I normally have one big meal (dinner at 5) and munch the rest of the day.
It normally starts with Cereal in the morning, then a couple of pieces of fruit and/or yogurt during the day. Then some quality control while I cook dinner around 2-3, then dinner and that’s that.
The problem is that I am sick of cereal, fruit and yogurt. They are all sweet items. I want something savory.
In an ideal world, I would substitute a pear with 2-3 pieces of nigiri sushi. That is not the case, as my neighbor doesn’t happen to be a sushi chef.
I often have some nuts, a piece of leftover chichen, a slice of bread with liverwurst, a Laughing Cow cheese triangle, a frozen egg roll or similar odd ends. All of them yummy, but not particularly healthy or regularly available in my kitchen.
So help me with great ideas for savory snacks. They should be simple enough to prepare at the moment that they won’t disrupt my work routine. They must, must, must be healthy (I can think of a million fattening things on my own). Being cheap would be a great plus, of course.
I am not particularly fond of nuking yesterday’s dinner leftovers, so saving some is not ideal. Something that I can prepare ahead, ration, store and nuke on demand is ok, though, but it shouldn’t be something that feels like a mini-meal.
I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for Curry Roasted Chick Peas but I keep using my garbonzo beans for something else instead before I get around to trying this one. Let me know if you try it.
I didn’t mean the pre-packaged Chex-Mix. I meant the old-fashioned make-yer-own kind with the garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, butter, and stuff. The original is herealong with bunches of others.
I second hard boiled eggs. Also, grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, or bell peppers. Popcorn is pretty good (air-popped or 94% fat-free microwaved) and you can go to town sprinkling spices on them - curry, garlic powder, seasoned pepper, etc.
Edamame. I’m lazy, so I buy the pre-shelled ones at Trader Joe’s and microwave or boil them for a few minutes. There’s a seasoning called shichimi togarashi you can get in the ethnic food aisle. It’s red pepper, seaweed, sesame, and dried orange peel. Sounds weird, but it’s very tasty sprinkled on the soybeans.
I kinda use my weekly quota of eggs during the weekend breakfasts. They are a good option for those weeks when the usual menu is out, though. I do like them.
Oh, I like Turkey Jerky but whenever I eat it my dog gives me sad looks, I think she thinks I’m eating her treats. So then I have to give her some and then I can never eat it without sharing it with the dog.
I also tried a vegetarian jerky of some sort that I actually liked. A somewhat different texture but it was interesting.
Those little Quaker brand rice cake snacks. They come in cheddar cheese and other savory flavors, and are only 60 calories for seven cakes.
Celery sticks shmeared with some peanut butter (not gobs of it).
Make some small snack-size burritos with nonfat canned pintos or beans of your choice and a bit of lowfat cheese. Make them with those smaller flour tortillas so that they’re barely bigger than an eggroll, and they make a good snack. Two or three make lunch.
Make extra steamed vegies when you prepare them at dinner. Put aside a couple of servings in small Tupperwares, and toss them in a dribble of dressing of your choice. They make a nice snack.
Chinese supermarkets sell a beef jerky which is seasoned with their five-spice powder plus chili flakes. It is ridiculously addictive, so I don’t know how healthy it would be to eat it when one can’t resist eating a half pound of it at a time.
I don’t see what’s unhealthy about some nuts, a piece of chicken, etc.
That said:
salad–you can buy mixes of various greens and then just throw something on top
veggies and dip–lots of things you can do with dip, like getting a ranch or onion dip mix and adding it to plain nonfat yogurt
turkey pepperoni–quite zingy. There’s a ridiculous number of slices in a serving.
pretzels–there are a lot of varieties and they can be very satisfying. I love the giant pumpernickel and onion ones that destroy the inside of my mouth.
