Mini-meals (snacks): are they right for you?

As a follow-up to my blog post on meal planning – I'm sharing some tips & ideas for eating between meals.
 
To get started ask yourself  - “How many times do I snack a day, on average?” Now – how did you define a “snack”?  Is it defined by the time of day you eat something, the type or amount of food you eat, or where/how you eat the food?  According to Merriam Webster a snack is a small amount of food eaten between meals.  The concept of “snacking” is widely agreed upon but vaguely defined: ‘small amount’ of food is relative and everyone’s nutrient needs are different, not to mention the varia​tion in meals and timing.   When I work with clients, I’m not as concerned with which definition you use to define snacking – what I care about is ensuring we have agreed upon our definition, if snacking is something we develop goals around.
 
For this article, I’m going to ask you to think about snacks as ‘mini meals’ that can be eaten any time of day and that provide the calories & nutrients YOU need to meet your daily needs.   Why a mini meal?  Because just like a meal, snacks that include multiple foods groups will provide a wider variety of nutrients and help keep you fueled until your next meal or eating occasion.  

How do you know if a mini-meal is right for you or your family? 
If you answer YES to any of the questions below, you might benefit from a mini-meal!

• ​Do you find it difficult to eat all of the recommended foods groups each day?
  • Sometimes it’s difficult to incorporate fruit into meals, for others it’s dairy – whatever group you may have trouble with at traditional meal time, make that the base of your mini-meal.  Personally I plan to eat my fruit and dairy between meals because they are easier for me to eat on the go.
• Do you workout?
  • Depending on when you workout in relation to your meals, you may need a snack before to ensure you are fueled for your workout or after to help your body recover and make the most of your nutrients. You may also need to add in extra calories if you increase your workouts, depending on your goals and needs. 
• Do you have kids?
  • If meal times are hectic or unpredictable you may need snacks to keep your blood sugar stable and prevent hanger from creeping up!  Additionally, kids have smaller stomachs and need to eat more frequently – ensuring kids' snacks are actually nutritious mini-meals is essential for them to meet their nutrition needs and fuel their growth.
• Can you eat just a pre-planned portion of food?
  • Whether you plan your snacks at the beginning of the week, that morning or when you get hungry – be sure to portion out just what you need before starting to snack.  If you find yourself eating straight from a bag or container, you are more likely to eat more than you need – unfortunately, you can have too much of a good thing, too!
• Do you feel like you need a sweet treat at the end of the day?
  • While I don’t encourage using food as reward, I do understand the desire for something sweet in the evening – our bodies produce various hormones at different levels throughout the day and as luck would have it – we tend to crave more sweet things as the day goes on.  Instead of fighting biology, plan for it!  This can be a time to get creative with avocado pudding or go simple with a bowl of cereal (just one bowl though).

​Need some mini-meal ideas to get started or change up your routine? 
Portion sizes will depend you on your individual needs and goals. 

• Chocolate (Avocado) pudding [recipe below]
• Kiwi with shredded unsweetened coconut
• ¼ of your last meal – plan ahead to save it!
• Baby carrots and hummus
• Apples & cheese sliced thinly
• Rice cake with almond butter
• Hard boiled egg(s)
• Celery and peanut butter
• Homemade kale chips and yogurt dip
• Whole wheat pretzels and nuts or seeds
• Mix pumpkin puree and Greek yogurt with a dash of cinnamon -top with some graham crumbles
• Make your own trail mix:  dried fruit, nuts or seeds, dry cereal, few mini chocolate chips
• Make your own bars – there are a lot of recipes out there or let me know if you need an idea!

​Don’t forget about food safety and make sure you have refrigeration, if it's needed for your choice!

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​Avocado Pudding: Makes 8 servings. 
This is a ‘mini-meal’ because of the fats from the avocado, carbs and fiber from the banana and protein from the milk.

Ingredients:

• 2 Avocados
• 4 small bananas
• ¾ c. Cocoa powder, I used 100% Cacao special dark
• 2 Tbsp. Vanilla extract, pure
• ½ cup plain soymilk (use the milk or milk alternative that you have on hand)

​Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides occasionally. 
Portion into containers, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

​BONUS: the sides of your blender will likely be coated in chocolate – after scraping what you need to portion it out, place ½-1 cup of milk in the blender and make a glass of delicious chocolate milk while ‘cleaning’ the insides of your blender.

​Nutrition Info: (for 1/8th of the recipe, about 100grams)
110 calories,  5g fat, 19g carbs, 7g sugar, 5g fiber and 2g protein (will vary depending upon the type of ‘milk’ used)

Jobs for Luciana (2-3year old helpers):

1. Peels & sorts the bananas – peel goes in the garbage and banana in the blender
2. Plops the avocado in the blender that mommy cut, pitted and left in the peel
3. Holds the measuring spoon over the blender while mommy pours the vanilla and we dump it in together
4. Helps mommy count the number of Tablespoons of ingredients we put in
5. Once the lid is safely on and she gets the go ahead – Luciana flicks the on switch and turns the speed up
6. Official taste-tester

What is your favorite 'mini-meal'?  Let me know in the comments!