Healthy snacks

So I saw the psychologist last week. You have to have her ok to move on to the next phase - signing the surgery papers. Anyway she said mentally I'm good, but she wanted me to stop the pop, my coffee is pop. I got down to one or two a day, but she said I had to stop altogether now. She also said for me to write down my meals for two weeks. Then I go back to see her. Well the pop was ok. It's been three days and only when I think of going out for the holidays and I want a drink, I don't know what to do.  I like rum and coke. But have thought about shooters that don't have pop or cream things like dooleys. Anyway, away from that or you will all think I have a drinking problem, lol. I really don't.

So here's my problem...we don't eat a lot of veggies. I have four picky eaters and I hate to prep and cook suppers!  I need some quick healthy snack ideas, that won't wind up costing a fortune.  She was kind of lecturing me about the fact that with veggies I am lacking with the food guide requirements.  So any help there would be greatly appreciated!

thanks. 

When I went for my consult in March and signed the papers I was told to stop all carbonated beverages and not drink 45 minutes before and after a meal. This was going to be a life long requirement and so I stopped. My surgery was 2 months later. I really miss Diet Cherry Pepsi.

The problem with alcohol is that it is very high in caloric value so you may want to think about some alternatives. I was told no sugary drinks and keep fruit juices to a bare minimum. Now the issue I am having around Christmas this year is all the boxes of chocolate/cookies that are coming into the house. My trigger food is sweets. 

These are the things I have for a snack:

peanut butter smeared on a cored apple,

Greek yogurt fruit flavored

cheese string

crackers topped with thin slices of cucumber and hummus

frozen fruit mixed with yogurt - the frozen berries kind of freeze the yogurt and gives it an ice cream texture

cream of wheat with yogurt (cold) this is more of a texture preference for me

spring roll

piece of olive bread with havarti or any soft textured cheese (Laughing Cow, Brie, or Goat's Cheese)

turkey pepperoni stick 

celery sticks or carrot sticks with hummus (I always buy red pepper hummus)

a crunchy salad with chopped cauliflower and broccoli

Incorporating some type of veggies will be very important. After surgery your body is going to go through a major shock and with the little food that you take in is going to need to include some type of veggies and carry the biggest nutritional punch.. You may want to make a veggie soup and have a cup or so of that as a snack. That would be very inexpensive. Puree it too if you don't want to taste chunks of vegetables. 

Food journaling is good to do as it really opens your eyes to what you actually eat and having a dietician review your journal is a good idea. If you don't want to write everything down use an online program such as My Fitness Pal to log your foods.

It is great that you are reaching out to gather ideas. Hopefully others will chime in because I could use some new ideas to freshen up my snacks.

When I went for my consult in March and signed the papers I was told to stop all carbonated beverages and not drink 45 minutes before and after a meal. This was going to be a life long requirement and so I stopped. My surgery was 2 months later. I really miss Diet Cherry Pepsi.

The problem with alcohol is that it is very high in caloric value so you may want to think about some alternatives. I was told no sugary drinks and keep fruit juices to a bare minimum. Now the issue I am having around Christmas this year is all the boxes of chocolate/cookies that are coming into the house. My trigger food is sweets. 

These are the things I have for a snack:

peanut butter smeared on a cored apple,

Greek yogurt fruit flavored

cheese string

crackers topped with thin slices of cucumber and hummus

frozen fruit mixed with yogurt - the frozen berries kind of freeze the yogurt and gives it an ice cream texture

cream of wheat with yogurt (cold) this is more of a texture preference for me

spring roll

piece of olive bread with havarti or any soft textured cheese (Laughing Cow, Brie, or Goat's Cheese)

turkey pepperoni stick 

celery sticks or carrot sticks with hummus (I always buy red pepper hummus)

a crunchy salad with chopped cauliflower and broccoli

Incorporating some type of veggies will be very important. After surgery your body is going to go through a major shock and with the little food that you take in is going to need to include some type of veggies and carry the biggest nutritional punch.. You may want to make a veggie soup and have a cup or so of that as a snack. That would be very inexpensive. Puree it too if you don't want to taste chunks of vegetables. 

Food journaling is good to do as it really opens your eyes to what you actually eat and having a dietician review your journal is a good idea. If you don't want to write everything down use an online program such as My Fitness Pal to log your foods.

It is great that you are reaching out to gather ideas. Hopefully others will chime in because I could use some new ideas to freshen up my snacks.

*************

Thanks for the suggestions!!

One other thing...Greek Yogurt has become the food of the year and the prices are reflecting that. You can make your own Greek Yogurt just by taking plain yogurt and draining it in a coffee filter in a strainer overnight in your fridge. It is very versatile to make dips, dressings  and as a substitute for sour cream. 

I still to this day have not had one sip of Pop. I was never a huge Pop drinker, however with Pizza or Chinese buffets, i would always use to order a pop so i could digest faster to eat more!! haha!

However i was and still am a huge coffee drinker, not that it's any better as I should cut down on the coffee and drink more water, however easier said than done !! :)

jjwbuster had some really good tips!

I too sometime find it hard to find good snacks when I have a 40 year old that doesn't always want to eat healthy and I have a 4 year old that is somewhat a picky eater.

I still try to look for myself first, i eat a lot of string cheese, cottage cheese with fruit, lots of fruit alone, i try to always add some veggies to my meals, sometimes it's not much, as if i eat dense protein, i might have 5-6 bites of veggies, then I'm so full, but it's still important to get those veggies in also.

I agree also with My Fitness Pal for tracking, i try to track everyday , and if you have lots of friends that share their diaries, then it can give you tons of new ideas on what to eat also!!

me i love a drink of bacardis light rum i find crystal light lemonade flavor is great had a few bartenders coment on the mixture now  tasted it and realy liked it i havnt had a drink of coffee tea or pop since jan 30 2013    still likes me rum a toothfull or 2 every wkend feel greatttttt good luck clarence