Nourished not Famished

Healthy Made Easy: Simple, Nourishing Solutions to Healthy Eating and Living

Snacks

10 Real Food Snack Ideas

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hard-boiled egg and carrot sticks, roasted pumpkin seeds, and apple with coconut ginger cashew buter

Real food snacks are fueling, tasty, and satisfying! It’s hard to say that about most of the junk that’s sold as quick-grab snacks. Picture those impulse-buy snack options stacked by the register in just about every store. Yeah, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

You know that hangry moment when you’re stuck roaming the aisles of the gas station shop, and your main choices seem to be Doritos, Cheetos, and Jolly Ranchers? (I have to admit, though, the options do seem to be improving a little bit these last few years. So encouraging, right?!)

10 Satisfying, Real Food Snack Ideas

If you are trying to swap out highly processed snacks with real food snacks, here are a few ideas to get you started. Aim to include a combination of at least two macronutrients if possibile (i.e. protein & fat, or carb & fat, or protein & carb). Doing so typically leaves you more satisfied and energized.

  • nut butter and apple slices
  • roasted pumpkin seeds and dried fruit
  • single-serving pack guacamole and red pepper strips
  • hard-boiled egg and carrot sticks (That small container in the pic is salt and pepper. I keep that little container always filled in the cabinet, so I can just grab it quickly when packing this snack.)
  • pear slices and a sharp, flavorful cheese
  • single-serving pack of olives (I get mine at Trader Joe’s) and a clementine
  • hummus and veggies
  • peanut butter and celery sticks
  • roasted mixed nuts
  • cottage cheese and fruit

Snacking and “appetite awareness”

To be honest, I’m much less of a snacker since I focused my diet on real, whole foods, and, frankly – started eating MORE at mealtime, and making sure my meals almost always include protein, fat, and slow-digesting carbs. I feel more satiated by my meals, and don’t always need a snack to get me through to the next meal. It’s pretty convenient, actually! I used to be the queen of snacks, packing SO many snacks everywhere I went. Once I focused on feeling nourished instead of famished, I discovered that I had much less need for snacking. Nourished, not famished!

If you are feeling the need to snack constantly throughout the day, check in with yourself at mealtime for some “appetite awareness”.

Are you eating to satiety at mealtime?

Is it possible that you’re simply not eating enough to meet your needs at mealtime?

Or are you missing out on certain macronutrients (protein, fat, or carb?) in your meals, leaving you with that “always hungry” feeling?

That being said, there are days when we’re going to feel a bit hungrier than other days, and you might need a snack or two. And we all have those days when nothing goes according to plan – a delayed meeting, crazy traffic delays, a last-minute trip to the pediatrician’s office, and then lunch or dinner didn’t happen when you needed it to. It makes a world of difference to keep something stashed in your bag, to get you through until mealtime. By packing your own snack, you’ll guarantee that it will be real food that will fill you and fuel you.

I’m always looking for more real-food snack ideas . . . what do you like to pack?

Print Recipe
 10 Real Food Snack Ideas
Course Snacks
Servings
Course Snacks
Servings

Gingerbread Spice Energy Bites with Collagen

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I have a confession to make. I’m pretty lazy when it comes to snacks. I typically don’t prep snacks, because I find it a lot easier to simply grab a small piece of fruit and some nuts or roasted seeds, no cooking or prep necessary. The holidays, however, having me feeling a bit inspired, though. Also, my kids are kind of bored with the fruit-and-nuts-every-single-day snack plan, so I developed this recipe for us all to enjoy something festive that would help us get out of our snack rut.

These cute, little energy bites will satisfy your craving for something sweet, and the yummy gingerbread spices will have you humming all of your favorite holiday tunes in no time. They also deliver a ton of nutrients thanks to fiber-rich dried plums, good fats from the cashews, and a small dose of collagen.

Once known as “prunes”, but since re-branded as dried plums, these powerhouses pack some serious antioxidant punch. In addition, dried plums’ combination of soluble fiber and the natural sugar sorbitol help keep things moving along in the digestive tract quite nicely, if ya know what I mean. Soluble fiber is also very effective at keeping blood sugar levels stable, increases your body’s sensitivity to insulin, and leaves you feeling satiated.

I included a couple of tablespoons of hydrolyzed collagen (a.k.a. collagen peptides or also collagen hydrolysate) in this recipe for a couple of reasons. First, it adds a small amount of protein to the energy bites. Second, collagen provides certain amino acids that our diets can often be lacking, even if we are eating adequate protein in general. There’s some evidence to indicate that collagen, in its variety of forms, confers a wide range of health benefits.

These no-fuss energy bites involve just a quick zip of four simple ingredients in your food processor. Feel free to double the recipe (honestly, you probably will want to eat a double batch of these). If you don’t have any gingerbread spice blend on hand (sometimes my local market stocks it), you can make a quick batch of this gingerbread blend. That recipe yields enough for this recipe, plus some extra to sprinkle on your morning oats, or in your coffee for a treat! And, if you want to skip making the blend, I listed in the recipe instructions the exact amount of each spice you’ll need to get you through just this recipe. You do you.

Process cashews until they take on a crumb-like texture.

 

Your dough will be ready for rolling when it looks like this. It should feel slightly tacky.

 

These are the cashews and prunes (er, dried plums) I often use for this recipe.


Print Recipe


Gingerbread Spice Energy Bites with Collagen

Course Snacks

Servings
energy bites


Ingredients

Course Snacks

Servings
energy bites


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Pulse cashew pieces in food processor until they take on a crumb-like texture (see picture).

  2. Add remaining ingredients, and process until it forms into a slightly tacky dough-like texture (see picture).

  3. Using a tablespoon or small, cookie-dough scoop, portion out dough a tablespoon at a time, and roll into balls. Store in the refrigerator.

5-minute Hummus

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If someone had told me a few years ago that someday I’d routinely be making my own hummus, I would have laughed at the absurdity. Well, never say never. These days, I make it on a regular basis – maybe once every two or three weeks as part of meal prep.

I used to believe that making hummus would be difficult and time consuming, and I didn’t see any need to make my own when I could simply buy it at the store.  I was motivated to finally try making my own when I got tired of paying SO much for those tiny little tubs of hummus at the supermarket (have you seen the price lately??). Also, as I began to read nutrition labels a bit more closely, I realized that many hummus brands contain poor quality, inflammatory, highly refined oils.

When I make my own hummus, I’m not only saving a bit of money, I’m also able ensure that it doesn’t contain those icky inflammatory oils. And the best part? I was pleasantly surprised to learn that making hummus is ridiculously easy! Seriously, if you know how to turn on your food processor, you can make hummus.

Hummus is a great addition to a bowl meal.

Hummus is super versatile, which is a nice bonus when you’ve actually taken the time to make it yourself. We enjoy it as a dip with veggies for a snack, in a mediterranean bowl meal, added to a salad or wrap, or even thinned with red wine vinegar to make a creamy dressing. It’s also delicious spread it on roasted eggplant slices, for a hearty snack or a side to round out your meal. It’s a meal prep staple in our house.

Give it a try in your meal prep this week! I swear it will make your life easier as you pack lunches and throw together meals.😊

An easy, well-rounded snack: hummus and veggies.

Great as a spread on roasted eggplant slices with greens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Print Recipe
 5-minute Hummus
Course Appetizers, Snacks
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings
Ingredients
Course Appetizers, Snacks
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients except water to a food processor, and blend until almost completely smooth.
  2. Add water as processor is running, and blend until completely smooth.

Curry Coconut Roasted Cashews

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If you get a little too excited about all things sweet & salty (yup, me too), this is THE snack for you. Sure, you can buy roasted nuts at the store, but they won’t taste anywhere near as good as these. And store-bought nuts have likely been roasted in less-than-stellar quality oil (go check that ingredient list on those nuts in your pantry now!). Plus, these are so easy to make, and involve no clean up, really, if you line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

As far as snacks go, you can’t go wrong with nuts. They’re loaded with satiating, nourishing good fats, and a bit of protein and carbs, too. When roasted, spiced, and salted, they satisfy that snack-time hankering for something crunchy and flavorful. And that curry powder can help fight inflammation and aid digestion.

Print Recipe
 Curry Coconut Roasted Cashews
Course Snacks
Servings
Ingredients
Course Snacks
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Melt the coconut oil in a small bowl, and then whisk in the remaining ingredients except for the cashews.
  2. Dump the cashews onto the baking sheet. Pour your spice/oil mixture over the cashews, and gently mix together with a spatula, ensuring that the nuts are completely coated. Spread out evenly on baking sheet.
  3. Bake at 250F for approximately 40 minutes, or until the cashews look toasted, and appear mostly dry.