Best Snacks

Quality snacks with staying power are more like mini-meals than just ‘temporary fillers’. The highly refined “snack foods” on your grocery shelves are pretty much a high-calorie, low-nutrient waste of money.

If they’re hungry between meals, kids will usually reach for some kind of carbohydrate ~ so offer them good choices that contain some fiber. In addition to carbs, though, a nutritionally balanced snack should also contain some protein or a little healthy fat to help keep young bodies off the blood sugar roller coaster.

See the list below for some great options…

Be prepared: keeping a regular stock of different kinds of snack foods available in your pantry, in your car, and at work will help prevent both grabbing lower quality options and overeating

Quality counts: in general, the fresher and less refined the food, the more ‘life energy’ it will contain.

Roasted Kale Crisps

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

* 1 bunch kale, washed and dried well (salad spinner works well)
* sea salt, to taste
* garlic powder to taste
* 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with high heat oil such as grapeseed or sunflower oil.

Use a sharp knife to cut along each side of the middle vein; remove large veins. Tear leaves into    2-inch pieces.

Lay kale leaves in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle sea salt and garlic powder over the kale.

Roast kale for 8-10 minutes in preheated oven. Kale should be crispy and lightly browned mostly dark green. The leaves will crisp further on sitting, don’t allow them to get too dark in the oven or they’ll be bitter. Let sit on baking sheet for a minute then remove to plate. If some leaves don’t look crispy put the timer on and then put them back in the oven for 1- 2 minutes then remove.  Drizzle lemon juice on the kale then place on a plate and serve. Do not put leftover kale crisps in a plastic bag or container they will become wilted.

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Grilled Fruit

Monday, June 1st, 2009

From The Healthiest Meals on Earth, by Jeannette Bessinger and Dr. Jonny Bowden

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 minutes

Grilled Pineapple:
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into1/3″ rings

Set grill to medium low.

Grill each side for 2 minutes until lightly caramelized.
Place gently on plate and allow to rest until slightly cooled.

Yield: 6-7 rings, depending on size of pineapple

Broiled Grapefruit:
2 pink grapefruit
4 teaspoons honey

Preheat oven broiler.
Halve grapefruits (can also run a knife along the sectional membranes to loosen individual bites, if desired)
Drip 1 teaspoon of honey onto the top of each.
Place on broiler pan and broil for 4-6 minutes until lightly caramelized.

Yield: 4 grapefruit halves

Notes:
Preparing fresh pineapple: Fresh pineapple doesn’t ripen after picking, so try to choose a ripe one: the leaves should be green and look fresh, the “eyes” on the skin plump. It should be firm and give off a strong sweet smell of pineapple.

To prepare a fresh pineapple yourself, twist the crown from the pineapple, slice it in half the long way and then quarter it. You can then cut out the core and cut off the rind. These quarters can be cut up into chunks and grilled shish kebab style.

To core and peel it for rings, it helps to have a proper corer and curved peeling knife, available at specialty stores. But most grocers sell fresh pineapple already peeled and cored for you.

Try a sprinkling of fresh ground black pepper, cayenne or ginger on the pineapple for a light, added kick. Fresh squeezed ginger juice (just grate the ginger and squeeze it or use a juicer) or ground ginger is also good on grapefruit.

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Easiest Baked Apples

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes, depending on how hard the apples are

  • 4 large cooking apples, such as Macintosh
  • 28 whole cloves
  • ¾ cup cider, apple juice or water
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º
Wash and core apples with a corer, leaving them intact
Spike each apple with 7 cloves
Pour cider into glass baking dish or pie plate and place prepared apples into dish
Sprinkle cinnamon over apples
Bake for 30-40 minutes until apples are soft.
Remove cloves before serving.

Yield: 4 apples

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Smoothie ~ Frosty Tropical Treat

Monday, June 1st, 2009
  • 2 C almond milk, well chilled
  • 1-2 scoops whey protein powder
  • 1 ripe peach or 1 cup frozen slices
  • 1/2 frozen banana, peeled
  • 1/2 C fresh or frozen pineapple or mango
  • 1 frozen coconut milk “ice cube” (about a generous tablespoon)
  • 1 T whole oats
  • 1 T pure unsweetened cranberry or cherry juice (not concentrated!), optional
  • 1 T dried unsweetened coconut

Put all ingredients into a good (sturdy) blender and blend until smooth.

Yield: about 3 cups

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Smoothie ~ Peanut Butter Cup

Monday, June 1st, 2009
  • 2 C unsweetened chocolate soy milk
  • 1-2 scoops whey protein powder
  • 1 large ripe banana
  • 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)
  • 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (or 1 teaspoon cocoa powder)
  • 4 ice cubes

Put all ingredients into a good (sturdy) blender and blend until smooth.

Yield: about 2 1/2 cups

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Smoothie ~ Basic Smoothie

Monday, June 1st, 2009
  • 2 C any milk (cow or unsweetened: almond, hemp seed, soy, for the most protein)
  • 1-2 C fruit (fresh or frozen), canned or cooked pumpkin, or sweet potato
  • Protein (2 tablespoons plain protein powder or nut butter, ¼ cup silken tofu, or ½ cup pasteurized egg whites)

Optional extras:

  • Fats (1 tablespoon ground flax seed or oil, slice avocado, 2 tablespoons coconut milk) Fiber (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, oat bran, whole rolled oats)
  • Sweeteners, to taste (banana, juice or agave nectar)
  • Spices, to taste (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove, nutmeg)

 

Put all ingredients into a good (sturdy) blender and blend until smooth.

Yield: about 3 cups

Notes:

Think about combina tions that you like when mixing and matching, such as nut butter and chocolate, or pumpkin and apple pie spices, or tropical fruits and coconut.

If you use presweetened milk or tropical fruits, omit extra sweeteners. Add sweeteners last, in any case, and taste smoothie before adding them, as you may find them unnecessary.

Don’t ignore the extras-smoothies are a great way to add extra fiber or Omega 3 fatty acids

 


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Sweet Snacks

Friday, May 29th, 2009
  • Part-skim mozzerella stick or 1 oz low-fat cheddar with a medium apple
  • Cubed Swiss cheese with berries or small handful dried fruit
  • Apple or pear slices with nut butter
  • Cottage cheese mixed with equal part lightly sweetened yogurt and cinnamon
  • Cottage cheese with berries, apples, peaches, etc, sliced almonds and cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom
  • Rice/almond/soy/low fat cow milk and high fiber cereal or oatmeal with sliced almonds
  • Plain yogurt sweetened with agave nectar, xylitol, or 1 t natural pudding mix: add granola, almonds, berries, peaches, dried fruit, wheat germ, or any high fiber cereal
  • Smoothies: combine rice/almond/soy/low fat cow milk with protein powder and fresh or frozen fruit or canned pumpkin ~ can also include raw oats, wheat germ, small amount nut butter or cocoa powder
  • See Breakfast category for more on smoothies!
  • Snack Bars: look for all natural ingredients, low sugar, high fiber and high protein content. We don’t love soy protein isolates. We prefer simple fruit and nut bars like Larabar or Oskri.

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Savory Snacks

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
  • Veggie sticks (carrots, celery, peppers, sugar snap peas, snow peas, broccoli or cauliflower florets, jicama, daikon radish, etc) paired with a healthy dip (like hummus or natural ranch dressing) or any protein are a great option
  • Small handful of nuts or seeds and any raw or cooked veggies
  • Part skim mozzarella stick with carrots or celery
  • Cubed Swiss cheese with cherry tomatoes
  • Baby carrots poked into green or black olives
  • Rice cakes with hummus or nut butter
  • Soy crisps with any raw veggies
  • Whole wheat or rice pretzels or crackers with any nut/protein spread, meat, fish or cheese
  • Tuna pack with lemon and a little olive oil with or without veggie sticks
  • Smoked fish with horseradish on whole wheat or rice crackers
  • Celery or carrots with nut butter or hummus
  • ½ whole wheat pita pocket with hummus, sprouts , cucumbers, and/or shredded carrots
  • Cottage cheese with tomatoes or peppers and sea salt/pepper
  • Nonfat, no-sugar bean dip or refried beans with baked tortilla chips or raw veggie sticks
  • Edamame (baby soy beans ~ you will find them in the natural section of your grocery store, look for kinds that are in the shell and pre-cooked: thaw and eat)
  • Salsa and avocado with baked corn chips or a low fat corn tortilla
  • Babaghanoush with whole wheat pita or veggie sticks
  • Cold shrimp with low-sugar cocktail sauce (make your own in a pinch by mixing prepared horseradish and low-sugar ketchup). Look for specials in your grocery store and buy a bag of precooked frozen shrimp when they’re on sale to keep as a handy protein for snacks or dinner in a pinch. Just thaw, dip and eat.
  • Boiled egg alone or with veggies
  • Non-nitrate cold cut roll-ups around veggie sticks
  • Plain popcorn flavored with sea salt, cheddar cheese powder, or try tossing a few cups with a tablespoon or two of tangy barbecue sauce!
  • Leftovers from dinner
  • Can or cup of low-sodium, low-sugar bean or veggie soup

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