Snack time can be a problem when you start this homesteading journey. Moving away from the store-bought snacks and into more homemade things is hard. These 5 high protein gluten free snacks are some of our favorites!
When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease at 5 years old, there were a lot of options in the stores. You couldn’t just run to the store and go down the snack aisle for loads of snack options, in fact you couldn’t even buy a gluten free all purpose flour.
So my mom had to make my foods from scratch. But without a lot of knowledge and resources, they weren’t that great. By the time it got to snacks I ate a lot of chips. Because most chips were safe to eat.
The problem was, I was hungry all the time. And my love for the “crunch” of a chip continued into adulthood.
Fast forward to my adult years and having my own children, I just carried on with what I knew. The only change was I could buy all sorts of things that were processed, yet gluten free, now at the store. That was an exciting day!
Let me be clear that I don’t think eating chips is completely bad. In fact, foods in moderation are always ok. But when I was buying bags and bags of chips as a “snack” my body and my girls body was not getting what they needed to be fueled for their day.
How snacks changed on my health journey.
As I embarked on this journey of health, you can hear more about why I started this health journey here, I knew I needed healthy gluten-free snacks to feed to my girls. However, I didn’t just want healthy, I wanted them to keep them fuller longer so they weren’t constantly running back to the fridge or cabinet for more.
That’s when I knew I needed to focus on high protein snacks.
Most of these are dairy-free snacks along with gluten free. What I love the most about these snacks is, they are simple to make on the spot or ahead of time to take with you when on the go.
What I am looking for in any dish or snack are wholesome ingredients. I always say you are only as healthy as the ingredients in your food. So when I am buying the ingredients for my snacks I am looking for full fat dairy, peanut butter with no added junk, raw honey, and dark chocolate chips.
Picking ingredients that are better for you to start with, will make a big difference as you go about this journey and ultimately make your end products healthier.
Why is high protein snacks so much better for you?
When you are eating a snack you really want to grab for something that has a good amount of protein, healthy fat, fiber, and carbohydrates. But we are going to focus on protein and why you would be wise to get it into your diet.
Protein helps to stabilize your blood sugar. This will make you feel fuller longer, so you are not going back for another snack in 20 minutes.
Other benefits of protein are, it can help with weight loss, satisfy your cravings, and even muscle repair. The more physically you are working, you will need your muscles to be repaired and built back up! Protein will aid in this.
For more information and help on what you should be getting into your diet, check out Kennedy Youngren who is a registered dietitian and my dear friend. You can find her on Instagram.
Ok now let’s get to my top 5 high protein gluten free snacks.
1. Peanut Butter or Lunch Meat/Cheese with Rice Cake
This is a snack that everyone loves! We will even use this for a lunch on the go!
I like to get the Lundberg Family Farms, thin stack brown rice cakes. They are lightly salted and they are perfect for this snack or lunch. I buy them on Azure Standard by the case or you can get them on Amazon. Some local grocery stores will have them as well.
We will take one thin rice cake cover it in peanut butter or your favorite nut butter, maybe add some sliced banana and you have a delicious filling snack. I like to make my own peanut butter, but if you want to buy it make sure to check the label and try and get one with the least amount of added ingredients.
The other option would be to take a thin rice cake and add a slice of lunch meat (your choice but we like turkey!) and a slice of cheese. This is a good lunch as well. If we are eating this as a lunch we usually have 2-3 rice cakes and my girls even like to put a rice cake on top too so it is like a sandwich. It has a delicious crunch and it pleases all 3 girls.
2. Hard-Boiled Egg
I added this snack into my 5 high protein gluten free snacks list because it is incredibly easy to take on the go. It’s also the perfect snack to always have on hand when your chickens are laying loads of eggs.
I like to take about 7-10 eggs every week and hard boil them to keep in the fridge for later. If we are going to be out and about, I will take a couple eggs remove the shells and sprinkle them with some salt then put them in a container to take with us. We love hard boiled eggs with salt so they are ready to eat on the fly!
If you have farm fresh eggs like me and get frustrated that your whites peel away with your shells, I have the solution! Check out my post on how to hard boil the perfect farm fresh egg.
Want to make this a meal and get carbs and fiber in as well?
Take your hard boiled eggs, smash with a fork or grate with a cheese grater. Add in some mayonnaise and give it all a good stir. Put it in between two slices of whole grain bread, either regular or gluten free, and enjoy a delicious egg salad sandwich!
No one in my family is sad when I make egg salad sandwiches!
3. Yogurt with granola and fruit
This is a simple yet filling snack you can have. All of my girls love yogurt with granola and we even do it as a quick breakfast from time to time.
You can buy yogurt from the store but those tend to carry loads of added sugar and unnecessary ingredients, so I like to make my own simple mason jar yogurt. It is easy to make and I know that it only has simple ingredients that are in it.
If you make your own, it will be plain. So when we are ready to make up a bowl for a snack, I will add in a little raw honey or pure maple syrup to my bowl. Top it off with some fresh fruit and a little homemade granola and you have yourself a delicious healthy snack!
You can even take a mason jar and make up a wonderful yogurt parfait to take on the go!
4. String Cheese or Cubed Cheese with Almond Crackers
This snack is perfect for on the go because there is really no prep work involved! If you prefer to buy string cheese from the store that makes it super easy, otherwise just take a block of cheese and slice it or cube it.
I like to buy Simple Mills gluten free crackers to pair with some cheese. These gluten-free crackers are the only crackers we buy because they have real wholesome ingredients, no artificial flavors, and are delicious.
We get them in a big box at Costco every month, but you can also find them in some grocery stores (but it is a smaller box) or on Amazon. I have only ever seen the big boxes at Costco.
You can also pair each cracker with a slice of lunch meat for some added protein along with the cheese.
5. Energy Balls
Last but certainly not least is this delicious energy ball. I’m telling you my girls could eat these all the time.
They are not baked and packed with some goodness. Since they aren’t baked you are getting all the nutrition packed in these because the heat of an oven isn’t killing them.
Ingredients like peanut butter, raw honey, oats, and flax seed meal will make these energy balls not only full of good protein but also a good source of fiber. You can make a variety of flavors by adding in different nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
With these great gluten free high-protein snacks you are sure to please everyone in your family. Having a variety pack of different healthy snacks available, that will fill everyone up, is essential in our day to day busyness here on the ranch!
So there you have it…. my simple 5 high protein gluten free snacks that I love to feed my family.
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