Anyone know any quick low calorie snack recipes?
maddyyfaye
Posts: 8 Member
I'm struggling with a limit of 1200 calories a day and wondered if anyone has any recipes or snack ideas they can share that are quick and low in calories? It's so easy to grab a bag of crisps if I'm hungry but I can't afford to now!
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Replies
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I buy bags of steam-in-the-bag vegetables. You can have a lot for few calories. Broccoli, cauliflower - love them all steamed with nothing added. Cheese stick with a piece of ham or turkey, steam up some zucchini that lasts a couple of days for snack for a cup and a half. Super low in calories - 35 calories or so. Blueberries.10
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These are some lower calorie snacks that I find myself eating often:
String cheese with beef jerky
Boiled egg with a slice of microwave bacon
Any veggies with a little ranch
Strawberries, grapes and mandarin oranges mixed together (My fav combo lol)
Yogurt and a granola bar
Cantaloupe (A whole melon is under 250 calories)
Chicken wrap: Tortilla with shredded chicken in salsa with sour cream, lettuce and cheese
Applesauce cup or an apple with nut butter9 -
carrots or sliced cucumber with hummus
light butter popcorn
greek yogurt(I like dannon light and fit)
String cheese
low calorie bread (I like sara Lee 45 calorie breads) with PB2 and a little jelly or honey
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I get Nick's Sticks, which are turkey jerky sticks. The macros are pretty good, they are high in protein and low in fat. Would echo the person above, boiled eggs are great. Fruit is good but it's higher in carbs/sugar. If I just want a drink I will drink iced green tea
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If you are craving potato chips, you can do a good facsimile with no oil at all in the microwave. Slice a potato thin with a food processor or mandolin. Lay in a single layer on a sheet of silicon mesh, or some silicon baking parchment. Season with (flavoured) salt. Microwave for 5 minutes on high. Remove any chips turning golden brown. Continue microwaving stragglers at 1 minute intervals, being careful because the difference between cooked and burnt is marginal. These continue to crisp up to a potato chip texture as they cool.
If you find a single layer of chips is too small a batch you can get similar results spiralizing a potato on the widest setting.6 -
Celery with salsa.
Thin-sliced cukes marinated in rice vinegar.7 -
Quick and low calorie snacks and recipes are all over the net - if you can't use any of them, chances are your parameters are wrong.
First check if 1200 calories is right for you. How much do you have to lose? 1200 is the lowest MFP will allow for a woman, and if you pick a weekly weightloss goal that is larger than you can sustain, that is what MFP gives you, regrettably without any warning. A higher calorie intake is easier to stick to, because it gives you more food, so you'll be less hungry.
If that doesn't fix it, figure out if your meals are balanced and varied enough. Do you get enough fat and protein and fiber? Five-a-day? Different foods through the day and from day to day? Do you eat out a lot?
The above should take care of your physical needs. But you still need emotional satisfaction from what you eat. Do you eat appealing meals? Do you choose foods you like? Are you eating in a schedule that fits your appetite and work, family and socal life?
After all this, you will still feel hunger and cravings from time to time. That's perfectly normal and not dangerous.14 -
I like a rice cake, 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter with about 6 dark chocolate chips.10
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Corn thins
I've been struggling here too.
I found it best, while also on 1200 goal, to make sure I'm eating quality foods at meals and that prevents me from feeling the need to snack at all. Sometimes, of course, still unavoidable. The worst is going somewhere where there's food I can't or shouldn't be eating (say, kids birthday party with pizza, currently gives me hives not sure why yet) because the smell of food makes even my pre-satisfied belly start growling.
Guilty pleasure is a piece of deli sliced cheddar cheese. Cheddar is better, less lactose in it (for me, anyway.)
6 medium strawberries is like 35 calories. You can eat it with a corn thin and not feel too guilty.
How about lettuce and a slice of deli meat rolled together?
Nuts are hard, as high in calories in order to feel satisfied (I'm no nuts right now too) but maybe sunflower seeds?
Have you experimented with protein shakes of any kind? My suggestions are limited due to my personal restrictions, but they are usually low calories, high protein, some carbs, definitely makes you feel pretty full for a while. Lots of ways to tweak them to get more from them, like adding fruit, or low calorie flavors, etc.5 -
@ashirley695 I have PCOS which means I'm not supposed to have much dairy, white flour or red meats and i also get hungry really quickly in between meals. It's really tricky to find snacks that keep to my dietry restrictions as well as keeping below my calorie limit. Since cutting out chocolate my favourite snack when im craving something sweet is carrot sticks dipped in natural peanut butter. I also like making mini pizzas out of courgette slices. It's frustrating though!2
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Have you tried dehydrating fruits and vegetables? It's a bit involved to cut stuff up and store it properly, but done properly removes all/most water and what is left over has an intense taste. Strawberries are really strawberry-y and a small amount usually does me good. Celery, zucchini (courgette), radishes, cucumber are pretty acceptable veggie snacks. Banana, apple, mango and cantaloupe (muskmelon) are my favourite fruit snacks. Just don't eat a lot at any given time. Pretty useful to keep in your bag. Commercial dried fruit usually has a lot of 'stuff' added to it.4
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Here are my faves. They’re all about plant based. Inalso find warm snacks more Satisfying!
Stewed apple with cinnamon and stevia.
Mung bean noodles in miso.
Hot chocolate made from almond milk, and either cocoa plus stevia or sweet freedom choc pot.
Microwave veggies (onion pepper mushroom courgette etc) for 4 mins and stir in pasta sauce = cheating ratatouille.
Mashed frozen banana + vanilla essence / cocoa/ berries = healthy ice cream substitute.
Tofu scrambled with onion, mushroom and seasoning.4 -
Puffed wheat, dry Cheerios. Sometimes mixed with a tablespoon of roasted sunflower seeds.3
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Carrot chips or an apple, dried cranberries or raisins. Plus side is they are shelf stable(except for the carrots).1
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Nuts are good as well-- just don't eat too many at once.0
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New to community. Not sure where this message will go. Help0
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Cut apple in small pieces and add peanuts. Sweet, salty and takes a while to eat.2
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rice cake minis, fiber one bars, cheese, beef jerky, smart food pop corn individual bags,4
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Nuts, granola bars, cereal with milk0
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maddyyfaye wrote: »I'm struggling with a limit of 1200 calories a day and wondered if anyone has any recipes or snack ideas they can share that are quick and low in calories? It's so easy to grab a bag of crisps if I'm hungry but I can't afford to now!
I love mixed nuts, and hummus, but they really surprised me with how the calories really stack up before I'm satisfied with the snack (~150 cal per 1/4 cup of either... and I still want more); same goes for dried fruit (especially if you're trying to limit sugar intake).
Popcorn is a good one (~100cal/3cups), just make sure you go butter-free (though the Newman's Own isn't bad)!
I usually go for:
- Pickle spears (5cal ea., or wrap them in deli turkey, ~35cal ea. total depending on how thick the slices are)
- Bananas (90cal, excellent source of potassium)
- Canned sliced beets with balsamic vinegar (superfood! ~100cal for 1c. beets and 1tbsp vinegar)
- Roma tomato wedges, either sprinkled with basil, salt and pepper (~30cal per tomato) or dipped in plain LF Greek yogurt (I like Cabot, 90cal for 1/4 cup, much lower cal than sour cream but just as good, IMHO)
You can also do really simple mini-salads (~100-120cal):
- 2 c. baby spinach, 10cal
- 1/2 c. cucumber, 4 cal
- 1/c. canned beets, chopped, 40 cal (I love beets)
- 2 tbsp. low-fat feta cheese, 26 cal (seems like a teasingly small amount, but a little goes a long way!)
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 28 cal, or red wine vinegar, 10 cal (I like to mix in dried basil, oregano, and pepper, or Wishbone makes an awesome vinaigrette with 60cal/2 tbsp )
- Optional: 1 tbsp. sunflower seeds or 1/2 c. of chickpeas for some extra protein and healthy fats (each adds 100 cal, still only ~200 total)
Might not seem "quick", but you can mass-prep a bunch of them for the week ahead of time (minus the dressings, of course) and just grab one when you need it! Staying away from grains and sugars will also help keep your energy more level stable so you don't just crash an hour later. Drinking water with whatever snack you choose will also help you feel full longer.
Did I mention beets?!?1 -
Grapes! I always keep some (usually) green grapes in the fridge for times when I just need a little "something".
I also rely on almonds, I like roasted unsalted, and eat exactly 15 of them for a quick 100 calorie snack as well.
I have also found a recipe that I make every Sunday and keep in the fridge, 1 c quick oats chopped in your food processor, add 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder, and 1 lg banana. I throw in a handful of dried cherries for some extra flavor then pulse and shape into 12 little balls. I often eat one or two before a workout or if Im feeling hungry as they are only 65 calories each and an awesome little snack. I pop 2 of them and 1/2 cup of grapes before a morning workout as well as it is a good boost without a stomach full, enough energy to get through my workout.3 -
I eat a plant based diet and sometimes i just go for a smoothie, I add in cucumber or zucchini for filler but it's very low on calories and I am usually pretty full afterwards. I'll use 1 date to sweeten it but I'll use frozen berries as a fruit. That really helps me and it's about a liter in total to drink so almost feels like a meal but under 250 cals. Good luck!2
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*Plain rice cake with a spread of dayia vegan strawberry cream cheese and top it with slices of bananas. I have at least 2 for a snack.
* I also have silk vegan yogurt any flavor , add 2tsp of chia seeds and top it off with a banana or berries
* Last I have air popped popcorn. I have a spray bottle which I use to spray the warm popcorn with olive oil and then I season it with popcorn seasonings.1 -
- Celery w/Peanut Butter or Blue Cheese/Ranch
- Cucumber slices w/Blue Cheese/Ranch
- Hard boiled eggs
- Meatballs dipped in melted cheese
- Pepperoni slices and Provolone cheese or Cheddar Cheese cubes
- Beef, Chicken or Turkey jerky
- Chicken breast chunks dipped in spicy Mustard
- Sugar free Jello cup
- Strawberries, Honey Dew melon, Grapes, Bananas
- Greek Yogurt w/blueberries and Splenda
- Bell Peppers and spicy Hummus
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LOW CARB SUB
Split pickle in half (long ways) and scoop out the inside
add mayo and mustard in the hole
fold/roll up ham/turkey, provolone cheese, tomatoes and lay on top.
Add the top layer of pickle and enjoy!0 -
Freeze your seedless grapes for a sorbet like treat. Frozen watermelon or banana whizzed in the food processor are great too.
My favourite quick low cal savoury snack is vegetable sticks dipped in commercial hummous.1 -
I know a great web site that you may find lots of delicious healthy snacks. I hope this will be helpful.
www.pinterest.com ( EASY HEALTHY SNACK ON THE GO )0 -
pickled vegetables - just eat them out of the jar!
If you challenge yourself for a few days to stay away from sugary treats, the cravings will disappear.0 -
I am on a 1200 calorie restriction for a week and have found that jicama works wonders for me when I’m hunger. It’s differed, low in calories, and a little sweet. I cut it all up into individual pieces to have ready when I’m hungry. Yum!0
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Roasted chickpeas with favorite seasoning and a drizzle of olive oil can be made in toaster oven quickly on bake/toast setting at 350-375 degrees. I'm going to try lemon pepper and ranch flavor sometime0
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