Raise your hand if you have never looked at the ingredients or nutrition information on your bag of microwave popcorn. Raise your hand if you buy the 100-calorie bags and think you are eating healthy because it is only 100 calories of whole grains. Raise your hand if you HAVE looked and will not eat microwave popcorn due to the amounts of trans-fats in each serving.
If you haven't looked, look. Most microwave popcorn is saturated in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, to the point where each serving can have several grams of trans fats. Yuck. So much for those 100 calories being "healthy".
You could buy "organic" microwave popcorn bags, but then you have to be willing to shell out the bucks for them. You could air pop it, but then you have to own and store an air popper. Or you could do the old fashioned pop it on the stove method (which is what I like best for the kiddos), but then you have to have the time and energy to do it and clean up after it! BUT, good old Orville now has a solution for those of us who are cash, appliance, and energy challenged: Gourmet Microwave Popcorn, Natural. It isn't organic, and you are still buying into the corn chain (thanks for sticking that to me, Micheal Pollan), but, you are now skipping all the partially hydrogenated CRUD build up in your system. Hooray. And, are you ready for this???? Even the 50% less fat version tastes FANTASTIC! It is really yummy. The whole bag works out to just a little over 100 calories and 5 grams of fat (the whole BIG bag) of yumminess. Oh yeah, and don't forget the whole grains!
Final benefit? Sign up for Amazon's "subscribe and save" deal on it, and you can get each box (3 big bags each) for about 2 bucks. **warning: you have to be willing to store 12 boxes** Once you get the delivery, you just cancel your subscription with no further obligation.
Healthy eating + discount = Happy Mandy!
I've bought this kind for a couple of years and was thrilled to see it at Costco late summer...but not anymore. Shucks. Back to buying 2-3boxes each Target visit.
ReplyDeleteYou can pop organic popcorn in a lunch bag folded shut, in the microwave too. In a pinch, it works great!
ReplyDeleteNice tip, Stephanie! Do you put anything in the bag besides the popcorn?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite, but experiment to your liking.
ReplyDeleteAlton Brown’s Plain Brown Popper
1/4 cup good quality popcorn
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or popcorn salt
Sprinkle jalapeno seasoning mix
Paper lunch bag
Stapler
Toss the popcorn with the olive oil, salt, and jalapeno seasoning mix in the paper bag. Fold the top of the bag over and staple the bag twice to close. Place the bag in the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes to 3 minutes, or until there are about 5 seconds between pops.
That is SO totally awesome. I love it. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have a prest power popper. It pops corn even without oil! Usually pops most all the kernels to.
ReplyDeletePresto power popper for the microwave.
ReplyDelete