100 Clean Eating Snacks

You may have heard the term “clean eating.”  Basically it is a term used to describe eating food that is not processed.  Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc have been deemed whole foods.  When you are on a budget, whole foods can seem expensive.  There are some that are less expensive than others so I wanted to put together a list of clean eating snack ideas that will help you stay on track with your health goals as well as your financial goals.

First, here are some tips to stay in budget while eating healthy:

• Plan you meals and snacks as much as possible. Planning ahead will help you stay in budget.  I know it has helped us.  This has saved me time with planning meals and we have save about $20 each week with our food budget. If the meals aren’t freezer friendly, I at least prep the meat and put it in a labeled freezer bag.

• Plan to have the same snack for a couple days in a week.  If you plan to eat celery and hummus for a snack, make sure you plan to use it all in that week.  For example, we might use it as a snack for 3 days out of a week to make sure we use it all.

• The key is to choose only 4-5 snacks per week that you and your family will use up.  We always have bananas, apples, peanut butter lying around.  Those are staples for us.  I will then mix it up with some hummus and veggies or sometimes buy pretzels with hummus.  We buy avocados every week and use them as part of a meal a lot.  Depending on the size of your family. You may need to plan for more or less. 

• Shop in season.  Take advantage of the different produce available at different times of year.  Buy what is in season and buy local.  It will help you save money.  Here are more tips on how to save on groceries.  If you are like me, taking the time to create a grocery list can seem like an arduous task.  This may help you save time creating your grocery list.

• If you are a creature of habit, stick to a few snacks you love and change it up after a while.  I eat an apple and peanut butter just about everyday.  I love them.  If I get sick of that snack, I will change it up to something different but it is ok to stick to foods that are pretty similar.  It saves time creating a grocery list that way.

100  Cheap Clean Eating Snack Ideas:

1. Hard boiled eggs
2. Celery and hummus
3. Celery and almond butter
4. Buy Almond Butter  in individual packets if you only use a little here and there.  It will only cost $1.25 per packet instead of $10 per jar for the stuff without sugar
5. Apples
6. Bananas
7. English muffin pizza- store bought pizza sauce, very light sprinkle of cheese and veggies on top
8. Tuna with celery
9. Baby carrots and peanut butter
10. Peanut butter by the tablespoon (I cannot be the only one who does this)
11. Pineapple
12. Rice cake with peanut butter
13. Peanut butter on banana
14. Whole wheat tortilla with cream cheese spread (Laughing Cow Cheese) and sliced cucumber.  (yes I know cheese isn’t completely clean, but I do think that you can have dairy in moderation and still eat well.)
15. String cheese
16. Nitrate free lunch meat with a veggie
17. Grapes (you can freeze them and they taste like candy)
18. Leftover protein from dinner the night before
19. Homemade guacamole and cucumbers (avocados are $2.99 per bag at Marcs.  1/2 avocado is a serving)
20. Grilled veggies- I like grilled red pepper and onion
21. Roasted broccoli (you can roast it in the over the previous night and reheat at work)
22. Clementines
23. Tuna lettuce wrap
24. Kale chips– buy kale and make your own chips.  It is super easy
25. Yogurt
26. Blueberries and strawberries- when in season
27. Apple and peanut butter
28. Homemade oatmeal muffins- Berry Bakes Oatmeal Cups are my favorite by Organize Yourself Skinny.  You can find the berries at Aldi in the frozen section!
29. Homemade granola bars
30. Frozen veggies
31. Whole wheat bread and a nut butter
32. Whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter and banana
33. Rice cakes and hummus
34. Homemade granola– this stuff is amazing from Organize Yourself Skinny!
35. Banana Ice cream (frozen bananas- grind in food processor and add 1 tbsp peanut butter, blend again and serve)
36. Watermelon with fresh squeezed lime
37. Sliced tomato and feta cheese
38. Protein balls– from The Comfort of Cooking.  They are awesome!  Kids love them!
39. Popcorn
40. Cucumber and hummus
41. Homemade Popsicles – Recipe by FoodieFun
42. Applesauce
43. Tomato and cucumber salad
44. Cranberries
45. Sweet potato
46. Bell pepper with tuna
47. Bell pepper and hummus
48. Egg Muffins– recipe by Organize Yourself Skinny because I love her:)  You can substitute veggies in here also.  Use up veggies that may be getting old.
49. Avocado on toast with a little salt and pepper
50. Sunflower seeds
51. Chips and cheddar cheese- our favorite.  Whole grain chips with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.  YUM
52. Chips and salsa
53. Almonds- you can find them at Aldi and they are not too badly priced
54. Cashews- same as the almonds.  Aldi is a bit cheaper.
55. Whole grain waffle with peanut butter and 1/2 banana
56. 1 cup almond milk
57. 1 cup of coffee
58. Lettuce wrap with salmon (any leftover from dinner?)
59. Celery and peanut butter and raisins
60. Celery and Laughing Cow cheese
61. Steamed brussel sprouts
62. Pickles with a slice of lunch meat
63. Steamed cauliflower with sprinkle of cheddar cheese
64. Rice and black beans
65. Cottage cheese
66. Roast beef on a lettuce wrap with horseradish or mustard
67. Pears- when on sale or at a Farmer’s market
68. Tomato with tuna on top
69. Roasted carrots
70. Roasted asparagus
71. Homemade black bean salsa with whole wheat tortilla chips or on a rice cake (1 serving size chips)-recipe by Sally’s Baking Addiction.
72. Turkey burger
73. Cup of green or black tea
74. Egg salad lettuce wrap
75. Cucumber and tomato with balsamic dressing in 1/2 whole wheat pita
76. Edamame
77. Sauteed spinach with garlic
78. 1/2 cup oatmeal with strawberries and nuts of your choice
79. Unsweetened raisins
80. Whole wheat toast with Laughing Cow cheese triangle and tomato on top
81. Whole wheat pretzels
82. Homemade pumpkin muffins
83. Oranges
84. Chocolate avocado mousse by Chocolate Covered Katie.  Use Almond milk or low fat milk for the recipe
85. Whole grain cereal
86. Peaches- when in season
87. Canned fruit- in 100% juice.
88. Whole wheat English muffin with nut butter
89. Tomato with sprinkle of feta or fresh mozzarella cheese and drizzle of balsamic vinegar
90. Carrots and hummus
91. Cantaloupe
92. Green smoothie– good way to use up extra greens.  Recipe by Eating Well.
93. Mango slices
94. Watermelon salsa– Recipe by Eating Well
95. Roasted cauliflower with a sprinkle of parmesan on top
96. Peppers and hummus rolled up with a slice of turkey
97. Blackberries- when in season and a handful of almonds
98. Small whole grain tortilla wrap, lunch meat, spinach and mustard
99. Homemade zucchini muffins– recipe by Gimme Some Oven ( How about gimme some more of these muffins!  YUM!)
100. Mini Mexican pizzas- small tortilla, 2 tbsp. salsa and sprinkle of cheddar cheese  Bake in oven until cheese is melted.  If you have leftover chicken or beef you can also add that on top.