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High protein snack ideas?

post #1 of 13
10/4/12 at 11:29am
Thread Starter 

I'm vegetarian and I'm in need of some new high-protein snack ideas for my young children.  We have been leaning too heavily on carbs and I've noticed an increase in behavior concerns as a result.  We don't have any food allergies but my son does not like to eat cheese.  What are some of your favorites, aside from the usual hummus, nut butters, nuts, yogurt?  :-)

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post #2 of 13
10/5/12 at 5:42pm

Guacamole with raw veggies.  And black olives.  Other than those, I'm pretty much using the stuff you're already using.

post #3 of 13
10/6/12 at 10:08pm

Edamame 

Plain or baked tofu cut into slices or cubes

Garbanzo beans straight from the can (or cooked by you).  My girls love them. 

Hard boiled eggs

post #4 of 13
10/7/12 at 12:44pm

Baked tofu (we buy pre-made, but homemade isn't too tricky either)

Cottage cheese

Egg salad (or as dd1 calls hers, 'eggy-egg-mush')

Black bean dip - or whole black beans tossed with cheese onto tortilla chips, and melted

 

I'll also cook the cottage cheese or ricotta cheese into muffins and pancakes too (assuming it helps at least a bit to compensate for those being bread-y).  You can always add protein powders to baked goods like that as well.  

I'll use both those to augment plain toast, or english muffins for something a bit more rounded (add grated veg to the cottage cheese, top your english muffin and toast the whole thing).

 

Homemade pudding or rice pudding, and homemade oatmeal with healthy mix-ins is also a decent snack with more possibility for being less carb-y than other stuff.

post #5 of 13
10/10/12 at 4:00pm

veggie burgers. bean based. with a few veggies in there. i dont bread them, i dont put egg on anything in them. i make the beans mushy enough to be able to form. teh secret ingredient that my dd likes are lemon and cilantro mixed in teh mixture.  

 

they are really easy snacky type of food (though i do think our definition of snack has truly changed in these years. snack growing up many years ago used to be about 200 calories - like say an apple which is 150 cal and somethign else.) grab and go kinda food. could be eaten cold, between buns, with a tomato or mushroom onion sauce on it.

 

they are never just beans. 50% beans and 50% veggies - no potatoes.

 

however they DO fall apart mostly. but they are good enough that dd ignores that.

 

another 'snack' which in my vocab is a quick grab and go - that i keep (or make fresh). dd loves peas so i steam some potatoes and then some peas, then take them off the flame and add some lemon and salt adn pepper. no oil or butter.

post #6 of 13
10/10/12 at 4:23pm

Nori or other seaweed snacks. 

post #7 of 13
10/10/12 at 4:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nstewart View Post

Nori or other seaweed snacks. 

my only problem with nori is that its not filling. i always have to make something with it. dd LOVES it for bfast with rice and sesame seeds.

 

however if given a chance dd can go through packets of nori. not even the snack kind, but just nori for sushi.

post #8 of 13
10/11/12 at 3:31pm

i just made a great taboule wtih quinoa instead of bulgar wheat - super filling and my 11mo DD loved it

post #9 of 13
10/11/12 at 8:37pm

Chia seed pudding- 2TBS chia seeds mixed with 1 cup nondairy milk and left in the fridge overnight makes an awesome pudding. Then you can add sweetener, fruit, vanilla, spices, cocoa powder, nut butter, etc... to taste. I am making pumpkin pie pudding tonight.

 

Nut butter balls- nut butter (or sunflower butter) mixed with liquid sweetener (we use honey), wheat germ, and powdered milk and rolled into little balls. You can make alot of variations with these, add chopped raisins, roll in coconut or cocoa powder etc... I've not tried this recipe  yet, but it has garbanzos and almonds instead of milk powder.

 

Homemade lara bars If you search the internet there are a million options with these as well, but my new favorite are carrot cake balls

 

Healthy chocolate pudding, although I use regular cocoa powder

 

Roasted garbanzos

 

I like to make muffins or pancakes with a handful of hemp seeds thrown it. You almost don't even notice them. 

post #10 of 13
10/13/12 at 4:42pm

Greek yogurt has a lot more protein than regular yogurt - significantly so.  And it cost significantly more too.

post #11 of 13
10/17/12 at 5:51pm

We bake our chick peas with olive oil and a little salt.  We call them "big hog" just to make the name more interesting.  You can also add cinnamon and other spices but the kids may not appreciate that.  

 

Tempeh

Faux chicken

Homemade popcorn popped with oil and topped with Brewer's yeast

Goat cheese and crackers

Peanut butter and apples

 

_____________

Health Coach in Training and mom to 11 and 8 year old girls:) 

post #12 of 13
10/19/12 at 11:10am
I almost forgot two of my faves. Kale chips - roast kale strips with a lil olive oil in the oven. Remove and add salt. Or roast pepitas, cool, and add spice mix and craisins. Yum.


_________________________
Monica, health coach in training and mum to 11 and 8 year old girls.
post #13 of 13
1/4/13 at 6:28pm

stillheart.gif This thread!  I am pregnant with my fourth child and seem to be having a hard time getting enough protein in my diet.  I have been eating nuts, yogurt, cheese, almond milk, and beans way way to much!  I think my new fav snack type food combo is melon and cheese, both hard cheeses and soft are very nice.  My children seem to like the soft cheeses with nuts and fruit quite a bit.  A cored apple with nut butter or cream cheese is an easy go to snack as well.  I am also a huge fan of making granola, haha typing this is helping me remember some of the things I used to eat before burning out on them!  For granola you can make it very protein rich by adding nut's, I grind a mix of nut's and golden flax, mix that with your oats and whatever else you like ( we use all kinds of dried fruits, mango, papaya, dates, raisons, ect.. ) Oh and I almost forgot, adding sunflower seeds is also really yummy.  I then use coconut oil, honey and maple syrup to bind/sweeten the mix.  I will put half a cup in a baggie and take this as a crunchy snack.  Pitted dates stuffed with cheese are really good as well.  

Almonds and raisons mixed in a container always seem to be a hit.  We call it poor mans trail mix.  Just one more, grilled veggies/mushrooms and a drizzel of balsomic vineger, hummas, and cheese if you wish, oh my word so good!

The last one is more of a meal in my house than a snack, I just added it because I craving it right now.