Quick & Portable Snacks for RN?

iWillGetCrowSomeday
iWillGetCrowSomeday Posts: 311 Member
in Recipes
I'm a nurse on a busy med-surg unit working 7a-7:30p, and sometimes I don't get to lunch until 2 or 3 in the afternoon (4 on really crazy days). I find that around 11 or 12 I need something small but with protein to hold me over until lunch. I was eating Think Thin or Lara Bars, but I feel like these are just candy bars… What do other people who work busy, always-on-your-feet jobs bring to work? I thought about graham crackers or celery with almond butter or peanut butter, but I'd like some other ideas so I can have some variation.

What I need is something that is:

+ just as portable as the bars, as in I can keep it in a pocket until I'm ready to eat it
+ not messy or smelly
+ not needing refrigeration
+ quick to eat at the nurses' station while I'm charting
+ 250 calories or less

Thanks in advance! :smile:

Replies

  • michellehawkins14
    michellehawkins14 Posts: 2 Member
    I just made some amazing protein granola bars. Got the recipe on the Chocolate Covered Katie website.
    They're called 3 minute protein granola bars.
    You mix togther 1.5 cups quick or rolled oats, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup peanut or other nut butter, 1/2 cup honey or agave, 2/3 cup protien powder of your choice (I used chocolate!) and a handful of mini chocolate chips.
    She says to put in in a bar pan, freeze, then cut, but I used a cookie scoop & made little balls, then froze them.
    If you pull them from the freezer & put them in your pocket, they are firm enough & won't stick or be messy!
    Good luck!:smile:
  • bohemian124
    bohemian124 Posts: 152 Member
    I make the DIY Larabars from the Chocolate Covered Katie website (cookie dough and chocolate cherry are my fave) and add a scoop or 2 of protein powder. However, they are soft, so I keep them refrigerated so they don't melt or squish. Not sure they'd hold up in your pocket. Maybe if you freeze them in bar form, then take them out on your way to work, they will hold up.

    Raw/roasted nuts are a good source of protein that you can carry around easily. My favorite is almonds. A portion is typically about 10 nuts, so be careful not to go over. Cheese sticks also work if you don't mind them getting a little soft in your pocket. Some crackers also have a decent decent of protein and fiber in them (I really like the crunchmaster crackers, they are gluten free but still taste amazing).
  • mirki002
    mirki002 Posts: 47 Member
    I like saltines (8-10) with 1 tbs of peanut butter spread among them, then made into sandwiches. 8 crackers makes 4 sandwiches with 186 cals (depending on brands you use). It gives a little protein kick to get me through the morning.
  • Joannah700
    Joannah700 Posts: 2,665 Member
    Individual packets of almonds
    Beef Jerky

    and these:

    PB+Oat+Bar.JPG
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
    Quest bars?
    Way more than a candy bar and very dense so they tend to stay with you a bit.
  • AmyBeth719
    AmyBeth719 Posts: 184 Member
    Quest bars?
    Way more than a candy bar and very dense so they tend to stay with you a bit.

    Quest bars are so yummy! And filling.

    Also, KIND bars, almonds
  • fdep1340
    fdep1340 Posts: 6 Member
    How about beef jerky? You can get them in the small pouches. Also, string cheese is great. 70 cals, but the fat and protein will help hold you over for longer periods.
  • djprice_69
    djprice_69 Posts: 115 Member
    Have you ever tried a Hormel Rev Wrap? Typically around 13-17g of protein, and they actually taste pretty good, too. Several different flavors to choose from, so it is pretty easy to find a flavor that you like. At ~240ish calories, they hold over pretty well (due to so much protein). Couple that with their cool little container, and they've got the portability you'd like, too!
  • dancinmama
    dancinmama Posts: 47 Member
    Just so everyone knows (I read this this morning), Agave syrup has more calories than sugar, and it is processed the same way. They both come from plants. So, everyone who is using Agave syrup because it's more "natural", it's not.
  • dancinmama
    dancinmama Posts: 47 Member
    Have you seen the amount of sodium in those things???
  • iWillGetCrowSomeday
    iWillGetCrowSomeday Posts: 311 Member
    I like the roasted nuts and the saltines with PB ideas! The imitation lara bars sound yummy, but like I said, it can't be anything that requires refrigeration. Kind bars are a possibility... They just tend to be super chewy and sticky.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    I'll answer this even though it won't meet the no refrigeration/pocket requirements.

    My husband is an RN (orthopedic floor). He has the same schedule and dynamic as you refer to. At his morning break he eats the greek yogurt (I buy at Trader Joe's) and fruit that I make and pack in a small tupperware for him, along with ginger cookies or graham crackers.
    For his 2:30-3pm lunch I pack him a homemade roast beef or roast chicken sandwich (broiled cheese...lettuce, onion, tomato in a seperate baggie), chips and a GT Dave's Kombucha. There is also a baggie in there with nuts and chocolate treats (love trader joe's treats).
    He does keep all this in the refrigerator.

    What do you eat for breakfast? Mu hubby always has granola-type cereals with raw milk.
  • Joannah700
    Joannah700 Posts: 2,665 Member
    While I don't know where you live so if you have access to a fresh and easy. I love these:

    large_thumb.png

    9g fat, 3g protein, and 13 g of carbs per serving, but perfect to tide you over. It's similar in taste to KIND bars, but it can be broken up into smaller portions easier and the macros work better for me - personally - than KIND bars.

    Peanut butter to go packs. I found shopping on amazon I could buy 64 individual packets of Jif to go for less than what I was paying for ounce at the grocery store in bulk. It's 250 calories per serving, but also the perfect amount to keep you full.
  • iWillGetCrowSomeday
    iWillGetCrowSomeday Posts: 311 Member
    Thanks for all the suggestions!

    Our nurses' lounge is outside the unit, so that's why I want something that I can keep in my pocket until I have a moment to sit and chart and eat, and why it can't be something that requires refrigeration or heating. I also don't do deli meats... Smushed together salty wet meat is just not my thing!

    My lunches are fine, I always make a point to leave the unit for lunch and go to the lounge. Lunches I usually make a giant batch of pasta loaded with roasted veggies, then I can add either roasted chicken or canned tuna to the pasta. Or I make a crockpot soup for the week. And then a fruit on the side.
  • bohemian124
    bohemian124 Posts: 152 Member
    Some other ideas:

    -Roasted chickpeas or edamame
    -Tortilla peanut/almond butter roll-up
    -Babybell cheese

    There are also some yummy ideas for things to bake with protein powder. Here is a website with some ideas that got me pretty interested: http://dailyburn.com/life/recipes/protein-powder-recipes/

    Also, these: http://dashingdish.com/recipe/peanut-butter-protein-cookies/

    and these:

    http://thehealthyfoodie.com/high-protein-heatlhy-oatmeal-cookies/
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Love the beef jerky suggestion. I've seen organic grass-fed beef jerky!
    You may be able to increase your options by taking a small, soft lunch tote that has blue ice. Or a small cooler.
    I'll bet Pinterest has awesome suggestions, too!!
    I rarely buy lunchmeat, we roast the meats.
  • Mygsds
    Mygsds Posts: 1,564 Member
    Love the Nature Valley salted nut bars.. I love the almond. Also I think it's Jiff has the individual peanut butter packets. I think it holds 2 T. Put together and holds me for hours
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    nuts, dried fruit, dried vegetables (I cant think of the brand but you usually find them in health food stores), +1 for the jerky, 1/2 nut butter sandwich
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    bump
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    I didn't see these mentioned (but I don't have good reading comprehension, so don't yell if I missed it :wink: :drinker: ), but Kind bars are excellent. They typically come in around 200 calories, give or take a couple, and depending on the variety you can get a very decent protein/fiber/fat/carb balance, and they usually have a good dose of fat from nuts, which is good for you and stuff, and I like the ingredients list. I'm a coffee-only-at-breakfast kind of girl, so I often have one mid-morning and then eat lunch on the later side.

    ETA: I tried a little harder, and see that they were mentioned 3 or 4 times. Lol. Well, I agree! :laugh:
  • iWillGetCrowSomeday
    iWillGetCrowSomeday Posts: 311 Member
    Thanks again for all the suggestions!! I tried crackers (saltines, graham crackers) with almond butter and it was super crumbly. Dry roasted nuts, Kind bars, and the pb&j tortilla roll-up are the way to go for me I think!
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    I just went down to the store and bought a Kind bar. Not even kidding. :bigsmile:
  • ruralnurse58
    ruralnurse58 Posts: 5
    Quest bars?
    Way more than a candy bar and very dense so they tend to stay with you a bit.

    Quest bars are so yummy! And filling.

    Also, KIND bars, almonds

    Definitely the Quest bars!!! :) Those are my number one go for work days and tide me over til I get to lunch.
  • booboo68
    booboo68 Posts: 302 Member
    Almonds
    Quest Bars (I like all the flavors other than the Lemon)
    Celery and peanut butter
    GNC Total Lean 25 protein shake
    Cheese stick

Categories