Healthy Snacks - Lees Summit,MO

Updated on May 05, 2010
S.B. asks from Kansas City, MO
12 answers

My husband has been working on a computer program for work for 2 years and this is their "go live" month. I think he's slept about 6 hours in the last 2 nights, and he has one coworker who hasnt left work in 30 hours even though they keep telling him to go home and get some sleep.

That being said, I'm looking for some healthy snacks I can send to work with him, since he's barely leaving his desk and I know the stuff they have out for them is terrible for them. I could also use some easy breakfast ideas for him to eat there. (he gets up an hour and a half before me in the mornings, so it's not feasible for me to try to feed him before he gets out the door).

He has some dietary restrictions- he cant have anything with more than 10% iron and he has severe acid reflux.

Any ideas are welcome! Thanks, ladies!

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

nuts (almonds, pistashios and walnuts are best) and dried fruit (with chocolate chips if he doesn't like them alone)

cube a big block of cheese and put it in a gallon-sized ziplock bag so it's easy to just take a handful and eat it

whole-grain crackers

this recipe is great:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-Chip-Oat-Muffins/Deta...
and I add 1/4 cup of flaxseed meal to make it even better, no need to adjust anything else

In general, if you can do the preparing the night before, he's more likely to eat it on the run, so making a deli tray or a veggie tray, or a fruit tray, etc...will help:)

2 moms found this helpful

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

I don't know how this fits in with his dietary restrictions, but my husband is just naturally a snacker...so here are a few things he keeps on hand at work : homemade jerky (usually venison, sometimes beef), granola bars, nuts (especially almonds), fruit that I can just wash and he can take(grapes, strawberries, apples or bananas), trail mix ( a local grocery store here has bins and bins of different types of granola you can buy), sunflower seeds, dried fruits, cheese sticks he also likes baby carrots and celery. And he drinks lots and lots of water. We don't like buying bottled water so he has a thermos with a straw that he refills through out the day.

As for breakfast, my hubby isn't a big breakfast eater, but if I make the kids something he would like, I will wrap it up and save it for him to eat the next day.

2 moms found this helpful

L.C.

answers from Kansas City on

dehydrated apple chips, banana chips, and strawberry chips, beef jerky, yogurt, carrots or celery to dip in ranch, tortilla chips and hummus or baba gnoush (if you have never tried mohameds world famous hummus or baba, you need to! you can get it at the whole foods store, its at the end of the gluten free aisle. generally, i hate hummus, but i LOVE his), toasted chick peas, fruit leather, even popcorn will do!

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N.K.

answers from Madison on

Cereal bars
Yogurt cups
Crackers and cheese
Fresh fruits (strawberries, banana, apple etc)
Cut-up veggies (carrots, broccoli, grape tomatoes etc)
Nuts (almonds, peanuts)
Dried fruit, raisins

Breakfast ideas: Drinkable yogurt, cereal bars, breakfast sandwich prepared the night before and put in the refrigerator (he can just warm it up in the microwave, or you can prepare a cold sandwich)

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H.A.

answers from Dallas on

My husband is a programmer, I completely understand the insane schedules they are sometimes forced to keep for releases.

With my husband, I know it sounds silly, but he always keeps several boxes of Cheerios up at work. He eats them dry, much healthier then chips. I also buy him those instant oatmeal packs where you "just add water" and he makes one in a coffee cup at work.

Here are my suggestions:
Apples
Bananas
Grapes
Oranges (not sure how these sit for the acid reflux)
Oatmeal packs (breakfast)
Yogurt (Breakfast)
Cheerios
Granola bars
Baby carrots (might consider some ranch dip.. not as healthy but yum!)
Celery with peanut butter
Microwave Popcorn

Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.R.

answers from Phoenix on

nuts are a great healthy snack
dried fruit
popcorn-it's filling, bulk forming, cheap, and if you make it at home you can send it in containers and keep it pretty healthy
pretzels
apple slices with cheese or peanut butter
oranges
cucumbers with salt and vinegar-very low in calories and tasty, plus vinegar actually is good for heartburn and such
trail mix-Sprouts has great premade or you can make your own from their bulk bins
oatmeal is a great breakfast-healthy and filling, high in fiber, if you make your own you can add whatever you want
milkshakes-you could put all in a blender the night before in the fridge and he can just hit blend
muffins-make your own to keep them healthy

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

presentation is the key to get them away from the project at hand! Have the co-workers pitch in $$. Take the time to prepare deli trays of fruit, vegies & dip, & healthy-based dollar roll sandwiches (don't go for the fatty lunch meats, use low-fat turkey & roast beef). You'll save lots by making these yourself....& the trays are available at most delis....& are cheap!

Another option would be a taco platter. Look for low-fat tortilla chips, substitue plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream for the regular sour cream - & add the taco seasoning mix to it - to disguise the flavor. Very tasty!

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Since I'm dieting and really focused on healthy snacks, I have some ideas (which may or may not work with his restrictions):

String cheese (assuming he has a fridge at work)
Hummus with crackers. Costco sells hummus now in individual use packs
Diced fresh fruit packed in little Tupperware containers
Yogurts. Have him try the Greek ones -- they're really tasty and good for you
Baby carrots. Nice size for packing up. Could eat with hummus or light ranch dressing for a boost of protein
Dried fruit and nut mix. Trader Joe's sells some good ones or you could make up your own

1 mom found this helpful

M.C.

answers from Kansas City on

You have some great ideas for snacks here - just want to throw out some breakfast ideas! You can make egg mcmuffins or egg burritos in advance. Freeze them in individual freezer bags or wrap with plastic wrap and foil. He can just pop them in the microwave in the morning on 50% power for 1 - 3 minutes or until heated. Hard boiled eggs with a piece of toasted multi-grain bread. Someone else mentioned oatmeal in a crockpot - you could also try steel cut oats in a crockpot. Here is a good recipe - http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/crockpot_o... - my only comment would be to add the dried fruit before serving - if it cooks all night long they explode and don’t have any flavor left. Anything you can add protein powder and/or ground flax to would be good - oatmeal, muffins, cereal bars. Here is a good recipe for a snack

No Bake Peanut Butter Bites

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 cup Smart Balance Naturally Sweetened Chunky Peanut Butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup granola cereal
1/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

In a medium bowl, using a spoon, combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the granola and chocolate chips, breaking up any large pieces of granola. Shape into a large ball, pinch off pieces and shape into 24 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

Place the cracker crumbs in a shallow bowl and lightly coat the balls evenly, discarding any remaining crumbs. Place in individual candy liners. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days in advance.

Cook's Tip: Candy liners can be found in major supermarkets and craft stores.
Makes 24 balls total.

Source:
"smartbalance.com"
Yield:
"2 dozen cookies"

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Foods known to increase the incidence of reflux are peppers, anything spicy, chocolate, etc. I'm guessing he's on medication to help manage it? My husband has a hiatl hernia and has been on Nexium for years.

As far as snacks go, here are some things I do at work, and what we do at home (my husband is on Weight Watchers, so we're really trying to be more healthy).

His favorites:
- Clif Mojo Bars (200 calories, 6% iron)
- Cut vegetables (carrots, celery - with or without peanut butter, cucumbers) - he fills a container the night before and keeps them in a cooler in his car as he travels in sales.
- Sugar Free Pudding and Jell-O
- Roasted Peanuts (jarred)
- Individual bags of pretzels (from Sams' Club/Costco)
- Yogurt + fruit (parfaits)
- String Cheese, cheese cubes, or individually packaged (Sam's Club/Costco)

I like to keep things at my desk to munch on throughout the day.
I take some dry cereals (right now it's Kix), Trail Mix (Costco brand), Mini Saltine Crackers, Cheddar Rice Cakes, 100 Calorie packs of Pop Corn, Graham Crackers, Special K Crackers, Fresh Fruit (bananas, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries - all from Costco/Sam's Club to help with cost), Celery w/Peanut Butter, Luna/Lara/Mojo bars.

Good luck!

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K.G.

answers from St. Louis on

Apples and peanut butter (if you cut them beforehand, just dip them in water sprinkled with a bit of salt)
Carrots and celery with hummus or ranch dressing
Yogurt cups (or buy the big yogurt containers and put some into a tupperware)
Bagel chips with dips
Deli meat sandwiches (toast the bread first so it doesn't get soggy)
Pudding or Jell-O
Any containable fruit: grapes, bananas, etc. Avoid peaches, plums, etc.
Granola bars (homemade are great, or check out Kashi, Mojo, Clif, etc)
Popcorn (there are some great all-natural microwave ones)
Chex mix
English muffins or other muffins
Have fun and good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.P.

answers from Kansas City on

He needs lots of protein and b vitamins for energy and stamina, whole carbs for quick energy. I recently toured 7 european cities in 3 weeks while 6-7 months preggo and this sort of diet totally helped my get through the trip! I snacked on a lot of beef jerky and cheese sticks, peanut butter on whole grain pita or crackers, and granola bars (make sure they aren't too full of sugar-Kashi's a great brand.) Foods high in B vitamins include: Tuna
Oats, Turkey, Brazil nuts, Bananas, Potatoes, Avocados, Legumes, Kefir. Or a multi vitamin like centrum performance.

1 mom found this helpful
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