Mind Your Decisions

Fast and Frugal Late Night Snacks

The consulting grind encouraged my night owl tendencies. When I retired to my quarters, I found myself snacking on delicious and fattening restaurant leftovers. I was new to the job, but I quickly understood the saying “fat consultant.”

While I still work late at night, I’ve drastically improved my nutrition habits. I try to avoid eating if possible, but I listen to my hunger and look for healthy options. Here are three of my favorite late night snacks.

Oatmeal

• Time: 2 minutes for quick oats
• Cost: about 10 cents per ½ cup serving
• Nutrition facts: 140 calories, 2.5 g fat, 4 g dietary fiber, 5 g protein

Oatmeal is my favorite snack. It starts out dry so it is easy to transport. All you need is hot water or a microwave to make it. This means you can prepare it virtually anywhere—in offices, hotels, or even in hospitals. I imagine it’s a staple for healthy travelers and hospital interns.

There are all sorts of variations. If I want something salty, I add a pinch of salt. If I want something sweet, I add half of a banana or some berries.

Dressed up a bit, oatmeal is appetizing and always hits the spot.

image source: jslander via flickr

Whole wheat bread with pumpkin butter

• Time: 30 seconds
• Cost: about 20 cents per slice
• Nutrition facts: 110 calories, 1 g fat, 2 g dietary fiber, 4 g protein

Pumpkin butter is a product I recently discovered. It’s essentially pumpkin puree sweetened with sugar and spiced with complementary flavors like cinnamon or allspice. It’s fat-free and has a thick preserve-like consistency.

Whole wheat bread topped with pumpkin butter hits my sweet spot.

Here’s what it looks like:

image source: copyrighted image used with permission from tiny muffins via flickr

I find pumpkin butter at Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find it, the recipe looks like it’s easy to make.

Two corn tortillas with black bean salsa dip

• Time: 1 minute
• Cost: about 60 cents
• Nutrition facts: about 160 calories, 1 g fat, 4 g dietary fiber, 4 g protein

This is the costliest of the three recipes, but that’s because I make it with store brand salsa and black bean dip (from Trader Joe’s). If you’re cost sensitive, you could probably cut the cost in half by making these components.

I mix an equal ratio of Trader Joe’s fire roasted tomato salsa and spicy black bean dip. Then, I microwave it with two corn tortillas for 20-30 seconds.

Add your favorite hot sauce and a hint of lime juice to spice things up.