cheap/ healthy snacks

Lilyplonk

I have 5 dgk's + OH with a sweet tooth, so I'm afraid that 'snack-type stuff' figures quite high in my budget.

However, being a dedicated skinflint, I will only buy when I see crisps etc on 'the bashed box stand' - this is where 'reduced price stuff/whoopsied packages/ys things' are put when the packaging has been damaged. Very often there's packs of crisps where 'Mr Nobody' has opened them and taken a pack out or even packs of alcoholic drinks with one can/bottle missing. With one packet, or one bottle, missing - the packs are often marked down to 2/3 of the original price :j. Basically the rule in my house is 'If it ain't on the bashed box stand, it don't get bought!'. Unless OH buys it himself, that is :T.


If you're into baking - you could try making 'Twinks' which are easy to make and always popular on this site. They come with many variations. Great for Lunch Boxes OR just for filling up the Biscuit Tin. BEWARE - can cause addiction .

This is the link to the 'Complete Baking Recipe Collection' on here - have a look through to see if there's anything that sounds as though your family might like them.

Gigervamp

If you take a basic muffin recipe, you can add all sorts of fruit to it. Blueberries, apple and cinnamon, banana etc.

Flapjacks can have dried fruit such as dates, apricots, sultanas etc.

Using a yorkshire tin, you could make mini fruit pies.

FR_262

carrot sticks. My DSs won't eat a raw carrot but if I peel it, cut it into fingers and dip it water they'll eat it.

Cheese straws. Get a blob of pastry. roll it flat. Cover it in a layer of grated cheese (not too thick). Fold it over into a sausage. bring the ends to the middle and roll it flat into a rectangle if you can. Cut into 1" strips and about 3-4" long. Cook. delicious.

Hard boiled eggs.

Marmite soldiers.

Toast.

Cold pasta with low fat mayo. Put the pasta into those little bowls you can get from the children's section is Ikea and cover with clingfilm (to maintain a portion size and stop OH eating too much!)

Jelly, again in small bowls as above but without the mayo!

Popcorn - do it int he microwave.

clairfairy

Lilyplonk wrote: »

I have 5 dgk's + OH with a sweet tooth, so I'm afraid that 'snack-type stuff' figures quite high in my budget.

However, being a dedicated skinflint, I will only buy when I see crisps etc on 'the bashed box stand' - this is where 'reduced price stuff/whoopsied packages/ys things' are put when the packaging has been damaged. Very often there's packs of crisps where 'Mr Nobody' has opened them and taken a pack out or even packs of alcoholic drinks with one can/bottle missing. With one packet, or one bottle, missing - the packs are often marked down to 2/3 of the original price :j. Basically the rule in my house is 'If it ain't on the bashed box stand, it don't get bought!'. Unless OH buys it himself, that is :T.


If you're into baking - you could try making 'Twinks' which are easy to make and always popular on this site. They come with many variations. Great for Lunch Boxes OR just for filling up the Biscuit Tin. BEWARE - can cause addiction .

This is the link to the 'Complete Baking Recipe Collection' on here - have a look through to see if there's anything that sounds as though your family might like them.

Thanks for the links will have a look through today for ideas, the Twinks sound brilliant and love hobnobs but refuse to pay the silly money for them

I do look in the reduced box but don't often find much, but will keep looking

peachyprice

I always keep a jar of mixed fruit and nut trail mix on the side for anyone to grab a handful of. They must like it because it goes down at a constant rate. Although the main culprit for picking out the nuts me

madnotstupid

We are a very snack-y household, never more so than when I have baked something - it just disappears. I try to hide some of both HM and bought stuff - the full-ness of a cake tin increases the size of portion! - and I am the worst culprit - a lot to be said for out of sight out of mind.

If you don't already have a look at approved foods. The delivery charge is quite high, so I tend to order once a month or less, and stock up. also, home bargains are good for snack-y type things and I like aldi for crisps.

I also thought of french toast (eggy bread) - ys loaf, dip slices in beaten egg and freeze flat. You can then grill, oven bake or I imagine toast in the toaster. sugar and cinnamon, or parmesan cheese on top.

Soup frozen in single portions, make up individual jellies, or individual yogurts taken out from a bigger tub - may we be cheaper than buying singles.

Frugalbride

I love the selection of biscuits in Aldi. You can get most types for around 30p a pack and they have multipacks of chocolate bars 'inspired' by the famous brands for around 70p.
In terms of getting fruit in our diets me and OH make up a little jellies for puddings with lots of fruit in. Very cheap! We also like bananas and custard or Greek yoghurt. I have seen a recipe for fruit crisps, cutting up apples that you dry out in the oven. Maybe someone more knowledgeable will know how to do this!

jackyann

I have often dried apples, you need to do it on a very low heat & it takes ages - honestly only worth doing with free apples.
My favourite tip is to keep cut up fruit & veg in the fridge for snacking.

Butterfly_Brain

Being diabetic I do not have many snacks around the house apart from nuts, 80%chocolate and fruit which I eat rarely, I can have a small slice of sponge cake at a push.

The family however eat me out of house and home

So I make them things such as

Twinks hobnobs

Sponge drops

D&DD's apple braid

Melting moments

Flapjacks...their favourites have dried apricots, seeds, and nuts then dipped in chocolate

Shortbread dipped in chocolate

Cheese straws

HM rich tea biscuits

80g Caster Sugar
180g Butter
240g [FONT=&quot][/FONT]Plain Flour
1tbsp Milk
1tbsp Baking Powder
0.5tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 190c/gas 4/ fan 180c
Put the caster sugar, flour, baking powder and butter into a large bowl and rub together with your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs
Add the 1tbsp of milk and 0.5tsp of vanilla extract and knead into a firm dough.
Roll out to approx 2-3mm thick.
Flour your rolling pin too so it does'nt stick to your dough.
Using your favourite shaped cutter (about 7 or 8cm in diameter), circular is traditional. Cut out as many biscuits as possible from the dough.
Place as many biscuits as you can on a baking sheet, don't worry they don't spread very much, if at all.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 9 mins until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack, they will crisp up a bit as they cool.

HM ginger nuts this makes about 36

250g sr flour
1 tbsp ground ginger or to taste (this takes a bit of trial and error)
75g butter or margarine
125g golden syrup
125g demerara sugar
2 tbsps of milk

sift the flour and ginger together, add the butter/marge and rub in until it looks like fine breadcrumbs.

mix the syrup, sugar and milk together, add to the flour mixture and mix to a smooth dough.

knead lightly and shape into a roll about 3.5cm in diameter.

chill for about an hour then cut into 5mm thick slices and put on a greased baking sheet about 1 cm apart

bake in a preheated oven 180c/ gas 4 /170c fan
for about 20 minutes or until the tops are cracked and golden.

leave on the baking sheet for a minute then put on a rack to cool

Keep in an airtight tin

Florasaurus

I have quite a sweet tooth + I live on my own so treats don't cost that much when you don't have to split them, but I like buying:

- frozen cheesecakes/gateaus and then defrosting them slice by slice, one usually lasts me a good 2/3 weeks

- Little boxes of flapjacks or shortbread biscuits, they're about 25 for £2 so it's not bad on price per treat

+ little pouches of chocolates like Munchies or M&Ms, again I only have a handful each time so it's fairly cheap + would be even cheaper if you got store brand sweets