So What Do You Do For Snacks???

This is a question I get asked over and over again. "So with all those dietary challenges, what do you do for lunchbox snacks, what do you take with you when you travel with the kids?"


So I figured I may as well put a list out there of stuff that is working well for us for snacks. I do try to buy organic as much as possible, to buy fruits/veggies that are in season, and to eliminate as many artificial ingredients (i.e. stuff that's been cooked up in a lab) as I possible can.

This list is a work in progress, as I am sure I'm forgetting things. I'll also add webby links to the various products and companies when I have more time.

Here goes:
Fresh fruits are big here - green and red seedless grapes, strawberries, banana (Potatey only), apple, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries.

Organic baby carrots - Salamander loves them with some Cedar's Organic Original Hommus. For Potatey I'll make a "quick dip" using Hain Lite Safflower Mayonnaise [this one does have a few *funny* ingredients, so I do limit this], olive oil and organic dried parsley flakes

Sliced fresh cucumber

Celery Sticks w Almond Butter (or the *quick dip* I just mentioned)

Bubbies(R) Bread & Butter chips (Salamander LOVES these)

Dried fruits (make sure no sulfites/sulfates added; preferable no sugar added either), bought in bulk at Whole Foods Market - cranberries, banana slices (Potatey only), mango slices, papaya slices, pineapple slices

Sun Maid(R) Natural California raisins - the 1 1/2 oz. small boxes only. I was told, way back in the days of starting dietary changes, that this size is the only size that's gluten free

Woodstock Farms Organic Apple Sauce, 4 oz cups

Shelled Pistachios

Enjoy Life(R) Caramel Apple bars

ANDI BAR(TM) Chocolate Shake bars

Enjoy Life(R) Snicker Doodle cookies, Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies, Double Chocolate Cookies

Andean Dream(R) Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies

Brownies, or chocolate cup cakes I bake using Namaste Foods Brownie Mix or Chocolate Cake Mix

I almost always have some "my own recipe' mini muffins or sweet breads floating around.

Ruffles(R) Natural Sea Salted Reduced Fat Potato Chips

Tostitos Natural Yellow Corn Chips, Tostitos Natural Blue Corn Chips. Salamander loves these with either hommus or with EatSmart (Snyder's of Hanover) Garden Style Sweet Salsa

EnerG(R) Wylde Pretzels (I only buy the one that is soy free in addition to gluten free, dairy free, etc. I wish they would develop a pretzel that's corn free as well)

Honey Acres HoneySuckles Honey Snack

Bare Fruit Bake-Dried Apple Chips, Bake-Dried Mangos

Sensible Foods(R) Crunch Dried(R) Fruit Snacks


And yes, with the snacks too, I rotate, rotate, rotate (e.g. boys don't get the same snack two days in a row; I try very hard to space things 7 days apart and/or to link up with the *starch of the day*).

Cranberry Sauce

Really easy to make...

1 bag frozen cranberries
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
2 tbsp honey

Empty bag of cranberries into sauce pan. Add water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Let boil for about 10 minutes until berries start to burst open. Turn low and boil for another 5 to 10 minutes. Take heat off and let sauce cool down (it will start to gel as it cools down).

Once cooled down, add honey to taste.

Last Night's Dinner

For dinner the boys had:

broiled flounder (yes, I do allow fish on occasion)
fresh blueberries (Salamander)
shredded carrots (Potatey)
steamed green beans (Potatey; Salamander had some left over baked beans)
sugar snap peas (both)
apple (Salamander)

The boys ate this all up faster than I could get it on the table....
I would call this a successful 'fruits and veggies' dinner..

Baked (fried?) Apple

Growing up, my mom used to make baked apple as part of Sunday Dinner. I have not been able to replicate her exact recipe. I came up with my own tasty variation instead.

4 small to medium sized apples (It's apple season in New England right now, so I plenty apples laying around); skinned, cored, quartered and sliced
almond oil (sunflower oil works too)
agave syrup
handful of organic cranberries
handful of organic raisins

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with almond oil.
Put raisins and cranberries in skillet. Keep it all at medium to high heat and let the fruit *toast* for a bit.

Add the apple slices. and let *toast* at medium heat for about 10 minutes. As apple slices start to get soft and slightly browned, turn heat to low. Drizzle agave syrup over the fruit mixture.

Let *toast*/*poach* for another 10 - 15 minutes at low heat (do flip the apple slices over frequently).

Salamander ate about 1/3 of what I made for dinner. I am sure that the left overs will be great with breakfast.

(if I were able to use cinnamon and walnuts, I would have added those. But alas)