what do you snack on?

[ursusarctos]

I seriously need to eat more. As in eating quality food once every few hours instead of only when I'm already starving. I'm so used to just ignoring it when I'm only a little hungry and that's just not going to do now that I'm pregnant.
A few issues with buying stuff to snack on: there's only the two of us, so getting a large amount of stuff usually results in a lot of it going to waste because we just can't eat it fast enough. Which is partly why we don't have much to snack on which is becoming a problem now. Also, they don't really do "snack foods" here so crackers etc. are pretty much out (not that I would want to be filling up on those anyway). There is also an almost complete lack of non-disgusting canned soup/frozen foods so those are mostly out too.
What nutritious foods do you snack on? Hints for keeping your fridge/pantry stocked but not wasting food? Keeping real food available with only a couple people?

[VegMomma]

Raw almonds are my #1 go-to snack food... they're high in protein and calcium, and require no preparation. We buy them in bulk, and I keep them, and a Kleen Kanteen full of water in my bag all the time. (Keep the almonds in the fridge/ freezer and they'll last a loooong time )

Granola bars are also super easy to make, and easy to grab when the tummy growl strikes.

HTH!

[Andee]

My favorites are fresh, organic apples and canned pineapple. I know canned fruits aren't the best, but they're relatively easy to keep on hand.

[MyLittleWarrior]

dried fruit is a good snack and lasts well, or fruit leathers. They're expensive to buy, but are pretty easy to make at home either in a dehydrator or in your oven on a low setting. Just puree your fruit and cover a cookie sheet with plastic wrap. Use a really low setting so the plastic wrap doesn't melt. I do a lot of fruit smoothies too, with yogurt for protein so it sticks with you.

[chibaby]

String cheese has been my savior! I munch on the light organic kind from Trader Joe's when I need some protein and it's fantastic. I also purchased some Belly Bars in the chocolate flavor when I crave something sweet. It tastes good but also has nutrients needed for pregnancy (folic acid, B-10, iron, etc.).

[Brisen]

I like a mix of pumpkin seeds & raisins. Dates & almonds are good, too. Cheese chunks, hard boiled eggs, apples, veggie sticks with dips, can you get breadsticks? You can bake a variety of muffins and freeze them. Toast and a glass of milk (often cocoa) is my bedtime snack standby. Sandwiches are good, too. In the summer, I'll make filling salads (potato, pasta, bean) and snack on them.

[carmel23]

Pancakes... I make a bunch of whole wheat/almond flour pancakes and freeze them. I can pop one in the toaster over and cook it quickly.

Almonds are good, but I haven't been able to eat them lately.

Snap peas are really tasty, carrots, apples... celeric root (crunchy!)

Tomato on a toasted bagel with hummus is tasting *really* good these days, or 1/2 a bagel at a time...

We're dairy/soy free, but cow cheese sounds so good these days... but I haven't had any yet.

[flapjack]

I just found www.greenlitebites.com and I'm loving them: I made the berry oatmeal cups yesterday, and they're so good.
As far as keeping stuff in goes, make your freezer work for you. I bake muffins in batches of 48 at a time, open freeze and then bag them, and that works really well for us. Apply the same technique to whatever you do want to eat but can't consume fast enough.

[mama2myloves]

I stuff individual sandwich bags with fruits, veggies, nuts, etc., and just grab one out of the fridge when I need a snack.

[yentroc]

I came on here to post the same question... the gagging nausea just started yesterday.... it's all coming back to me now. The nausea that makes you need to eat, but eating sounds disgusting...

Aren't all those healthy foods that you all mentioned grossing you out? I want to eat all the healthy go-to snacks that I always eat (most of them were mentioned) but its all starting to sound so gross.

I have to admit, the hummus sounds good, I'll have to try it. String cheese was my savior last preg. but I don't eat dairy anymore.

[ursusarctos]

Wow, thanks for all the great suggestions everybody! I think this is a very useful thread to have around for many of us.
I think I'll look into the bulk nuts at my local health food store. Good point with the bulk, cause otherwise nuts are pretty expensive. Energy dense though, you don't need to eat that many of them...
Keeping some cheese and dried fruit around is a good idea too, it makes a satisfying snack now that I think of it, I just never eat them by themselves for some reason. We often have cheese, but I just don't usually think to eat it anywhere else but on bread, which gets really tedious.
I like the freezer idea too... if I get my a$$ in gear maybe I can make some zucchini muffins and freeze them. Or pancakes. Another thing they don't have here actually, though I suppose you can make the batter from scratch pretty easily?
Flapjack, that website looks great, I'm going to have a good time exploring it Thanks!

[ursusarctos]

Yentroc, about the nausea.
I have never experienced morning sickness yet but am experiencing a strong aversion to whatever I am cooking, followed by it being extremely delicious when I force myself to eat it. Wth, you know? Shouldn't mother nature make us totally ravenous for everything for 9 months instead of forcing us to starve for the first 3?

[cloudbutterfly]

Apple slices and cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs (for variety, sometimes I smash them up with a little mustard, salt and paprika for the world's fastest deviled egg), baby carrots, celery sticks with peanut butter, toast with a little bit of butter, bananas, chunks of tasty cheeses, nuts, olives, brown rice cakes, smoothies with protein powder, OJ, strawberries and a little bit of fruit-sweetened yogurt.

[VegMomma]

Oh, one thing I ate all the time with DS1 (not anymore since we're vegan) was Babybells. They are pricey, but I practically lived on them. Pretty tasty, and no slicing involved! Haha.

How about dried apple or banana chips? I find I can tolerate crunchy things moreso than soft.

And, if all else fails, oatmeal (made with quick oats), with some sunlflower seeds, currants, and honey. Sometimes the texure gets to me though...

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by VegMomma

And, if all else fails, oatmeal (made with quick oats), with some sunlflower seeds, currants, and honey. Sometimes the texure gets to me though...

We eat tons of oatmeal, and sometimes when I want it to be savory and not sweet I'll put in a spoonful of Earthbalance and some salt and pepper...

I'm making some (vegan) breakfast cookies, with whole wheat, wheat germ, nuts and currants, and no sugar but some honey... and then I'm going to make some olive ciabatta.

Another easy snack is that Kashi cereal, the Wheat Harvest --they're like mini shredded wheats with very low sugar. Sugar is grossing me out these days.

And I try to eat one egg per day...