I need some healthy (but yummy) ideas....

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for snacks and side dishes. Not just for me but my whole family. I am trying to stay away from the things like gold fish, animal crackers, cookies, mac n cheese and stuff like that... and have more protein, fruits and veggies for snacks and side dishes.

So I need some ideas. What are your favorites?

Replies

  • CurvyAnn
    CurvyAnn Posts: 6 Member
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    Hi there, have you looked on Pinterest for healthy food ideas for you and the whole family? Here's my link http://pinterest.com/kingdomchild7/eat-healthy/ that can lead you to a new world of food.

    All the best
  • Mystic_Potato
    Mystic_Potato Posts: 57 Member
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    I make "cookies" with quick cook oats, and bananas, or pumpkin then toss in a few goodies to sweeten up like peanut butter (or pb2), cranberries, raisins, nuts, protein powder, a few chocolate chips, spices, chai mix, apple sauce, etc. Let stand 10 minutes before forming cookies and baking. My kids love them. very filling snack. They run 80-120 calories a cookie depending how big I make them and what I add (nuts add the most calories).

    I also keep cut fruit and berries and a veggie tray and hummus ready, popcorn, frozen fruit/yogurt popsicles (we use coconut milk yogurt), rice cakes, oh and "ice cream" where you freeze banana and blend with cocoa powder

    Just a few snack ideas.
  • nkoconnell
    nkoconnell Posts: 34
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    What I'm eating right now... hummus with cucumber slices.
  • JenMarie8781
    JenMarie8781 Posts: 377 Member
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    What I'm eating right now... hummus with cucumber slices.

    I have seen a lot of people on here talking about hummus but I've never tried it before. I'm weird about trying new things. lol
  • TammyVieu
    TammyVieu Posts: 121 Member
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    Right now my favorite go to snack Is strawberries and frozen blueberries with cool whip. Yummy! My 4 year old loves them too.
  • mrsriisky
    mrsriisky Posts: 129 Member
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    My favorite side dish is a salad made of equal parts cubed tomatoes and avocados, squeeze of lemon juice, dash of garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I mix in some imitation crab and a little cubed cheese to make it a meal.

    Cocoa coated almonds are great in moderation for a sweet tooth too.

    Check out foodgawker, I get a ton of great ideas from there for recipes I would never have thought of! You can type in ingredients that you DO enjoy to get ideas, they also have some awesome ideas on cute ways to prep healthy foods for the kiddos!

    Side note on the hummus, I am not a picky eater, but was always tentative to try it, turns out I love it! But it's not for everyone.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    Snacks:
    banana with almond butter or pb2
    yogurt and cottage cheese with fruit and chia seeds
    cocoa roast almonds
    cheese stick with fruit
    fiber one brownies (not super healthy, but satisfies a sweet tooth)
    deli meat with saltines (this one not so healthy, but helps me get in more protein)

    Sides:
    mashed sweet potato
    stir fried broccoli slaw or coleslaw (add a bit of bragg's aminos and garlic)
    beans (almost any kind, great source of protein and fiber)
    squash--add a little bacon if you have semi-picky eaters
    almost anything stir-fried:) --use a bit of water instead of extra oil
  • JenMarie8781
    JenMarie8781 Posts: 377 Member
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    bump
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    Baked sweet potato fries as a side dish. Just toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in a preheated 400' oven til tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Yummy.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Almonds and raisins. You can even add some dark chocolate chips.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Steamed broccoli. Throw a little cheese on it for the kiddo, a little olive oil and salt for me. Mmmmmm!
  • crapshack
    crapshack Posts: 30 Member
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    So obviously just plain fruits, cut fresh veg, steamed veg, and salads are the easiest way to do this. To get more creative, there are ways to make your favourite side dishes more healthful, i.e. skim milk or light cream cheese in place of cream, sour cream adds a nice creaminess to things without being too high calorie (even for the full fat stuff), chicken broth adds flavour to rice and pasta, cold salads like coleslaw/potato/pasta salad made with oil/vinegar dressing, using calorie free things like lemon, vinegars, mustard, herbs, etc. to flavour your meals.

    Snacks: veggies and dip, low cal high fiber baked goods (there are so many amazing recipes - I'm a sucker for anything with oatmeal, banana, or applesauce), freezies/popsicles are surprisingly low cal, yogurt, popcorn, hummus or roasted red pepper dip is tasty, boiled eggs..

    We usually stick to potatoes, rice or noodles and have a side salad (just lettuce/spinach, tomato, cucumber usually) or steamed veg with butter as side dishes with meals. Carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, asparagus, peas, acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, parsnip, turnip, or beets, depending on what looks good in the store and what's in season. Unfortunately my SO doesn't like onions, mushrooms, peppers, eggplant or zucchini. I put veggies in everything though. If I'm boiling pasta, I throw in two handfuls of baby spinach at the end, for example.

    I see you said that you don't like to try new things... you should try and experiment... if you buy a $2 thing of hummus and don't like it, toss it. It's not the end of the world. Even if you don't like it, you might open up someone in your household to a new healthy favourite food!
  • JRChadwick
    JRChadwick Posts: 52
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    Half a cup of granola with honey and nuts, a half a cup of fresh blue berries, and a table spoon of craisins. 259 calories.
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