requires constant movement of the pan while popping

to avoid burnt kernels, which I find a bit more cumbersome.

Opt 2. You can microwave popcorn in a reusable microwave popcorn bag.

Personally, I prefer this method. . . I’ve found the built-in popcorn setting on most

microwaves to be spot on when the appropriate ounces are entered and it pops

evenly and thoroughly. You can also just hear when it's done.

If you’ve never used one, consider our reusable microwave popcorn bags and donate to Food Dance at the same time or if you're feeling super crafty this onlinefabricstore.com YouTube on how to DIY your own popcorn bag is great. :)

Note: It’s important with either home popping method that you use fresh kernels.

Kernels that are old may be too dehydrated to pop and wont easily rehydrate.

Here is a popcornity.com article about why some popcorn kernels don’t pop.

The best part about making popcorn at home is you can choose any flavor profile you want !!

Here are some favorites:

Classic: melted butter or ghee, sea salt, nutritional yeast or parmesan (for cheese flavor)

Savory: sautéed garlic in butter, chives and/or parsley and sea salt

Rich: truffle oil and herbs

Sweet: melted butter, cinnamon and sugar

Dessert: melted dark chocolate and/or melted peanut butter

To calculate how many kernels to use:

Serving size (approx 1oz) = 4C popped = 2T kernels

or try this handy unpopped-to-popped chart on popcorn.org

Want to know more about this fun and healthful snack, try these ad free sites:

popcorn.org - a ridiculously awesome website, literally everything you’d want to know

popcornity.com - a simple blog from an avid popcorn lover, with fun facts and recipes

Visit our Play With Your Food page (coming in August) to learn more about popcorn science and to find some fun kids' (or kids at heart) activities.

Finally, embrace that Food Dance Life by trying (or gifting) our

reusable microwave popcorn bags

handmade by me with lots of LOVE !! Enjoy, * Pop Pop * !!