Healthy Grab & Go Food Ideas

stacybee14

One of my biggest struggles with food is getting so busy with the kids that I let myself get too hungry, and then I grab something unhealthy rather than taking the time to prepare something. I do best when I plan my days ahead of time, with plenty of "grab & go" type food items. But I get sick of the same old thing, and I'm trying to steer clear of some of the more processed foods (granola bars, crackers, etc.). I'm also avoiding egg & dairy while nursing, which adds a bit more of a challenge.

Does anyone have any great food ideas to share? Here are some that have worked for me:

Personal Sized Baked Oatmeal (altered slightly to make egg & dairy free) - http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/personal-sized-baked-oatmeal-with-individual-toppings-gluten-free-diabetic-friendly/

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chia Bites (I made mine with soy nut butter so my peanut-allergic son could have them too) - http://ovenlove.blogspot.com/2012/02/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-chia-bites.html

Flour tortilla rolled up with hummus & shredded veggies

Lots of fruit!

Okay, your turn!

lovemyboys224

I really like Nature Valley's granola bars. Enough to tide me over until my next meal. Plus bananas. Those are the easiest from of grab and go! Haha.

triciapaulson

I make trail mix often in a large batch then put it in a container or small snack sized baggies to put in my desk at work. I did this a lot when I was pregnant, it was my go-to if it was between meals and I was hungry!

A lot of time mine consists of:
Peanuts, or mixed nuts (though your son has a nut allergy....so... sunflower seeds?)
Rainsins or Craisins (sometimes both
Pretzels
Semi-sweet chocolate chips (though I'm cutting out sugar/sweets completely now)
Or anything else you like, but the no-nuts thing throws me off.

I also like the Nature Valley (hard) granola bars.
Maybe try some dried fruit too, that's unsweetened, sometimes banana chips or apple crisps are delish and you can toss them in single serve snack baggies for on the go without worrying about them getting squished or rotten.

nomadicartgirl

I try to keep a pint size ziplock of unsalted almonds, some cut up apples, and a sealed packet of tuna in my school back and diaper bag. If I am in class/in between them or out and about with Connor, it prevents me from wanting to reach for the vending machines and fast food joints.

In general my grab and go consists of low fat cheese sticks, cut up celery and carrots, apples, almonds, homemade protein bars, and homemade granola. If you have a dehydrator or have the patience to make it by hand, you could make homemade fruit leather and dried fruit like banana chips and apple chips.

momoftheyear

I've been snacking on the individual hummus cups with the little bags of carrots. We are egg and nut free in this house so finding healthy snacks that stick with you is kind of a pain. At work I will eat peanut butter crackers and string cheese but I know that isn't much help for you. I also really like luna bars, but I can't remember if they are dairy free. This blog has some vegan Lara Bar recipes:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-covered-recipes/fudge-baby-mania/
I haven't tried any of those but all of her recipes that I have tried are really good.

I love the little oatmeal cup recipe. What do you use to substitute eggs? I mostly use Ener-G egg replacer but was wondering if you did something different that worked well with this recipe.

stacybee14

Thanks for the ideas everyone!

Momoftheyear, I use Ener-G egg replacer for the oatmeal cups and it works great. Sorry to hear that you're nut- & egg-free too - it's a drag, huh? Luckily my son isn't so allergic that I can't keep peanut butter in the house, but I never cook with it because I don't want to contaminate my cookware and I want him to be able to enjoy what I bake - so I'll just sneak a spoonful of it every now and then (because it's my favorite!!). I don't keep loose peanuts in the house because I'm paranoid about dropping one and having him find it. And since both of my older boys are allergic to eggs we don't keep those in the house at all.

Thanks for the Lara Bar recipes - those look fantastic!!

I made these roasted chickpeas tonight and they were super easy and really tasty (I used the smoky spice blend variation) - http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2012/08/healthy-snack-roasted-chickpeas.html. Jury's still out on how they'll keep in the fridge - I may half the recipe next time. But with all the fiber and protein they should help keep me satisfied!