So now that my little peanut is in there, and I am getting more used to feeling better 80% of the time and my focus is on making sure I’m eating well and getting exercise (this second part is coming a little less quickly, but coming!).  I have really liked having a chewy and nutty granola bar for a morning snack around 10:30, but of course want to include as much healthy variety as possible.

I have always found that one of the key components to starting off the week on the right foot is having lots of fresh ideas in mind for healthy snacks and meal ideas.  Otherwise, I find myself feeling bored and unsatisfied and settling for something that is a “go to” staple that isn’t always necessarily the best choice.  For me, I find that I am happiest when I am making good choices and when I’m armed with lots of new ideas.  It makes me feel excited to try them which perpetuates a positive push to the entire day.  The very fact that I felt compelled to post this up shows that I think I’ve kind of let these kinds of ideas fall by the wayside, so here’s a little “refresher” for me to help stimulate some snacking creativity.

I came across an article from Pregnancy.org that gave some really excellent and healthy snack ideas regardless of whether you have a little peanut springing to life in there or not :-)  As you can see she has made quite a few substitutions and suggestions for vegetarian protein alternatives:

(from Pregnancy.org)
by Deborah A. Klein, MS, RD

1. Make your own trail-mix with roasted peanuts
   
   

   (check ingredients for peanuts, no oils added), and raw almonds/other nuts/seeds and raisins or dried blueberries/cranberries (check ingredients for no sugar or additives).

2. Make a shake with ¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder, fruit of your choice, ¼ cup plain yogurt and 2 cups 1% milk or Silk soy milk.
3. Spread 2 Tablespoons of all-natural peanut butter or soy nut butter on half a sprouted grain bagel/whole-wheat pita/whole-wheat crackers.
4. Blend ½ cup of plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt with strawberry or vanilla soymilk with ½ frozen banana and a handful of frozen strawberries.
5. Spread pizza sauce/marinara sauce over an English muffin and place a sliced tomato and 1 ounce of Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese or French Yogurt Cheese on top, melt in a toaster oven.
6. Layer a whole-grain blueberry toaster waffle with ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt and ½ cup fresh berries/defrosted frozen berries.
7. Scoop ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese into a cantaloupe or honeydew melon half.
8. Top a half of a cinnamon-raisin sprouted grain bagel with low-fat ricotta cheese and cinnamon sprinkled on top.
9. Combine ¼ cup low-fat ricotta cheese or cottage cheese with ½ cup apple sauce and a dash of cinnamon. Sprinkle with Grape-Nuts or low-fat granola.
10. Roll a whole-wheat tortilla up with scrambled egg whites with 1 egg yolk and salsa.
11. Stuff half a whole-wheat pita with ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese and sliced canned (in its own juice or water) peaches, pears, or a fresh banana.
12. Stuff a pita pocket with sliced turkey breast or sliced part-skim milk cheese, tomato, and a squirt of mustard.
13. Use spreads such as chicken or tuna salad onto whole-wheat crackers.
14. Mix ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese with ¼ cup strawberry yogurt and sprinkle with Muesli cereal.
15. Add cereal (at least 5 grams dietary fiber) to plain low-fat yogurt.
16. Spread 1 Tablespoon of Soy butter (try “I’m Healthy Soy Nut Butter” from Whole Foods) on 2 apple halves.
17. Spread all-natural peanut butter and all-fruit jam on Ak-mak crackers or a mini-bagel.
18. Top a mini-bagel with turkey or chicken breast.
19. Put slivered almonds and roasted peanuts in 1 cup of vanilla yogurt.
20. Have a box of raisins with soy nuts (try Dr. Soy or Genisoy brand).
21. Have ½ cup of edamame (fresh soybeans) as a completely balanced snack.
22. Blend coffee flavored Soy-Um soymilk with ¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder and ice for a high protein ice mocha.
23. Have an ounce of yogurt cheese on “Woven wheat” (available at Whole Foods/Wild Oats/Trader Joe’s) crackers.
24. Have low-fat string cheese (choose Organic part-skim milk, e.g., Horizon) with an apple or pear.
25. Melt part-skim mozzarella on a whole-wheat tortilla or toasted wheat pita, put some veggies on top (e.g., tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli).
26. Spread all-natural peanut butter with sprinkled sunflower seeds in celery sticks and on apple slices.
27. Frozen banana: Peel bananas; dip into cocoa and a dash of honey or pure maple syrup; roll in ground nuts (ground peanuts and walnuts or soynuts), freeze individually in plastic wrap.
28. Have ½ cup fruit or 2-inch across piece of fruit with 20 soy crisps, flavor of choice.

That’s quite a few suggestions!  I especially like the idea of rolling the banana in honey and nuts and then freezing them!


Do you have any favourite healthy snacks that you’d like to share?