We all love to snack. However, sometimes it’s these foods that push the grocery bill over budget and oftentimes they contain ingredients that aren’t always that great for us.
Finding a happy medium, great tasting good but yet won’t break the bank can be a challenge but here are some of my favorite stand bys-
Good Finds From Target
I’ll start with some products I recently got to sample thanks to the kind folks at Target. Check out their Market Pantry line which has a box of 18 packets of fruit snacks for just $2.54. You know I’m not usually a fan of individually wrapped items but I think at this price, these are the exception. They also have these attractive bottles of popcorn and seasoning mix, both are just $2.99 a piece. Perfect for a snack while you’re watching a movie. And thinking ahead they’d make the ideal holiday gift along with a gift card for a movie rental. Another ideal I came up with for the seasoning is to use it on homemade potato and tortilla chips.
Yogurt
More about yogurt next week, but here’s one of my favorite healthy and cheap snacks. homemade yogurt pops. Fill each container and freeze it for an hour or more and they’re ready anytime the afternoon or after school slump hits.
Edamame
Otherwise known as soybeans. I didn’t think I’d like them but they really are delicious. They cook in a few minutes so you can have some on hand in the fridge all the time. You can even use seasoning on them too.
Bulk Bin Goodies
When it comes to making homemade snacks nothing beats the bulk bins. Dried fruit, granola mix, nuts, you name it and at half the cost of the packaged mixes you see on the shelves.
Pinwheel Sandwiches
For me the ideal snack takes the edge off your hunger but doens’t ruin your appetite. Sometimes I’ll take a slice of bread, roll it out so it’s larger and then top it with cream cheese and herbs or PB and J, roll it up and cut it into bite size slices.
And Speaking of…
Peanut butter, yes, I know the prices are supposed to be going up but I still think it’s a bargain food. Try it on slices of apples…they’re getting cheaper now it’s apple season. Or on top of crackers.
Fruit
Yes, you can still grab some bargains in the produce department with fruits like peaches and nectarines…I bought mine for 99 cents a pound this week. Also I’ve seen sales on mangoes, grapes, apples and pears. I make a fruit salad at weekends,(add some fruit juice to stop the fruit from browning) and it’s there all week for snacking or topping for oatmeal or cereal.
