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Snack Recipes
Fruit Items
Sliced Fruit: Anything goes. My favourites are strawberries, watermelon,
grapefruit and oranges.
Finger Fruit: Grapes, cherries, mini-banana, clementines, all manner of berries...
Canned Fruit: Buy the snack packs, or pack it from larger cans. I like pineapple and peaches best.
Homemade Fruit Salad: Here's a trick, bananas will not turn brown if packed with pineapple. Mix and match your favourite fruits.
Fruit Kebab: Sliced strawberries, bananas, pineapples, grapes etc. skewered in a mini kabob. Firm coffee stir sticks make excellent lunchbox-sized kebabs.
Applesauce: There are so many flavoured blends now. Apple-Raspberry and Wildberry are my favourites.
Vegetable Items
Frozen Mixed Vegetables: Many types available. I can't have corn, so I mostly use the peas and carrots blend for lunchboxes. I also like the diced squash, but it's better mashed.
Cole Slaw Mix and Dressing: There are numerous cole slaw blends available in the salad section. Just add dressing. If you add it just before you leave, the salad will still be crunchy at lunch. Or, you can pack the dressing in your dip container.
Sliced Vegetables: Cucumber, bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots all pack well and make great side dishes. Toss a few of them together and take a dip too if so inclined.
Side Dish Items
Mashed Potato: For a low-fat version, use broth or salad dressing instead of butter or margarine. Just cook the potato, let it cool, peel it and mash it together with the liquid of your choice.
Squashed Potato: As above, except mash the potato with equal parts well-cooked butternut squash. I like the frozen kind. Two or three minutes in the microwave, and they are good to mash.
Spinach Potato. As above, except mash with handful of cooked or canned spinach.
Mini-Potatoes: Also called new potatoes. You can buy them and boil them, or
buy them already frozen. The bag I saw specified four minutes in the microwave
to restore to edible capacity.
Dim Sum: If you are lucky enough to live near an Asian neighbourhood like me, you can find frozen dumplings, spring rolls, steamed buns and other dim sum goodies. Stock up and you'll have bento goodness ready to go.
Prepared Snacks
Mini-Crackers: Goldfish, Ritz Bits, Teddy Grahams, animal crackers, baby food cookies or any of the numerous 100-calorie snack pack things would fit the bill here. I love how the containers in my laptop lunchbox help me control portion size.
Pretzels: Rods, sticks, twists and novelty shapes are all readily available. I get mine at a bulk food store to save money, and make storage easier. Commercial packages of pretzels never seem to fit into my containers.
Dry Cereal: I like dry cereal for snacks because I can have something sweet that doesn't cost a lot of calories. This area has been harder since the discovery of my corn allergy, but I have found more than a few cereals I can still enjoy.
Trail Mix: Any combination of the above tossed with a spoonful of soy nuts (or other nuts if this is an option) for protein makes a great mid-morning refuel or afternoon pick-me-up. It's a great way to use up bits and pieces too.
Rice Crackers or Rice Cakes: There are so many flavours of these available! If you are going for the mini ones, make sure you measure out your portion sizes. And if you are like me with the corn problems, you may need to go to a health food store for corn-free ones.
Rice Crispy Treats: Buy pre-made, or make your own according to box directions. If you want to make single servings, Rachael Ray recommends four marshmallows and half a cup cereal.
Granola: Make it yourself, or buy a granola cereal. I find these too calorie-dense for breakfast, but a half serving fits perfectly in my snack container and keeps me satisfied.
Baked Chips: Baked tortillas, rice crisps, soy crisps and pita chips are all easy snack options. Again, use your containers to help you manage portion size.
Snack Bar: Protein bars, granola bars, cereal bars and diet bars are some of the choices. Buy a variety and keep on hand for days when you don't feel like packing anything complicated.
Snack Cup: Pudding, yogurt, fruit gel, fruit salad and applesauce in many
flavours are all available in pre-packaged on the go containers. Or, you can try
mixing and matching: applesauce in yogurt, pudding in fruit...
Fruit Leather or Fruit Roll-Ups: I prefer fruit leather to fruit roll-ups because they are available in organic varieties that don't have corn syrup (which, even if you are not allergic, is still not great for you). In any case, numerous flavours and novelty shapes are available.
Make it Yourself
Edamame: This is a good snack to take along for a protein boost, especially if you are in a nut-free workplace. It can be bought fresh or frozen and reheats in a microwave in a minute or two.
Hard-Boiled Eggs: Plain, or formed into shapes using Japanese egg molds, available on-line. Just peel a freshly hard-boiled egg, press it into the mold and immerse in cold water for ten minutes.
Yogurt with Frozen Berries: Buy plain yogurt and frozen or fresh berries. Combine them in a small container. Frozen berries will thaw by lunchtime. Much heartier and healthier than flavoured yogurt!
Yogurt with Jello: Mix a snack-size portion of yogurt with 1-2 spoonfuls of flavoured jello powder. Stir well and pack in lunchbox.
Strawberry & Banana Log: Slice the strawberries. Slice the bananas. Pack them into your container as tightly as possible, alternating a banana piece with a strawberry piece. The strawberry helps keep the banana fresh, and it looks so pretty!
Peanut Butter Balls: Melt 2 tbsp nut/soy butter in microwave, stir with 1 tsp honey or chocolate chips, toss with 1/4 cup rolled oats and form into balls with wet hands. They will firm up to granola bar consistency by lunchtime. I love these for snacks!
Dips and Puddings
Fruit Smoothie Pudding: This will make two servings. Blend a banana, snack-size yogurt and handful of thawed frozen berries. Pour into two containers. If you hate runny yogurt, you will love this. The bananas really thicken it up!
Banana Caramel Pudding: Blend together 1/2 cup caramel desert tofu, 1 small banana, 1 cup milk or soy milk and 1/4 cup chopped, pitted dates. Chill in covered container.
Chocolate Silk Pudding: Blend together one small package soft tofu, 1/3 cup
sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 3 tsp cocoa powder. Chill at least ten minutes.
This makes a fairly rich pudding, and a small snack cup is satisfying and
healthy. I like this pudding recipe for the smooth consistency it yields, and
it's quicker and tidier than the boiled pudding recipes I've found.
Chocolate-Banana Pudding: Prepare one recipe chocolate pudding (package, or above recipe). Puree with one banana (or half a frozen banana) and store in small containers.
Chocolate-Banana Parfait: Prepare one recipe chocolate pudding (package, or above recipe). Fill your to-go container halfway. Slice half a banana on top, then pour more pudding over it. Yum!