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One of the things I get asked most often by people who are wanting to get a little healthier or lose weight is for snack ideas. Much to my husband’s amusement, I need to snack! He was always a three-large-meals-a-day type of person, so he finds it funny that I have to pack snacks before we go out anywhere, and how I suggest we stop for morning tea whenever we’re out sightseeing. Personally, I find that if I have morning and afternoon tea I can avoid getting to the point where I’m extremely hungry and likely to make poor choices, like fish ‘n’ chips instead of a salad for dinner.
I find it handy to have a list of snack ideas stuck to my fridge. It makes packing my lunch box the night before work easy because I can just choose any two things off the list and throw them together in five minutes. I have the list separated into ‘Transportable Snacks’ and ‘Eat at Home Snacks’. Transportable Snacks are those that are suitable for packing into a cooler bag and eating when you’re out at uni or work. Eat at Home Snacks are best made up at home just before you consume them. Like my main meals, I try to build my snacks around these three components: a protein source, vegetables or fruits (for a dose of antioxidants, fibre and vitamins) and good fats. This isn’t a strict rule and I don’t stress if it doesn’t happen all the time. (Occasionally I’ll have some starchy carbs, too, but these aren’t as important unless it’s pre or post workout.) For more on my food philosophy have a read here.
Transportable Snacks
- Antipasto platter: cheese cubes, olives, cherry tomatoes, good quality deli meats.
- Corn thins or rice cakes with vegemite and cheese, or peanut butter.
- Veggie sticks, nuts and a hardboiled egg.
- Protein bar, apple or strawberries and a small handful nuts.
- Homemade granola with yoghurt and berries, or (if at home) try sliced banana or grated apple.
- Choc Berry Yoghurt in a Jar.
- Overnight Proats.
- Homemade healthy baking e.g Coconut Lunch Box Muffins, Teresa Cutter’s Banana and Coconut Bread, Fudge Brownie Chocolate Protein Bars, homemade muesli bars.
Eat at Home Snacks
- Haloumi and green apple slices fried with salt and cinnamon sprinkled on top.
- Toast 1 tbs buckwheat, coconut flakes and pepitas in a small frypan. Sprinkle over greek yoghurt with 1/2 tsp cacao or cinnamon. Drizzle with macadamia oil.
- Protein nicecream e.g my Macadamica and Blueberry Ice Cream.
- Mug-cake e.g banana mug-cake with ricotta and walnuts, paleo chocolate mug-cake.
- Protein pancakes with greek yoghurt and berries.
- Homemade protein bar warmed in the microwave, topped with greek yoghurt, blueberries and cinnamon.
- Apple slices dipped in Greek yoghurt, mixed with cinnamon and chia seeds.
- Smoothie e.g Green Smoothie, Creamy Peanut butter and Banana Smoothie, Banana Raspberry Smoothie, Blueberry Pie Smoothie.
- Smoothie bowls e.g Lorna Jane’s Smoothie Bowls, Vanille Latte Smoothie Bowl.
- Peas, frozen spinach and 1 egg in a mug, microwaved on medium for 1 minute 45. Top with salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese.
- Chunky Yoghurt – Greek yoghurt, diced apple, walnuts and cinnamon.
- Apple strudel yoghurt – Greek yoghurt mixed with 20g vanilla protein powder, small apple grated, 10g pecans chopped, sprinkle cinnamon.
*I think smoothies usually taste nicest when drunk straight away; however, you can put them in a jar with a good lid and shake them up just before drinking and they’re almost as nice.
Happy snacking!
Holly x