Share Your Healthy Snack Ideas

[uncadonego]

Chips, pop, pastries, cakes...all bad for you. Still you can get hungry for something substantial between meals. Any good healthy snack ideas you can share?

Here's one of mine:

Tuna 'Devilled' Eggs

Tuna Filling

1 6oz. can of tuna in water, drain, rinse, drain.
Add 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, drain again.

Add a pinch of:

black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
turmuric
cayenne pepper

Add 1 tsp. of worcestershire sauce
Add half tsp. of low sodium soya sauce
Add quarter tsp. hot sauce
Add 1 tbsp dijon mustard
Add 4 tsp. of grainy old style mustard

Mix thoroughly. Add finely chopped celery or
parsely if desired.

**************************************

Hard cook and cool 7 large eggs. Peel and cut in
half. Remove yolks and fill the yolk hole in the
white to just above level.

Makes 14 tuna 'devilled' egg snacks.

Approximately 22 calories each snack.

[pookie9121]

Popcorn as long as it isn't any of the flavored kinds, (examples Kettle, Cheesy etc.) the regular butter versions, and even the light butter versions are very good and low in calories. If you can make your own that is an even better option as that kind will not have as much sodium in it.

[aethelwulf]

A popular one used to be "ants on a log"...a celery stick spread with peanut butter, then ants stuck into the PB. (I hate celery so never ate it).

Snyder's of Hanover pretzels are super-tasty...oh wait, you wanted healthy snacks, not "keep a defbrilator nearby to clear your arteries".

[Debbie66]

Hi aethelwulf,

Thats exactly what I do snack on "celery filled with ricotta cheese or peanut paste " YUM, (at least it's not fattening

Cheers
Debbie

[AKPhilately]

Now I always thought that peanut butter WAS fatty, Debbie!
Nothing as easy as getting used to not snacking. Have your meals at a regular time and if you eat enough you'll find that craving for biccies and snacks and what have you disappear. And just don't have any of it in the house!

How to reward yourself for being so good? Leave bits of chicken or lamb or whatever from last night's meal and have that on your bread (is better than preprocessed meats).

Not available? Why not open a tin of plain mackerel or sardines in oil and have that on your bread at lunch (do try and make the contents last for three days though). Good omegas all the way. And it's yummy.
No, not with mayonnaise.

[bathurst stamper]

Might be stating the obvious but how about a red delicious apple ?? YUM !!!

Cheers,

Robert

[uncadonego]

Yes, actually apples are one of the best healthy snacks of all.

[gavin-h]

Half a dozen cherry tomatoes and half a dozen "Greek-style" black olives usually sees me on to the next meal time

[leamphil]

Marmite (or Vegemite) & lettuce sandwich

[uncadonego]

That sounds good leamphil.

I actually have one where I cut one slice of pre-biotic bread (24% RDA fiber in one slice!)in half, then I put whipped avocado mixed with chilled chopped spinach and garlic for butter on one side.

Then I add watercress, baby spinach, baby arugula, one sliced mushroom, four thin cucumber slices, grainy brown mustard on the other half slice. Spices in between the layers of stuff are cayenne, black pepper, turmeric, and onion powder.

That half sandwich with a cup of green tea keeps me going between meals for about three hours.

[bardhi]

cut carrots and cucumbers through their length, making sticks that are thick somewhere between a pencil and a pen. Fill a Jug with water, salt the water and mix it. Put the cucumber and carrot sticks in the jug, and refregirate it.... enjoy your snack

[uncadonego]

Those sound good bardhi, but I'm watching sodium and sugar lately. I'd probably end up putting a bit of lemon juice in the water so they soak up some extra zing, rather than salt.

This may not be for everyone, but I love them. Try them, they may surprise you!
http://www.builtlean.com/2012/10/10/baked-kale-chips-recipe/

[doug2222usa]

A big handful* of cashews, top with a pat of butter, into the microwave for 30 seconds, dust lightly with garlic/onion salt and Parmesan cheese (like you sprinkle on spaghetti), stir.

Pecans work too. Of course it's healthy, I'm still alive, no?

===============
*Do not work on stamps for 24 hours.

[uncadonego]

Nuts & seeds are OK, you just have to watch that you don't eat to many because they are high in calories and fat. In small portions, they are the good fats though.

Part of my breakfast this morning was 2 raw brazil nuts, a tsp of raw pumpkin seeds, a tsp of raw sunflower seeds, a tsp of pine nuts, 2 raw pecan halves, 2 raw walnut halves, 3 raw almonds, and 4 pistachios.

Seems like very few nuts, maybe a handful at most, but almost 200 calories!

[uncadonego]

Oh, if you want a snack that will pack a lot of punch, take three squares of a Lindt 99% cocao chocolate bar and dip it in almond butter!
WOW!

[MissVicki]

Hummas which is very easy to make with a food processor. I use whole mushrooms to dip instead of crackers. You could always use celery or/carrots too.

[uncadonego]

I love hummus!

[doug2222usa]

For people who really really like hummus:

In May 2010, the Guinness World Record for the largest dish of hummus in the world returned to Lebanon. The winning dish, cooked by 300 cooks in the village of al-Fanar, near Beirut, weighed approximately 10,450 kg, more than double the previous record set by 50 Israeli Arabs and Jews who cooked approximately 4,100 kg in January 2010 in the Arab-Israeli village of Abu Ghosh.

According to local media, the recipe included 8 tons of boiled chick peas, 2 tons of tahini, 2 tons of lemon juice and 70 kg of olive oil.

[pookie9121]

That is a lot of hummus.

[Tassie_Stamps]

Avocado... Avocado... Avocado.

No recipes, no ingredients, just pick one up and grab a spoon.

So yummy, so healthy - a great snack, and full of healthy fats too.

3 for $2 at my local grocer this week... So cheap

[uncadonego]

Oh! I love avocado! I mash a ripe avocado into oblivion, then add a whole bulb of mashed roasted garlic to it. I stir in a few steamed chopped spinach cubes, and a little lime juice. Makes a great sandwich spread!

[MissVicki]

According to local media, the recipe included 8 tons of boiled chick peas, 2 tons of tahini, 2 tons of lemon juice and 70 kg of olive oil.

They forgot the garlic!

[trabz]

For people who really really like hummus:

In May 2010, the Guinness World Record for the largest dish of hummus in the world returned to Lebanon. The winning dish, cooked by 300 cooks in the village of al-Fanar, near Beirut, weighed approximately 10,450 kg, more than double the previous record set by 50 Israeli Arabs and Jews who cooked approximately 4,100 kg in January 2010 in the Arab-Israeli village of Abu Ghosh.

According to local media, the recipe included 8 tons of boiled chick peas, 2 tons of tahini, 2 tons of lemon juice and 70 kg of olive oil.

Image link inactive. Removed

[stallzer]

Jalapeno stuffed Green Olives.

[jugoslavija_post]

A piece of toasted multigrain bread, spread with braunschweiger. (add some lettuce for some freshness)

[uncadonego]

Steam cauliflower with a pinch of turmeric sprinkled on it. Steam it past normal eating texture. Put it in the blender with a cup of unsweetened almond milk and purée the mixture. This is a super low calorie base for any type of soup you'd like to make. Spice as you like.

You can stir in steamed and puréed vegetables of any kind, such as squash, carrots, mushrooms, onions, etc. Add diced steamed vegetables as well.

Depending on the mixture, the calories are quite good. The last batch I made is only an estimated 37 calories a cup. A whole filling soup bowl is 74 calories. Great, filling, and super nutritious snack.

[fromdownunder]

Iceburg lettuce, tomato, spring onion and continental cucumber on a crusty wholemeal or a multigrain Roll. If you need meat (like me) a bit of added roast turkey does wonders for this mix (plus a touch of avacado mashed and spread directly onto the turkey). Season to taste (alas I am not allowed salt, but ground black pepper does the job)

This mix has taste and crunch. For reasons I am not even aware of, I love food with crunch. Purely soggy food is boring food. There is a special place in hell reserved for people who dip bread into soup.

Norm

[uncadonego]

Some paleontologists say it's because we are hard-wired from the original primates that ate mostly insects with exoskeletons. I'm not sure I buy that, but the crunchy sound in your skull is definitely part of the satisfaction of eating a snack.

[uncadonego]

Want a "candy", but want to avoid refined sugar and other processed stuff?

START:

Drain the milk from a coconut and crack it open. You just whack the three lines going the length of the coconut with the back of a heavy knife or cleaver many times, rotating and hitting the next line, and the next....

Bake the coconut halves at 450F for ten or more minutes, just until the white meat starts getting golden in spots. Chill the coconut, it will pop out pretty easy. I don't bother using a peeler to take of the brown back, but you may want to.

Pulse in the processor until the pieces are small enough for the processor to stop bouncing around, then run it until they are tiny pieces. Stop before you start getting butter!

Put the coconut in a flat pan and cover for later. It's the outside coating for these balls.

DATE NUT BALLS

In the food processor, turn these into mush:

8 bite-size prunes
1 cup sultana raisins
24 honey dates
1 cup boiling water

Then add one or two of these items at a time and mix it up in the processor:

1/3 cup raw cacao powder
1/8 cup white sesame seeds
1/4 cup raw pecan
1/8 cup raw sunflower
1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Once this is pretty uniform (don't worry about nut pieces, that's a good thing) take a 8X8 pan and line it with plastic wrap. Spread it out even and flat, and cover the top with plastic too. Chill thoroughly.

Take it out of the fridge when it's thoroughly chilled, and lay it flat on a cutting board. Cut it into four equal pieces and gently press them in the coconut. Put it back on the board and cut them in half again, and cover the bare ends in coconut. Keep repeating this process of cutting the pieces in half and cover the bare dates ends in the coconut. When you have sixty four squares, you can roll them in the coconut to make balls. Put them in a plastic wrap lined container in the fridge.

These will satisfy a lot of cravings at once. Fruit, sweet, coconut, crunchy, nutty. They are really nice and about 45 calories a ball.

These contain dietary fiber, minerals, good fats, and you can eat six of them for the same calorie cost as a Snickers bar.

[uncadonego]

Over at builtlean.com, Jessica Zack and Stephen Bergeron are always sharing healthier versions of some great foods.

Here is a gluten free pizza I had for supper tonight, and it was delicious.

https://www.builtlean.com/2013/01/15/gluten-free-pizza-recipe-2

Here is my personal 8" pizza that came in just under 500 calories for supper, even accounting for the absorbed olive oil from the pan.