Small, Healthy Snacks to Get Me Through the Day?

Liquid 2

Liquid 2

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Here's the situation: due to work and a class this summer, I'm out of the house for 10 hours a day (I come home once for 2-3 hours between things) and commute more than 80 miles a day.

This sucks dick.

I can cut over 15 miles off my commute and get a few hours of research work done each day if I change up my route and go to my lab instead of home between things. The only problem with this is that I'll be out of the house from 7:30 am to 10:30 pm, and I need to eat.

I prefer snacking to eating big meals, so I was hoping to get some suggestions for small, healthy things that I could make somewhat easily and take with me that would be good all day. Variety is good, of course; I don't want to get sick of what I'm eating!
 
This was my snacking during my diet, so I'm not sure if this would work out for you.

Chop up some fruits and vegetables in a ziplock bag and you can snack on a bag about every 2 hours. You hunger is suppressed but not satisfied. Maybe you can have like a granola bar or some nuts. Usually that'll do the trick.
 
[quote name='Moxio']Do you have access to a refridgerator or microwave?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='mtxbass1']trail mix, any kind of nuts, most any fruit, yogurt (not with fruit on the bottom) if you have a fridge.[/QUOTE]

This is the second time refridgeration has been mentioned.


Things can last outside the fridge for a few hours, so if y'all have anything that requires a fridge, suggest away, and I'll just make sure to eat whatever of them I choose to take that particular day in the morning.
 
high protein fights off hunger

do a high protein shake, beef jerky, etc.

it'd also help if in the morning you had high protein stuff (GoLean cereal, eggs, etc)

bodybuilder's energy bars might also be good but maybe too many calories if you're not being active (most are 200+ cal, but 20g+ protein)
 
I'm no health expert, so take this with a grain of salt.

- Cottage cheese (just maybe half a cup or so, good source of calcium and protein)
- Fruit (great snacks, especially whole apples and bananas which require no "preparation" like slicing or peeling)
- Get some deli meat and bread (turkey, ham), quick sandwich. If you can get away with keeping lettuce and cheese in your fridge at work, then you have a quick 3-minute meal
- Mixed nuts (especially almonds and walnuts, avoid junk like pecans). Kinda expensive, but it'll keep you off of chips and other garbage
- Cut, washed veggies (I like to keep a ziplock of baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and various bell pepers) and light ranch dressing
- Granola bars, especially those high in fiber. Fibers helps keep you feeling fuller longer, and of course has digestive benefits

I hope that helps.
 
Smoothies: Hamilton Beach makes a great single serving blender that's about $15 at Walmart, and that thing is great for breakfast you can drink in the car. Yogurt, eggs, and fruit are all you need.
Apples
Granola bars(check labels and go for lower sugar and higher protein and fiber)
Carrots(baby or fat old school)
Cheese(they have single serving snack types that are good for you next to the string cheese)
Nuts(almonds, peanuts, and Nutrition Snack Mixes are all good)
Strawberries
Grapefruit
Oranges
Pears
Bananas
Cereal in a bag(try a few ounces of any Kashi cereal for a good snack)
Yogurt and cottage cheese(if you have a lunch bag and eat these within a few hours of your day it's doable. Both of these are really cheap, have lots of protein, and are good for you.)
Flavored oatmeal(again cheap and healthy, try mixing in frozen berries for a 2 minute breakfast.)
That's all I can think of right now. Also, if you don't already have one, a cheap insulated lunch bag will make your situation easier than lugging everything around in a grocery bag.
 
[quote name='Koggit']high protein fights off hunger

do a high protein shake, beef jerky, etc.

it'd also help if in the morning you had high protein stuff (GoLean cereal, eggs, etc)

bodybuilder's energy bars might also be good but maybe too many calories if you're not being active (most are 200+ cal, but 20g+ protein)[/QUOTE]
A protein/fruit shake in the morning might be a great idea (since I usually skip breakfast).

As for being active, I'm trying to figure out when I can fit that into my schedule. :lol:
If I adopt the new plan to save me on commuting, that I won't have any time at all other than before 7 am :)puke:) or after 10:30 pm (my downtime).
 
[quote name='Moxio']
- Cut, washed veggies (I like to keep a ziplock of baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and various bell pepers) and light ranch dressing
[/QUOTE]

Substitute Ranch dressing for lemon or Lime for something more healthy. Maybe add some sea salt. Everything else is pretty spot on.
 
Fruit & nuts are obvious choices, though already mentioned. When I'm gonna be away from food for a long time I take cans of boneless skinless salmon and a can opener. Protein & Omega-3 right out of the can, yum.

No tingling of the extremities yet!
 
Moxio and Dingo's posts:
[quote name='Moxio']I'm no health expert, so take this with a grain of salt.

- Cottage cheese (just maybe half a cup or so, good source of calcium and protein)
- Fruit (great snacks, especially whole apples and bananas which require no "preparation" like slicing or peeling)
- Get some deli meat and bread (turkey, ham), quick sandwich. If you can get away with keeping lettuce and cheese in your fridge at work, then you have a quick 3-minute meal
- Mixed nuts (especially almonds and walnuts, avoid junk like pecans). Kinda expensive, but it'll keep you off of chips and other garbage
- Cut, washed veggies (I like to keep a ziplock of baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and various bell pepers) and light ranch dressing
- Granola bars, especially those high in fiber. Fibers helps keep you feeling fuller longer, and of course has digestive benefits

I hope that helps.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='dingo_stole_mybaby']Smoothies: Hamilton Beach makes a great single serving blender that's about $15 at Walmart, and that thing is great for breakfast you can drink in the car. Yogurt, eggs, and fruit are all you need.
Apples
Granola bars(check labels and go for lower sugar and higher protein and fiber)
Carrots(baby or fat old school)
Cheese(they have single serving snack types that are good for you next to the string cheese)
Nuts(almonds, peanuts, and Nutrition Snack Mixes are all good)
Strawberries
Grapefruit
Oranges
Pears
Bananas
Cereal in a bag(try a few ounces of any Kashi cereal for a good snack)
Yogurt and cottage cheese(if you have a lunch bag and eat these within a few hours of your day it's doable. Both of these are really cheap, have lots of protein, and are good for you.)
Flavored oatmeal(again cheap and healthy, try mixing in frozen berries for a 2 minute breakfast.)
That's all I can think of right now. Also, if you don't already have one, a cheap insulated lunch bag will make your situation easier than lugging everything around in a grocery bag.[/QUOTE]
Fantastic; thanks, both of y'all. :)

[quote name='MusicNoteLess']Substitute Ranch dressing for lemon or Lime for something more healthy. Maybe add some sea salt. Everything else is pretty spot on.[/QUOTE]Good call. I am partial to lemon vinagrettes.

[quote name='Darrith']Fruit & nuts are obvious choices, though already mentioned. When I'm gonna be away from food for a long time I take cans of boneless skinless salmon and a can opener. Protein & Omega-3 right out of the can, yum.

No tingling of the extremities yet! [/QUOTE]Canned salmon? Interesting.

Is canned seafood not bad for you? Taking tuna (or the salmon like you suggested) might be a good idea.
 
That reminds me - if you soak nuts in water overnight and let it dry in the day, their nutrition value goes through the roof. It's a lengthy process, but far better for you and less bitter tasting in the end.
 
[quote name='seanr1221']I bring raw cooking almonds as a snack.[/QUOTE]
Yes, make sure they are raw: no salted, baked, cooked, honey-glazed bullshit.
 
[quote name='MusicNoteLess']That reminds me - if you soak nuts in water overnight and let it dry in the day, their nutrition value goes through the roof. It's a lengthy process, but far better for you and less bitter tasting in the end.[/QUOTE]

Interesting. Does that work for all varieties of nuts? And I'm assuming they need to be removed from the shells, right?

[quote name='Liquid 2']Is canned seafood not bad for you? Taking tuna (or the salmon like you suggested) might be a good idea.[/QUOTE]

Super high in sodium, but most of the fat is good fat, and the calories aren't bad. They're also fairly filling.
 
I definitely would have been eating the saltiest of nuts out there. :lol:
I'll make sure whatever I get will be raw.

Making trail mix should be pretty easy. I probably won't be able to resist throwing some M&Ms in though (I can have one vice!).

[quote name='MusicNoteLess']That reminds me - if you soak nuts in water overnight and let it dry in the day, their nutrition value goes through the roof. It's a lengthy process, but far better for you and less bitter tasting in the end.[/QUOTE]Interesting. Do you have a link to anywhere that explains why that is?

And is it all nuts, or just certain, specific types?
 
Carrots FTW. Nuts in moderation are OK too but don't get them salted and only eat an ounce or two every few hours (don't munch on them all day). That's what she said.

I also eat egg whites with some fruit for breakfast every day. Eating right at the office is easy - it's the weekends that kill me.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']
Canned salmon? Interesting.

Is canned seafood not bad for you? Taking tuna (or the salmon like you suggested) might be a good idea.[/QUOTE]

Actually it's extremely lean & healthy and one of the few natural sources of Omega-3. On the flip side, it is fairly high in sodium if you have blood pressure issues, and if you're a wuss you might be scared of eventual mercury poisoning. If that's the case, I'd recommend salmon over tuna, as the mercury is negligible in comparison.
 
[quote name='manthing']Also remember: canned salmon != salmon filets.

you'll have to get used to spine bones in most canned salmon.[/QUOTE]

Which is why I recommended the boneless skinless cans. I think Starkist and Chicken of the Sea both make them. The spines gross me out!
 
[quote name='Darrith']Which is why I recommended the boneless skinless cans. I think Starkist and Chicken of the Sea both make them. The spines gross me out![/QUOTE]

Didn't know they had boneless varieties
 
you can also freeze your yogurt, make it last a couple more hours in your lunch sack. Plus keep everything else cool.

use ice packs and a good lunch sack.

Plenty of breads that offer double protein or fiber.

you can wrap any moise veggie in a wet paper towel (carrots and celery) to keep them from getting too dried out.

A few reduced fat triscuits are great anytime and provide plenty of fiber for snacking.
 
Fruits--apples, oranges, grapes, bananas etc.

Carrots are good, can dip them in hummus as well. Or could go with some low-fat multi-grain crackers, or some whole wheat bread.

Some low fat chips and salsa.

Those are some ideas, and some that I eat pretty regularly.
 
I think the 100 Calorie Snack Packs are the best. They are just enough to get you over the hump. I recommend the Cheetos Asteroids and the Mister Salty Chocolate covered pretzels.

Also, drink TONS of water to fill you up.
 
Sometimes I will have this:


  • Hard boiled egg (make a six pack on Sunday and pop them in the fridge) super cheap
  • Half of a good tomato w/ some salt (organic or otherwise a high quality one
  • A thick slice of good deli turkey rolled up
This is maybe a sub $1.50 meal. Egg is about 30 cents.. Half tomato maybe 30 cents. One slice of deli turkey maybe 50/60 cents? The prep time is probably a minute or two.

It's really satisfying. Super low in calories and will hold you over for a while. Tomatoes and eggs cost so little and all of these things will be fine in a fridge for at least a week and a half.
 
I bought a pack of dried cherries a few weeks ago, those things were so good. I don't how many calories they had, but i ate the whole pack in a day.
 
One thing I've done is make a mix of things that are relatively healthy that i like. I bought the following things and mixed them together:

  • Pretzels
  • Raisins
  • Dry Roasted Peanuts
  • Crispix Cereal
  • Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal (brown sugar or cinnamon)
  • M&Ms
You get a little fruit, some protein, carbs, and some sweets. It definitely curbs your hunger.

These things (1.25 cup size) are awesome for carrying snacks around since your food won't get crushed, and you won't lose the lid (it snaps on to the bottom):
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