Can we all post healthy snack options?

[Sophiasmomma]

Since I do not want to gain 60 lbs this time around anyone have any filling snack ideas?

Lately all I do is snack on high fat high carb junk. I really want to make my best effort to eat healthy..

For me IM going to go shopping and buy some LF cheeses, whole grain breads.. yogurts.. what else??

[amyandelle]

Here are my favorite snacks...

Apples with peanut butter

Peanut butter and jelly on long grain brown rice cakes

Spreadable goat cheese on rice cakes

blueberries and raspberries (you could put cool whip on top:wink ) I can't eat dairy (cow dairy)

trail mix

mixed nuts

hard boiled eggs (easy to grab and eat)

healthy cereal and your choice of milk :wink

I pretty much snack on fruit, I buy it and wash it all right away so that I can just grab it and eat it when I am hungry. I am trying to get into eating raw veggies but I have never really liked them unless I could have them dipped in ranch dressing and since I can't eat dairy due to my nursing dd's food allergies I am pretty much out of luck.

If I think of anything else I will post it :thumb :thumb
Amy :love

[emdeecee_sierra]

I second the apples and peanut butter; I always crave that during pg :)

hard boiled eggs

nuts, dried fruit (craved dried cherries last time)

Maybe make up some burritos (some breakfast-y with eggs, some with beans, what have you) and freeze them, then when hungry you can just pull one out and microwave it for a quick snack or meal.

I doubt the ingredients are the best, but I saw an advertisement for ensure drinks made for pg mamas.

Ohhh, of course, that made me remember smoothies. Yum. Milk or yogurt or fruit juice, some frozen or fresh fruit, some extras like wheat germ or oatmeal, ice (unless your fruit is frozen then you might not need it), what ever sounds good, blend, drink. Tofu. Brainstorming here. Maybe gelatin, plain or a flavored kind (tough to find healthy ones without all the dyes and other chemicals).

HTH and I'll be looking forward to other posts for inspiration!
ETA: There is also 'apple pie in a glass', mix applesauce in with milk(... I think.... I'll look it up later and repost if I'm wrong) and add cinnamon (not too much as it is a uterine toner=possible contractions).
I also make up a pie plate of bread pudding (lots of protein and dried fruit) when I'm pg and have a slice, heated or not, when I'm starving.

[blessed]

Popcorn.

You can sit down with a whole bag of it, munch happily away for a good looong time, fill yourself up, get lots of fiber, and not much in the way of calories. Goes good with movies, television and surfing the internet. :thumb

[cutic]

I love love beans this time around. I either cook a small batch or buy organic canned beans. I prepare them with chopped tomatoes, onion, green olives and anything else I have an apetite for. You can dress them with olive oil or mayo. This does take some time to prepare but it is yummy and my toddler likes to watch me prepare it and steals the best pieces for herself:) .

[autumn_faune]

Jungle Bars

2 bananas

1 cup chopped dried figs

1 cup chopped dried apricots (cranberries)

1 cup chopped, pitted dates

1 cup raisins

2 cups granola

1 cup chopped toasted almonds (1/2 c. dry roasted peanuts & 1/2 c. pumpkin seeds)

2 tablespoons almond or peanut butter (used almond butter)

1 cup flaked coconut


1. Smush the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix
together well. I found that using my hands worked best.

4. Dump the mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and press evenly into the pan with a
wooden spoon.

5. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to
blend.

[autumn_faune]

They're a high-protein snack with a boost of spinach. Some people didn't like the name Green Cheese Brownies, which was the original name of these bars before I changed the recipe. With all of my changes I think it merits a new name.

Three or Four Cheese Rustic Quiche

1 c whole grain (sprouted grain bread) dry bread crumbs
6 eggs
8 oz pkg soft cream cheese OR 4 oz. cream cheese plus 1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup butter, cold or room temp.
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Emeril's Essence (see recipe on this site) or other cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 pound chopped, loose-frozen spinach (4 cups packed?)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Grease a 13x9 inch pan with butter.

In a food processor, pulse-chop your dry bread into crumbs and set aside.

In the food proccessor, blend the eggs, cream cheese, butter and seasonings until smooth. Add parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and spinach (along with cottage cheese, if using) and pulse-blend just until mixed. (You can pulse more to reduce the size of the spinach pieces to your preference.

Pour half the mixture into the baking pan and spread out evenly. Sprinkle a layer of 1 cup of the grated cheddar cheese. Spread the other half of the batter over top, then layer the other cup of grated cheddar. (This creates a distinct layer of cheese in the middle and a bubbly, flavorful crust of cheese on top).

Bake for 350F degrees for about 45 minutes. The center will puff last as the interior cooks completely. Bake until the top cheese is as brown as you desire. Cool and cut into 12 squares. Refrigerate unused portions. Can be eaten as a cold snack or reheated gently.

NOTES:
Avoid adding more ingredients that are wet such as onions or mushrooms, or if you do I would suggest you try cooking them down first, and also maybe adding more bread to absorb more of the moisture.

[Twilight]

I'm big into apples and pears right now... they settle the tummy and also help quench thirst a little!

Jelly toast is always a hit here...

or a glass of juice.

The unhealthy options look very attractive too right now. :D mmm.... doughnuts....

[jenr]

I usually have nuts and dried fruits (I make my own), yougurt and cereal (Kashi), peanut butter and carob chips (I'm allergic to chocolate), eggs, raw veggies like carrots and brocolli. Cold quiche is delicious and quick. Also, I get Annie's Bunnies (cheddar, ranch, honey, cinnamon, or wheat) for the boys and if I can wrestle them away from DH they are a healthy carb snack. My local co-op sells yummy puffed veggie sticks that are delicious.

Okay, and I admit it, white chocolate peanut butter cups.

Jennifer:o

[Lisadeanne]

I have been munching on nuts, fruit (bananas especially), apples and peanut butter, yogurt and smoothies. I cant eat anything with a lot of refined sugar and too much refined flour makes me yeasty so I have to be careful what I eat.

[sophiamama]

Fruit has been a really big one--apples, bannanas, pears, strawberries, grapes

whole wheat english muffins with peanut butter--When I was preggo with dd I hate peanut butter by the spoonful!

cottage cheese and whole wheat crackers

cheddar cheese and whole wheat crackers

salad

hard boiled eggs (eggs haven't been sitting well with my queasy stomach though, lately)

smoothies

and my current fav--chocolate milk! It may not be THE best snack in the whole world, but I am craving chocolate and a little chocolate in a big glass of skim milk works for me:)

Oh, and that cadbury egg from easter......:lol

[raversangel]

i guess my options are pretty boring compared to everyone else :lol but i stick with carrots and ranch dip, granola bars, trail mix and wheat thins and tuna :D

[ATruck]

Oh, I can't wait till we move back to the States and I can make smoothies (I don't have a blender or food processor here). Yum.

I have been eating a lot of German wheat crackers that are terrible plain but just fine when you put goat cheese, avocado, or tuna salad on them.

Lentil soup of all kinds (brown, red, or yellow). White bean soups, too. I like to make a big pot of soup that I can eat for days-- just takes a few minutes to reheat.

Of course- fresh fruit, carrot sticks. I can't get unsweetened peanut butter here, but I will be eating apples and peanut butter this summer for sure.

Muesli and fruit with milk or yogurt.

Hard boiled eggs.

Lots of nuts, especially pumpkin seeds.

I'm going to have to try that jungle bars recipe once I have access to the ingredients.

[mother_sunshine]

Smoothies!! There are all kinds of delicious frozen fruits at our HFS, or lately I've been craving chocolate pnut butter banana smoothies :innocent.

And trail mix. My Mom brought me some from Trader Joes. It's nuts and cranberries...yum!

[boscopup]

Popcorn.

You can sit down with a whole bag of it, munch happily away for a good looong time, fill yourself up, get lots of fiber, and not much in the way of calories. Goes good with movies, television and surfing the internet. :thumb

Unless you're like me and make it yourself with lots of butter (Amish butter - really good stuff!). It *would* be healthy if I used less butter, but then I wouldn't taste the butter as well... :lol I don't use salt on it, and I pop it in a hot air popper. It's really good. Just has more butter than my body needs. :)

But I'm taking notes in this thread... I'm a super picky eater, and my midwife actually had me eating reasonably healthy last time, working around my pickiness. She was good at finding foods I could eat that are still healthy, even though it was a huge challenge! I always dreaded talking about diet. I don't like most veggies, and just have a handful of fruits I like. I've been good this week and eating lots of bananas though. That's a start! :thumb

I'm SO glad my son didn't get my pickiness gene. He eats everything, including things that both I and DH would never even think of eating. :lol

[mamaD]

i guess my options are pretty boring compared to everyone else :lol but i stick with carrots and ranch dip, granola bars, trail mix and wheat thins and tuna :D

Really!? I thought we were supposed to stay away from fish- I'm a vegetarian, but recently I've been having cravings for a good-ol tunafish sandwich. Getting other protein doesn't make it go away either. I'm kinda excited to hear that I can have it! Let's see, topping my list of snacks right now is: apple slices with peanut butter, grapes, WW toast and jelly.

[basset]

Honey roasted peanut butter on bananas!!!!!MMMMMMMM!!!!!!!:banana :banana :banana :banana

[ATruck]

MamaD --
Here is what the FDA/EPA says about eating fish and shellfish when pregnant.

1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
* Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
* Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

http://www.epa.gov/ost/fishadvice/advice.html

[Bethkm]

I am so impressed with you all! I've been doing good to avoid the junk for the most part so far, but I have a really hard time being the one to prepare anything. If I make it, then I don't want to eat it. Even cutting up my own raw veggies, etc. DH has been a big help here and I remember it being that way the last time too. So, until the queasies are gone, I limp along and eat what I can.

[Twilight]

To add to the mercury conspiracy theories :D

My husband had read on one of his enviro-newsletters that the tuna lobby is largely responsible for tuna staying off the EPA's "unsafe" list. Some tuna is quite high in mercury. I'm leery... I'll eat a little of the Wild Oats brand tuna, like once a month, but I am not going near Chicken of the Sea etc.

Also - do not eat farmed salmon - farmed salmon get bigger than wild salmon and are fed a diet of other fish - they are high in mercury. I get mad when I see "salmon" on the safe list. Not all salmon are created equal. Eat wild salmon only, or eat very sparingly.

And, I've seen halibut on some "unsafe" lists but not all. I won't eat halibut. It seems the general rule is large fish bad, small fish generally good, farmed fish almost all bad.

I'm "mostly" vegetarian - I eat fish - and am mostly sticking to pollack, haddock, tilapia, trout, catfish, shrimp, and occasional wild salmon. Most plan old "fish" (fish sticks, fish sandwiches, etc) are pollack and are generally fine.

[mamaD]

Thanks for clearing up the 'fishiness'

lol

ok, that was really bad, I know...

I'm exhausted

~BB~

[littlecarrot]

I can't get enough avacado....I could eat almost half of one a day. High in fat, so I am trying to be careful.
Here are the foods I am paranoid about eating, and since the doctor basically refused to talk to me today, can anyone back me up on these things?
-any kind of fish (snnnifff)
-mayo
-tea, coffee, herbal teas
-anything with caffeine - chocolate, drinks, decaf coffee
-caesar dressing
-soft cheeses
ummmm, fatty beef - but who wants to eat that anyway....
anything else that people know we shouldn't eat?

[ATruck]

What do you guys think about soft cheeses, actually? I know they are supposed to be higher risk for listeria, but I have eaten soft cheeses about every other days for years and have never gotten sick. I sometimes feel like this precautionary stuff is a little too strict and almost faddish ("Now we tell all the pregnant moms not to eat soft cheese. In a few years we will tell them that xxx is bad.")

[earthgirl]

OK, I'm sure this is just some crazy pregnancy snack and soon I'll be wondering what the !#$%^& I was thinking, but here's my favorite snack lately: I take about a cup of Stonyfield Vanilla yogurt and throw in a handful or 2 of Kashi 7 Whole Grain Honey Puffs. It's sweet and yummy. I don't know what made me think of it, but yogurt on it's own wasn't working for me.

MamaD, what is it about wanting meat? I'm vegetarian too, but I've really been wanting a chicken sandwich lately. Thank goodness DH is keeping me in check b/c I know I'd regret it. Tuna sounds yummy too. That was my preferred sandwich in my meat-eating days. Now I'm too scared of the mercury, even though certain levels are supposed to be safe.

[mother_sunshine]

I was mostly vegetarian too (chicken every month of so), but my body has been screaming for chicken so I feel that I need to listen to it right now regardless of my ideals. I eat LOTS of beans so I thought that would be enough protein, but I don't eat/drink dairy (just started eating some yogurt though) because dd is allergic and we don't keep it in the house....so chicken it is.

For the first 3 months of my last pregnancy, the only thing I could eat (literally) was chicken mcnuggets :sick so at least I'm improving (no mcD for us anymore). I wish I could exclusively buy free-range but it's too dang expensive.

earthgirl, yum! I'll have to try that. I can't eat yogurt plain either so I've been making lots of smoothies instead. :D

[ladybugchild77]

I'm hijacking your thread!!!:lol
Thanks for all of the great ideas!

I am surrently snacking on sweet potato fries (peel a sweet potato, toss in a bowl with a little olive oil and make at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until they are not crunchy any more)

I also am really liking yogurt at the moment with granola...whoever else does this on this thread - you are not alone!:D

To the vegetarians - I was a vegetarian for about 20 years (I was 6 when I gave up meat - Mom is a yoga teacher) and as soon as I got pregnant with my dd I began craving meat so I began eating it in small quantities. I am now eating fish (salmon mostly with the occasional can of chunk light tuna thrown in), chicken, and turkey. I don't really like to do it but I am listening to my body. I tried getting more vegetarian protein but it just wasn't cutting it. I do eat eggs though and have a really good (read: easy) quiche recipie if anyone is interested!!! When I am done being pregnant and nursing I will be a vegetarian once again but in my own personal case, my body needs the exrtra protein since I am nursing and preggers! :innocent

Thanks again for letting me hijack your thread!!!:p

[earthgirl]

ladybugchild77, Oh my! Those sweet potatoes soudn too yummy! I'll have to try it. DH LOVES sweet potatoes. He'll be thrilled.

[Twilight]

For a quicker sweet potato, they have some shrink-wrapped sweet potatoes at the grocery store that you can just nuke for 10 minutes in the microwave. If the shrinkwrapped ones aren't available, I cut a fresh one in half, set face-down in a bowl of water, and microwave for 8-11 minutes or whenever it gets soft.

Add butter and brown sugar and mmmmm... it's good :D

[NocturnalDaze]

What do you guys think about soft cheeses, actually? I know they are supposed to be higher risk for listeria, but I have eaten soft cheeses about every other days for years and have never gotten sick. I sometimes feel like this precautionary stuff is a little too strict and almost faddish ("Now we tell all the pregnant moms not to eat soft cheese. In a few years we will tell them that xxx is bad.")

I've read here before that soft cheese is not really a big deal as long as it is from the US because all US cheese is pasteurized and therefore not dangerous.

I hope this is true because I'm craving everything on the don't eat lists: Feta cheese, tuna, sandwich meat...if I can't have it, I want it:lol

[ladybugchild77]

Ha ha ha...forgot to add that you need to SLICE the fries before cooking - otherwise it's just a sweet potato...DUH!:lol

[mamabearsoblessed]

I'm addicted to cottage cheese- cottage w/chives & saltines, plain w/ applesauce, cott. cheese w/ pineapple..... mmmmm:yum
and the apples w/ pb and boiled eggs have kinda become a regular around here too:D

[roostery]

Salmon jerky

During my last pregnancy and throughout nursing my DD I have been eating TONS of salmon jerky. I live in Seattle so small local fisheries market their own stuff at the farmers markets. I felt kind of silly sitting in bed nursing my newborn and eating stinky fish but it sure tastes good.

[jamsmama]

Popcorn (stove popped) with salt & Nutritional Yeast.....YUMMMMMM!!! The Nutritional Yeast is full of good B vitamins and it gives the popcorn a cheesy flavor. :thumb