Low Calorie Popcorn Recipes: Pumpkin Pie & Mexican Popcorn

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I've always said that eating six meals a day is the most important part of any food plan. When planning my daily meals, I always leave room for snacking because I like my main meals in smaller portions, so my body doesn't feel the need to store any additional carbs or fat. I have a variety of snack foods that I enjoy, but popcorn has to be one of my all time favorite snack foods. I came up with two new low calorie popcorn recipes this week, and I think you are going to love them! My Mexican Popcorn recipe was inspired by the new Skinnygirl Lime & Salt flavor I purchased from Walmart. My Pumpkin Pie Popcorn was inspired by the fact that it's almost Fall, and who doesn't love pumpkin flavored everything?

Note: If you want to recreate these low calorie popcorn recipes, and are having trouble finding one of the flavors at Wal-Mart be sure to look on the bottom shelf. Sometimes item descriptions and numbers can be similar (I used to work in merchandising) and stockers place the wrong product in the wrong space on the shelf.

When I add flavor to my popcorn the last thing I want to do is turn a healthy snack into a cheat day snack. Instead of adding corn syrup or butter I use better ingredients that produce the same tasty results. Thankfully using Skinnygirl popcorn gives me a little more leeway when coming up with recipes because it has 20% less calories than other brands.

Take a look at these awesome recipes, and add them to your recipe box. Living a balanced lifestyle doesn't have to be boring, so spice things up and enjoy your snacks! Life is too short to eat boring foods.

Low Calorie Popcorn Recipes:

Pumpkin Pie Popcorn Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 bag of Skinnygirl popcorn Butter & Sea Salt variety
1 Tbsp honey (or all natural sweetener of your choice)
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
10 raisins  or craisins (high in sugar so don't overdo it)
1-2 Tbsp of pecans, almonds, or walnuts

How To Make It:

Pop your Skinnygirl popcorn according to package instructions.
Measure pumpkin pie spice,cinnamon, craisins, and nuts and put in a gallon sized ziploc bag.
Add popped popcorn and shake well.
Melt honey in the microwave for about 15 seconds and use a spoon to cover the popcorn evenly.

Mexican Popcorn w/a Hint of Lime Recipe:

Ingredients: 

1 bag of Skinnygirl popcorn Lime & Salt variety
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (less if you don't like it hot)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes

How To Make It:

Pop your Skinnygirl popcorn according to package instructions.
Measure all spices and put in a gallon sized ziploc bag.
Add popped popcorn and shake well.

Note: I love hot foods, if you are not a fan only use a dash of cayenne or omit it altogether.

While I was making these recipes, I also decided to try my hand at making themed popcorn boxes. I think these would be adorable for a Cinco de Mayo party and for Thanksgiving. I would use them to showcase the popcorn, but you could also use them to serve popcorn snacks (just make sure you line the container or use adhesives that aren't dangerous if ingested).

You can print your popcorn box template here, and decorate any way you like.

Let me know which one of my low calorie popcorn recipes you'd like to try in the comments below.