I love snacks. I’m what you might call a forager or grazer, eating here and there throughout the day. And, when I am not at home, I have a back-up plan.
Back in the day, I had a drawer full of snacks that could rival your best grocery store selection…from soup to nuts, literally : ). And, I still find snack bars in my purse and back pack that have been there a while. Fortunately, I’ve only found one forgotten banana - just before it became a problem.
I believe that snacks or small meals should be quick to prepare and easy to grab on the go. Even when you can’t have gluten or dairy.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as nuts, are obvious,clean and wholesome snack choices, but they don’t have to be boring. Pair them with nut butters, GF/DF dark chocolate, or some fresh mint.
Snacks can also be packaged and ready to go, or take just a little bit of preparation. Here are some allergen-friendly, mostly-healthy, and easy snack ideas that I rely on when I need a quick bite or need to pack something to go.
- A sliced apple or banana with 2 teaspoons of almond butter
- An orange and 2 small pieces of dark chocolate (GF)
- 10 cashew nuts or 10 almonds
- 2 ounces of leftover lean roast beef or chicken
- A handful of low fat tortilla chips and salsa (preferably fresh or the kind you find in the refrigerator section of your grocery store)
- Half of a small avocado, chopped and sprinkled with lemon juice and a little black pepper
- 1 gluten-free toaster waffle (I eat Van’s brand) with a tablespoon of almond butter and a couple of slices of fresh peach on top
- A serving-size container of chopped, fresh fruit – toss some fresh mint on top for flavor and fresh breath : )
- 2 pieces of lettuce filled with 2 tablespoons of tuna each and sprinkled with some lemon pepper or other GF spice mix
- A hard-boiled egg with black pepper
- 1 GF unprocessed fruit/nut bar (like Lara bar, Raw Revolution, or any other snack bar that has no gluten or dairy)
- A small bowl of gluten-free cereal (like Rice Chex) with dairy-free milk or So Delicious coconut kefir
- A single-size serving of V-8.
- 2 GF deli meat roll-ups with a tablespoon of hummus and a red pepper slice inside each
- A handful of cherry tomatoes with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar for dipping
- 6 gluten-free crackers (I like Mary’s Gone Crackers and Crunchmaster – available at most Costcos – brands) with 2 tablespoons of hummus
- 1/2 cup frozen orange juice, eaten as sorbet
- ⅓ cup low fat, low salt refried beans spread on a corn tortilla or crispy GF tostada shell (Los Pericos brand) and topped with salsa
- 1 rice cake (Lundberg brand is my favorite – many GF/DF flavors) topped with cucumber slices, banana slices or nut butter
- Baby carrots and broccoli florets with a GF/DF dressing. Annie’s Naturals has a variety that are delicious and free of allergens. Green garlic is one of my favorites.
- 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce with chopped pecans (the GoGo Squeez-pack and snack pack apple sauces are great)
- 8 ounces of a bottled fruit and vegetable smoothie (Odwalla & Naked Juice are two examples)
- Seaweed snacks – Annie Chun’s are tasty! I find them in the health and Asian food sections.
- A bowl of instant GF miso soup or rice noodle soup (again Annie Chun for the latter)
- A banana, frozen without its peel and then pureed in the blender with 7 walnut halves
Bonus Snack:
3 handfuls of fresh-popped popcorn, lightly sprinkled with salt and dried herbs (sage, garlic powder, and chili powder are great). The following makes 2 servings of home-made popcorn.
To make, use an air popper (you can probably find one at your local thrift store).
Or,
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot on high heat.
- When pot is very hot, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (not olive) and 1/3 cup of kernels to the pot, swish them around so kernels get coated.
- Cover and let kernels pop, swishing the pot periodically to keep popped corn from burning, until the popping sound slows way down (almost to a stop).
- Immediately turn popcorn out into a serving bowl and sprinkle with herbs. Watch your eyes – the occasional kernel might still want to pop right out of the pot!
- Sprinkle with a bit of salt and dried herbs.
The best way to have these snacks ready to go:
- Prepare snacks the day before (or morning) you need them
- Pack them in air-tight, serving-size storage containers.
- Place them in purse, backpack or other container you’ll be carrying with you throughout the day – or, just have them packed and at the ready so you are not tempted by larger portions while working at home.
What other quick, easy-to-prepare snacks do you turn to when you’re craving something or need a way to keep your blood sugar stabilized?
About Stormy Sweitzer - Maoomba-in-chief
I am always looking for more healthy snack ideas! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m inspired to be more playful in my creations, and pull out some old simple, nourishing favorites.
Hi Kendra – thanks for dropping by! When I was putting the list together, I tried to include snacks that are easy to find at the store. But, I kept turning to some of the old stand-bys. I love stove-popped popcorn!
Stormy, this list is fantastic! I’m not very creative when it comes to food, I stick to what I know (boring). So, listen as a mother of two young one’s, & the oldest with food allergies these snack options are great, especially, now that school is about to start. Excellent choices of good wholesome healthy snacks, thanks for this list. It certainly helps the non-foodies like moi add a little variety to their food menu. xo, Yvette,
Thanks, Yvette – I hope the list is helpful this school year. It’s amazing how focusing on what you can eat (instead of what you can’t) can help simplify things. As I mentioned to Kendra, sometimes the basics are the easiest to find/make and are the healthiest options. They just need a little updating now and again. Happy snacking!
Great suggestions and now that I am on a gluten and sugar free diet, I need a lot of help!
Hi Tracy – gluten and sugar. Oh, I feel for you. I’ve had to cut a lot of things out of my diet, but not sugar. Although, given the way the summer has gone, I am planning to cut it out voluntarily for a while. Just a sneak peek – next week, I’m planning to unveil my plan for managing getting off the diet (in the sense of food lifestyle) track. I hope you’ll drop by and check it out. Thank you for commenting today.
What a great list, Stormy. I am always looking for new snacks for my daughter, and there are many on this list she’d love. One of our favorites is stove-cooked popcorn. We make that when we have Friday Night Movie Night. Have you tried the kale chips with vegan cheese? They’re a great snack, too. Thanks for a great list; I’m going to print it out.
Hi Tracey – I hope your daughter enjoys these snacks. And, I’m so glad to run into someone else who loves stove-popped popcorn – we used to eat it all the time as kids. I’ll have to try the kale chips – I love kale! I bought a dehydrator a couple of years ago and have been experimenting with it this summer – the chips will have to be next.
Stormy,
I am so loving your ideas of preparing snacks either for at home or even on the road. I am actually going on a road trip in the morning and am packing some snacks for a very long drive. You list has reminded me of a few things that I could add to my bin. Flax crackers and mint in the with the fruit sounds great. One of my favourite road trip snacks is goji berries with dark chocolate or cacao nibs and a few nuts. Thanks for this lovely list.
Hey there, Sasha, I’m glad the list was timely! Goji berries and chocolate sound delicious, by the way. It reminded me of a post I did last year on exotic trail mix that you might like. It has goji berries, walnuts, dried white mulberries (which I stumbled across as a Persian grocery store), and pistachios. Have a great trip and enjoy your snacking!
Love this!!!! the simplicity + the variety….there can never be enough of these posts!! xx
Hi Susana – Thanks! Variety is key. When I find myself eating the same thing over and over, I stray to to things that aren’t good for me. Having a bunch of different, but healthy, snacks at the ready, keeps food interesting.
Wow! These are so good and so easy! I will definitely be sending this article to friends of mine. Your suggestions are really simple, nutritious and easy to prepare. My favorite way of making healthy snacks!
Pat, thank you for forwarding the article along to your friend. I love junk food as much as the next person, but when it comes to daily snacking, I try to keep it as healthy as I can. I tend to snack throughout the day, so the smaller, healthier, and easier the snack food, the better!
YES! So delicious, Stormy! I LOVE the photo. Makes it so real and somehow easier! The suggestions here are so valuable that I am going to print them out. I need them for my family and I. Oh… and the popcorn recipe got my mouth watering! haha! Thank you!
Hi Kathleen – yes, popcorn does that to me too. Especially with the herbs and spices (instead of lots of butter). My husband and I have had popcorn as part of our movie time together over the last 14 years, so it holds a special place in my heart.
Stormy, what a creative list. I was excited to see some familiar selections (e.g., 3, 5, 8, 10 and 16 … I just love Mary’s Gone GF seed crackers with hummus!) as well as suggestions that are completely new (9, 15, 25). What struck me was how small the portions you suggest are! I’ll have to work on that!
Hi Laurie – thanks for your comment. I have made the portions intentionally small, because I personally tend to eat several times a day. Each of these snacks is between 100 and 200 calories approximately – just think of them as mini meals and plan to eat one of them 2-3 times per day in addition to smaller regular meals. Also, #25 – the pureed banana – has the texture of real ice cream. For people like me who can’t eat dairy, this is a real treat. With the walnuts, it tastes like banana bread.
I love the inspiration! Lately I’ve noticed that the biggest game-changer in my day is ensuring that I STOP FOR LUNCH between 12-1. This also means I’m ready to snack by 4 I am literally sending this post to my sister, we try to eat Gluten Free as a shopping list inspiration. In the future do you think you’ll do recipes/suggestions with calorie counts attached?
Hi Ellen – I’m glad the list has inspired you to try some new snacks! I do include calorie counts here and there; usually it’s a question of whether the recipe has an activity focus (like pre-, post-workout) or having the time to do it. For the snacks listed here, calorie counts are generally between 100 and 200 calories per snack listed. I mentioned in another comment that I am a huge snacker and like variety, so I try to keep them small and diverse throughout the day. Thanks for your comment and questions.
Thanks for colorful and useful post on snacks, Stormy! I tend to be a forager also, and just can’t go somewhere without a “back-up” in hand! Almonds are a favorite of mine, along with Ezekiel sprouted grain wraps (which as a gluten-intolerant person, they do not give me a problem!) with almond butter and cinnamon. Oh yea, and I do like a bit of popcorn made with coconut oil and sprinkled with a kelp/cayenne mix! YUM!
LOVE your photos too!
xo, Tina
Hi Tina – great popcorn flavoring suggestions! I have some seawood in the cupboard that I bought a while back when a friend introduced me to poke salad and which I haven’t used yet – maybe this is the opportunity! I’ll have to try the Ezekiel wraps, too – I tend to rely on corn tortillas, but have heard that the sprouting process helps make gluten more digestible. On a related note, I am planning to post on injera and dosa – Ethiopian and Indian sourdough flat breads that use gluten-free grains – in the near future. Stay tuned!
I love snackies, too! Thanks for the list. Lots of great ideas, even for non-GF people.
Popcorn is my favorite snack of all time, especially with lemon juice and nutritional yeast sprinkled over it.
I also like nori, sprinkled with parmesan and toasted in the oven.
Hey there, Hilah – so glad you paid me a visit! I’ve never had lemon juice on popcorn – lime juice and chile powder yes, but I’ll have to try your suggestion. By the way, I caught your G+ Tex Mex cooking class with Lee Allison the other day – what a fun way to share your cooking and your time with everyone!
Yeah! I have a similar snack list as yours. I’m surprised that you have Miso soup in the list because it’s kind of an Asian taste and not many people familiar with that taste. But Miso soup is like one thing that I have to have it in my pantry. It’s really good especially in winter. Oh, popcorn is my favorite too I love them with mint tea, I think they’re soul mate ^O^