Healthy, low cost, no work snack food...any ideas?

[Betawolf]

So every night before I go to bed I end up finding myself eating a bowl of cereal, munching on a bunch of chips, eating a couple packs of fruit snacks. Not only do I feel terrible eating it because of the un-healthiness of it, but it also gets very expensive.

My question to everyone is, do you know of a healthy and cheap snack that is good to eat whenever, also before going to bed?

Also, my body responds to food based off of their texture rather than taste, so don't worry about it not tasting good.

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Lol - I'm the same way.

Polishing off a family sized bag of lays classic potato chips as I'm typing this lol :P

And I just bought them earlier today :\

Everyone says I eat like a bird - and I do. I snack more then I eat fully course meals because I just like to.

Hmm, the least expensive snacks I'll get are sunflower seeds without the shells, banana chips, lots of apples when they're on sell - pretzel sticks, popcorn.

Good buys for snacks I'd say - are the huge tubs of flavor blasted gold fish, family size cheeze nips, pringle super stacks, and value potato chips that come in sour cream onion and bbq.

If you have a dollar store like a dollar tree or something - go there - all snacks are only a buck and they have different textures and taste. A lot of them are name brand and come in huge bags so you'll be saving tons of money while still getting a ton of snacks.

For healthy - I'd say grains like seeds of any sort, thin crackers (mmm so good late at night,) fruit is always a good alternative for fatty snacks, celery / raw veggies if you like them.

Cereal actually isn't bad - I enjoy a bowl of frosted flakes or omg fruity pebbles ( so f***ing good at 11 pm ) but if you want a healthier cereal, get honey nut cheerios or honey bunches of oats ( cinnamon or strawberry kind - or chocolate - all are delish lol,)

Happy snacking :)

[Betawolf]

=) Fruity pebbles are the best! But they don't sell them in bag form where I am so I don't buy them =(. And yea, fruits are definitely on the grocery list!

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

:O omg your kidding - I will personally send you a huge bag of them because I have to share the joy ha ha -

I get the off brand one's in the big bag - they're called " Fruity Dyno Bites :D"

Just as orgasmic - for less money too XD

[Betawolf]

I know! They don't have the off brand of them around here though =(

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Aww you poor thing T.T - where the hell do you live? Antartica?

[Betawolf]

Close enough haha, Wisconsin

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

LOL - They don't have fruity dyno bites?!

>:O

This is an outrage - I'm calling the f***ing mayor right now! totally unacceptable!

[Betawolf]

Lol the governor? Have fun trying to talk to Scott Walker, he has everyone here pissed off, even the republicans who support him.

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

Lol - well he has one more person pissed at him :P some angry black chick from colorado ha ha and I'l make his listen :P

So don't be surprised if there's suddenly fruity dyno bites in every store - even clothing stores lol :P

[Betawolf]

A million thanks! =)

[oOsweet~o~nessOo]

XD

[rachiee]

I'd suggest carrots and celery with dip. Peanut butter is high in calories, but it has a great amount of protein and goes good with both veggies. It doesn't look like you need to loose weight so you should be fine with that. Rice cakes are good as well and can help with the chip craving at night. Frozen fruit is amazing as well, but not so easy to find (cheap still). Drink lots of water. A lot of times you assume you're hungry but in reality you're just thirsty/dehydrated and since that's harder to tell your body just makes it seem like you're hungry instead. Also dry cereal is fine (or add almond milk to it) but choose brands that are healthy and with whole grains in it. You can also just stick to fruits. A bag of grapes could hold you over.

[Betawolf]

Very good info! Thank you!

[snowboarder720]

i know EXACTLY how you feel. Not only do I mess up anything I try to cook, but it's hard for me to find the time.

One of my good korean friends gave me an interesting idea for a healthy quick meal.

All you need is:

-a head Leafy Green Lettuce (not the lettuce in a ball)

- a bag of baby carrots

- cooked rice

-your choice of cooked meat (optional)

Put them all in Tupperware. Grab a leaf of the Leafy Green Lettuce and fold it in half (the short way), then insert a pile of rice, along with a baby carrot, and strip of meat. AND ENJOY.

Basically its a lettuce taco or burrito with rice, carrot, and meat. Eating this healthy makes me feel amazing, I don't ever get that bloated feeling. After eating this stuff I could run up and down a flight of stairs right after eating, NO PROBLEM. When you got to go, just snap on the lids to the tupperware, throw them in the fridge, and GO.

it's simple and easy. The only cooking involved is the rice and meat.

[Betawolf]

Ho ho! That sounds amazing, and all textures I can eat (except the meat). I'll have to experiment with this! Thanks

[snowboarder720]

if you can, try having it with korean kimchi. You can get it at a Korean market somewhere. its damn delish.

[Betawolf]

Yes, one of my good friends is Korean I'll have to hit him up on that offer =P

[MrEM4N]

Midnight snacking can be beneficial for you as it keeps your metabolism working while you sleep. The only problem is you'll store it all as body fat after its been processed. I had a similar problem with mightnight snacking. It became part of my daily regime to always grab a bowl of cereal right before I'd go to bed, I found the feeling of being full allowed me to go to sleep more comfortably. Now, instead of eating a bowl of cereal I just drink a lot of water. It's not as flavorful and fun to chew on but it serves the dual purpose of satisfying my appetite and my body metabolism continues to work processing the water after I've begun to sleep. Plus, it helps get me out of bed in the morning when I have to wake up and go to the bathroom.

I wouldn't suggest this for people with sensitive bladders, though as it might wake you up in the middle of the night and poor sleep is almost as bad as poor diet.

[ZenQueen]

carrots are way cheap, you can steam them put in some parsley and lemon juice, also you can juice them, you may not think that'll fill you up but all the vitamins and nutrients will leave you satisfied.

celery, cut them up into bite sized pieces, or keep it whole, but on some peanut butter and raisins!

If you just want a full stomach have some herbal tea(no caffeine) and honey

you can buy oatmeal in bulk for really cheap (steel cut oats are nutty and Delicious) and add some frozen blue berries and cinnamon!

try some plain popcorn

cut up apple and peanut butter

sprouted bread (they really fill you up!)

almond milk is super nutritious and good before bed!

also salads are good, in many cultures they end the meal with a salad, it cleans your mouth:)

I get the spring mix salad, add tomatoes and olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then soak the up the sugo with a piece of bread, speciale! man I'm hungry...hahha

[Betawolf]

Omg thank you! All of this looks good! Good thing my paycheck next week is a big one=P

[ZenQueen]

totally I have pretty much mastered eating cheap! I basically don't buy anything prepackaged, sure gold fish and crackers fill you up and are cheap but they don't really do much for you, your better off eating things whole, and unprocessed, you get more energy and don't need to eat as much, I live in sf and there is a market where I can buy boxes of fruits and veg at whole sale prices and if you are ever strapped for cash you can peek in grocery stores trsh cans they throw out perfectly gd food

[Betawolf]

Hmmm good idea, all my friends that are still in high school work at the local grocery store I'm sure they could hook me up with those throw-aways!

[ZenQueen]

totally, it's still good food. bananas are so good when they're "old" :D

[ZenQueen]

that didn't sound right but whatever!hahaha

[Betawolf]

Lol!

[saelym]

I'm big on fuji apples and Cutie clementine oranges. When I'm in the mood for a more salty snack, I have cheese on crackers (favorite: colby jack on plain Triscuits, I buy Tillamook mini packaged cheese, and just break the cheese into bite-size chunks, no real preparation required).

Less often, I have peanut butter or cream cheese on cinnamon sugar graham crackers. Sometimes a bowl of Cheerios with milk.

It helps if you can get the stuff in bulk or substitute products with the cheaper store brand versions (Great Value, SureFine, etc), I've found.

[Betawolf]

Yea currently I buy the bag cereal, get twice as much for half the cost. I really should buy more fruits good idea!

[Darkfairie17]

Get some dried fruit and veggies. It's healthy and its basically the same texture as chips and cereal. My favourites are raisins and dried apples. You can also have some assorted nuts (unsalted of course) sitting around for you to munch on as well.

Having some fruit cups, apple sauce and oatmeal packets are good too. Add some fresh fruit to the oatmeal for some extra taste.

You can also try making your own popcorn from home. I air pop mine and it is much healthier. You can add a tiny bit of butter and salt to the popcorn for taste. But don't add a whole lot. Or you could experiment with different spices in your home.

[0202vogue]

substitute crisps with rice cakes, eat a lot of fruit and veg (dried or fresh), try to drink water, have oats and wheats. Substitute the cereal for porridge, I know, not appealing but really healthy as its full of fibre and really low in calories. Mix it up with berries or bananas or some honey and its actually good! (note to self: need to go buy some tomorrow).

[Catie101]

id say just fruit or veggies. they are cheap, healthy, light and won't mess with your sleep. try a banana or bowl of grapes or something. eating too much before beds not good for you.

[Betawolf]

Exactly why I'm trying to fix it =P

[Catie101]

so fruit and veggies are perfect! :)

[Betawolf]

Yes they are! They're on my grocery list =)

[WoIIie]

Try canned ANYTHING. Seriously, there are so many things that are canned and can be eaten with minimal preparation. Canned fruits, canned beans, canned soup, canned pasta... you're gonna need good cranking skills.

[funkadelic5]

Kashi GoLean is basically all fiber and protein, tastes pretty good and is very filling / low calorie. I definitely nominate it for the healthy snack category.

[Betawolf]

Do you know the costs of if? I haven't looked into that yet

[red_balloon]

raw, unpasturized goat milk is extremely healthy. you won't get this at any grocery store, though. you have to find a rancher or farmer. my mom gets it from one once a week. you can actually live on raw goat milk it is that good for you

[Betawolf]

Yes, I used to live on a farm and also take care of friends' farms! I have drank it before, it is really good for you. Thanks!

[red_balloon]

u could also eat raw egg with milk as long as its organic eggs

[Scorpi]

You could try mixed nuts? They'd fill you up and you don't have to eat many, plus they're pretty cheap.

[Betawolf]

Haven't tried that yet, thanks!

[Anonymous]

Have a small container of non fat Greek yogurt - they're about 60 cents each. Damn good.

[Betawolf]

Love yogurt, heard some good stuff about the Greek brand. Next paycheck, food shopping again.

[Opinion Owner]

If you have a Dollar Store in your area, that'll be the cheapest place for it.

[kmhco]

Drink a glass of water instead?

[Betawolf]

I don't drink much water. I am addicted to juices and milk. I am constantly drinking something (non alcoholic) and it almost never is water =\. Drinks just don't seem to feed my hunger like they do for other people.