Gluten-Free Snack Ideas?

[A2JC4life]

I am GF for my first pregnancy.  (That is, this is not my first pregnancy, but I wasn't GF during past pregnancies.)  And I find that I am seriously coming up blank when it comes to anything to eat that doesn't take ages to cook/prepare and clean up from.  As I have three other children and have to do something besides just eat all day ;) I really need to find some grab-and-go options.  Problem is, things like fruits and veggies have too little fat and calories for my needs.  (They fill up my stomach but don't provide enough calories.)

So...any suggestions for healthy but higher-fat/-protein and/or higher-calorie snacks that don't contain gluten and don't result in a big mess in the kitchen?  I know there are options; I just can't think of them!

[nstewart]

Fruit smoothies!  You can add coconut oil or use coconut milk to add nutrients, fats and calories. I also usually add avocado to my smoothies for healthy fats and to make them creamy since I don't use any dairy.  I recently made a super yummy "pina coloda" inspired one - half pinapple, cut in chunks, 2 bananas cut in chunks and frozen, 1 mango cut in chunks and frozen, 1 can coconut milk, 2 big handfulls of spinich, and enough water to smooth/thin it out as needed. It was really yummy.  I froze some of the left-overs into popcicles and we had those for dessert last night (yes, a desert with spinich in it!)

What about GF bread with nut butters?  GF granola bars?  Bake a few big batches of GF muffins and then just take some out of the freezer as needed.  Guacamole with corn tortilla chips or rice chips or crackers is another good one.  Oh, and hummus is a popular snack in our house, spread on rice crackers, or as a dip with veggies (I could eat it off a spoon! yum!).  Boiled eggs are always good to have in the house 'cause you can eat them on their own or make egg salad or put them on salads or in sandwiches for extra protein.

[A2JC4life]

Have you found any healthy GF breads?  The ones I've found, so far, are mostly white starch.  If you know of a good one, I'd love a recommendation!

And *headslap* I keep forgetting about boiled eggs. I need to put a note on the fridge or something. lol

[nstewart]

http://udisglutenfree.com/product-category/breads-rolls-buns/

Udi's - I've found these prodcuts in several conventional grocery stores.  They also sell them at natural/health food type stores.  In my city we have a couple local bakeries that do nice GF breads, so you likely have other options specific to your location as well.

It looks like their website also has GF recipe ideas - maybe they'll have more snack ideas for you there!

[velveeta]

I get those quinoa thin cakes (suzie's) and schmear them with plenty of mayo and ham or turkey or roast beef.

Baby bel cheeses. Amy's enchiladas (frozen). Brown rice tortillas to make bean and cheese quesadillas. Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves). Hummus with cucumber or tortilla chips. Spinach artichoke dip. Olives.

I eat out a lot too: Mexican food, eggs at whole foods, Chinese food with GF soy sauce, Greek food today. I also go to great burger places. Most have GF buns but I usually get no bun. Find me gluten free is the best dining out app ever.

[A2JC4life]

Ooh...more stuff I didn't know about.  Never heard of the quinoa cakes; I will look for those.

Does anyone happen to have a good recipe for making your own brown rice tortillas at home?  Storebought is a good option, but I choke on the price of ~$1/tortilla.   It would be even better if I could make my own.
 

[katiecornflakes]

I love Udis bread! I do lots of avocados as well. Amy's has lots of microwave GF stuff for when you're in a bind. Trader joes has some frozen GF meals too, some of the Indian ones are my favorites.

Do you eat corn? I do corn tortillas since they're cheaper.

[Tracey Allen]

I developed a wrap that is easy to make and is nutritious plus freezes well....costs are good too.  Here is the youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eysdI2xeKs

Also there are a number of gluten-free recipes on my blog including snacks - I try to make everything simple and easy.

http://simplifyandsave.weebly.com/1/category/gluten%20free/1.html you will find a gluten-free video on making bread/hamburger buns too.  My flour has sorghum, brown rice, tapicoa and arrowroot so relatively healthy and not too expensive as gf flours go.

Cheers,

Tracey

Author of Easy Gluten-free Lunches and Snacks: Simple Cookbook

[A2JC4life]

Yes, I eat corn. Do you have any favorite brands of corn tortillas?

No TJ's here, but I will check out the Amy's stuff when I go to the grocery store later today. :)

[Delicion]

Quick & Energizing Gluten-Free Snack ideas

I love to snack on carrots dipped in almond butter (sounds strange but tastes delicious).  I also like string cheese or colby jack cheese sticks for snacks.  Either of those, or I go for yogurt with hemp seeds!  Good luck!

[katiecornflakes]

I just get the whole foods brand of corn tortillas. They are good. I simmer black beans with salsa and use that as a filling, put inside tortillas, stack them side by side in a baking dish, cover with enchilada sauce and cheese and bake until bubbly. Easy and tasty!

[tillymonster]

I was going to say go to Trader Joes and get brown rice tortillas! I think whole foods has coconut wraps that would be delish as a replacement.

Quick and easy tho not super healthy: Organic whole milk, Chex cereal and cut up banana. My go-to is Greek yogurt. Fage's 2% with fruit mixin keeps me full for even 2 hours. I'm hating the hunger pains every hour so I eat that a lot! How many weeks are you? I'm 11wks tomorrow!

[berrymama]

I have been struggling to gain weight this pregnancy and eat healthy at the same time. I do a lot of nuts, seeds (added to salads), hummus (homemade standard stuff, and also with add-ins like edamame, olives, artichokes).

Higher fat fruits like avocados and coconut.

Also, homemade protein balls like these, though I don't know if you can do oats (I make a double batch and stick some in the freezer): http://triumphwellness.com/healthy-sugar-free-cookies/, http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6006586 (no oats in this one)

Or granola bars: http://www.inspirededibles.ca/2013/03/cranberry-chia-energy-bars-raw-vegan.html or http://86lemons.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-breakfast-bars/

I have also been cooking up a batch of grains (quinoa or wild rice) to keep in the frig and add to salads and wraps.

The good thing is, my kids eat all this stuff too, so although it takes a bit of time once a week to make everything, it makes preparing their meals faster and easier for the rest of the week.

[Lazurii]

Gluten-free lunch meats and other traditional sandwich fixin's rolled up in nori.  Yum!

[Lazurii]

Originally Posted by berrymama 

Also, homemade protein balls like these, though I don't know if you can do oats (I make a double batch and stick some in the freezer): http://triumphwellness.com/healthy-sugar-free-cookies/, http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6006586 (no oats in this one)

We call those homemade Lara Bars, or Lara Balls.  I do a mix of nuts and seeds and different dried fruits.  I'll also add a bit of raw carrot to cut down on the amount of dried fruit.  My kids love them!

[A2JC4life]

Oh, these all sound great; thank you!  I do eat oats.  (No celiac here, so cross-contamination is not an issue.  Just "actual" gluten.)

I'll be 33 weeks on Wednesday, I think.  (Daylight Savings has fried my brain, so hopefully I'm thinking straight! lol)  I'm gaining a pound to a pound-and-a-half a week, but I'm starving all the time.  These ideas are really helping (I'm eating hardcooked eggs right now, thanks to the reminder here) - feel free to keep them coming!
 

[RoxLive]

I sent this list to my son a couple years ago, but still looks good. I posted it at http://www.roxlive.net/2011/05/quick-gluten-free-food-ideas/ but here it is. Hopefully it helps some! 

Breakfast Ideas

Fried Eggs w/potatoes

Scrambled Eggs with cheese & sausages (hillshire farms lit’l hot dogs and Tyson reduced fat sausage patties from costco ok)

Breakfast Burrito Scrambled eggs & cheese in corn tortilla w/salsa

French toast with gf bread  (egg, 2 tablespoons milk, cinnamon, vanilla)

Oatmeal (buy gf oatmeal and add salt, cinnamon & brown sugar with milk)

Cereal (GF Chex, fruity or Cocoa pebbles (real ones, only some gf fruity are ok), Cookie Crisp Sugar Cookies Cereal)

Frozen gf waffles (toast on tinfoil so don’t get cross contact in toaster unless have dedicated one..LOVE newgrains.com waffle mix)

Pamelas Pancake mix (good)

Lunch/Dinner Ideas

Chili Dog – Stags original chili and hot dog(bar s, kosher, costco’s big hot dogs)

Refried beans (rosarita ok) and chips

Taquitos (Delimix ok) with refried beans & rice

Chili (stags original) cheese & toppings on Chips

Tuna eaten with chips or gf crackers (good gf crackers or multi-grain chips at Costco) or on lettuce

Chicken salad eaten with chips or on lettuce (premade chicken salad from costco ok)

Pizza w/ragu or pregu original & cheese on tortilla or gfpizza crust

Pizza with chicken and bbq sauce and cheese 

Left overs (we store them as ‘dinners’ so it is easy to heat up individually)

Salad w/chicken, cheese, egg & vegis (hidden valley ranch ok)

Hot dog (bar S, Kosher, big Costco ok) with potato salad

Chicken (roasted chicken from costco ok, not walmart) with potato salad (from costco ok)

Beans & weanies…Pork-n-beans (vandecamp ok) with cut up hot dogs (add garlic salt)

Baked potato w/chili (stags) and cheese over it

Spaghetti (sauce with meat McCormick ok) & vegi like Brocolli

Fettuccini sauce on Spagetti (Classico) and chicken and vegis

Tacos (McCormick seasoning) with refried beans and meat with toppings

Taco Salad (1 cup taco meat, 1 can kidney beans, 1 cup rice mixed and put on crushed chips, lettuce, add cheese)

Bbq chicken w/beans and potato salad (Original Hunts, Baby Rays, Tony Romas are ok)

Meat (pork chops, chicken, etc) with instant or baked potatoes & vegis (can pour Progresso creamy mushroom soup over meat after you grill it in pan for minute for gravy)

Meat, rice and vegis

Breakfast for dinner

Cowboy grub (pork-n-beans w/hamburger meat and garlic sauce)

Hamburger wrapped in lettuce (or gf bun)

Mrs Leepers helper meals w/tuna, chicken or hamburger meat. Good stuff.

Snack ideas

(left overs from lunch/dinner)

Apple (apples fill you up the most for fruit) w/peanut butter

Bananas

Celery dipped in peanut butter

yogurt (yoplait and Kirkland ok)

Bowl of cereal/oatmeal

Boiled egg

Chili w/cream cheese (1 can chili with 3 tablespoons cheese) warmed with chips

Raisins, nuts…especially almonds or walnuts will give you energy

Gf bar (like Trio or Larabars from Costco)

Frozen kinikink donuts are pretty good

Glutino pretzels (great!) with peanut butter

Udi’s bakery will ship things frozen to you from online. COstco like blueberry muffins, good bread (harder crust, but fluffy inside), bagels

New Grains Gluten Free Bakery will ship things fresh to you from online. My favorite bread is multigrain and the sourdough. Don't forget to get the English Muffins and gf flour tortillas too. My fav! Oh, and all the cookies are crazy good.

Treats

Fruity pebbles treats (melt bag of marshmallows & ½ stick butter in micro, add pebbles, stir)

Ice cream

Yogurt (not activia)

Candy (snickers & butterfingers most filling)

Trio bars (at costco)

Lara Bars (I think at costco too)

Fruit Snacks (most are ok)

I put in some of the currant brands we are using, but always check the label and I am sure there are other kinds as well.

Good luck!!