Tips for good snacks?

  • Hi girls/guys!

    I have recently started working out with a trainer and she wants me to have a high protein snack after our workout. What is a high protein snack other than the expensive drinks they have at the gym? I can't afford them and I'm getting sick of peanut butter! Any good snack tips that won't blow the budget?

    Thanks all!

    Wanda
  • Hi Wanda! I agree with your trainer - it's important to have some protein after you work out. Some people say that you have a 'golden hour' (just like in emergency rooms!) to eat because your muscles are all depleted from working out and ready to be re-fed. My trainer always told me to have some protein AND carbs, because the carbs help transport the protein to the muscles. He'd actually yell at me, as I was walking (sometimes crawling ) out the door, to go home and EAT!

    Peanut butter's not all that good of a source of protein (but how on earth could one get sick of it?! ) , so it's no great loss if you ditch the PB. Personally, what I eat after working out is just one of my regularly scheduled meals (I eat five small meals a day, so one's always coming up). Frequently it's a huge salad with chicken breast sliced on top. Another favorite is a 95% lean ground beef patty and an apple.

    If you're looking for something that's a little more snacky and maybe portable, I'd suggest Mel's muffins. They're delicious and loaded with protein. Here's Mel's Banana Nut Muffin recipe and here's her Carrot Protein Muffin recipe. She also has a recipe for some great Pumpkin Protein Bars and here's my Chocolate Protein Bar recipe.

    If you don't want to bake, how about cottage cheese and fruit? A hard-boiled egg? Tuna salad?
  • Hi Wanda,

    I don't know how portable this snack is supposed to be ? I personally drink a mixture of brewers yeast, soy chunks, yoghurt & some orange juice after I work out.

    This has carbohydrates from the yoghurt & orange juice, and proteins from the brewers yeast and the soy chunks. I find brewers yeast & soy chunks to be a fairly inexpensive source of protein. You can get them at health food shops. However you may have to get used to the taste of the yeast.

    Hope this helps,
    rabbit
  • Meg beat me to the reply: I was going to point you to my protein muffin and bar recipes. I make 2 batches each weekend (by Saturday or Sunday there are a few mushy bananas on the counter) and freeze them. I pack one (make each batch in an oversized 6 muffin tin) for each portable meal. I count it as one of my 5-6 meals a day.

    I also make the muffins in a chocolate pumpkin variation. Use 1 c. pumpkin puree instead of the bananas and 1 full cup applesauce, add 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to the basic recipe. These are currently my favorite.

    Mel
  • Thanks for all the great ideas ladies! I guess I already knew but wasn't really sure as what would qualify as 'high protein' I'll be baking later today, thanks for the great recipes!

    Oh and Meg, thanks a million!!! It was because of your success at Bally Total Fitness that we joined up! We have a great personal trainer and I have just completed my first week there and have lost 2lbs already!!! So thank you so much, you are truly an inspiration!!!

    Wanda

    Wanda
  • That's terrific, Wanda! I'm so glad you had a great first week. Just keep taking it one week at a time and - almost before you even know it! - you'll be at your goal!

    Boy, I wish you were here!! Or I was there! You guys would all make for the BEST gym buddies! Can you imagine how much fun a 3FC gym would be?

    (of course, Mel and I would be stumbling and bumbling around into all the gym equipment )
  • M & M Gym could be the name!
  • OK, now you guys have me dreaming. The M & M Gym could be a chain of Gyms where the members of 3FC are developed into personal trainers and hired to staff the gyms. Now the ideal world would have M & M themselves training each of us to become top notch personal trainers. Of course to keep our skills at peak efficiency we would need to all get together say quarterly for training seminars. During the spring, summer & fall quarters we could meet say at the M & M Ontario Facility or the M & M Pittsburg Facility and during the winter months we could meet at the M & M Tucson Facility.

    Sounds like a great plan to me.

    Where do I sign up?
  • Where do *I* sign up?

    Wow! I'm ready for our Tuscon meeting right about now!
  • Ahhhh but it's a lovely dream