Best Homemade Snack Ever and New Workout Trend
Need a savory snack? Try sun dried tomatoes! Their absolutely delicious- I’ve been hooked on them ever since visiting Italy. The combination of freshly baked bread, sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic, and olive oil was a little bite of heaven on earth. However once I was back in the states I could only find completely dried, hard as a brick tomatoes that are more for cooking rather than snacking. I did finally find the perfectly chewy variety at Whole Foods and Fresh Market, which excited me, but they were pricey and didn’t compare to those I ate in The Boot, so I basically gave up on the idea of eating them for a snack. That is, until I realized I could dehydrate my own.
I present to you the best. snack. ever. Homemade sun dried tomatoes!
If you have a tomato plant, garden or a friend with a garden and a dehydrator- you’re golden. Slice em up and make yourself some sun dried tomatoes.
The reason I like these so much is because their chewiness keeps my mouth busy and with the right seasoning they taste just like pizza!
Here’s how it’s done:
- Wash and dry fresh tomatoes
- Cut tomatoes in slices about 1/4 inch thick
- Lay the slices (flesh side up for end pieces) on the dehydrator screens
- Sprinkle with sea salt, shredded fresh basil and oregano or other italian seasonings
- Dehydrate at 125 for 24 hours or until the tomatoes are completely dry (use 115 if you’re doing the raw thing)
Enjoy as a tasty snack, use in sandwiches and salads, or in other recipes. You can even save them for winter when the tomatoes in the grocery store are flavorless.
And just in case you need a refresher on the health benefits:
Tomatoes are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium. To top it off, they’re bursting with the phytonutrient lycopene. This carotenoid that is found in raw tomatoes (and everything made from them) has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. Choose organic varieties for the most lycopene. Organic ketchup delivers three times as much lycopene, as non-organic brands. (Another good reason to buy organic!)
Lastly, I need to know how you all feel about the latest workout trend- HULA HOOPING!!
It’s been popping up every where. Just recently I saw some girls (who weren’t wearing Dora the Explorer shirts) hula hooping at a park nearby. And, I recieved an email today from Fitness Magazine with the subject line “Hula Hoop Your Way Thin“. There are even hula hoops in the yoga studio at my gym. Although, I’m pretty certain they’re in the yoga room for the kidzercise class I decided to take it upon myself to give the hoop a whirl. And when I say “a” whirl that’s what I mean, because I have never been able to get the hoop to go around more than once without dropping to the floor and I still can’t.
They say that if you buy an adult sized hula hoop that is weighed it’s a bit easier to keep it up, but I’m not planning to invest. Don’t get wrong, there are a couple exercises I like to do that take me back to childhood, like jumping rope and swinging. But hula hooping doesn’t do it for me. Plus it doesn’t seem like something I would actually do (if I could actually do it) for an extended period of time. Like jumping rope- I would never do that for an hour straight.
With exercise you need to do things that you like so that you’ll keep at it. So by all means, if you love twirling the hula hoop and can do it for an extended period of time than that’s awesome. Just don’t count me in 
So tell me, can you hula hoop? Have you tried hula hooping for exercise? What do you think?
- Brittany
I can’t hula hoop. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t do it!!! LOVE the tomatoes
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I am horrible at hula-hopping! Those tomatoes look great — perfect for salads.
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Oh how I wish I had a dehydrator–sounds like an awesome snack!
it’s been years since I hula-hooped…I guess I should give it another go!
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mmmm good snack idea!
http://saladdiva.wordpress.com
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That does sound like the best snack ever! Tastes like pizza?! Yes please, count me in!
Just wish I had a dehydrator, maybe I can figure out a way to use my oven instead.
I totally suck at hula hooping
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That’s funny about the tomatoes… they’re more or less ubiquitous in Australia. We can buy sun-dried (the darker, crunchier, and more intense flavoured ones) or semi-sundried (the nice chewy, herby, flavoursome ones) in pretty much every supermarket and deli for relatively cheap. It’s also easy to find completely dried tomatoes in most fruit & veg sections of supermarkets, and jarred sundried tomatoes in the grocery section. They’re brilliant in sandwiches and omelets also
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that looks like a delicious homemade snack!
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Hula-hooping! I know! It is crazy cool! I see a woman who goes to my gym bring in a hula hoop every time. I have never seen her use it in the gym–she uses it in the parking lot after her work out.
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WOW! I love tomatoes and those look GORGEOUS! A food dehydrator is definitely going on my Christmas list! (Is August too early to start that?)
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I did a lot of hoola hooping in highschool, and I love it!
I think it’s pretty good workout, specially if you fool around with it. I stopped after I punched myself in my lips with it. Very painful. But you motivated me now to try again!
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Maybe a girl with big hips has what it takes to hula……ya think? I have always loved the hula hoop, could do it around my neck, knees, waist and I loved the sound my old green one would make. Now I have found it on Wii Fit. YEAH. I could still do it, much to my surprise and love it. Don’t think I can do the real thing anymore, but who knows….a little more Wii and I might just give it a twirl.
Your tomatoes looks so delicious!!!
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MMMm I want to make those!!! We have a whole blooming tomato plant on our deck so this would be perfect to use up some of the super ripe tomatoes. I wanna add them to my sandwiches!!
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I love hula hooping. When I was younger, I was actually pretty good at it. I never thought to hula hoop as a workout, but I guess it’s probably pretty good for your abs and hip flexors. I would do it!
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Sun dried tomatoes are delish! I like yours though because the store bought kind is so oily!!
Hula hooping is fun but mine always drops after about 2 minutes ha! I’m not the best kid on the play ground when it comes to that
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Those tomatoes look amazing, I wish I had a dehydrator!
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I was always bad at hula hooping, except for loops on my arm. But I bet it’s a fun class. Of “kid” exercising, I’d rather do trampolining.
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OH WOW!!!! Those look beautiful. I’ve been loving tomatoes so much lately. Holla at Hanover
And hula hooping definitely is a throwback for me. I wonder if I can still do it. Only one way to find out, right?
http://www.ohonemorething.wordpress.com
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I am so impressed that you made your own sun dried tomatoes! That takes serious effort. They look beautiful!
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These look amazing. Def trying this one!
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SD toms are the bizzle! Your plate looks lovely
I have NOT tried hula hooping for better health. I used to love it as a kiddo. It’s so fun!
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