Inexpensive protein snacks

[Rosemary]

This is our master snack list for anyone who cares to utilize it. Don't overlook the filling power of fiber when considering snacks. An apple can be very filling, for instance.
=================================
Fruit plate, fruit salad, or a piece of fruit

Vegetable sticks and hummus or salad dressing.* Carrots, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash, kohlrabi, green beans, snap peas, jicama.* Look for salad dressings without MSG and HFCS. Homemade ranch dip is easy: plain yogurt, onion and garlic powders, dried chives and parsley, a little paprika.

Ants on a Log: "logs" can be any vegetable such as celery, bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, or cucumber, cut into sticks. "Bark" is spreadable: try hummus or other bean spread, cream cheese, peanut or other nut butter, tahini, cottage cheese, or yogurt cheese. The "ants" can be the traditional raisins, or try dried blueberries, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, sesame seeds, or peanut halves.

Edamame - green, podded soybeans - available frozen.*

Mini-Salad: mix leftover beans, grains, and vegetables from the fridge. Top with olive oil, vinegar if desired, and salt/pepper.

Popcorn, air-popped.

Unsweetened yogurt & homemade granola

A handful of nuts or seeds, preferably raw or dry-roasted.

Trail mix, from basic (GORP - good ol' raisins and peanuts) to exotic (mixed nuts with dried cherries, coconut flakes, and dark chocolate chips)

Granola bar - homemade or purchased, but check sugar content.* Crunchy ones generally have less sugar.

Homemade quick bread, muffins, or scones.* Cut the sugar in half when baking.* Freeze extras for quick snacks.

Roasted Chickpeas: Roast cooked or canned chickpeas, mixed with 1-3 tsp olive oil and a little salt, at 425F for about 20-30 minutes. Observe closely to avoid burning.

Whole grain crackers and nut butter or cheese

A half sandwich on whole grain bread

A veggie wrap: whole grain tortilla, hummus or nut butter, and shredded veggies.* Add raisins if desired.* Roll and cut into pieces to share.* Or fill a mini-pita with the same.

Smoothies: Whirl fresh or frozen fruit with enough yogurt, milk, or water to blend. Leftover, cooked oatmeal will give dairy-free smoothies a creamy texture. Including a banana generally makes a sweeter smoothie.
Popsicles: While you're making smoothies, blend some extra and freeze it in popsicle molds.

Mini-frittata: pour mixed ingredients into oiled muffin tin and bake (see frittata recipe).* Can be frozen.

Quesadilla with cheese and black beans.* Cook in unoiled pan.*

Hard-boiled Eggs: Young kids may need help with peeling them, but they will love to use an egg slicer.

Homemade Muffins, Healthy Cookies, Granola Bars: bake and freeze for quick snacks. If you're adapting a recipe to make it healthier, try cutting the butter or oil and the sugar in half.

Snack Pizza (can use prepared dough to make this a quicker project): bake crust, spread with hummus or other spread, and top with cut-up vegetables.

Yogurt and Granola: use unsweetened plain yogurt; add a small spoon of healthy jam or some pureed berries for flavoring if desired, or top with fresh, cut fruit.

Pudding - homemade, cut the sugar.

[elphaba]

I think some egg/breakfast burritos would work if you had time to prepare ahead and freeze.

You could decide whether to use small flour tortillas or larger, one or two eggs, cook some onions and minced jalapeno with the scrambled eggs before rolling up. YOu can add a couple spoonfuls of salsa, you could make them into smaller, less generous portions. Wrap in wax paper, two at a time if you want them to eat two. Wax paper means they can be microwaved right out of the freezer. I don't like plastic wrap in the microwave but if you don't mind, that would work.

The advance prep is kind of a pain but this is relatively low fat and can be low carb, especially if you buy the low carb whole wheat flour tortillas.
Doesn't seem like these would be too expensive except regarding your time since it isn't as easy as package food. But hey, isn't that what they recommend we try to get away from. Just a thought.

[Gardenarian]

Great list Rosemary! Thanks!

[JaneV2.0]

I like deviled eggs and poppers made without breading (I think you could make these ahead of time or even freeze them). Also deli-style roll-ups like turkey and cheese with pickle or olives. I make the poppers by filling jalapeno halves with seasoned cream cheese and pre-cooked crumbled bacon, then baking them for 20 minutes or so. Hot Dog coins (Hebrew National) with dipping sauce, ricotta cheese with fruit, or cottage cheese with tomatoes, homemade soup or chili--all would be good after-school fare.

And, from the "Eat your vegetables!" file, cauliflower crust pizza:
http://seattlelocalfood.com/2010/09/...ecipe-revisit/

I'm not a proponent of snacking on principal, or on several meals a day (no need to encourage excess insulin production), but I find that when I'm eating on point, I'm not inclined to snack anyway. Kids are rightfully hungry after a long school day, and that's something else altogether.

[puglogic]

When I was in classes and working out intensely too, I used to spend Sundays doing make-ahead lunches and snacks for myself. Turkey chili was high-protein, high-fiber, and low-fat (when homemade) and could be frozen in small servings to nuke.

But my personal favorite was to buy the on-sale chicken or parts, skin 'em, and cook it up into a big pile of shredded chicken. I would toss this with some salsa to make burrito filling, and freeze it either in 1/2 cup servings (to heat up and roll in a whole wheat tortilla) or as slender whole burritos.

On the fly, a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat, a glass of lowfat milk, and a banana was hard to beat.

[winterberry]

Rosemary, I've printed out your list and it will go on my fridge. Thanks.

beckyliz, maybe the problem isn't carbs so much as refined carbs? I think the thing is to strike a balance. I do find that a little fat goes a long way toward fending off craving. But watch the peanut butter and cheese! There are 100 calories in a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. So when I put it on apple quarters, I try to put a teaspoon, not a tablespoon.

The other day I did this: took a block of extra firm tofu, sliced it in half horizontally, pressed it, and patted it dry -- cut it into small pieces (about 1/2x1/2x3/4 inches) -- combined 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp sesame oil, tossed the tofu in it and let it marinate for about 10 or 15 minutes -- then sauteed it at medium high heat in 1 tbsp canola oil in a large frying pan until it was lightly browned. I used an iron frying pan. The recipe (from Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin) suggested a nonstick frying pan and making sure the oil is very hot before adding the tofu. They tasted just like french fries!

[reader99]

We eat waaay too much carbohydrate snacks in our house. I'm overweight and I see my 11 yo daughter will have the same genes as I do (I'm not nagging her or anything, just trying to set a good, healthy example). DS is 14 and athletic. DH isn't overweight, but needs to eat healthier.

SO! any ideas for inexpensive, low-fat, high-protein snacks to have around the house? Especially something the kiddos will eat (they are ravenous after school).

I can't afford the $1.00 a bar protein bars. I've made the home-made luna bars which I like, but frankly, they don't appeal the kids. I get the lower-fat string cheese from Aldi's, which is good.

I do keep fruit out.

I know I just need to stop buying cookies, crackers, etc. They (the kids) go through cereal like crazy.

TIA,
Becky

It sounds weird but my step kids ate those little bitty Michelena frozen dinners for an after school snack.

As far as protein goes, I snack on hard boiled eggs (I boil and peel a bunch at once) and devilled eggs. Peanut butter, almond butter, mixed nuts, cheese (bulk you slice yourself is cheaper), cottage cheese, yogurt.

[Rosemary]

Winterberry, I do something similar with tofu, except that I omit the oil and bake it at 375-400 for about 20-40 minutes instead. This is how I prepare it for stir-fries, but my daughter will gladly eat it without further adornment.

[wallydraigle]

Greek yogurt is expensive everywhere I've looked except WinCo. Do you live near a WinCo? I can get the 32 oz tubs for only a little more than I used to find regular yogurt. It tastes so much better, and it's very good for you. I like it plain, with a little salt, with some fruit, or a little honey. I've taken to using it in place of sour cream, too, for quesadillas and whatnot. I've heard it's also a good substitute for mayo. Speaking of WinCo, even if you don't have one near you, if you do have a grocery store with a good bulk foods section, there are all kinds of high-fiber snack foods there.

I need to snack regularly. I don't know if I'm unusual, or what, but if I don't eat every 2-3 hours, I get lethargic and cranky. And then when I do eat, I go into food coma for the next hour. I'm hungry all.the.time. I'm very active now, which probably has something to do with it, but I've always been this way, even during periods where I wasn't as active. I find I have much more energy if I eat small snacks all day long. This works out perfectly because I seem to be feeding babies all day long, and I don't have much time to sit down and eat meals myself, except for supper when my husband is home. I munch a little bit while I'm preparing meals, and I eat whatever the kids don't. That sounds terrible, but it's actually a good thing; I feed them only nutritious foods, (mostly) unprocessed foods. Grazing all day prevents me from overeating like I'm prone to when I sit down at the dinner table hungry.

[Rosemary]

Isn't Greek yogurt just thicker than regular yogurt? You can simply drain the whey from normal yogurt for much less cost.
Read: http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2...better-regular