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Hungry anyone?  How about some POPCORN?!  James and I like to make our own homemade microwave popcorn. It’s a way better alternative than potato chips or other salty snacks, plus it takes up much less space in the RV than a big bag of chips will.

For us, making popcorn is one of the handiest things about having a microwave in our RV.  I’ve never understood why store-bought microwave bags are so popular when it’s just as easy to make homemade (or RV made!) without the waste, extra cost, and the scary mystery goo that comes with store-bought bags.  We shared how we do that in this video; give it a look!

When you’re feeling ‘snacky’, popcorn – prepared right – is a smart choice.  It’s a whole grain that’s full of fiber and packed with polyphenols (compounds that act as antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals that would otherwise damage your cells).  Popcorn beats spinach (gram for gram) on iron content.  You also get a lot of bang for your buck calorie-wise… 7 cups of the stuff are only around 140 calories.

But let’s be honest here.  Popcorn is just a vessel for other flavors.  THAT’S where we can get into trouble.  And that’s exactly why you should try some of our healthed-up seasoning recipes and ditch the store-bought stuff completely!

Here’s all the stuff we shared in the video and links to find them:

The Basics:

Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Bowl:  We use the smaller 8-cup bowl because we prefer its compact size in the RV, but they have bigger sizes, too!
Amish Country Popcorn:  We’re currently popping their “Baby White” variety, and I love how there seems to be fewer unpopped kernels than other brands we’ve tried.

The Oils:

Pompeian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Eco-Friendly Spray:  This is what you see James spraying on his popcorn. But you can make your own oil spray bottles, too!
Full Circle Organic Virgin Coconut Oil:  This is the brand I used making my “Waffle Corn” recipe, I get it from my local market.  And yes, coconut oil is high in saturated fat… even more than in butter.  But some research has suggested the saturated fats in coconut oil are less harmful and actually raise levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol.  Though along with that, it also can raise your LDL’s… so it’s far from a super food.  The safest bet is to use it in moderation.

The Recipes:

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup popcorn kernels
• 1 microwave safe container (brown paper sacks work, too)

Pour the kernels in your container and microwave around 2 minutes, depending on your microwave. Popcorn burns fast so there might be a learning curve here.

Once your popcorn is done, add your toppings and enjoy. So fast and easy!!!

Waffle Corn Topping: My absolute fave!!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS coconut oil
• 1 TBS real maple syrup

Place in a microwave safe container.  Melt to combine, stir, and drizzle over your popped popcorn.  This amount easily covers an entire bowl of popped popcorn (using recipe above with ¼ cup kernels).  You can jazz it up even more by adding freeze dried strawberries, or dried bananas and nuts.  But just plain waffle corn ROCKS in my book!

Taco Popcorn Seasoning

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Mix all together and sprinkle as much as you’d like over your popcorn after spraying or drizzling on your healthy oil option. This makes enough for probably around 5-7 bowls of popcorn, depending on how thick you sprinkle it on!

BBQ Seasoning

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS ranch seasoning (link is to the brand I use that works great!)
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Note: Flavor is going to vary on this one depending on what ranch powder you use… but please do read your labels! Not all ranch powders use healthy and natural ingredients!

Spicy Thai Seasoning

This is one of James’ favorites. It’s not for everyone though… but if you’re a Thai-peanut flavor lover (think Pad Thai), you’ll like this, too.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons liquid aminos or soy sauce (or any soy sauce alternative)
• 1 – 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
• Optional: 1 TBS Chopped fresh herbs: cilantro, basil, or green onions

Whisk together all but the herbs. Pour over popcorn in a large bowl and toss thoroughly. If adding herbs, toss them in last.

Note: Make sure to use real peanut butter.  Besides being healthier and free of added sugars, the real stuff has a runnier consistency, which you’ll need to make this sauce.