Healthy snack/small meal ideas

bcf7683
Posts: 1,653 Member
I'm just curious in seeing what everyone has been able to create for their low calorie snacks/small meals! I have a desk job, so planning is key for me when it comes to my snacks throughout the day. I need to take with me in the morning what I am going to be eating for the day to prevent any slip-ups- people in my office like to bring in cookie trays, candy, pizza, order-out lunch, etc., I've been able to build up quite a good amount of will-power being around this everyday
So this is why planning is key for me, so that I don't give in when I'm hungry to the junk food that's always sitting around at work.
That being said, here are my go-to snacks/small meals:
Breakfast Options (I have a protein shake after my workout every morning [around 210 calories], so my breakfast is a little smaller than what most might have):
-1/4 c Great Value Whole Grain Quick Oats w/ 1/4 c Musselman's Lite apple sauce, adding ground cinnamon on top: 108 calories (this one's a keeper because I can keep everything for this one in my desk, so it's readily accessible. Some days I switch out the applesauce for a sugar-free berry blend applesauce to mix things up a little)
OR
-One Wheat round (any brand, most are around 100 cals) with 2 tbs. PB2 (powdered peanut butter that you mix with water---AWESOME diet find- netrition.com) smeared on top with one medium sized banana sliced on top: around 245 calories, depending on the size of the banana.
(A good substitution for this one to save on some carbs if you're watching them is using lightly salted rice cakes instead- 35 cals each)
Snack Ideas:
-Green pepper slices (or carrot slices) with either roasted red pepper or garlic hummus (calories vary depending on brand of hummus, I switch around often depending on price. This snack is mainly under 100 calories- just make sure to watch portion sizes with the hummus- some brands contain more fat than others). Sometimes I like to mix salsa in with my roasted red pepper hummus, gives it a better texture. I'm weird when it comes to textures.)
-Sugar free chocolate Jell-o pudding with strawberries. I love this snack when I'm wanting something sweet. My favorite junk food/candy is chocolate covered strawberries, so this is an awesome alternative. Just watch how many strawberries you eat with it for the sugar content- I usually go for 4 or 5, slicing them in half so it seems like I'm eating more. The pudding has 60 calories, strawberries vary on the size and amount.
-An easy snack: Special K cracker chips. They have a bunch of flavors (Ranch, cheddar, sour cream & onion, sea salt, etc.) and for 27 chips it's only 110 calories. If you're used to always craving potato chips, these are an awesome alternative. Just be careful to factor these into your sodium level for the day.
-Sliced apple with PB2 peanut butter (chocolate or regular): Assuming the apple is around 80 calories, this snack is only 125 calories with hardly any fat (compare that to regular peanut butter!)
-Light butter popcorn (I buy the fit & active brand from Aldis) topped with a couple squirts of spray butter, garlic powder and cajun seasoning (watch sodium here). LOVE this snack for after dinner when I sit down to a movie or the news- only 20 calories in one popped cup (I usually have 1/2 the bag [and store the rest in sealed bowl], which would be about 1.75 cups) It's a good, VERY low calorie snack.
-GG Scandinavian Bran Crispbread (I get mine from Netrition.com) with salsa- also VERY low calorie snack. It saves you from all of the sodium and calories that are in regular crackers. The crispbread it quite dry on it's own so you need to eat it with something that hydrates a little- salsa is good. It's like salsa and chips without the calories and fat. It's also good if you want to add fat free sour cream or fat free cream cheese for a little more flavor. The crispbread comes in sheets like graham crackers and one sheet is two servings- one serving being only 12 calories, with 5 grams of fiber- making it a snack that keeps you full.
-Half a baked potato with cilantro and salsa. I LOVE with one, pretty filling if you pair it with a salad for a small meal.
-A good make-at-home snack: Banana pops. Take a banana and slice it in half and put a Popsicle stick into each half. Then dip the banana into any flavor fat-free yogurt you like (I like to use strawberry for this) and place on wax paper on a tray and freeze. This is the only way I can eat yogurt, like I said- I'm weird with textures.These are awesome in the summer (or whenever!) you're craving sugary ice cream or treat, but they'll save the heck out of your calories and sugar for the day (even compared to brands like SkinnyCow.) Calories vary depending on size of banana and brand/type of yogurt.
I'm sure there are more little snack tidbits that I could add to this, if I think of any other little recipes that I want to share I'll post them. I'd like to see what everyone else has been able to come up with!
Sorry if this topic has been previously posted (I'm sure it has) but I figured this would be easier than digging through the boards for hours.

That being said, here are my go-to snacks/small meals:
Breakfast Options (I have a protein shake after my workout every morning [around 210 calories], so my breakfast is a little smaller than what most might have):
-1/4 c Great Value Whole Grain Quick Oats w/ 1/4 c Musselman's Lite apple sauce, adding ground cinnamon on top: 108 calories (this one's a keeper because I can keep everything for this one in my desk, so it's readily accessible. Some days I switch out the applesauce for a sugar-free berry blend applesauce to mix things up a little)
OR
-One Wheat round (any brand, most are around 100 cals) with 2 tbs. PB2 (powdered peanut butter that you mix with water---AWESOME diet find- netrition.com) smeared on top with one medium sized banana sliced on top: around 245 calories, depending on the size of the banana.
(A good substitution for this one to save on some carbs if you're watching them is using lightly salted rice cakes instead- 35 cals each)
Snack Ideas:
-Green pepper slices (or carrot slices) with either roasted red pepper or garlic hummus (calories vary depending on brand of hummus, I switch around often depending on price. This snack is mainly under 100 calories- just make sure to watch portion sizes with the hummus- some brands contain more fat than others). Sometimes I like to mix salsa in with my roasted red pepper hummus, gives it a better texture. I'm weird when it comes to textures.)
-Sugar free chocolate Jell-o pudding with strawberries. I love this snack when I'm wanting something sweet. My favorite junk food/candy is chocolate covered strawberries, so this is an awesome alternative. Just watch how many strawberries you eat with it for the sugar content- I usually go for 4 or 5, slicing them in half so it seems like I'm eating more. The pudding has 60 calories, strawberries vary on the size and amount.
-An easy snack: Special K cracker chips. They have a bunch of flavors (Ranch, cheddar, sour cream & onion, sea salt, etc.) and for 27 chips it's only 110 calories. If you're used to always craving potato chips, these are an awesome alternative. Just be careful to factor these into your sodium level for the day.
-Sliced apple with PB2 peanut butter (chocolate or regular): Assuming the apple is around 80 calories, this snack is only 125 calories with hardly any fat (compare that to regular peanut butter!)
-Light butter popcorn (I buy the fit & active brand from Aldis) topped with a couple squirts of spray butter, garlic powder and cajun seasoning (watch sodium here). LOVE this snack for after dinner when I sit down to a movie or the news- only 20 calories in one popped cup (I usually have 1/2 the bag [and store the rest in sealed bowl], which would be about 1.75 cups) It's a good, VERY low calorie snack.
-GG Scandinavian Bran Crispbread (I get mine from Netrition.com) with salsa- also VERY low calorie snack. It saves you from all of the sodium and calories that are in regular crackers. The crispbread it quite dry on it's own so you need to eat it with something that hydrates a little- salsa is good. It's like salsa and chips without the calories and fat. It's also good if you want to add fat free sour cream or fat free cream cheese for a little more flavor. The crispbread comes in sheets like graham crackers and one sheet is two servings- one serving being only 12 calories, with 5 grams of fiber- making it a snack that keeps you full.
-Half a baked potato with cilantro and salsa. I LOVE with one, pretty filling if you pair it with a salad for a small meal.
-A good make-at-home snack: Banana pops. Take a banana and slice it in half and put a Popsicle stick into each half. Then dip the banana into any flavor fat-free yogurt you like (I like to use strawberry for this) and place on wax paper on a tray and freeze. This is the only way I can eat yogurt, like I said- I'm weird with textures.These are awesome in the summer (or whenever!) you're craving sugary ice cream or treat, but they'll save the heck out of your calories and sugar for the day (even compared to brands like SkinnyCow.) Calories vary depending on size of banana and brand/type of yogurt.
I'm sure there are more little snack tidbits that I could add to this, if I think of any other little recipes that I want to share I'll post them. I'd like to see what everyone else has been able to come up with!

Sorry if this topic has been previously posted (I'm sure it has) but I figured this would be easier than digging through the boards for hours.
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