These are great tips, I personally love pretzels and carrots as a snack. Another thing I also like are nutrition bars. I've tried baking these myself, (think Clif Bars) but they just haven't quite come out right.
Anyone have a great bar recipe?
6 Healthy Snacks that Won’t Break the Bank
Photo: Havan Kevin
We all need a little something to get us by between meals now and again. Healthy snacks are a way to ward off hunger without getting too far off track calorie wise. Problem is, if you listen to all the ads and hype, you might think keeping a few appropriate items on hand has to cost big bucks. Here are six healthy snacks that won’t break the bank.
Popcorn
The giant bag I picked up at the warehouse store came in at just over thirty cents a pound. Definitely within anyone’s definition of a cheap healthy snack. Now, you can dress it up, turn it into caramel corn and generally take it to the next level calorie wise quite easily. In fact, our favorite way to enjoy it is by making garlic Alfredo popcorn to watch online movies with. The point is, the base ingredient is unprocessed and relatively healthy. From there, you can omit salt, or reduce the butter by half by mixing it with grape seed oil. Or just enjoy it plain as an extra item to tuck in with your brown bag lunch. Bonus? Kids dig it.
Fruit
In addition to the seasonal fruit access which varies depending on your location, there are a few which are reasonably affordable all year long. My top four for price and function? Apples, bananas, clementines and raisins. Apples are a grab and take snack that require no preparation and dirty no dishes. They can also go into a myriad of other recipes, providing serious flexibility. Bananas are quick, always available at your local Save A Lot for less than forty cents a pound, and like apples can be used for many other things besides a quick healthy snack. (Think bananas foster, daiquiris, breakfast cookies and more.)
Clementines may not provide as much flexibility, but as far as appropriate snack size and low mess items go, these things rock. Kids dig ‘em, they peel easily and are much lower on the messy scale than oranges if you’re looking for something to dress up the school lunches. I know I’ve written before about recipes and ideas for raisins, but I’m throwing them out again here. Why? Because honestly they’re pretty tough to beat when it comes to price, ease of storage and menu planning flexibility. A handful or two makes a great quick treat, and having them on hand for the pantry allows you to jazz up some otherwise humdrum meals with affordable ease.
Sauces, Dips and Spreads
These don’t exactly stand alone in the category of healthy snacks. You pretty much have to pair them with something. That being said, if you choose veggies instead of potato chips and carefully select your dipping medium, you’ll come out ahead in the calorie game. Think peanut sauce, spicy eggplant spreads, guacamole or bean dips instead of heavy cheese sauces or ranches. Mix up your honey mustard dip by using agave nectar instead. Some of the more flavorful vegan recipes in this category are worth considering, if calorie shaving is your main concern. Personally, we’re dippin’ and dunkin’ fans at our house, so finding substitutes in this area is an ongoing process. (Look for a post in the fairly near future on healthier dips and spreads, FYI.)
Pretzels
These things are available in uber bulk for a song if you enjoy shopping at Costco. Not only do they meet my definition of healthy snacks, they bring a flexibility to the recipe arena that’s comparable to popcorn. Two favorites at our house are chocolate covered pretzels for holiday treats and gifts and baked honey mustard pretzels for a low calorie upgrade to the plain variety. We’re always on the lookout for more bulk pretzel ideas however, so feel free to share your inspired ideas below in the comment section.
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Smoothies
There are more recipes out there for smoothies than could ever be properly listed here. We do have a couple of favorites however, including peanut butter banana smoothies with soy milk and a cholesterol lowering berry smoothie that was doctor recommended to my Dad. I don’t have cholesterol issues, but do like the flavor and protein punch this one provides. (Again, would love it if you all would share your fave smoothies below.)
Trail Mix of Choice
This is sort of wide open for recipes as well. Starting with another frugal food I’ve written on before, peanuts, toss in raisins, dark chocolate chips, sunflower seed kernels and whatever else floats your boat. You can really mix and match here according to your ingredient preferences and budget.
Similar Wise Bread Articles
Looking for other snack related posts here on Wise Bread? Here are a few to get you started.
- A fresh take on baking pumpkin seeds
- Dump cake and other easy sweet treats
- Easy refrigerator pickles
- Baby carrots: not as frugal as you might think
- Simple DIY freezer treats
Related Readings
For general frugal food articles, Wise Bread offers too many to mention. However, if you’re looking for idea lists that use one particular frugal ingredient exclusively, I can include a fair number of those here in the closing section. Check out the following topics:
- Leftover turkey
- Zucchini
- Canned pumpkin
- Corn
- Canned salmon
- Imitation crab meat
- Cornmeal
- Frozen spinach
- Cabbage
- Peanut butter
Do you have other inspired ideas for healthy snacks? Have you blogged or written about them on your own site? Share your idea or link below.
Additional photo credit: Monica Arellano-Ongpin
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I've had mixed luck with power bar recipes myself. Haven't researched it lately, though.
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I have an old-school Stir Crazy popcorn maker, and my favorite way to make it is simply to use white popcorn and olive oil, with a little salt added after popping. Good stuff.
Crack me up. During the month of October Kathryn, yes it is. What a hoot.
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What about Hummus?
A cheap, really easy to make, dip that's GREAT on just about anything. Plus, you can put it in sandwiches and such instead of mayo.
Hummus is huge at our house. My kids, who are otherwise pretty picky, will dip anything into something that looks a lot like wallpaper paste. Go figure.
And anything dipped in peanut butter is OK with them (and me, too). They can take a dollop of natural peanut butter on a plate and make it the body of a little stick person or animal, using pretzels and crudites. Then they get to eat it, one body part at a time. How Halloweeeny is that?
As a nut grower, I'd also like to recommend almonds and walnuts. Way good for you, and tasty too.
Two thumbs up on the hummus and nuts. Good call. We're big fans of both at this house. Still hoping for some additional ideas using those dirt cheap boxes of mini pretzels. . . anybody?
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Thanks for the snack list -- great way to get nutrients w/out constantly having to cook regular meals.
I have become a smoothie fan. I keep stocked with frozen (peeled and in chunks) bananas, frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, mango, etc.), low-fat vanilla yogurt (Stonyfield), and orange juice. Then whenever I need a hefty snack or before/after a workout, I blend bananas, OJ, yogurt, and fruit. The ingredients are great for keeping me energized and not hungry. Some folks who want extra protein add in whey powder.
That's a great way to add in extra protein without the fat of peanut butter. I'm with you. Smoothies rock.
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Thumbs up to fruits and popcorn as they are a couple of my favourite healthy snacks. I also like to bake my own snacks in the oven like oat slices and muffins. You can have plenty of variation and theme on these snacks. Much cheaper than buying processed snacks from the supermarket.
Hey Save Money Hound, give me the scoop on those oat slices. How does one make them?
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We love stovetop popcorn!
Cheaper even than your big bag. :)
Carrots and apples are both faves here too.
Not that it is healthy but you could make chocolate dipped mini pretzels. That would be a fun favor for a party, or good for a gift (like a teacher gift for Christmas).
We love peanut butter "lollipops" too. My dad "invented" them. It's peanut butter on a spoon.
Another crazy thing my kids like is ice, or juice frozen (for summertime).
Thanks for stopping by. Apples are popular at this house too. Do you just take the regular bagged popcorn and use one of those old fashioned metal hand crank poppers? Just curious.
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After school kid snacks. Take two apple slices with peanut butter between them and add raison "teeth". These look like lips. Banana separated into thirds (along the "seam") and reassembled with peanut butter. (Sticks better than with a cut banana.) The traditional ants on a stick (celery, PB, and raisons).
We do smoothies for breakfast, especially as the boys like to sleep until the very last minute and rush to make the bus. Current favorite is banana, mango, peach yoghurt, and milk.
What a creative mom. LOVE the apple lips with raisin teeth. That sounds adorable.
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I drink a cup of chicken broth between meals. I prepare it myself with organic ingredients. I make it with bones, so I either save them or get them at the wholefoods. It's a snack that's full of protein, low in fat, flavorful, cheap to make... You can make a pot and use it during the week or freeze it. I pour some in a mug and heat it. And it's satisfying enough in case you have to skip a meal!
I add celery seeds, garlic, onions, oregano...mmmm.
easiest smoothie: apricot nectar and lowfat yogurt (Trader Joe's)
hummus is so easy to make and it stores well - goes on everything!
favorite "snacky" salad: cut up celery with a bit of leftover chicken, turkey, beef, pork, maybe a little cheese. add salsa if eating with corn chips.
Homemade granola. Along the same lines as trail mix in the flexibility. Oatmeal is cheap and healthy
I've been eating (lower-sugar) instant oatmeal for an afternoon snack at work. It's cheap, filling, and comfortingly warm.
Marsha,
This comment isnt related to this article but I didnt know how else to communicate with you. I have read your articles for years and really appreciate them. I have never commented. I have recently started a business, I want to host a happy hour in my office for my networking group, I wanted to do something nice and classy but money is tight. You were the first person I thought of to ask for help. I thought it might make a nice article. I would appreciate any ideas you have.
You are the best.
Hi Lisa.
Well, without getting in to an entirely separate post, I'd suggest hot cocktails for your happy hour. It's getting cooler now anyway, so that should fit. They require less alcohol and are consumed more slowly, making them the frugal (and responsible) choice. Personally, I like mulled cider because you keep the rum separate which allows for plain hot cider to be available for the designated drivers. You only have to make one beverage that way, along with maybe iced lemon water. Then just pick 1-3 frugal munchies and use fabric table cloths, holiday tunes and perhaps some accent lighting. Hope that helps. Glad you've been enjoying the frugal entertaining posts. We like to entertain as well, and budget is a concern for so many right now.
You can also follow me on Twitter and Trek Hound.
I try to snack and generally eat healthy overall. When I am choosing healthy snacks to eat, I try to have foods with as well rounded health appeal as possible, and also as much plasticity as possible just like in this article. I try not to limit myself to calorie restriction as the primary method of choosing what to buy, as that ignores many other aspects of what makes food healthy. I think some of the ideas you presented such as adding peanutbutter to smoothies and chocolate to the trail mix and unnecessary calories, and sugar to snacks that are quite delicious and healthy without them. Whenever I make smoothies I just add ice, plain yogurt, 100% fruit juice, and frozen mixed fruit. For the fruit items, there is quite a variety to choose from. The fruits are plenty sweet by themselves and do not need help to make them taste good.
I'm totally with you on the frozen fruit thing. Really a great thing to have on hand for frozen cocktails, healthy smoothies and home baked treats.
