High protein snacks
A friend asked me to write about high protein snacks, so, because I can't think of anything else to write and I'm tired, I'm going to make use of the prompt.
First, some of you may be wondering why. Why is this even a thing? Well, do you remember this post from a while back, about some small, screaming girls? Go ahead a read it, it will illustrate the why pretty well.
Sometimes I Get Things Right
Some children are more prone to behavior difficulties and just coping in general without regular amounts of protein in their system. This is particularly true of children from hard places, whose brains are not wired optimally to begin with. By regular, I mean every two hours, though even that is a little too long for a couple of my children. As a result, the whole household has become a little fixated on protein and where to find it. It is often the difference between calm and chaos.
The other thing I want to mention is that in my example in the link I posted, the other reason that worked is that the trail mix I made had some sugar in it... dried fruit and chocolate chips. These don't have protein, but the sugar acts as kind of an emergency rescue drug providing a quick energy boost which the protein along with it, then help to even things out. Sometimes a piece of chocolate is the very best thing. (For moms, too.)
Since you can Google 'high protein snacks' and come up a with a pretty lengthy list, I thought I would annotate mine saying what worked and what didn't.
First defense around here currently is either a glass of milk or peanut butter. These are easily available and generally liked. The people who need them do not have any allergies, so these are a good option. Usually the peanut butter will be eaten on a banana which adds the quick sugar boost as well. Another first defense option is beef jerky. This is currently L.'s protein of choice and it used to be TM's. Also quick and easy, though not quite as budget friendly as the first two.
Which leads me to briefly discuss availability. It is generally known in the household which child is most prone to needing a boost of protein. As I mentioned, a regulated child makes life calmer for everyone. It is in everyone's best interests. I am perfectly okay having special protein stashes for those certain children that are not available to anyone else. Sometimes they will get some, but it is generally off limits. There may be a little grumbling, but usually this is not an issue. Fair around here means that every person gets the opportunity to function at their best. For some people this means they need more or different special snacks. We explain it, life goes on.
Other protein snacks that we have used... protein bars (while expensive, these are excellent for travelling and there were many years when I wouldn't leave the house without one in my purse), nuts (peanuts, almond, etc., though because of the prevalence of allergies, I am hesitant to carry them with me so we tend to keep them at home), baked and seasoned chickpeas, deli meat, Greek yogurt, pumpkin seeds, and cheese. These are of the quick and easy grab from the pantry variety.
There are sources of protein which require a little more work, so are more often used for breakfast or lunch. Eggs are right at the top of this list. I try to keep hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator, but since they tend to get eaten, it makes it a little difficult. (An interesting aside, duck eggs have more protein than chicken eggs. I know where you can get some.) There have been times when a child has left their schoolwork to go and make a fried egg. Hummus is another one, being made out of chickpeas. My children love hummus, and I cannot make it enough or enough of it. Tuna is also popular with most people, and often appears in tuna salad.
Finally, the odd protein source: sardines. TM is the one who went through a sardine phase and would eat them right out of the tin. The flavor was probably improved by the fact that it made at least one sibling make quite a bit of fuss over the smell. If a food tastes good and is good for you, how much better is it if it also annoys your sister?
We found out about sardines because there was a season where I would grab just about anything off the shelf to read the label. If it had protein, I would buy one and give it a try. One thing that just never caught on here were protein balls or protein cookies. I got the same reaction about these things as I did over most 'educational' games. They both seemed to fall into the "I can tell it's supposed to be good for me and your disguise isn't working" category.
I'm sure there are some that I've missed or forgotten. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments.
First, some of you may be wondering why. Why is this even a thing? Well, do you remember this post from a while back, about some small, screaming girls? Go ahead a read it, it will illustrate the why pretty well.
Sometimes I Get Things Right
Some children are more prone to behavior difficulties and just coping in general without regular amounts of protein in their system. This is particularly true of children from hard places, whose brains are not wired optimally to begin with. By regular, I mean every two hours, though even that is a little too long for a couple of my children. As a result, the whole household has become a little fixated on protein and where to find it. It is often the difference between calm and chaos.
The other thing I want to mention is that in my example in the link I posted, the other reason that worked is that the trail mix I made had some sugar in it... dried fruit and chocolate chips. These don't have protein, but the sugar acts as kind of an emergency rescue drug providing a quick energy boost which the protein along with it, then help to even things out. Sometimes a piece of chocolate is the very best thing. (For moms, too.)
Since you can Google 'high protein snacks' and come up a with a pretty lengthy list, I thought I would annotate mine saying what worked and what didn't.
First defense around here currently is either a glass of milk or peanut butter. These are easily available and generally liked. The people who need them do not have any allergies, so these are a good option. Usually the peanut butter will be eaten on a banana which adds the quick sugar boost as well. Another first defense option is beef jerky. This is currently L.'s protein of choice and it used to be TM's. Also quick and easy, though not quite as budget friendly as the first two.
Which leads me to briefly discuss availability. It is generally known in the household which child is most prone to needing a boost of protein. As I mentioned, a regulated child makes life calmer for everyone. It is in everyone's best interests. I am perfectly okay having special protein stashes for those certain children that are not available to anyone else. Sometimes they will get some, but it is generally off limits. There may be a little grumbling, but usually this is not an issue. Fair around here means that every person gets the opportunity to function at their best. For some people this means they need more or different special snacks. We explain it, life goes on.
Other protein snacks that we have used... protein bars (while expensive, these are excellent for travelling and there were many years when I wouldn't leave the house without one in my purse), nuts (peanuts, almond, etc., though because of the prevalence of allergies, I am hesitant to carry them with me so we tend to keep them at home), baked and seasoned chickpeas, deli meat, Greek yogurt, pumpkin seeds, and cheese. These are of the quick and easy grab from the pantry variety.
There are sources of protein which require a little more work, so are more often used for breakfast or lunch. Eggs are right at the top of this list. I try to keep hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator, but since they tend to get eaten, it makes it a little difficult. (An interesting aside, duck eggs have more protein than chicken eggs. I know where you can get some.) There have been times when a child has left their schoolwork to go and make a fried egg. Hummus is another one, being made out of chickpeas. My children love hummus, and I cannot make it enough or enough of it. Tuna is also popular with most people, and often appears in tuna salad.
Finally, the odd protein source: sardines. TM is the one who went through a sardine phase and would eat them right out of the tin. The flavor was probably improved by the fact that it made at least one sibling make quite a bit of fuss over the smell. If a food tastes good and is good for you, how much better is it if it also annoys your sister?
We found out about sardines because there was a season where I would grab just about anything off the shelf to read the label. If it had protein, I would buy one and give it a try. One thing that just never caught on here were protein balls or protein cookies. I got the same reaction about these things as I did over most 'educational' games. They both seemed to fall into the "I can tell it's supposed to be good for me and your disguise isn't working" category.
I'm sure there are some that I've missed or forgotten. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments.
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