GROWL! That’s the sound my stomach makes when afternoon hunger starts to creep in. I slump and think, “Oh no… how long till dinner!?” We’ve all experienced those times when we didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast before leaving the house, so the entire morning we felt like we’d starve. That’s happened to me more days than not, until I finally had this brilliant idea … pack a snack! (Okay, so maybe it wasn’t THAT brilliant.)
I think there’s a common misconception that a snack means vending machine chips and cookies, but that’s not the case. There are so many easy, cost-effective, and healthy ways to make homemade snacks. Personally, I like to make simple batches of trail mix that I can baggie up and take with me on-the-go. Throw together whatever you like or have in your pantry. Any assortment of nuts, dried fruit, popcorn, cereal, cheese crackers, pretzels, chocolate, etc. will do the trick! It’s even better when you coat the mix with some seasoning and bake it off! Check out these easy recipes to get you started:
Awesome Munchies, Caramel Nut Snack Mix, Sugar ‘n’ Spice Nuts
You can even make your own granola bars, which is a lot of fun because you get to create something you’ll totally enjoy. They really are easy to make, In fact, a lot of recipes are no-bake and only require a little measuring and stirring. This recipe for No-Bake Granola Bars gets a nice crunch from walnuts and vanilla flavored granola. And the bars are held together by a chocolaty, raspberry mixture. Yum! Even recipes that require a little baking are super easy, so give ‘em a try! These Grab ‘n’ Go Bars, for example, only take about 10 minutes to mix up. Then, you get to relax while they bake. It’s a good idea to make a batch over the weekend. Go ahead and portion the bars into their own baggies or individually wrap them in plastic wrap so you can grab one on your way out the door.
No Bake Granola Bars, Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars, No Bake Monster Cookie Granola Bars, Peanut Butter Trail Mix Bars, Frosty No Bake Granola Bars, Grab ‘n’ Go Granola Bars
If you’re really hungry snack on some protein. A few chicken tenders will definitely do the trick. You don’t want to miss this recipe for Quick Microwave Chicken Fingers, ’cause you can go from fresh, raw chicken to crispy chicken fingers in less than 5 minutes! Some deli meat and cheese, or a scoop of chicken salad will also do the trick. Hard boiled eggs are a great option too. And if you aren’t a fan of plain hard-boiled eggs, make a batch of yummy deviled eggs. They’ll keep for a couple of days in the fridge. These protein-filled snacks will fill you up and keep you full longer!
Quick Microwave Chicken Fingers, Cheesy Ham Asparagus Rollups, Chicken Macaroni Salad, Southern Deviled Eggs
Sometimes all we want is a delicious bite of pizza, not a whole pizza… just a little! That’s why these personal pizza-inspired snacks are awesome. Make some Pepperoni Pizza Puffs for the week (they may taste even better cold), or enjoy some hot and crispy Fried Mozzarella Sticks with your favorite marinara sauce. You can even share a stromboli… or save the rest for later. 🙂
Pepperoni Pizza Puffs, Ham ‘n’ Cheese Stromboli, Fried Mozzarella Sticks
Of course I had to share some sweet bites with you, because we all have those days when a little sugar is needed! From cookies bars, to salty bites, and fruity fluff, snackin’ on these yummy sweets will turn any day around!
Five Layer Bars, Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites, Tutti-Frutti Ambrosia, Crispy Chocolate Chip Treats, Classic Vanilla Pudding
So, don’t let yourself go hungry in between meals. All it takes is a little planning and you can have a totally satisfying snack waiting to fill you up!
What’s your favorite snack?
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I tried your Mediterranean Kale bread but made muffins instead of bread loaf. Baked up 6 giant ones and 9 regular size ones. I added 1/2 tbs of white sugar. Added texture and flavor to the kale that was unbelievable. Chopped kale very fine. They were wonderful. Never knew kale could be so good. If you can help I need to know the calorie count of each muffin please. They can be addictive.
would you happen to know the calorie count of the kale bread? Just marvelous eating. Perfect portion but need to know the calories I am consuming
Delicious !!!!!
thanks
Bea
Hi Bea,
We are working on making nutritional information available for all of our recipes as soon as possible. While we do not have this information yet, there are some great websites available to help you figure it out. A good one is myfitnesspal.com. You can just enter in all of the ingredients and their amounts, and it will give you the nutritional information you need. Hope this helps!
Thank you,
Merly, Website Editor