"Emergency" Foods

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rph2t
rph2t Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I thought it would be fun to see if anyone else had the habit of snacking a bit, and if so, what your "emergency" foods are for snacking cravings.

I have a desk job, so the urge to eat as a distraction is huge. I use strategies like,"I won't eat anything at work until after noon," or "No snacks for three hours after lunch", and those work pretty well. But sometimes, you just need a little something, either to curb a craving or give you something to look forward to. Here are my go-tos:

Dark chocolate, preferably with sea salt and caramel
Snack size bags of popcorn, kettle or cheddar
Cheese (love the Cracker Barrel kind in sharp cheddar or cheddar jack)
Veggies (usually carrots, as I can eat them easily without any dips or hummus)
Diet soda (I know everyone says these are the devil, but I love coke zero with cherry. Sometimes I'm looking for energy, and that little kick of caffeine does it for me, without a lot of calories like coffee with milk or regular soda.)

So tell me what your little desk snacks are. What gets you through to dinner? What gives you a little something to look forward to? What makes the weekly grind a little less grindy?

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Fiber One bars, popcorn, fruits and vegetables, diet sodas, individually wrapped chocolates.

    I also set times I am allowed to eat or I'll graze all day.
  • lalee115
    lalee115 Posts: 185 Member
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    I have a drawer in the fridge at work (dental assistant), and i keep stuff in it like:

    string cheese
    greek yogurt
    veggies (i like carrot chips and mini sweet peppers)
    fruits (currently watermelon, cantaloupe and cherries)

    I also keep a bag stocked with stuff like pistachios, popcorn, beef jerky, and maybe some sweet 100 calorie pack.

    My goal is to keep a pretty good variety of stuff available so I'm not tempted by the cookies they bake in the office every day or any other goodies people bring in.

    FWIW, I am super new to all this and do not pretend in any way to know anything about anything.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I don't snack very often but when I do it's nearly always granola bars, nuts, V8 or fruit.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    I keep one thing - sometimes two - to snack on at work. Protein bar or greek yogurt.
  • theamazingcassiebunny
    theamazingcassiebunny Posts: 119 Member
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    Individually wrapped dark chocolate
    Small packs of nuts (love the Emerald 100 calorie packs)
  • jbee27
    jbee27 Posts: 356 Member
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    I keep trail mix (trader joe's mini-bags), granola bars (usually Kashi), dried cranberries, and a couple types of tea (caffeine and caffeine-free varieties) in my snack drawer.

    Tea has been a nice option, I find that sipping on a mug of tea when I get afternoon snack hungry typically distracts me enough that I don't end up grazing.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I always have a Clif Builder bar in my purse in case I need it. At home I have some almonds, 100-calorie bags of popcorn, some dark chocolate, and some mini Clif bars. I don't snack often, but it's nice to know I have something there if I want it.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    Right now I have a container of strawberries in the fridge and a package of dark chocolate, Himalayan salted almonds. Those are dangerous as only 9 =220 calories.
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
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    I don't work, but sometimes I do need a snack to hold me over to dinnertime too. My go-to is a large banana or peanut butter toast. Or if I've got enough calories, both!

    We always have those in the house and they're filling enough to curb the hangry beast inside me.
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
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    Kind Bars. cheese. nuts. hummus and veggies.
  • RainaProske
    RainaProske Posts: 636 Member
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    When I was working at losing the weight (lost 123 lbs), I grazed all day every day and only rarely allowed myself to become hungry -- just once in awhile. That was how I lost it.

    My emergency foods were, and continue to be, mainly little baggies of vegetables like baby carrots, sliced zucchini, celery, etc. Sometimes, cut fruit, grapes, etc.
  • BettyEtte
    BettyEtte Posts: 39 Member
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    Oatmeal, Greek yogurt, peanut butter crackers, and of course, plain ol' coffee.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
    edited July 2016
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    100 calorie bag of nuts, Atkins snack bar, Premier Protein shake, Greek yogurt, Steamers veggies.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
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    Apples. Boring, but effective. I slice it up thin and it takes a while to eat, and the juicy/crunchy combo hits the spot. If i need protein jerky is my quick fix.
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
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    Graze box - 1 punnet allowed a day!
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
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    Straight for the big spoonful of peanut butter, so I don't even have to think about possible snack candidates. no brainer in the best sense.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    I typically snack throughout the day, as opposed to a big meal:

    Protein shakes
    Snack bars with good macros
    Raw almonds
    Baby carrots
    Apples
  • RainaProske
    RainaProske Posts: 636 Member
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    These posts made me so hungry that I made popcorn in the microwave:
    I put 4 TBS uncooked popcorn in a larger glass bowl with 1-1/2 tsp butter and some salt, covered it with a glass plate, cooked it in the microwave. When it stopped popping, using a potholder, I immediately took the plate off the bowl, to assure the crispness.

    It was the most crisp popcorn I've ever had and tastiest! Way, way better than that packaged stuff!

    Months ago, I'd bought a plain bag of popcorn, froze it for a month (to prevent weevils), then put a couple bay leaves in it (further protection from weevils), and forgot about it. Still hungry after eating breakfast, I remember the popcorn. I admit that I am really surprised that it tastes So Much Better than those bags of popcorn, with the mystery oil & stuff in them for the microwave. Way crispier, too. I'm not doing those bags anymore!

    If you do this, the bowl will be hot. Also, it stays hot a long time, keeping your popcorn pleasantly warm, unlike the bags of microwave popcorn. Expect some unpopped kernels.
  • oocdc2
    oocdc2 Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Hershey kisses to not eat office cake, grazing throughout the day 'cause.

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