Healthy snacks? I need some variety!

[KenveeB]

I have a bad habit of getting into a rut with my food and eating the same thing over and over again, until I'm sick of it. I've been working hard to break myself of it and have had good luck with my meals. But I'm still in a serious rut with my snacks. I do a morning and afternoon snack as part of my Weight Watchers. I used to do celery with a Laughing Cow cheese wedge and carrots with hummus, but I got tired of both of those. Right now I alternate between apple slices with peanut butter, yogurt (sometimes with some granola in it), and popcorn. (Plus sometimes some whole fruit, like a banana.)

I'm getting tired of all of those. I really need some variety! Anyone have suggestions of some nice healthy snacks I can work into my routine? I have access to a fridge and a microwave at work, so that's not an issue, but I need something that isn't too complicated to put together and eat at work.

[Kaypeep]

I liked half a red bell pepper sliced into strips, and a polly-o string cheese.
A cup of hot tea with some honey, or an instant hot chocolate or coffee.
A packet of instant oatmeal or cup-o-soup
Blueberries

For me, I avoided fat free yogurt because it was not satisfying, and things with sugar or artificial sweetners.  Vegetables or fresh fruit, food with fiber and water that was consumed slowly was always more satisfying and filling.  Protein, too.  I tried to avoid "snack packs" and things with carbs.  I found savory things like soup filled me  up and held me through for a while, longer than crackers/cookies or anything with carbs and sugar.  (not that I'm the healthiest eater the rest of the time, but when I'm really following the diet, that's always worked better for me.)  Warm beverages, too.

[Amara]

I pay attention to protein because I find that satisfies me longer. So to ward off those afternoon downers, I take a 16-ounce jar (that formerly held the TJ peanut butter), fill it 3/4 with my favorite nonfat milk and add a couple of heaping tablespoons of TJ's soy protein powder, then shake it. Drinking that fills me up and keeps me going along zippily.

Another option, depending on what type of calories you are looking for, is to take a handful of tortilla chips, top them with some shredded cheese (Cheddar, goat, etc.), then microwave them. Quickly add salsa and nonfat or lowfat goat yogurt for plenty of tang. You can even throw on chopped green onions, red bell pepper, some sliced olives, chopped tomatoes even a couple of slices of avocado. Have all these already prepared so all you need to do is toss them on and enjoy.

[Oh Joy]

How about sliced tomatoes and Laughing Cow* with a drizzle of basalmic vinegar and a crack of black pepper?  Quick to assemble in a covered bowl in the morning, holds well until snacktime, and tastes fresh and tangy.

Just made mine an hour ago.   

Any food types you're trying to include or avoid? 


*I always have LC in the house, but this is especially yummy with a chevre.

[cicero]

dont' have the same thing every day. try:
sunday: a 100 cal snack - granola bar, pretzels, etc
monday: peanut butter and apple
tuesday: banana and yoghurt
Wednesday: carrot and hummus
Thursday: oatmeal (mix in a ziploc bag 2 part rolled oats, one part instant oats, pinch or more of cinamon, handful of craisins, sweetener if you like. when ready to eat, put three tablespoons in a cup, add boiling water and a little milk, cover and let it sit for about 5 minutes. yum and sooo filling).
Friday: cheese and fruit
Saturday: laughing cow and cherry tomatoes.

Other options: hard boiled egg, fruit, sandwich, rice cakes and hummus/cheese/peanut butter

[Miriam]

I like a spoonful of Justin's Honey PB with apple slices, celery, whole wheat English muffins, etc. it's all natural and inexpensive at my local TT.

[KenveeB]

There's no foods I'm trying to avoid, just heavy on the fruits and veggies. (I'm doing Weight Watchers and am trying to keep snacks under 4 points, I'd that helps.)

I'm not a fan of oatmeal, but I'd never thought of soup as a snack. Thanks! The Rnhlish muffins sound good too. Trying to think if things that are easy to prepare and eat at work.

[audrey1962]

My husband is on WW and he snacks on whole fruit: apples, bananas, berries (he mixes blueberries, raspberries and blackberries), strawberries, etc. Basically, anything that is 0 points. If he has points to use up he eats barbecue-flavored pop chips or salt-and-vinegar potato straws (I believe those are baked). Pretzels sometimes, if we have them, which are tasty dipped in hummus or peanut butter.

[camlan]

Do you have a toaster at work? One of my favorite snacks is a piece of toast or a toasted English muffin, a drizzle of olive oil and half an avocado smooshed onto the bread with a fork, with a tiny sprinkle of salt. If you don't have a toaster, you could try crispbread or flat bread instead.

Also consider changing up your favorites a little. Instead of always carrots and hummus, try some green pepper strips and broccoli and celery and snow peas and cherry tomatoes. Instead of always hummus, try some low-fat ranch dressing, or tzatziki or garlic-yogurt dip.

Several months ago, I was searching for healthy snacks, because I have the same problem of getting stuck in a rut, and came up with this list. Maybe there's something here that you would like. I don't do Weight Watchers, so I'm sorry I don't know how many points these would be.

Greek yogurt and blueberries
Cottage cheese
Cheese & crackers (Laughing Cow)
Chocolate almond butter & crispbread
Hummus & vegetables
Pear & string cheese
Raw vegetables & salad dressing
Blue cheese stuffed olives (7)
Pretzels & mustard
Edamame with salt
Popcorn
Baked chips & salsa
Graham crackers & milk
Applesauce & pecans (1 cup; 10 pecans)
Celery & cream cheese
Apple w/ Swiss cheese
Avocado toast
Baked garbanzo beans
English muffin pizza
Bean Tostada (corn tortilla; ¼ cup fat-ree refried beans, 2 tbls. Cheddar, heat in micro until cheese melts)
Stuffed baked potato (new potato, salsa, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives)
Whole wheat waffle w/Nutella
Tomato w/mozzarella (basil, olive oil drizzle)
Tuna (tossed with lemon juice, sliced black olives)
Orange & almonds (12 almonds or 7 walnuts)
Wasabi peas (1/2 cup)
Cashews (18)
Corn nuts
Turkey jerky
Dried apricots (1/4 cup)
Turkey wrap (turkey, flatbread, lettuce, tomato, cucumber)
Cherries (1 cup)
Pistachios (1/2 cup in shell)
Sunflower seeds (1 oz.)
Fruit sorbet
Dried figs
Whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter
Hot chocolate
Luna bars
Cheese melt (cocktail size rye bread, cheddar, broil, top w/slice tomato & caraway seeds)
Parmesan pita crisps (2 tbls grated Parmesan over whole-wheat pita, ¼ teaspoon oregano, broil.)
Creamy Feta-Walnut Dip (1 c greek yogurt, ¾ c feta, 2 cl. garlic, 2 tbls chopped walnuts, black pepper, ¼ tsp hot sauce)

[JenJay]

My go-to snack when I'm hungry but don't want a meal is a handful of mixed nuts (the "fancy" mix with no peanuts, either raw or roasted and low-salt) and a glass of milk. Sometimes I'll add a couple slices of cheddar or a string cheese or some olives.

[lowspark]

You mention carrots and celery -- are those the only raw veggies you eat? There are a slew of wonderful veggies out there that you can eat raw. I regularly eat brussels sprouts, asparagus, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers. All raw. And although some people balk at the idea, they are all really good raw and satisfy the crunch need. You can also expand your fruit choices. Raisins, dates, and dried figs are delicious. Dates are like candy to me. There is a large variety of citrus fruits and apples. Don't be afraid to try lots of different kinds and decide which you like. And don't forget grapes!

I walk very slowly through the produce department and visit different stores which have different things available so that I can vary my veg & fruit diet. I don't eat them for snacks but I do eat a few servings of fruits & veggies for breakfast and try to vary them so that I'm not eating the same thing every day.

[KenveeB]

I get a co-op basket every week or so and get a lot of variety from that. I eat a lot of grapes and strawberries with my lunch, so I usually avoid them for snacks. My problem isn't so much not liking stuff as not thinking about it and just doing the same thing.

Camlan, that list is awesome!!

[auntmeegs]

On of my go-to snacks is dried fruit, all differnet kinds.  Rigth now I'm really into apricots and pinapples.  Nothing with added sugar though, try to find the kind where its JUST the dried fruit and nothign added.

Another favorite of mine is a seedless cucumber sliced up in really thin slices and a low-cal vinigarette.  So yummy and refreshing!

[Amara]

My new issue of Real Simple came yesterday and in it I found recipes for green smoothies. These are made with vegetables and fruit and whipped up in the blender so they contain all the fiber of the vegetables and fruit (unlike juicing). Many are made with kale and spinach, though other vegetables abound, plus fruit. I also googled "vegetable smoothies" online and found a lot of suggestions. These can be blended up in the morning and taken to work. Here is one of the ones in Real Simple:

Spinach Smoothie (for 2 servings; could be cut in half)
1 1/2 cups apple juice
2 cups stemmed and chopped spinach or kale
1 apple, unpeeled, cored and chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped

Puree the ingredients in the blender in the order above until they reach the desired consistency. (Make sure you take this in a container that you can shake well for later consumption.)

[blarg314]

Edamame, if you can get it. World's healthiest bar snack. [Whole immature soy beans - each pod contains about three beans. You boil the whole pod for 5-6 minutes, drain, chill, and serve sprinkled with sea salt].

Roasted nuts can be filling and healthy, if you don't eat to many.

I love roasted chickpeas - toss cooked or canned chickpeas with spices and salt, and bake in a low oven until crispy.

Roasted pumpkin or squash seeds.

As others have said, vary the veggies and dip combos. Celery, cucumber, daikon, carrots, peppers, snow peas and green onions can all be cut into convenient sticks. Make yoghurt based dips (much lower cal than most other dips) - try lemon and dill, or herbs and roasted garlic, or Indian spices, or Indian lime pickle).