Snacking isn't a very big thing at our house. Contrary to popular opinion, we don't believe that snacks (even healthy ones) are necessary. We're content with our meals as main means to get our nutrition.
Another pitfall of snacking, other than maybe health, is that snacking can be hideously expensive! While we don't have a lot of snacks to choose from in the supermarket here, small things add up. It can be tempting to buy snacks at the store but that temptation is gone very soon with the prices these days. When we crave something, that's usually when the snacking comes in, and most of the time it's homemade. Fortunately, homemade snacks don't have to be that expensive. Here's some ideas:
- boiled egg - can be made as fancy or as plain as you like.
- roasted chickpeas. This is something we sometimes do buy, at the small convenience stores that are all over.
- homemade popcorn - no special appliances needed, not even a microwave. Just a hob (stove) and a large enough pot, and that's it!
- fruits. No further explanation needed.
- snacking vegetables, like cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, celery. When those are not in season, fennel is a very good veg to snack on, too! We like to snack on fermented veg too, like fermented turnips or carrots.
- peanuts - they're comparable to nuts, nutritious wise, but less expensive.
- dates - we live in one of the world's biggest date producing and consuming countries. Do I need to say more? Dates can be enjoyed plain or stuffed with cream cheese/butter and nuts, which they do a lot here traditionally.
- homemade sweets - can be anything from cake to muffins, to cookies. Usually less expensive than store bought and slightly less unhealthy. The same goes for homemade savoury snacks, like crisps, pretzels, egg muffins etc.
- a slice of bread with whatever toppings you have. I love homemade peanut butter. It's nutritious and better than the store bought variety. Peanut butter can be pared with a lot of other foods too, like fruits (although I must admit I'm not a fan of peanut butter on anything else but bread, but I guess that's a matter of preference).
- dehydrated fish - this is sold by various vendors at our local market. It's full of flavour and keeps us full for so long. It's our cat's favourite snack, too 😉
- a bowl of plain yogurt with add ins of your choice: nuts/seeds, fruits etc. Or keep it plain.
- cheese (although that's not cheap round these parts, but I guess in some countries it is so I still include them to this list) or (vegan) cold cuts
