6 Easy Snacks to Eat While You Cook
snack ideas — ADHD Cooking Tips
is it an appetizer if it’s eaten out of a bag?
If you're anything like me, you probably find yourself putting off making meals until your brainpower is zapped and your tummy is grumbling so loud it's scaring the dog. That hour-long journey towards the Loaded Baked Potato you planned for dinner is looking pretty bleak.
Instead of calling it quits on your meal plans altogether, it's time to pull out the snacks, baby. Forget whatever you heard growing up about spoiling your dinner. When you're hungry, you're hungry, and you gotta eat.
Because I'm a pro at waiting till the last possible minute, I've got a bunch of while-you-cook snack ideas up my apron sleeves to share. Grab em and munch away as you pull together a more comprehensive meal, like one of these Level 2 or Level 3 recipes.
Photo by Valeria Boltneva from Pexels
01. Charcoochie board
Listen, your Charcuterie doesn't have to be fancy pants. Take the pressure off and just call it a Snack Platter, if you want. It doesn't have to look photo-worthy to taste good.
Typically, I stick to Cheeze, Crackers, and a Meatless Deli Meat (like Field Roast slices). Most of the time I don't even put this on a plate because I don't want to do the extra dishes.
If you want to go all out, some other great additions are Olives, Pickled Veggies, Jams, Spreads, Pretzels, Chocolate, Apples, or Pears.
I typically chose items that are complementary to one another so I don't have a bunch of weird flavors meddling— but that's just me. You can do whatever the heck you want.
02. Veggies + Dip
I keep it simple and stick to Baby Carrots or Celery for my Veggies. They're both great dipped in Dressings, Hummus, Guacamole, and Peanut Butter.
If you wanna get wild with your Veggies choices, other great options are Baby Bell Peppers, Cucumber Slices, Jicama, Baby Tomatoes, Broccoli Florets, Snap Peas, and Green Beans.
You can eat your easy-to-grab Veggies without a Dip, too. Whatever floats your boat.
I usually opt for Veggies and Dip when my meal will be ready relatively soon. Fills my belly with some flavorful goodness, but doesn't completely squash my appetite.
03. Cheeze + Deli Meat Roll-Ups
If you're not feeling a whole Snack Platter, just wrap some Cheeze in Deli Slices. Add a drop of Mustard or Mayo if you're into that sort of thing. I love this snack because it doesn't leave a trail of crumbs behind and only takes seconds to throw together.
This while-you-cook snack is also great when you're tackling a meal with a longer cook time. It's pretty generous in the protein department and should keep you feeling satiated until your meal is ready.
04. Chips + Dip
I wasn't always a Chip Person, but I swear I always have a bag in the pantry or in my bedroom nowadays. I really dig Tortilla Chips and Salsa, that's my usual go-to, but you can swap the Salsa for Queso, Guacamole, Bean Dip, Tabbouleh, Tapenade, Hummus, and more.
Potato Chips are the runner-up Chip of choice in my house. I'm perfectly happy with a good, plain Jalapeno Kettle Chip, but it's great to have a Spinach and Green Onion Dip or a Sour Cream and Onion Dip in the fridge for extra flavor.
05. Premade Salad Kits
You can hear me rave about these crunchy delights and get some Salad Kit recommendations in this post— but here's the TL;DR.
BUY THEM. Buy the Premade Salad Kits from your grocery store. You're gonna love em.
Salad Kits are perfect for a fresh standalone meal in a pinch, but they also make an excellent snack to tide you over while you cook.
I like to make this when I've got a fair amount of downtime during the cooking process— like when Veggies are roasting in the oven or Potatoes are boiling. Not the best choice if you're doing a lot of active cooking because Salad takes forever to chew, but if you're up for the challenge...I can't stop ya.
06. Popcorn!!
Honestly, I'm not a Popcorn fan. Pls forgive me. But every single person I know loves munching on the stuff, so I had to throw it in here. Popcorn is great because you can just grab a handful to keep your mouth munching away while chopping Veggies for a Soup.
Even though I don't usually opt for Popcorn, I think it's one of the best fidget foods— keeps the hands and mind from wandering and doesn't totally fill you up.
Eat straight out of the microwave packs, buy a pre-popped bag, or jazz up the plain stuff with some Nutritional Yeast, Garlic Powder, Salt, and any other fav Spices you've got around.
Or, if you're my cousin, drizzle some Yellow Mustard all over the whole thing and eat it with chopsticks. Apparently, it's the best.
What are your eat-while-you-cook foods?
My sister actually pitched this post idea to me as I was snacking on Daiya Jalapeno Havarti Cheeze and Rosemary Triscuits in the kitchen (so good). She was telling me how she likes to throw a small frozen meal or appetizer in the air fryer while she waits for something more substantial to roast in the oven. I thought that was a pretty awesome idea, too.
So, now I wanna know what your go-to, appetizer-esque snacks are to tide you over while you cook. Lemme know in the comments!
If you're looking for more snack-while-you-cook ideas, I think any of these Burnout Friendly meals could make a great pre-meal warmup since they cook pretty fast!
When the thought of cooking sounds absolutely soul-crushing, try some of these realistic ways to make it a lil bit easier.