Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Grain-free Snack Ideas

There are many options for grain-free snacks. Some of these involve a bit of cooking, but they are generally quick and easy. On the weekend or whenever you have a little extra time, make a few snack recipes that keep well and then you'll always have easy snacks available.  I find it handy to keep a list of snack ideas on the fridge, that way I can always look there if I'm having trouble coming up with something.  This is especially great when the kids are hungry and I'm in a rush.

  • Crunchy and crispy
    • Squash chips: made by dehydrating thin slices of summer squash such as zucchini or crookneck
    • Cucumber or carrot sticks with cheese, plain yogurt, mayonnaise, or sour cream
  • Hearty and filling
    • Leftover scrambled eggs: warm them up or even eat them cold like my toddler  
    • Boiled eggs: Cover eggs with water and place over high heat. As soon as the water starts to boil, turn off heat and put a lid on the pot.  Let sit for 5-7 minutes to keep the yolk a bit soft and runny, or for 10 minutes to make the eggs hard-boiled.  Immediately drain the water, then add water and ice to cool the eggs down. Serve with salt and pepper, mayo, honey mustard, or ranch.
    • Homemade beef jerky
  • Simple
    • Milk kefir
    • Raw milk
    • Simple buttered veggies: our favorite for snacking is buttered broccoli 
    • Cheese: eat it plain, with some lunchmeat, or with a handful of nuts
    • Nut butter: plain, or with fruit
  • Just sweet enough
    • Apples cooked in a little butter or coconut oil
    • Yogurt with fruit 
    • Applesauce: try mixing in a little cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, or raw cream
    • Coconut raisin yogurt: just mix a little shredded coconut, raising, and plain yogurt together

    What are your favorite grain-free snacks?

    This post is part of Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist, Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade, Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Real Food Wednesday with Kelly the Kitchen Kop! 

    12 comments:

    Chris said...

    Great ideas, Sarah!

    Mary said...

    Lots of good ideas! Too bad I can't eat many of them while being dairy free, trying to avoid things my son is sensitive to and trying not to eat too many nuts. But still some good suggestions. Leftover scrambled eggs is a good idea. I love cold eggs :) I find snacks to be the hardest part on GAPS. Seems like there is never anything to snack on. If I could do dairy it would be much easier. I also like your idea of making a list. My go-to snack right now is cucumber slices dipped in pesto (I make it with peas, crispy nuts, EVOO, salt and garlic powder). I'll dip just about anything in pesto...leftover meat, crispy nuts, veggies, whatever. Or just eat the pesto plain :) I eat it by the spoonful. Mostly veggies and healthy fat. Plus a little protein. Perfect snack.

    Anonymous said...

    I'm definitely going to print out this list to keep on hand! I can't wait to try the red crackers and peanut butter coconut bars!

    Some favorite grain-free snacks at our house:
    -Kefir smoothie Popsicles. When I make smoothies for a meal, I put whatever doesn't fit into our cups into the Popsicle molds for a snack later.
    -Trail mix with crispy nuts and dried fruit.
    -A spoonful of peanut butter and coconut oil...on banana slices if we're really hungry.
    -Kefir/plain yogurt with frozen berries in it. If you let it sit for a few minutes, the berries thaw and the kefir gets ice-creamy.
    -Kefir/plain yogurt with lacto-fermented peach salsa stirred in. But maybe that's just a pregnancy thing. :)

    -Brittany, who is now very hungry...

    Tara said...

    Mary, if you're still reading... Have you tried using coconut milk in place of dairy? Works nicely. You can make your own coconut milk with water and dried shredded coconut, and use this in smoothies (alternatively use cashew milk, easily made at home). Also, coconut butter/spread might be an alternative for whipping up dips and spreads as an alternative to dairy. It's great as-is (eat it off the spoon or put in on something), or could be mixed with other things as desired. I wrote down your pesto idea; I'll have to give it a try.

    Lisa @ Granola Catholic said...

    Love these ideas, we are not completely grain free here, but gluten free. And Mary I love the idea of pesto with everything. My daughter made a lunch of procuitto, mozzerella, and pesto roll ups the other day.

    Mary said...

    Thanks for the tips, Tara. I have used coconut milk twice. I'm not a huge fan of the taste so far. But I'll keep trying. I do have to be careful with coconut...my son (3 months...breastfeeding) seems to be fairly sensitive to some forms of coconut. And I am too (like coconut flour). So I'm trying a little at a time here and there. I've never used coconut butter. I use coconut oil quite a bit. I don't make my own nut milk, but I do make my smoothies using crispy nuts and water (same idea). Because of my sensntivities and my son's I'm pretty limited. But I know it's temporary. I just get bored with my food sometimes. So even a couple new ideas are good.

    Mary @ Homemade Dutch Apple Pie

    Mary said...

    Here are a couple more snacks I like. Can you tell I like dips? :P I need to experiment more. I have added green beans to my pesto as more veggie variety. Pretty much any green will do.

    Pesto Hummus: http://voogtrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/07/pummus-grain-free-dairy-free-egg-free.html

    Navy Bean Hummus: http://voogtrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/04/navy-bean-hummus-another-way-to-sneak.html

    Mary @ Homemade Dutch Apple Pie

    Maryanne MA said...

    Our favorite snacks are:
    1) Plantain chips (cooked in coconut oil) with guacamole
    2) Nitrate-free deli meats, rolled up with shredded carrot,avocado slices, and cream cheese; or with guacamole; or salsa.
    3) Nitrate-free organic hot dogs (I like Applegate brand)
    4) Good canned fish, like tuna in oil
    5) Chicken salad, wrapped in lettuce
    6) Sliced steak with guacamole (can you tell that we love avocado?)
    7) Fruit with nut butter
    8) Fruit sauteed in butter, topped with cinnamon
    9) Veggies with homemade ranch dip
    10)Yogurt-covered raisins
    11) Yogurt "parfait": layered yogurt with shredded carrots, raisins, honey, cinnamon, nuts, and sometimes flax seeds.
    12) Plate of cheese and fruit.

    Hope these ideas help! I'm always on the lookout for easy snacks/meals that require little-to-no cooking.

    Maryanne MA said...

    Forgot to add a few more favorites:

    13) Hard-boiled egg wedges
    14) Deviled eggs
    15) Coconut milk smoothies with frozen mango chunks, banana, and strawberries.
    16) Dehydrated, crispy veggies or fruit
    17) Cold, leftover meatballs
    18) Piece of good, dark chocolate
    19) Those little Babybel cheeses
    20) Frozen green grapes! My mom used to do this when we were kids, and it's still one of my favorite treats. Just take them off the stem, and freeze them in a Ziploc bag. They come out almost-frozen/slushy. Awesome.
    21) Homemade popsicles, usually involving yogurt and fruit, or just pureed watermelon with chunks of kiwi or berries inside.

    There! Happy eating!

    Sarah Smith said...

    Thanks for sharing all of the ideas. Maryanne: wow!

    Sarah Smith said...

    Mary, another great dip is homemade mayo. It is super tasty on anything savory.

    Anonymous said...

    ants on a log - celery filled with nut butter with sultana ants