Parents healthy savoury snack ideas

[leotardmakermum]

My gymnast is always hungry. We always used to suggest fruit whenever she was hungry. However, due to food intolerances and allergies, on the advice of our doctor, we are now limiting her to one piece of fruit every two hours.

There's heaps of things she can't eat, such as all dairy (including sheep's and goat's dairy), pulses and wheat (though she is not coeliac, so gluten is ok). She CAN eat nut products, however these are banned at school and at the gym, so not able to be snacked upon in those places.

I need some ideas for good healthy foods for her to snack on. I want to be instilling healthy eating practices in her. Home-popped popcorn with minimal salt and no butter is one we do use. But I don't want her snacking on sugary biscuits and cakes and things like that. And things like rice crackers and rice cakes just don't really do anything to stop hunger.

Please, can anyone suggest savoury snack ideas? I'm happy to bake. I don't want pre-packaged brand name ideas partially because I would rather she eats real food, and partially because I'm in a country where we may not have the same products available as you. Ideas from non-western cuisines are also appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Amusibus]

I also have a daughter who is banned from all dairy and gluten- on top of that the whole family is vegetarian. The natural choice for you then, if you are talking about a pre- gym or during gym snack is some kind of meat. Don't ask me what kind, I have been vegetarian for over 20 years! But basically you need to get a protein and a fat into her before gym, as those foods last longer in terms of maintaining blood sugar and keeping hunger at bay. My daughter eats avocadoes,peanut butter celery or apples, tofu( you have to learn how to make it right, it can be delicious), or chick peas and green peas stir fried together with a little olive oil, cumin, and salt. And for you I guess,a meat is a convenient long-lasting choice. Carbs are omnipresent so don't worry about getting those into her, it will happen whether you want it to or not. But they are a bad choice for pre-gym as most carbs have a high glycemic index and will burn away quickly resulting in a hungry kid much sooner. Don't be afraid of fat, she is just a kid and some fat is good for them and helps keep the blood sugar level for longer.

 

[leotardmakermum]

Thanks Amusibus. There was one gym day recently where we had a left-over meatball and I gave it to her before training. So I could keep a stock in the freezer, ready to pull out one at a time - good idea, thanks. We're not afraid of fat for her - we all need SOME fat, and she is the skinniest kid in her squad, so I agree we don't need to avoid it. Some of the other things you've suggested, she can't have, but I can still get ideas. Thanks very much.

I'm also talking about not just before gym, but at any time. We're actually on summer break here at the moment and gym doesn't resume until the second week of January. So in that time, there will be lots of home snacking... And lots of me tearing my hair out wondering what to feed her! I know what it is like for her - I spend my life feeling constantly hungry too. Oh, the joys of an extremely fast metabolism!

 

[MaryA]

Beef jerky? You could make your own if you're concerned about what goes into the packaged variety. And that she could bring with her to practice.

 

[teksquad]

Can your daughter eat from the bean family? I have been roasting chickpeas ("garbanzo beans") and edamame (soybeans) in the oven with olive oil and savory spices, from this recipe for "kickin' chickpeas". It's a delicious protein snack! If eating at practice, I recommend eating them with a spoon, as they are a bit greasy.

I hope this helps, and good luck in finding some healthy yummies!

 

[2gymmies]

Peanut butter, almond butter, hazelnut spread, etc...

 

[my4buffaloes]

what about whole wheat muffins? You can use a variety of different flours that don't contain wheat. I make pumpkin, cranberry, blueberry, carrot, poppyseed, banana, etc. They freeze well and pack easily. Also boiled eggs.

 

[leotardmakermum]

Thank you MaryA, Teksquad, 2gymmies and my4buffaloes. Your ideas are all helpful. I appreciate your input!

 

[SignHere]

My gymmie loves fake crab meat. Started eating California roll sushi and moved onto eating the meat out of the package with anything!

 

[nevertooold]

It sounds like you might need to think of snacks that are more like mini meals. If you have the time to cook you can pack small containers of real food to serve as snacks.

If there are some grains she can eat you could stir fry vegetables w/ eggs & grain (like fried rice w whatever grain she can eat). We do onion, carrot, celery, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, kale, spinach, etc. Pick 3-4 chop fine, saute in olive oil, mix in scrambled egg, grain, tamari or soy sauce.

Potatoes & yams, cubed and roasted w olive oil and salt.

Grilled fish mixed in w any grain she can eat. My girls like salmon w/ quinoa or brown rice but you can mix any.

Meat. Grilled chicken strips, chicken salad, tuna salad, ground beef mixed w any cooked grain, sliced beef.

Are there any pulses she can eat?

 

[leotardmakermum]

Hi nevertooold, no she can't have any pulses. :-( A great source of protein, but one that makes her digestion very unhappy.

The sorts of things I am actually thinking of are baked savoury biscuits/cookies etc. The sort of thing she can help herself to off the kitchen cupboard, something I can spend some time preparing and then leave for her to access when she is hungry. The problem I find with things like savoury muffins is that they all have cheese in them to give them flavour. And she can't have any cheese (not even goat's or sheep's cheese).

This morning I was wondering about mustard, pumpkin and seed muffins. I do also make our own muesli bars, but some variety would be good! She won't want to eat them ALL the time... ;-)

The added difficulty with pre-prepared snacks is that we can't reheat easily as we don't currently have a microwave. So something that doesn't need reheating or refrigeration is ideal. The idea of the curried chickpeas etc is really appealing to me, but her stomach can't take the pulses. Otherwise that's the sort of thing I would be encouraging!

Thanks to all for the suggestions so far. They are very helpful and even those we can't use as is, I'll work on adapting for her!

 

[GymBeeMom]

I keep pesto in a jar all the time and toss chicken bites in it or spread a little on ham and roll it up as a quick protein snack for the kids. Another great choice ALWAYS is boiled eggs, we keep those all the time. We make spinach and kale chips very flavorful, and beef jerky, cold skewered chicken and bbq sauce (good cold)...maybe one of these would work for your family...

 

[Coloradogymmie]

This is right up my alley! I love cooking healthy protein packed snacks for my kids!
Is oatmeal okay? This recipe is good if so:
Watching What I Eat: Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies with Carob / Chocolate Chips

And these are great - made with quinoa which is a complete protein:
Get Off Your Tush and Cook: Quinoa Energy Bars

And I haven't had these but it's a savory bar snack with quinoa too- looks promising
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/health/quinoa-and-carrot-kugel-sweet-and-savory-kugels.html?_r=0

 

[GymBee97]

Have you considered a meeting with a diatician to help with ideas? Those are alot of food limitations. I am assuming if she cant have nuts at school or gym because they are banned then she probably can bring peanutbutter or other nut spreads too.

Can she have cheese? Salad? (those are my DD's favorites to have) Soup?

 

[leotardmakermum]

Thank you for the baking links Coloradogymmie! We have a huge container of quinoa just waiting for your recipes.

Gymbee97, I am waiting for our appointment with a sports nutritionist in about 3 weeks time. It takes a while to get in... Yep, no nuts of any kind at school or gym, including spreads. No cheese. Eats salad ALL the time. She's not fond of soup - we're working on that (a process of familiarisation!)

 

[gymcoach26]

Lettuce wraps with grilled chicken are one of my favorites.
carrots or bell pepper strips with dip, celery with peanut butter or other spread like almond or hazelnut. Hard boiled eggs are easy to store in the fridge. Hummus

 

[leotardmakermum]

Any suggestions of things that don't need to be stored in the fridge? Sounds like you're all struggling for those ideas as much as I am...!