Healthy snack ideas

[smallworld]

Does anyone have ideas for quick healthy snacks? I need things to pack for the car to feed my kids in the afternoons when we're ferrying from one activity to another. I also need ideas for when I get the munchies at 10:30 am following my workout or at night when I stay up late waiting for my son to fall asleep so I can then go to bed.

Don't tell me not to eat at all -- I'm hungry!!!

TIA.

 

[goldenguru]

I love the baby carrots. They are so easy to grab and go.

How about low fat yogurts? Also easy to eat in the car and healthy.

Whole wheat crackers/bagels?

Fresh fruit?

As far as late night snacks - I try to go to bed hungry. My body doesn't need the calories while I sleep and I find that I get up and am much more inclined to eat a healthy breakfast.

Good luck!

 

[LittleDudesMom]

One of my fav snacks are apples. For some reason they really fill me up and satisfy my hunger. Boxes of raisins are a good thing to store in the car. difficult child loves "breakfast bars" (granola bars) and there are some great tasting low fat ones out now. I know this goes "against the grain" as far as fresh fruit goes, but my kids love those fruit in a cup things. easy child is crazy about the maderine orange and the pineapples ones, and difficult child loves the pears. He won't even eat a fresh paer!!! The prepackaged fat free jello and pudding are great snacks for kids too (and if you are so inclined, you can even make it yourself!)

Can't wait to here some more ideas.

Sharon

 

[Star*]

Watch the sugar and carbs in yogurt -

I thought it was a healthy alternative and it turns out the sugar in it is through the roof!

You can find low sugar or low carb yogurts - you just have to look.

Also - if you are diabetic - carrots aren't a good choice for loosing weight - I cant' remember why - I just know I was told that. But I LOVE baby carrots. nom nom nom

 

[totoro]

You know what I found to be really good and K and husband and N love??? !!!!
A Tortilla with all Natural Peanut Butter with thin slices of whatever apple you like... it is a great power food!!!

husband has been trying to get me on board to join him with the A.B.S diet/Lifestyle... this is one of the go to snacks in the book... they push lots of small high protein snacks. 6 small meals a day.
I need to read the book.

Homemade Smoothies... with silken tofu... freeze them in small quantities 6oz. Slowly sip on them as a snack, while they thaw. Or use Non-fat yogurt, plain with honey... or vanilla, just about 2 tablespoons per serving.
The problem is people get the 20 oz ones from those smoothie places and are getting WAY to many calories...
Handful of nuts... with dried fruit.

Tortilla with nufchatel cheese and turkey or chicken rolled up with basil or herbs... or pesto !!! Or fresh Peppers, yellow, red or green!!! Yummy....

Lettuce wraps, with some chicken, rottiserie, with some lowfat sesame-ginger dressing to dip it in, just like 1-2 tablespoons. Or balsamic vinegar and olive oil!!! A little Parm!!!!
You can have a lot of these prepared in the fridge or in your lunch so easy to grab and go!!!
It is easy to roast a chicken and use it for many things all week...chicken salad wrap...we use nayonaise instead of Mayo... lower fat and cholesterol... tastes good also.

 

[flutterbee]

For keeping hunger at bay longer, hard chew fruits and veggies are the best as they take the body longer to break down and it keeps the body's blood sugar stable. So, carrots, celery, apples... Plus they taste good.

 

[hearts and roses]

If you blanch some brocolli and cauliflower and then chill it, you can put them in little baggies and take them with you to munch on (they have 0 points).

The carrots have points now in WW, whereas they didn't used to, so watch the carrots because they have higher sugar levels.

I don't really like celery, but since its all water and fiber, I will.

I like having a hard boiled egg - the protein lasts to keep me satisfied until it's meal time.

I also like munching on about 10 almonds - they are nice and crunchy and also satisfy the hunger pangs.

Also, when I am cooking dinner, I may have a cup of sugar free fat free hot cocoa to temper my hunger until we sit.

Soy nuts, craisins, apples, clementine oranges.

 

[Penta]

Gorp or Trail Mix! You can find recipes online, I'm sure...but basically it's mixture of nuts, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds etc...anything you may have on hand. Maybe some M&M's and small pretzels thrown in too. It's easy to fix, put in small plastic containers or snack size baggies and hand it out to the kids.

Mmmmm....I think I'll make some soon!

 

[Martie]

I eat about 10 almonds at 10 p.m. which is justified because I will be up for several more hours. It is a good idea to go to bed hungry in my opinion....it is a relatively painless reminder that the only fuel available is BODY FAT!

Martie

 

[Lothlorien]

I like apples too, but being fairly hypoglycemic, I usually eat a small amount of cheese or peanut butter to counter the sugar content in the apples. If I eat an apple, I have the shakes and I'm starving a half hour later. It's a very healthy snack for the kids.

 

[Wiped Out]

One healthy snack I've been eating a lot lately is small prepackaged packs of almonds, cashews, and dried cranberries. It's tasty and a good protein snack and keeps me going at work.

I'll give this some more thought because I am a huge snacker-it's late though and my brain isn't functioning well right now!

 

[flutterbee]

I also put Multi-Grain Cheerios in a baggie and snack on them when I want something crunchy. Instead of chips, I'll reach for those.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

that's a good idea Heather. I do like the crunch. I think it's important to satisfy those sensory issues!

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Apples are also one of my favorite snacks. I read a book, Mindless Eating, last year that said whenever you feel like having a snack, to eat an apple first. I started doing this. Apples really help me lose my craving for other things. Although this doesn't work for everyone, it seems to help.

I mix chopped up fruit and a packet of Splenda into plain yogurt. I always buy plain yogurt and add my own mix-ins. I know I should do this without the Splenda, but I love sweet things! WFEN

 

[trinityroyal]

A few ideas...

1) Almonds

2) Veggies and dip. Whatever raw veg you like, and low-fat ranch salad dressing in a small plastic container to use as a dip. Any low fat creamy dressing works well.

3) Apple slices and cheese cubes. As Lothlorien mentioned, the cheese helps to smooth out the spike and drop in your blood sugar

4) Mandarin or clementine oranges.

5) Unsalted peanuts and raisins, mixed together, if you know that peanut allergies are not a concern

6) Small snack-size containers of bite-sized anything.
One of Little easy child's favourite road snacks is a small container of cooked shrimp. They are bite sized, and he will just eat them with his fingers. husband likes pork chop or chicken cubes, same format. And difficult child used to like cut up hamburger patties, no bun. As long as there is no messy sauce (and as long as you don't mind a crew of carnivorous men eating like, well...carnivores) then this is an easy way to deal with leftovers and have snacks on the go.

 

[Hound dog]

Trying to think of what I used to give my kids.

Ants on a log. Celery with peanut butter and raisins. Quick easy and they loved them.

Fresh raw broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots, bananas, peaches, apples.

Some kids enjoy peanut butter on apples. This one was Nichole's fav. And did well since we were always having to try to balance her blood sugar.

Peanut butter and crackers. Cheese and crackers.

Trail mix. (although I personally don't like them)

Popcorn. (best snack in the world if you don't smother it in butter/salt)

 

[SRL]

Apples on an empty stomach make my tummy grumbly and I feel hungrier!

 

[BusynMember]

Fruits are great! My favs are bananas and apples because they're so easy to eat (don't have to peel). Since fruit is fiber, it helps stave off hunger. Raisins are great too.

 

[smallworld]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm going to print out this thread and add some of these ideas to my weekly grocery list.