What do you eat for snacks?

melodyg
melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
I am looking for healthy snack ideas. I am trying to eat (mostly) unprocessed foods (or at least not things like granola bars!). I am also working on a really limited budget! I keep running out of snacks and ideas! I also keep really working to get to my daily calorie goal (currently 1650 + whatever I can eat from exercise) and want to increase exercise intensity at some point and eat some of those calories too.

Here is what I am currently snacking on most days -- not all every day, but some combination of what I am listing:

Fruit -- apples, pears, bananas, strawberries (plus whatever is on sale that I like!)
Lowfat cottage cheese
Vanilla yogurt or frozen yogurt when I have it on hand (yum!)
Peanut butter or 2% cheese (usually with fruit -- I'm trying to make sure I have some protein with carbs)
Almonds
Raw Veggies (whatever I have on hand -- squash, carrots... cucumber and tomatoes are my favorite!)
Tomatoes with olive oil (as soon as homegrown tomatoes are here!)

Anything I'm just not thinking of? I've thought of hummus to dip veggies in... just haven't bought or made some yet.
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Replies

  • AlisonJMWhite
    AlisonJMWhite Posts: 5
    Hi,

    It sounds like you have some good snack ideas already, I hadnt thought of Tomatoes in olive oil and it sounds lovely so I will add that to my list.

    The only other thing I can think of are oatcakes. The cheesy Nairns ones are really nice - and go very well with humous and a great alternative to bread. They are low GI too. Seeds too are a good and health snack - i find them easy to dip into when I am at work although you dont need many... they do seem to keep the hunger at bay.

    The other thing you may already know about is ensuring you are well watered! Sometimes we mistake our feelings of thirst for hunger and once we have a drink the hunger pangs die down.

    Hope this helps.

    Cheers
    Ali :-)
  • SoldierDad
    SoldierDad Posts: 1,602
    I really like gluten free rice cakes. Yoru list was pretty good. :-)
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
    Just to add to your fruits, cantaloupe and watermelon are in season right now and relatively cheap! And so are blueberries :)

    I really enjoy Wasa crispbread (2 of them) with 1 tbsp unsalted natural peanut butter. It's filling and usually my last snack of the day to prevent me from eating at night ;)

    Greek yogurt. I don't like plain, but I mix some berries into the 6 oz vanilla or have one of the non-fat fruit flavours.
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
    Wow, I went a little exclamation point crazy in my original post. :)

    Thanks for the ideas for far. I didn't like Greek yogurt the first time I tried it but I am sure it would be great in smoothie form.

    I also did a little searching around and can't believe that I forgot about popcorn!
  • Bratkins
    Bratkins Posts: 47
    I put laughing cow cheese wedges on celery sticks or red bell peppers. Its low cal and actually really good!
  • mrspyle
    mrspyle Posts: 19
    Veggies are always cheap, especially at local markets, i love homemade hummus (chickpeas, a little olive oil, basil, garlic, roasted tomatoes, and a little onion, blended) which makes a lot, and a great dip for any kind of bell peppers, grilled fruit kabobs are super yummy; i use banana, pineapple, and peach when ripe; And cold bean salad; edemame, kidney beans, chopped bell pepper, with rice wine vinegar and green onion...soooo yummy.
  • StaceG1986
    StaceG1986 Posts: 350
    bumping for later there's some good ideas on here! :happy:
  • Mirlyn
    Mirlyn Posts: 256
    Greek yogurt with pineapple chunks or honey is a great combo. There are a lot of foods I used to dislike that I absolutely adore now that I've stayed away from the yucky stuff for long enough and my palate has "healed" so to speak I guess.

    Everything that I eat that isn't on your list is somewhat processed. I get a few crunchy "chip" type options from trader joe's like veggie crisps and jalapeno cheddar crunchies, and I eat beef/buffalo jerkies (but they're high in sodium so not often.) But mostly I just eat cottage cheese with cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions diced up and mixed in. Have you tried rice vinegar with cucumber and onions with a little honey? Very tasty!

    I also keep grapes (frozen), apricots, bananas and blackberries.
  • shawnae2
    shawnae2 Posts: 105
    I loved the idea of tomatos and olive oil. Now I can't wait for a plants to be ready!! Thanks!! I alwasy keep raw almonds on hand and break them into small baggies for a serving size or else I will eat every last one! I also do the laughing cow cheese or babybel cheese.
  • nroesler
    nroesler Posts: 81
    I am on a smoothie kick recently, made with apple sauce or low fat yogurt (or the greek someone was mentioning earlier) or even cottage cheese. Frozen or fresh fruit (ususally a combination of the two) can be anything I have on hand - bananas, berries, whatever!

    This is a slightly larger snack and will hold you over longer, for me I make a big one for breakfast and take it to go, but you can make as small a batch as possible.

    Everyone has such great ideas!!
  • lsand
    lsand Posts: 78 Member
    Those sound like good healthy snacks! I made vegetable dip with fage plain greek yogurt, cottage cheese and some hidden valley ranch dip mix. Sometimes I add some shredded parmesan cheese. It's pretty good. A peanut butter sandwich with blueberries or sliced strawberries on it instead of jelly, on a thin multigrain bun is also a filling snack. And soup with extra added vegetables or black beans.
  • mom2boyzinaz
    mom2boyzinaz Posts: 32
    almonds or other nuts but can be expenisive sometimes
  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
    I've been eating lots of fruit lately. I like taking a frozen banana (peel and cut before freezing) and blending it ... the best pseudo-ice cream ever! ... ran out today :grumble:.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    Hummus is AWESOME. My fave is Pita Pal Basil and Sun-Dried Tomato. That stuff is SOOOO tasty, and Pita Pal is the lowest sodium hummus I've found.

    Try this: Fiesta Lime Cucumbers

    Chop up a bunch of cucumber. Dust it with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime (it's the one with the lime green lid). Add a Tbsp of your favorite vinegar. Optionally, you might add a small sprinkle of salt, but you don't NEED it. Put in a zip baggie and shake. OH YUM...
  • shawnae2
    shawnae2 Posts: 105
    Hummus is AWESOME. My fave is Pita Pal Basil and Sun-Dried Tomato. That stuff is SOOOO tasty, and Pita Pal is the lowest sodium hummus I've found.

    Try this: Fiesta Lime Cucumbers

    Chop up a bunch of cucumber. Dust it with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime (it's the one with the lime green lid). Add a Tbsp of your favorite vinegar. Optionally, you might add a small sprinkle of salt, but you don't NEED it. Put in a zip baggie and shake. OH YUM...


    OMG that sounds so goood
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    Hummus is AWESOME. My fave is Pita Pal Basil and Sun-Dried Tomato. That stuff is SOOOO tasty, and Pita Pal is the lowest sodium hummus I've found.

    Try this: Fiesta Lime Cucumbers

    Chop up a bunch of cucumber. Dust it with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime (it's the one with the lime green lid). Add a Tbsp of your favorite vinegar. Optionally, you might add a small sprinkle of salt, but you don't NEED it. Put in a zip baggie and shake. OH YUM...


    OMG that sounds so goood

    Thanks! It was. Very tangy, and I LOVE tangy. :love:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    :flowerforyou:
  • cindyangotti
    cindyangotti Posts: 294 Member
    Here in Florida so much is in season. We have watermelon, cantalopes, tomatoes, corn on the cob. I'm in fruit and veggie heaven. Oh, also that new one ingredient banana ice cream is a new favorite.
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member

    Try this: Fiesta Lime Cucumbers

    Chop up a bunch of cucumber. Dust it with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime (it's the one with the lime green lid). Add a Tbsp of your favorite vinegar. Optionally, you might add a small sprinkle of salt, but you don't NEED it. Put in a zip baggie and shake. OH YUM...

    This sounds GREAT! You should post on the recipe board if you haven't already.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member

    Try this: Fiesta Lime Cucumbers

    Chop up a bunch of cucumber. Dust it with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime (it's the one with the lime green lid). Add a Tbsp of your favorite vinegar. Optionally, you might add a small sprinkle of salt, but you don't NEED it. Put in a zip baggie and shake. OH YUM...

    This sounds GREAT! You should post on the recipe board if you haven't already.

    I might do that! Oh, and check out my blog for today. :happy:
  • LoveMy4Kids
    LoveMy4Kids Posts: 231
    These are just MY snacks that I enjoy and thought I'd share besides the obvious fruit (alll the good ones are in season now) and veggies!

    Light laughing cow cheese, only 23 calories per wedge and 1g of fat! Love it on unsalted rice cakes with sliced cucumber, on wasa bread or just plain!! Also love a tiny bit of cheese wizz on wasa too!

    Special K mocha chocolate bar, 90 cal and will fix any chocolate cravings!!!

    Ritz 100 calorie bags!, Doritos 100 cal bags, baked cheetos 100 cal bags, sun chips 100 cal bags!

    Mini rice cakes, the butter popcorn flavor really does taste like popcorn! Love the ketchup ones and sour cream and onion too!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    :flowerforyou:
  • robbienjill
    robbienjill Posts: 456 Member
    Riceworks brand chips. They are all natural with no preservatives. 140 calories for 10, but that is surely enough as they fill you up. I must warn that they are a bit addictive though. I would suggest counting your portions out 1st, or it will be easy to eat a whole bag. The chili one's are delightful!!! They are made of rice of course:)
  • hammersue1
    hammersue1 Posts: 96 Member
    quavers, skips, snackjacks, cheese ones with sliced tomatoe are lovely and filling,
    Weight watchers nachos are also nice.
    fresh pineapple

    marmite with cottage cheese on toasted brown bread.
  • dlrcpa
    dlrcpa Posts: 114 Member
    Hard boiled egg
    Cheerios (plain)
    Add some Grape Nuts to your yogurt
    Grape Nuts and Applesauce w/ cinnamon
    Mock Orange Julius - equal parts OJ and Milk, add a little bit of vanilla and a packet of sweetener, ice and blend it all in the blender - very filling and a good cool-down after yard work!
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
    Yopliat makes these frozen packs for smoothies. They are 120 cal for 1 serving and sooo yummy. They are not processed, just frozen fruit and frozen yogurt together. You add it with skim milk and I add a little sugar free cool whip on top. I hope you like it.

    I also eat quaker mini rice cakes. 60 calories for a serving. Good Luck!!
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
    Another good smoothie recipe is:

    1 cup water
    1 cup ice
    1 single serving packet of orange crystal light
    1 sugar free vanilla pudding cup.

    Blend together in blender and enjoy. Total 65 calories!! Yummy. :)
  • 623Hernandez
    623Hernandez Posts: 458
    I just tried;

    1/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
    1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese
    1 splenda packed
    1 pinch pumpkin pie spice

    mixed all together and soooooo yummy!
    don't know how many calories are in the pinch of spice
    but the other was only 120 calories
    I will try it with fat free ricotta next time for less calories!
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
    I just tried;

    1/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
    1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese
    1 splenda packed
    1 pinch pumpkin pie spice

    mixed all together and soooooo yummy!
    don't know how many calories are in the pinch of spice
    but the other was only 120 calories
    I will try it with fat free ricotta next time for less calories!

    Probably a calorie or so in the spice, not enough to matter much. Sounds great!
  • krinio
    krinio Posts: 138 Member
    If I want a treat I always make up a smoothie of mango, banana, pineapple and orange juice and freeze it into lollies. It's yummy! :)
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