Grazing through the day...
 

Hello All!
A big part of my diet plan involves snacks twice a day. I'm looking for healthy ideas for snacks besides just an apple or nectarine. Any ideas out there? :hungry:

yoghurt

string cheese and apple

chicken sandwich on 1 slice bread (or ham or cheese or tomato or whatever...)

Happy apple (peanut butter on an apple)

carrots and dip (low fat hummous or low fat dip type things) or celery and dip

air popped popcorn

sugar free jello with some fruit

hard boiled eggs and some fruit

My snacks are:
String Cheese
Laughing Cow Light Garlic and Herb on a Ryvita ryecrisp cracker
Peanut butter on a multigrain cinnamon toast rice cake
Turkey Pepperoni
Cottage Cheese
Non-fat yogurt with frozen berries
Bar-b-q Soynuts

Where would one get Bar-b-que soynuts? I have never heard of them. I do love BBQ flavored stuff, though!! Yum Yum

I just get them at the grocery store. I'm not sure where you're located, but here in MN we have a brand called Good Sense. They do dried fruts, raisins, nuts and then the flavored soy nuts. Also I bet if you have a Whole Foods or any natural foods store near you you could find them. For the nutritionals, a 1/4 C serving has 130 cals, 4 g of fat, 5 g of fiber and 12 g of protein. I love bbq flavored stuff too. Yummm

A great thing to eat is

cottage cheese
hummus and carrots or celery etc
one of those nabisco 100 calorie pack snacks
fruit
yogurt
string cheese

thats great that you have two snacks a day and have a healthy balanced diet. That is something i am working on. I dont snack but then i am starving at meals and probably eat too much. Snacks are good to incorporate into your diet. Good for you!

Hmm.. I'm up in the foothills of the Sequoia National Forest... So, no Whole Foods around here. Maybe I can request it at my local grocery, though. They do have a pretty good health food aisle. I think I check it first. Thanks!

Cold crunchy celery sticks dipped in salsa. Lots of them. They have saved me many times.

Some normal snacks for me are:
lowfat cottage cheese with berries
mixed raw veggies(carrots, celery, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers) with laughing cow cheese wedge
Natural peanut butter on a small slice of 100% whole wheat bread
1/4 cup mix nuts with a few raisins

I love Jicama, it's slightly sweet and crunchy but just enough of a starchy texture that seems like cheating. You can have it plain or add lime juice and cayenne for a south of the border flair.

Sundried tomato hummus is another favorite with any kind of dipping veggie or whole grain cracker/bread. :carrot:

Speaking of Jicama...
One treat that I used to have when I was young and I'll have once in a while now is...
Cut up Jicama
sliced cucumbers
Cut up orange slices
Sprinkle above with lime or lemon juice
Sprinkle with Pico de gallo spice (this isn't chunky salsa, it is a dry chili powder, found in the mexican aisle but it basically contains chili powder, salt and lime zest)

What exactly is Jicama? I have never heard of it. Is it something you can just pick up at the grocery store?

Petite baby carrots (they taste better to me)
2. Hummus (with a sandwhich bag of raw veggies)
3. Ready to Eat Sugar Snap Peas
4. Gogurt (only if you aren't out all day)
5. Prepackaged small block of cheese (only if you can stop at one)
6. Brushetta
7. Apple (buy or slice it yourself for the kiddos)
8. Oranges (clemintines are smaller and easier to peel)
9. Boiled eggs (make and store ahead) (I buy those with omega 3 added)
10.Grapes
11. Bananas
12. Gum to ward off cravings
13. Black olives (portion control these)
14. Lima beans (I can eat a small pull top can of these cold)
15. Make your own leaner version of Lunchables (small round cookie cutter)\
16. 100 calorie pack snacks (in moderation cuz they aren't the healthiest)
17. Cubed Deli Ham (have them cube it instead of slicing it..many many uses)


Uses for Diced Deli Ham (cut by the store)

1. My Favorite: Eat it plain as a good protein snack (always choose lean)

2. Omlets (choose egg whites) or scrambled eggs (I can't make omlets, add veggies)

3. Small Baked Potatos minus sour cream and butter

4. Salads

5. Quesadillas (OR diced ckn from deli & wheat/low cal/carb tortillas)(add tomatoes and other veggies and reduce the low fat cheese and serve with sides)

6. Quiches (make mini ones and have snacks all week!) (tweak the recipe)

7. Put a few in green beans instead of bacon

8. Throw veggies and diced ham in a pita (again, choose carefully)

9. Saute it with nonstick spray and a few veggies and have a quick dinner or a wrap.

10. half a Bagel (choose carefully) with pizza sauce, low fat cheese and diced ham. Melt it in the microwave or toast it in the oven. Your choice. You can also add veggies (especially if you buy diced frozen onion, bell pepper (cook it) and some mushrooms).

Word of Caution: Portion this in baggies because it is TOO easy to eat it all in one sitting. I like this for me for me because if I go without food for just a little too long or take my meds and forget to eat, this will save me quickly. Also a good tag along bag for car trips (I take a mini cooler with a few snacks now that I'm watching what I eat). My only complaint is it can be a bit PRICEY.

It's a crunchy white vegetable, it doesn't have much taste so I like it for dips. Good crunch though. I can buy it at my local grocery store no problem!

WASA bread - especially with just a bit of peanut butter

Sliced red bell peppers

Chunks of tomato or sliced cucumbers