Office snack food I can order from Amazon
March 24, 2015 7:13 PM   Subscribe

I get super hungry at work. I have a fast metabolism and I can feel my blood sugar getting low and then I NEED FOOD NOW and end up spending money at the cafeteria or vending machine, which is too much sugar and too much money. I ride a motorcycle in so it's not convenient for me to physically bring stuff in--I want to set up weekly/monthly auto-renewed deliveries of snacks from Amazon that aren't too sugary or too expensive.

I'm looking for the most calories or grams of protein per dollar without it being sugary or requiring prep work. I'm kind of at a loss, since it seems everything I think of either spoils easily or is super sugary or has little to no protein. What are some ideas?
posted by brenton to Food & Drink (25 answers total) 30 users marked this as a favorite
 
Quest bars are nice, although they don't exactly fit your criterion of most calories nor protein per dollar. They'll definitely give you the most tasty protein for your dollar, though.
posted by un petit cadeau at 7:19 PM on March 24, 2015


Checking in to say Mojo bars from Clif have the right balance for me - only about 9g sugar for about 9g protein and s decent amount of fat, 190 cal. I have a real problem with too much sugar and Mojo bars hit the spot of not too gross, and not enough sugar to make me headachy/fighty. I recommend peanut butter pretzel.
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:24 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Jars of nuts or nut butters, instant oatmeal packets, jerkey, protein bars (try the protein added fiber one bars, I think they end up being like $.50 apiece since you buy them by the box). This is definitely not to my taste, but if you have access to a microwave heating up some black beans is a super cheap and protein rich mini-meal. If you could bring a backpack once a week, a stock of bananas, apples, and avocados would keep well and give you a nice vehicle for the nut butters or to throw into some oatmeal.
posted by Yellow Silver Maple at 7:25 PM on March 24, 2015


Nuts! I keep a big jar of cashews in my office, it is a lovely filling snack.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:25 PM on March 24, 2015 [4 favorites]


I think plain nuts are pretty much perfect given your requirements... Tons of options but start here?
posted by Perplexity at 7:26 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


My husband and I really enjoyed doing a Nature Box subscription. We are a little overly addicted to their Sriracha cashews, in fact. They have interesting high quality snacks and you can search for high-protein items. Might be worth trying out for a month or two just to see what kind of things you might like during your workday.
posted by amanda at 7:32 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Recently I've been obsessed with roasted chickpea snacks and baked apple chips. Doesn't spoil easily and super filling and (relatively) healthy.
posted by perkinite at 7:32 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


If you're willing to branch outside of Amazon, I get snacks from Graze and love it.
posted by mostlymartha at 7:33 PM on March 24, 2015 [7 favorites]


Simple Square bars are really yummy. (That's the variety pack, which I suggest so you can see which you like best.) Larabars are also yummy. The ALT bars have more nuts.

How about protein drinks or powder? Many of the pre-mixed drinks are shelf stable.
posted by Crystalinne at 7:37 PM on March 24, 2015


Nuts to you, I say!
posted by aubilenon at 7:44 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I was going to come in and suggest Graze too. It's not Amazon, but aside from that, it sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

Graze sends you a variety pack of snacks every week or two. Then you go online and rate the snacks so they know what to send you next time. Gluten free, low calorie, low sugar—they have a ton of options in each category. No prep work needed.

I love almost every snack Graze sends me. And part of the fun is sometimes getting new snacks that I wouldn't have picked for myself in the grocery store but end up enjoying.

There are promo codes that you can use to get your first box free, if you're curious.
posted by The Girl Who Ate Boston at 7:45 PM on March 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


Mr. gudrun is a fan of Pro Bar products, which are available on amazon.
posted by gudrun at 8:14 PM on March 24, 2015


Nuts are a great idea. I find most bar type foods a bit too sugary. I like these hummus one-hitters. Six grams of protein, 60-ish calories. You can keep a box of triscuits or something in your office to eat with them. If you want something more meal-like and have a microwave the Tasty Bite line of heat and eat stuff has a lot of high protein and super flavorful stuff. Sort of in-between those options and a bit of a "You wil llove it or you won't" are these little tuna cracker things. (I linked to the Thai one which is a little spicy). 210 calories. 18 grams of protein. All those suggestions are shelf stable.
posted by jessamyn at 8:19 PM on March 24, 2015 [4 favorites]


RX Bars use egg white protein, and have no soy/gluten/dairy. I love the Coconut Cacao flavor.
posted by invisible ink at 8:24 PM on March 24, 2015


If you're into preserved meat, I recommend Old Wisconsin Snack Sticks. I like their turkey sticks, personally.
posted by wye naught at 8:25 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


I second Nature Box. Delicious and nutritious.
posted by wilywabbit at 8:33 PM on March 24, 2015


Thirding Naturebox. My wife started getting it and I kinda rolled my eyes. Then I tasted 'em.

Yum.
posted by notsnot at 8:57 PM on March 24, 2015


Tanka bars or Epic bars, for jerky alternatives.
posted by deludingmyself at 11:14 PM on March 24, 2015


Instant oatmeal
Dry Salami/Cheese/Crackers
Individual fruit/applesauce cups
Peanut Butter and /Bread/Rice Cakes/Bagels
Smoked salmon (this might not be cost efficient but might be a nice change once in a while)
Canned/Pouched Tuna fish and crackers (I've also seen pouched tuna salad if that is your thing)
Tortilla chips/Salsa
Sardines/Herring/Tinned Fishes
Individual soups (ie. Campbells Soup-On-the-Go)
Almond milk (small containers, boxes don't need refrigeration) and cereal
Granola
Jerky
Nuts


depending on your office, if you choose to go with fishes you might want to eat outside or in a well-ventilated area
posted by AnneShirley at 1:52 AM on March 25, 2015


You might also look into deliveries from Costco. They have good snack options; we make our own trail mix from their jars of nuts and dried fruits. They have individual sizes of hummus which you could pair with crackers, and if your work has room you could get some frozen foods to keep stashed, like teriyaki bowls or chicken sandwiches.
posted by vignettist at 7:51 AM on March 25, 2015


Kind bars are great. Maybe start with a variety pack and see which flavors you like.
posted by Jacqueline at 8:32 AM on March 25, 2015


Go Picnic has a variety of "Ready Meals" at varying price points. I enjoy the Hummus and the Sunbutter ones. They also sell the items individually, so you can buy just the Baja Blend Snacks (or the hummus dip jessamyn pointed out) if you like.
posted by zinon at 9:23 AM on March 25, 2015


I make a very simple & delicious trail mix out of just combining these items:

8 oz macadamia nuts or Marcona almonds
1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (both toasted or untoasted will work)
1 bag freeze dried organic strawberries (no sugar added)
1/4 cup Guittard 63% extra dark baking chips (you can probably skip this if you want)

You can make 1-2 huge batches at a time.

We also like Justin's Nut Butter almond butter squeeze packets.

If you're willing to get items outside of Amazon, look at the various paleo beef jerky/snack packs options online, like this one which has no sugar added (Primal Pacs).
posted by kathryn at 6:42 PM on March 25, 2015


Amazon sells a 24 pack of Wild Garden Hummus Dip - 1.76 oz hummus dip in travel size tetra pack squeeze packet. Gluten free. Ready to eat. Does not need to be refrigerated (until opened). Wild Garden has other snack options on Amazon as well.
posted by LiverOdor at 7:40 PM on March 25, 2015


Almonds &
Raisins
posted by prk60091 at 4:54 AM on March 27, 2015


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