Healthy Snack Ideas/Recipes

[VBeatso]

I have turned into a snacker at work. No huge lunch but something light and two or three snack times during the day. I keep no-salt roasted almonds and no-sugar added dried fruit. I need some more ideas, something truly healthy and good tasting. I realize anything more complicated than fruit and nuts I will most likely have to make myself as I read the long ingredient labels listing high fructose corn syrup, sugar and partially etc... Any ideas will be helpful. Thank you!!

[SweetPhyl]

My favorite healthy snack as of late has been a yogurt parfait...yogurt layered with fresh fruit and some Kashi Crunch cereal. High protein, low in sugar and very filling.

[ExercisetoEat]

The organic section of our grocery store carries roasted lightly salted soy nuts. They taste somewhat like corn nuts but don't have any nasty additives like oil or syrups, and are a crunchy high protien snack.

[jeanmarieok]

How about a hard boiled egg?

[VBeatso]

Thank you all, I do have a microwave and a minifridge available at work. No toaster oven, I wish! Things I bought and made: a trail mix with dried cherries, soynuts, pepitas, raisins and sunflower seeds, carrots with a sweet onion dip, pita chips and homeade hummus, yogurt cup, kashti granola bar, and grapes.

Question: I have only made my own popcorn on the stove, how do you microwave your own corn in a brown bag? Does the bag have to be a certain kind? Do you put the bag on a plate???

[laurendlewis]

No idea - I buy the natural popcorn w/o any additives or flavorings (or fat/calories) and think it's delish just the way it is. And much easier at work I would presume??

[bellywizard]

This is a DELICIOUS recipe for some pretty darn healthy cookies to take with you:

Makes 9-10 cookies:
1) Preheat oven to 375.
2) Put 1 cup of oats in a blender to turn into a fine, sandy texture. Now you have "oat flour". Doesn't have to be all perfectly ground up.
3) Put the oat flour into a bowl, along with 1/4 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp baking soda.
4) Melt 2.5 tbsp butter.
5) Weird part: get a small microwave-safe bowl, and heat 2 tbsp milk until nearly boiling. Whisk in 1/2 tbsp ground flax seeds, if you have them. If not - no worries.
6) Add 1 egg yolk and 1/4 cup sugar (or 2 tbsp sugar & 2 tbsp Splenda) to the hot milk & ground flax.
7) Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry ones.
8) Add in 1/3 cup of nuts, dry fruit, or dark chocolate fragments/chips.
9) Drop pieces of batter onto an ungreased nonstick cookie sheet.
10) Bake for 10-12 minutes. Be sure not to overcook them!

Let 'em cool, and presto - great cookies made mostly of oats & nuts.

[HillJ]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...

this is the link for making your own microwave popcorn a la A. Brown

[oralfixation]

What makes the staples not spark in the microwave. I mean Val's suggestion that you scrunch the top takes care of the potential problem of this, but just wondering. This sounds cool!

[HillJ]

oral, good ? I don't know about a spark..we've never had a spark or flareup in the microwave yet.

[Val]

I got the idea for this from this very board! You just put a few tablespoons of popping corn into a lunch bag size paper bag...scrunch the top closed...lay it down and microwave for about 2 minutes, maybe 2 1/2 minutes depending on your microwave. You do not need oil or butter but of course you could add it afterwards (I just add a tablespoon or 2 of melted butter and a small amount of salt right after it is done popping, when it's very hot) but others might add parmesan cheese, herbs, whatever. I really did not believe that this method works but I tried it one day and haven't gone back to pots on the stove or special air popper or microwave stuff since--to me, it's the cheapest and healthiest way to pop dried corn.

[reannd]

This is the coolest thing I have heard of in a while. (maybe I'm behind the times ;) )

I am excited to try it out!

BTW - I have a drawer full of home-made sea salt & black pepper crackers (so I know what's in 'em, unlike the questionable labels on most store-bought crackers) & dry cereal (Nature's Path Cranberry Zen makes ya fullest and is essentially a trail mix). I eat that stuff all day long @ work.. either plain or with cream cheese or PB/banana if I'm feeling bored.

I also made cinnamon / banana crackers that taste nice, but nothing like bananas (bummer).

[Emme]

Do you have a microwave? Toaster?

Slice apples, sprinkle w/ cinnamon, microwave til soft; eat w/ a Baby Bonne Bell or some sliced rotisserie chicken or other protein source

Whole wheat 50 cal la tortilla factory tortilla toasted with low fat or fat free cheddar/jack chese (TJ's has a nice soy blend high in protein and a little fiber) to make a quesadilla

Lentil, bean, quinoa based salads

Roasted veggies (made the night before)

Piece of Whole wheat lavash or tortilla spread w/ a little low fat cream cheese or fat-free or low fat sour cream, little bit of smoked salmon, tomato, onioh, lemon juice, and capers, rolled up and sliced into pinwheels

Egg white salad--egg whites chopped with low or fat free mayo or 0% total or non fat plain yogurt + onions and seasonings to your taste (I like curry)

Cottage cheese (low fat or fat free) mixed with salsa

Scoop a bagel, sprinkle with a little low fat cheese, toast til golden and melty; fill w/ cottage cheese and/or salsa.

Oatmeal w/ a scoop or two of protein powder mixed in (I like Isopure apple flavor to make apple cinnamon oatmeal)

Baked potato skins filled w/ cottage cheese and broccoli and light cheese or anything else to your liking

Healthy salmon croquettes made w/ salmon, onions, egg whites, Old Bay, ketchup, then fried in Pam.

Turkey meatballs

Shrimp cocktail

Gazpacho

Puree of Broccoli soup a la Gordon Ramsay

Egg white veggie frittata

Stuffed eggplant - cut in half and bake til soft; scoop flesh, and blend it with tofu, egg whites, then mix in chopped sundried tomatoes, chopped basil and oregano, and whatever else sounds good to you; refill shells, then return to oven til heated through; top with grated parmesan and broil til golden

[kobetobiko]

How about edamame? There are frozen shelled or non-shelled ones. You can just boil them in salted water and eat! Hot or cold, they are truly delicious, healthy, and easy to make.

[KathyH]

Vitamuffins or Vitatops are great. They are found in the freezer case of some supermarkets, and sometimes in the healthy/organic frozen section. I love the chocolate ones and the cranberry bran. They are high in fiber, 6 grams, have no fat and are 100 calories each. They are quite good and filling because of the fiber.
I have a chocolate one at night as my snack with a cup of decaf chai tea. Yum!

[laurendlewis]

I make my own granola which is very tasty on its own or with yogurt.
I also am addicted to Laughing Cow cheese - excellent snack w/ some Triscuits or alone.

There are recipes out there for make-your-own granola bars.

[WendyBinCT]

Yum, some great ideas here!

Since you like nuts and dried fruit, here are a couple of tasty ways to combine them.

First, try stuffing dates with blue cheese, cream cheese, soft goat cheese, almonds or walnut pieces. Or stuff with cheese and top with a nut.

Second, buy Trader Joe's ground almonds, or grind up the nuts or seeds of your choice in a coffee grinder, and combine three part nuts with one part finely chopped dates or apricots (most easily done in a food processor). If desired, add one part shredded coconut. Roll by hand into bite-size balls. Sweet and healthy! My kids loved them!

[HillJ]

I'm a big fan of the light lunch. Here are a few of my go to fav's. We do have a refrig, toaster and MW are work tho.

small vanilla yogurt & honey
fresh veggies with plain yogurt dip
dark chocolate s'mores with a glass of milk
homemade peanut butter & celery
skim milk pudding
water crackers & cheese bites
i love eating fresh mushrooms and red/green peppers, pop in my mouth

walk thru the produce and health food section of your local store for handy inspiration.
good luck!

[Val]

You mentioned dried fruit...how about fresh fruits/veggies...apples? Do you have access to a refrigerator at work? If so, hummus is nice to keep in the fridge to have with celery, very healthy combo. Yogurt also can be a healthy snack; low-fat mozzarella sticks too. For dry goods, have you ever tried dried edamame? Fresh Market sells wasabi edamame, very crunchy and delish. Ooh, I know...if you have a microwave at work, you could bring in plain old popping corn and pop that in a brown bag, I do it all the time. Just throwing out random thoughts here...others will offer better, I'm sure. Shredded wheat cereal squares to eat dry can be satisfying, maybe not delicious but it's a whole-grain snack; Herb Garden Triscuits are good as long as you don't eat too many of them (sodium).