Savoury equivalent of a granola bar
March 8, 2010 10:12 AM   Subscribe

What are some snacks that are easy to eat on the go, like granola bars, but are savoury rather than sweet?

I eat a lot of granola bars just because they're an incredibly convenient snack. You can eat them straight from the wrapper so no need for clean hands; plus, they're one piece so no crumbs or sticky juices. However, I don't have much of a sweet tooth and I really don't find granola bars appetizing. I'm trying to think of savoury foods that are just as convenient for anytime-anywhere snacking, but I can only think of things like that require assembly and make a bit of a mess - like veggies with dip or cheese with crackers. Is there something like a savoury equivalent to granola bars?
posted by mossicle to Food & Drink (26 answers total) 27 users marked this as a favorite
 
Marmite cereal bars are pretty savoury.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:15 AM on March 8, 2010 [1 favorite]


Beef jerky?
posted by Perplexity at 10:21 AM on March 8, 2010


String cheese.
posted by bunnycup at 10:22 AM on March 8, 2010 [3 favorites]


Jerky (real jerky, not the pressed-and-formed stuff). Cashews. Almonds.
posted by Ery at 10:22 AM on March 8, 2010


Cheese sticks?
posted by Go Banana at 10:26 AM on March 8, 2010


Dried fruits aren't exactly savory, but they're often not super-sweet, either.

Breads and rolls that are not fruit-filled or muffin-like.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:40 AM on March 8, 2010


Samosas? Snugly rolled falafel wraps? Sushi handrolls? Cheese sticks wrapped in salami slices? Babybels?

Thirding jerky. And vegetarian jerky is weirdly moreish.
posted by stuck on an island at 10:40 AM on March 8, 2010 [1 favorite]


nthing salted nuts, beeg jerky, string cheese(not just for kids anymore!). I also like hard-boiled eggs with salt but that's not quite so portable.
posted by ghharr at 10:43 AM on March 8, 2010


I eat Met-Rx Big 100 peanut butter and pretzel meal replacement bars.

They really suck, but they suck less than almost anything else for what they are. They are more savory and palatable that anything else I can think of because of the salt in the peanut butter and pretzels.

They are a true meal replacement, with like 400 calories and 30-ish grams of protein. I think they have a little less sugar, by weight, than protein, which is my criterion for food-in-a-bar that won't make me have a psycho-sugar meltdown.

They cost like $2/bar, and a little less if you buy in bulk. I sometimes eat half a bar and save the rest for later.

For a cheaper, tastier solution, just eat PayDay bars. They're just salted peanuts glued together with caramel.
posted by toodleydoodley at 10:45 AM on March 8, 2010


Roasted chickpeas and wasabi peas (you can buy both pre-packaged, I haven't ever seen a recipe for make-at-home wasabi peas.)
posted by sararah at 10:47 AM on March 8, 2010


also also - if you're at a vending machine, which rarely has such oddball delicacies as PayDay bars, best choice is either the sausage-stix-n-cheez snack or the snicker bar, which at least has 6g protein and 200+calories, better than anything else in the whole machine.
posted by toodleydoodley at 10:47 AM on March 8, 2010


Shelled peanuts (I actually prefer unsalted), you can pour directly from container to mouth, they're delicious.
posted by anaelith at 10:49 AM on March 8, 2010


Mmmm... jerky. It's seriously the perfect travel food.

The only negative is that it can leave a little residue on your hands, and it's expensive when it comes in small packs, but we just buy industrial sized portions and ration them out ourselves.
posted by muddgirl at 10:52 AM on March 8, 2010


Yup, those nuts don't need to be salted. In fact, the best flavors of good fresh nuts are generally neutralized by added salted.

Also, the good old sausage roll.
posted by philip-random at 10:54 AM on March 8, 2010


You don't mention whether you want to be able to buy something or if you are willing to cook. I make a pretty mean cheese biscuit that is pretty portable (in a zip-top bag). They will last, sealed air-tight, for much of a week before they start to get stale. They rarely last that long. If it sounds good, memail me, and I will give you the recipe.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:56 AM on March 8, 2010


Not super filling, unless you have a few - but I like nori wraps. Also, nuts - just get a small plastic container for them, or a plastic bag if that's easier.
posted by backwards guitar at 11:09 AM on March 8, 2010


I go with mixed nuts, for variety. The "premium mixed nuts" omit peanuts, if that's your thing. You can get 'em salted, unsalted, or (my preference) lightly salted. You can add raisins and other dried fruit, chocolate chips or M&Ms, sesame seeds, etc.

I go through a lot of protein bars, too, of many varieties. They're very convenient, but they do tend to be pretty sweet.

Also, Muscle Milk is just a pre-mixed protein shake that doesn't need refrigeration.
posted by LordSludge at 11:51 AM on March 8, 2010


If you're looking for something you can cook, onigiri are pretty much my favorite travel food. You can eat them with or without a nori wrapper, although without will result in sticky rice residue if you're not careful. Often people will carry the nori separate to keep it from getting soggy. If you have a Japanese market around or are willing to order from online, they've got all kinds of awesome mixes that you just dump into cooked rice and press to form.
posted by Diagonalize at 11:56 AM on March 8, 2010 [2 favorites]


Yes yes yes, what Diagonalize says. Onigiri with salmon or tuna filling.
posted by specialagentwebb at 12:31 PM on March 8, 2010


Whole wheat cheese biscuits, with walnuts, bran, and a layer of pesto in the middle. Sort of a savory scone. You can buy whole wheat baking mix, add bran for fiber & texture, walnuts for texture & protein & flavor, cheese if you like. roll thin, cut in circles, spread w/ pesto and top w/ another circle of dough.
posted by theora55 at 1:02 PM on March 8, 2010


Might not be exactly what you are looking for, but for salty sweet bars, I've been eating Mojo bars (by Clif bar), and Trader Joe's sweet & savory trail mix bars.
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:18 PM on March 8, 2010


Cans of sardines, but not in a moving car.
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:20 PM on March 8, 2010


I've been eating a lot of cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas (not savory). Not messy, but have limited shelf life.

Roasted chick peas are awesome. You can make your own too — google for recipes. I also like wasabi peas, jerky, string cheese, nuts, dried chili mangoes.
posted by Brittanie at 9:18 PM on March 8, 2010


When I go for a long walk, I take a zipperbag of unsalted almonds, pretzel sticks, and wasabi peas with a little bit of shelled sunflower seeds put in. After it has mashed around in a daypack for an hour or so, everything has a pleasant wasabi tang. If you prefer to avoid that, inflate the bag a little before zipping the top.
posted by Sallyfur at 11:41 PM on March 8, 2010


Ryvita Minis! i.e. miniature crispbread with flavouring. yum.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:25 AM on March 9, 2010


Rice cakes.
Pretzel logs
Peanut-butter filled pretzels.
Dry salted popcorn.
posted by yawper at 8:12 AM on March 9, 2010


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