Healthy snacks

Due to pregnancy cravings, I've been eating lots of oranges. And sliced granny smith apples with a little bit of caramel syrup for dipping.

I'll have to rack my brain for snacks I like. My eating habits have been a little off these last few weeks.

I've also been craving Cheez-its, cheese ball with crackers, and spicy salsa con queso with tortilla chips. Cheese much? These don't exactly fall in the healthy category though.

My daughter has enjoy those honey twist pretzels with peanut butter for dip recently.

Cod bless Trader Joe's. I've gotten into the habit of putting a dish of their hummus, a dish of olive tapenade, some raw baby carrots and/or sugar snap peas, and some of their sesame rice crackers on the table before dinner in the evenings. Keeps the kids from chewing my arm off if I'm slow getting the meal ready, but doesn't spoil their appetite. (That's cuz they're teenagers. Me, I could eat the pre-dinner for dinner and be happy.)

Mister Almost-Four just asked for something to eat, and since it's too early for dinner, I made him something I call "Pizza Bread". Just some wholegrain bread, toasted and melted cheese on top. Mister A-F likes his with tomato sauce (I used Heinz tomato ketchup).

Also, Master Foods makes a herb mix called "Pizza Topper". If you can get hold of this, sprinkled on top of your cheese prior to grilling, it will transform it!

Of course, you can chuck on any veges you like before you melt the cheese. And it works well with lebanese or pita bread. It goes great with tomato soup on a cold night!

chevbrock said:

(I used Heinz tomato ketchup).

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*GAGS*

Ready-made pizza sauce isn't that expensive to keep around, you know.

We make the same thing, toast, pizza sauce, melted cheese.

You know what else is good? Tortillas. Fry it a little, put on the sauce and cheese. Mmm. Add pepperoni if you like. Great little personal pizzas.

I don't really eat meals these days. I'm a big time snacker. I make my own hummus and keep those toasted pita chips around. Nuts are a great snack. They say eating 7-10 nuts before each meal does wonders for your appetite control. I keep a bag of raw almonds, brazil nuts and pecans mixed with dried cherries and apricots in my purse all the time. When I'm feeling really festive, I chop up an organic chocolate bar (I like Green and Blacks) and add it to the nut bag.

Oh and I love low fat cheese sticks. I eat one every day around 10 am.

I used to dry my own fruit: apples, pears, slice then spritz with 1:10 lemon juice & water then lay on a rack in a low oven, add your fav nuts, mini choc chips, & shaved cocoanut for a personalize trail mix.

Nutrigrain bars (or the store brand equivalent), fresh fruit, yougurt, dried fruit (like raisins or craisins),milkless cereal (like a small bowl of Honey-nut Cheerios), fruit cups or you can buy some prepackaged "cheater" brownie or cake mixes and substitute what I call flaxseed paste (1 T ground flaxseed mixed with 3 T warm water for EACH egg) and unsweetened applesauce for the eggs and oil respectively. All of them work and are relatively healthy and I have done my research as I am forced to snack at least 3 times a day...the joys of being a juvenile diabetic .

I just got an agent and am starting to re-write. When I write late at night, I get tired and hungry, but I don't want to come out of this 10 lbs heavier. Does anyone have suggestions for healthy snacks that also give a natural boost of energy?

Thanks!

Dates. I loooove dates, and four or five or so are a great snack. Yum!

I prefer the really soft ones, but we can't get those here. Unless someone's coming in from the Middle East and is willing to smuggle them...

rice cakes are pretty cool. To flavor them up, some, just squeeze some lemon juice on 'em or do a tea dunk.

Mmmm, I love dates. I never thought about lemon juice on rice cakes, that sounds good.

Thanks!

For a hit of nutrient-packed veggie goodness, I like kale crunch:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2498429&postcount=3

MeowGirl,

Thanks. That's exactly what I'm looking for.

anis said:

rice cakes are pretty cool. To flavor them up, some, just ....

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Nope. There is nothing you can do to rice cakes that will succeed in making me think I'm eating anything other than styrofoam.


Smoothies are great snacks. Yougurt, fruit and juice in the blender.

Tortilla chips with home made salsa (chop a tomato, add 1 tbsp of minced red onion, a bit of chopped cilantro, and pinch of cumin).

Crackers dipped in Nutella will totally hit your chocolate button.

And now thanks for getting that Blue's Clues song stuck in my head!

jennontheisland said:

Nope. There is nothing you can do to rice cakes that will succeed in making me think I'm eating anything other than styrofoam.

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I love the White Cheddar and the chocolate ones aren't bad, but if you have the image of styrofoam, can't help you there.

I wish there was something to replace potato chips. Something not expensive, like Quaker Oats Quakes, but it has to be salty, flavorful, and have an interesting texture.

Veggies of any sort just don't halt my craving for chips and that's my downfall. Finding an inexpensive substitute.

Shadow_Ferret said:

I love the White Cheddar and the chocolate ones aren't bad, but if you have the image of styrofoam, can't help you there.

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I've even tried the caramel flavoured ones. Do Not taste like caramel popcorn.

Have you tried Pirate Booty? It kinda tastes like popcorn twists, but it's all veggies and air 'popped' not deep fried.

jennontheisland said:

Have you tried Pirate Booty? It kinda tastes like popcorn twists, but it's all veggies and air 'popped' not deep fried.

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Yes, I have. Nasty stuff. I actually ended up spitting the stuff out and throwing away the whole bag. I have no idea what it was supposed to taste like, but it didn't resemble popcorn -- or ANYTHING edible -- in the least.

Well, I occasionally enjoy pickles and cottage cheese. Pickles make great snacks.

You can also get one of those fruit drying machines. My mother would slice apples, soak them in a solution of...damn, what was it? some other kind of fruit juice...possibly grape or lemon and water, and then dry them. I loved those things. I also enjoy dried mango slices with sugar.

And toast with honey.

Shadow_Ferret said:

Yes, I have. Nasty stuff. I actually ended up spitting the stuff out and throwing away the whole bag. I have no idea what it was supposed to taste like, but it didn't resemble popcorn -- or ANYTHING edible -- in the least.

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LOL Nevermind then. Just be happy you didn't try Veggie Booty. It's pirate booty (of which I admit, I only tried one handful after a number of glasses of wine) covered in powdered green vegetables. That tastes like fishfood. *gag* But my kid loved it, so the bag didn't have to go in the garbage.

It's not necessarily healthy, but they're chocolate chip cookies at 10 calories a piece, no artificial crap.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, soften
1/2 cup prune puree or unsweetened applesauce
1 cup raw cane sugar (Turbinado)
3 ripe medium bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and prune puree and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar, bananas, eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour and baking soda. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips until incorporated.

Drop the dough by teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. (If you follow the teaspoon method you'll get 5 cookies for 50 cal)


Nutritional information (per 1/4 cup): 50 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 5 mg of cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 8 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 1 gram protein

icerose--they sound delicious, and I think my son will eat them as well....thanks!

Mrs. Strange said:

icerose--they sound delicious, and I think my son will eat them as well....thanks!

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My kids go nuts over them. You'd never know they were low in fat and sugar, they are very good. They are soft, and slightly puffy, with that chocolatey goodness infused with it.