Saturday Spotlight: Popcorn for the People

This past week at a vendor event I had an opportunity to meet some volunteers for this AWESOME non-profit.  I will say their popcorn is pretty yummy too!

The mission of this group (as stated on their website) is:

We believe in the empowerment of individuals and communities
We provide meaningful & lasting employment for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
We create employment through popcorn! Every tin you purchase provides at least an hour of meaningful employment.

When people are empowered they are more responsible, more creative, take bigger risks and embrace accountability. That’s why we choose to employ individuals who are intent on overcoming challenges to be at their very best. We also think they make better popcorn because of it.

Here is their story….  It all starts with Sam

Sam is a high functioning 24 year old with autism. He wants to travel, have fun and work like everyone else. “You may not want to work” he often says “but you have to work.” Armed knowing that the unemployment rate is 80-90% in the autistic population, we asked ourselves: where can a bright, energetic young man who views the world a little differently find work, fulfillment and happiness? Just when we were beginning to think the options were grim we spotted Sam gleefully tossing popcorn into his mouth while laughing at Monty Python. We decided to combine America’s favorite snack food with Sam’s passion and unique world view to create popcorn with a difference. We invited other workers with disabilities to join the popcorn revolution. Soon after, we opened our first location in New Jersey to an unexpected influx of media attention. We joined forces with Agnes, a star chef and mother of an autistic child. While Agnes experimented with new flavor profiles, Sam cooked the popcorn. With friends, family and co-workers as our tasters, the word spread and demand grew. Before we knew it, armfuls of tins were flying out the door. We invited other workers with disabilities to join the popcorn revolution and soon after we opened our first location in New Jersey. With such an overwhelmingly positive response we decided it was time to bring Popcorn for the People to the rest of America.

100% of the profits from Popcorn for the People goes to Let’s Work for Good.
Let’s Work for Good is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit social enterprise with a mission to provide meaningful and lasting employment for adults with autism and developmental disabilities.  

Check out some of these YUMMY flavors:

Cookies n Cream, Dark Chocolate Expresso, Chicago Baked Cheddar Cheese,        Buffalo Wing, X-treme Carmel, Joshua’s Kettle Corn, Apple Carmel, White Cheddar,        X-treme Carmel & Chocolate, Thin Mint, Salt & Vinegar

Support this AWESOME organization while enjoying yummy popcorn.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Tasty Tuesday: Swap and Save Calories

The LONG week-end is over.  There is still time to shed a few pounds before the summer season kicks off for real on July 4th.  Try some of these swaps courtesy of Hungry Girl.

1. Go egg-whites only for your morning scramble or omelette. A 3/4-cup serving of liquid egg whites (the equivalent of 3 eggs) is about 100 calories, and 3 whole large eggs are about 215 calories. I like the nutrients from the yolk so I only keep 1 yolk if I am having more than 1 eff.

2. Opt for English muffins over bagels.  The average whole-wheat English muffin has around 130 calories; a wheat bagel has closer to 300.

3. Three words: Powdered. Peanut. Butter. I LOVE Peanut butter. I mean who doesn’t right but who wants all of the calories (or points), right?  PB2 is good and can take the place of PB for less than half the calories.  Want it to be a little creamier?  Add a few extra drops of water.

4. Trade doughy rolls for flat sandwich buns.  These come in lots of flavors including bagels.  These slim 100-calorie versions are really good.

5. Making tuna or chicken salad, use fat-free plain Greek yogurt in place of regular mayo. For every 2 tbsp., you’ll slash over 150 calories!  I am a Miracle Whip Light kind of girl since I can’t have dairy and slash the calories as well.

6. Exchange rice for cauliflower rice.  I will admit, I love this swap BUT I do buy the frozen or bits since I never got it right with my blender.  Mash it up with your potatoes to cut the calories too.

7. Use nonstick spray on your skillet instead of oil. The spray is practically calorie-free, while a 1-tbsp. “glug” of oil runs about 120 calories.

8. Combine finely chopped brown mushrooms with ground beef to cut calories! Replace 4 oz. raw extra-lean ground beef with 2 cups of the mushrooms to save around 100 calories — just think if you were swapping out the fattier stuff!  I need to try this.

9. Spaghetti squash! Zucchini noodles! Veggie noodles are a great calorie saver — ditch conventional carby pasta, and you’ll save around 160 calories per cup.

 10. Eat an orange (or clementines) instead drinking orange juice. OJ has around 112 calories per cup, while a medium orange has just over 60 cals, plus filling fiber.

11. Switch from sugary sodas to zero-calorie carbonated water or seltzer. Or eliminate carbonated beverages totally.  Save about 120 calories per can!

12. Got dip? Use veggies instead of chips to scoop it up. An ounce (about 9 chips) of tortilla chips has around 140 calories and will be gone in no time.  Eat an entire large red bell pepper or about 14 baby carrots instead for around 50 calories.

13. Choose popcorn over chips — you get more volume! A single-serving baggie of Lay’s Classic has 160 calories. You can have 5 whole cups of 94% fat-free popcorn for 100 calories or less.

14. Having a chocolate craving? Why not have a fudge-flavored Enlightened The-Good-for-You Ice Cream Bar for 70 calories (plus 8g protein!).

15. Want something refreshing and sweet? Give fruity ice cream the cold shoulder. A measly 1/2 cup of strawberry ice cream has around 130 calories; have an entire cup of frozen berries for half the calories.

16. Halve the cheese. Cheese is great, but we’re generally served way more than we need. At a restaurant, ask for half of the usual amount to save calories without sacrificing flavor.

17. Request a to-go box right when your meal arrives. Keep a reasonable serving, put the rest in the box, and set it aside for another meal. (Or just split one entrée with a pal when dining out — save calories AND cash!)

18. When at the sandwich shop, opt for mustard over mayo. A tablespoon of full-fat mayo has around 100 calories, while standard yellow mustard has closer to 5. Yes, 5!

19. Trade dressing for salsa. Salad dressing can add hundreds of fatty calories to a healthy meal; 10 – 20 calories’ worth of salsa is a total bargain in comparison!

20. Choose broth-based soups over creamy ones. Fun fact: Yeah, you’ll save calories by selecting a lighter soup option — around 100 vs. 200 — but studies have shown starting a meal with a brothy soup leads people to take in fewer calories overall!

21. Lettuce buns. It’s gotten pretty trendy for restaurants to offer lettuce in place of traditional sandwich and burger buns; this is a stellar way to easily ditch around 200 – 300 calories. Don’t want to be extreme?  Take off the top, and eat the sandwich open faced.

22. Skip whole-milk morning lattes and sugary cappuccinos; grab a coffee with skim milk instead. We’ve been known to carry packets of our favorite natural no-calorie sweetener around for this very purpose.

What are your best tips for cutting calories?  Share them with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!