Visiting Hours - Nutritious Meals on the Go
By Doralynne Jarvis, RD, Avera Sacred Heart Nutrition Services
In a constantly moving society, it sometimes seems as though there isn’t time to even eat. As we all know, this isn’t a good thing. Fortunately, there are many nutritious ways to get a bite to eat without sacrificing a lot of time. (Of course, it’s still better for a number of other reasons to gather around the table for a good meal with the family.)
When we’re on the go, however, it’s quick food that we need and we shouldn’t sacrifice nutrition to get it. I’m not saying you should ban fast food restaurants altogether, in fact, many of them are starting to offer healthier alternatives, but nothing is healthier than fresh, whole foods prepared in your own kitchen.
Here are some quick ideas you can try:
- String cheese
- Yogurt
- Cheese & whole grain crackers (try Ak-Mak crackers)
- Granola bars (look for at least 3-4 grams fiber per bar and no high fructose corn syrup)
- Apple wedges and peanut butter
- Celery sticks with peanut butter
- Fresh veggies, cut and bagged
- Water or other non-caffeinated beverage
- Fresh fruit
- 100% fruit, canned fruit cups or applesauce
- Deli-meat roll-ups (Turkey breast with thin cheese slice and baby spinach) roll-up and put toothpick thru to hold together
Be creative, there are tons of quick healthy snacks out there. My personal favorite is an oatmeal-peanut butter energy bar. I can make a batch of two dozen and use them for breakfast if I’m running late, or simply as a “pick-me-up” during the day. It only takes about 20 minutes to make a batch and they’ll keep for quite a while.
Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Energy Bars
Makes 24 servings
Ingredients:
½ c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 c. ground flaxseed
½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
¾ cup natural peanut butter
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup honey
1 large omega egg
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds
½ cup dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
In medium bowl, add flour, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Mix together with a whisk.
Beat the peanut butter, sugar, and honey in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until blended.
Blend egg and egg whites in small bowl with whisk or fork until well blended.
Add eggs, oil and vanilla to the peanut butter mixture. Beat until smooth.
Add reserved flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula.
Mix in oats, dried fruit, nuts and chocolate.
Scrape batter into prepared baking pan. Use a piece of wax paper or parchment paper to spread batter into an even layer.
Bake the bars until light, golden brown and firm to touch, 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.
Nutrition Facts per serving: 213 kcal, 10g fat, 2g sat fat, 9mg cholesterol, 84mg sodium, 27gm carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 14g sugar, 6g protein.
Doralynne Jarvis, RD, is the assistant director of Nutrition Services at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital.