Healthy Mommy Snacks?

Special K Fruit and Yogurt is great for helping out a sweet tooth.

Also, if you have a food processor, try this yummy recipe that has only 100 calories, 1 gram a fat, and is full of anti oxidants and calcium

In a food processor or blender, blend together:
2 cups (1 small bag) of frozen fruit (I use strawberries, cherries, or blueberries)
2 cups of low fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cups confectionary sugar

Let it blend until it's super smooth, then divide into rinse cups (I use the ones my kids have in bathroom for brushing their teeth, the clear plastic ones) and add a wooden stick for the handle...you have popsicles!! I find the wooden sticks in the craft department at Walmart. My kids love these too, and they're really good for them

Stock up on nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc). Get some dried fruits and throw them into the mix.

On Sundays (or whatever day works for you), spend the day preparing a whole bunch of snacks and meals. Put them in containers and put some in the fridge and some in the freezer. It only takes a few minutes to warm them up.

I took the nuts/fruits combo and divided them into 2 cup serving sizes and put them into plastic bags. That way, everytime I went to nurse my kids, I would grab a big glass of water and a plastic bag of nuts/fruits.

Keep up on your vitamins. You can also buy a whey protein mix in powder form and just make a protein shake, as well.

Instead of eating the meat in more quantity, you should be eating more iron rich veggies. Meat does not contain as much iron as some veggies do. If you need a list of iron-rich veggies, let me know.

If you're craving sweets, drink a glass of water, eat the nut/fruit mix, and add a sweet fruit. If you stay away from refined sugars and flours, the cravings will go away in about a week or so.

I eat a lot of fruit during the day. I buy the 100 calories snack packs and have one when I am craving "junk". Also I eat chocolate yogurt for my chocolate cravings which I have often. Stay away from Diet Coke there has been research that has found people who drink Diet Coke actually eat more food. To help up your iron intake you can eat fresh green beans with a little low fat dip. Good Luck there is something about the weight from the second one, it just won't go away. I still have 10lbs from my second daughter and she's 16 years old!

i LOVED luna bars when i was on the go alot..good for you still nursing btw

I couldn't sit and eat during the day when I was home and a nursing mom even tho I had all the time in the world compared to now, but here are some things that made my top list:

hummus w/carrots, crackers, pita slices
cheese cubes and crackers
boiled red or gold potatoes
boiled eggs

fruit was never filling for me:(

My husband does the grocery shopping in our house and the cooking, so I usually don't get to buy those junky snacks. I was used to it before we got married. Now that we've been married for 4 years I've gotten used to snacking on fruits, vegetables, trail mix and such. Fruits will satisfy your sweet craving! Also we ALWAYS have hard boiled eggs in the fridge and they are VERY filling!!

Nursing takes a lot of calories, so don't worry too much about it - eat when you're hungry, but eat healthy.

How about:
Trail mix (nuts, raisins, cheerios, and maybe a few M&Ms to spice it up)
pita and hummus
yogurt and granola
granola bars - you can make home-made ones too
cut up veggies
fruit + peanut butter (apples or bananas)
hard-boiled eggs or even deviled eggs (I *adore* these)

N.-

I love the Fiber One bars. My favorite one is the chocalate and oats, but they also have peanut butter and oats, and carmel and oats. Although not organic, they have 9 grams of fiber and really taste great. And only 2 points on Weight Watchers, if that is something you've thought about. I also gained 50 pounds during my pregnancy and really struggled to lose it. I joined Weight Watchers and found a lot success in the program! Just a thought!

Hi N. - congratulations on your newest addition! My favorite "on the go snacks" are 10-12 almonds and an apple, or pear. I also sometimes do a lowfat string cheese in place of the almonds. I just buy almonds in bulk and separate them out into snack-size ziploc bags when I buy them - all I have to do is grab-and-go on my way out the door in the morning! For me it's a good mix of sweet and salty/crunchy (I LOVE chips, too).:)

If I'm at home, I'll do 1-2 Tblsp of peanut butter with the apple. That's not as easy for being on the go, but I like the flavor and it keeps me satisfied. Good luck! -D.

Fruit and vegetables are great snacks. Fruit needs no special preparation other than washing. Vegetables can be washed and cut at night, but if you don't mind spending a little bit more money you can get packages of precut veggies and just wash them.

The great thing about fruits and veggies is that they fill you up quickly, when eaten alone as snacks they are best digested/absorbed, and they can help you lose the weight since they are fibrous and low calorie. On the plus side since you are nursing, many fruits have a high water content and can help with hydration (as you probably know it isn't the 'water' that increases your supply, but hydration helps with body processes and functioning as not to inhibit lactation) Also, fruits and veggies can easily be eaten in the car if you're on the go. To mix it up and add a bit of protein, make small baggies of nuts like peanuts, almonds, or cashews.

If you absolutely must have sweets, try the various 100 calorie snack packs out there. Granted, they're not great nutritionally, but they can satisfy a sweet tooth without blowing your calorie allotment.

When running errands, it is still okay to go to places like Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, or some other place with a drive-through, but know that many of those places are starting to get with the program and offer healthier snacks (such as the fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonalds). Nearly every fast food restaurant lists their nutritional information online, so check out your favorite places and see the 'good stuff' they have to offer and order that instead.

I don't know if you can do this or not but I have been trying to follow the slim fast plan. You eat about 6 times a day. It has worked so far with me. I know with breastfeeding it is alot harder. Like someone else said I bought a few 100 calorie snack packs, slimfast shakes and snacks, fruit, yogart etc. Some of the stuff is really nice for being on the go. I have lost about 7 lbs in 2 weeks. Hope that helps, good luck. You can go to www.slim-fast.com, they might be able to help you more too.