I'm a calorie counter for the most part but I'm having a really hard time finding snack ideas for 'on the go folk' and just something that easy to grab that isn't wrapped in something that says Snickers. I was hoping that we could all chip in and come up with a great list of health conscious snack ideas that we could all try. Anything you can come up with helps, please and thanks you!!
Do you mean things that you can buy while you're out, as opposed to stuff you can pack and bring with you?
I don't do a whole lot of snack-buying because it's such a dangerous habit for me to develop, but when I do have to buy a healthy snack, I try to keep it to:
-fruit
-single-serving bags of nuts (unsalted if possible)
-single-serving bags of beef jerky
-85% dark chocolate
-cheese sticks
-special k bar or a luna bar depending on hunger level
-dried fruit
You can find most of those at gas stations or little convenience stores... That's what I try to stick to. Even things like licorice might not be a bad idea so long as you're good at portion control.
But like I said, I just make sure I bring a snack where ever I go
- Kashi chewy bars have 140 calories - which isn't bad - but they have a good amount of fiber and protein, so they 'stick to my ribs'.
- Baggies of grapes
- Baggies of cereal (prefferable low sugar)
- Baggies of raw veggies
- 100 calorie snack packs - or really any of the single serving snack packs
At Nearly Every Convenience Store:
1. Beef Jerky - high in sodium, but really lean and with a good amount of protein.
2. Luna bars, or other bars that have good amounts of protein and fiber
3. Fruit and string cheese
Easy to Pack:
1. Again, bars...FiberOne bars, South Beach snack bars...these can be great if you just need to throw something in a purse
2. Yogurts and even light pudding cups - calcium-filled, tasty, and good for 3-4 hours in a purse. Longer than that and you'd want them to be refrigerated.
Easy to prepare ahead of time, pack, and then throw in a bag when you go:
1. veggies and prepared hummus, portioned out into individual containers. You can even buy containers for this...http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...4&KSKU=109762&
2. Deli meats rolled up with thinly sliced veggies and a laughing cow wedge...great protein, and so tasty!
I have to pack my food for the day and bring it with me. I have a lunch bag with a little ice pack (it's actually a kids bag, because all the adult ones I've found are WAY too big).
Things I like to pack.
*I take 16oz water bottles and fill them with V8 vegetable juice (in low sodium), Silk soy milk in plain and carnation instant breakfast in chocolate, no sugar added 260 calories total and will fill you up. Also 1% milk.
*Fat free yogurt (my favs are store brand in pina colada or coffee)
*Jello sugar free 60 calorie packs in Mochachino
*Box of rasins
*Pinapple tidbits in juice in the individual plastic bowls
*Natural Applesauce- I like to buy a jar and divide it up into those 1 cup containers 1 cup has 100 cal and 4 grams of fiber, will fill you up
*Kraft 2% cheese cubes snackables in cheddar and monterary jack. A serving is 7 cubes so I will buy a bag and divide it into to go servings using tooth picks. 4 cubes on one and 3 on another.
*Carrot sticks
*Fiber one bars
*Tuna salad, with chunk light tuna in water and miracle whip light.
*Walnuts
I am also a calorie counter and almost always pack my food for the next day the night before and make sure the kitchen is organized so that I can make my breakfast quickly (ie plan out what I am going to have and make sure all the dishes I need are clean)
I recently just picked up some 45cal pudding cups for when I had sudden and irresistable chocolate/candy bar cravings and so far so good! Plus, 45 is such a nicer number instead of 230.
Other snacks I try to carry around are celery sticks and unsalted nuts from the whole foods section with raisins mixed in. I think I've read nuts have high calories too? But at least they're better than Lays, healthwise, if anything.
I too am in love with the 100 calorie snack packs...but sometimes they can get expensive depending on where I shop. So when I'm budget shopping, I like to buy big bags of certain foods, and on Sundays, I weight out 7 or so servings of each food and baggie them so they are ready for me to grab on the go throughout the week. Certain examples are:
-Pretzel sticks or twists (I feel like I'm eating more with the sticks even though its the same amount gram wise)
-94% fat free popcorn
-Any of my favorite cereals
-Carrot sticks (I like to spritz a small amount of salad dressing in the baggie before I go)
Keeping my diet on track on the go also heavily relies on cheese sticks, sugar free pudding packs, granola bars, special k bars, apple sauce cups, and fruit cups. Even microwavable veggie cups have become a staple in my life when I know I'll be near a microwave.
Hmmm Snacking . . .
I love snacking, I try and built at least 2 in everyday. A couple of suggestions are
• 100-cal packs (there are a ton of these out there, they are slightly pricey but portion control is nice).
• Popcorn – I’ll airpop 2 tablespoons and add a couple of spritz of ICBINB spray, put it in a zip lock bag and you have a great snack.
• Veggies – I’ll cut up a bunch when I buy them and bag them in individual servings to take with me.
• I’ll buy things like goldfish crackers or rice cakes and bag them up in individual servings when I get them.
There was a great thread about this over the summer maybe I’ll look for it and give it a bump.
Little miss snacks a lot has a question
