Im right here with you, I’ve recently been replacing all the candy snacks I have with various rustic snacks. I’ll have like, 6 cheese curds and salami slices, 3 dates instead of my peanut butter cups, I 've been really into Japanese style peanuts, peacans just on their own.

When it comes to quick and not unhealthy meals, I found out I can make cheese rice in my rice cooker. Follow the usual rice cooker instructions, just add a cup of shredded cheddar, a tbsp of butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and if you want it extra rich replace 1/3 of the water with milk.

If you’re air frying any veg, I highly suggest mixing your seasoning in a little oil and vinegar, then tossing the veg in it. That half assed vinegarette feels really fancy and if helps get an even coating of seasoning. Balsamic brings sweetness, all the others bring sour. You can even make it in bulk, put it in the fridge, and if keeps basically forever.

If you do ramen a lot, toss some frozen veg mix in with it while it’s boiling, then replace half the packet with a splash of soy sauce, and some garlic. It’s less and somehow so much more.

Recently I’ve gotten into “soy meat” it’s dried, crumbled, tofu that’s a really popular meat substitute in Mexico. Pound of beef equivalent for 97¢ at the local Hispanic grocery. Since it’s dried and functionally flavorless, you can mix you up a slurry of spices and the stuff will sponge it all up. Toss it in a pan and it comes out the exact same texture as ground beef, but you can make it taste like everything from plain beef to Italian sausage, maple cured bacon, even smoked pepperoni. I’ve taken to adding it to chilli, sloppy joes, pasta, not only because it halves the cost of meat, but because it can add such an amazing depth of flavor and it seems to naturally correct acidity.

Hope some of this helps. I personally fell for the idea that eating right had to be miserable for so long and now it’s like, why is this not the standard? This is so fucking good!

No one mentioned it, so I’ll throw it out here:

Popcorn.

I’m not particularly concerned about avoiding fat or salt, so I drown it in butter, but you do you.

After one of my kids killed our microwave by putting a package of popcorn in it and turning it on for way too long and forgetting it, I banned microwave popcorn from the house and got an air-popper. The thing is awesome. I never liked the microwave popcorn, but the air-popped popcorn became my snack of choice.

Fruit. Nobody has ever gotten fat from eating too much fruit.

Bags of baby carrots are nice.

Also those cans of fruit with no sugar added. I call those adult fruit cups.

Apple slices with peanut butter

Sometimes I just go to town on an entire container of cherry tomatoes

Chickpeas, either out of the can or roasted

In shell peanuts

Bananas

Cheese and cold cuts from the deli

Yogurt

Everything in moderation of course

Grapes, apples, nuts

A few suggestions based on whether you need more calories. If you are trying to gain weight:

Triscuit crackers and hummus

Nuts, whichever you like.

Whole fat Greek yogurt with honey or savory with olives and crackers (again, Triscuit if you need calories)

If you need to reduce calories:

Apple & a few slices of good cheddar

An avocado

Boiled egg

Popcorn made at home

NONfat Greek yogurt with fruit and/or a little honey.

A walk. Sometimes you are bored not hungry.

Fruit, I guess that’s my favorite healthy snacks.

In winter, bananas. In summer, watermelon. If I’m craving something sorbet like I snack on frozen berries.

Nuts are also another good one but they’re not low calorie.

Thin slice apples, dust with cinnamon, throw into the microwave. It’s basically healthy pie filling.

Mini portobello mushrooms dipped in hummus is my go-to. Also pistachios, nori, grapes, cherries. Salami works instead of chips, but gotta watch the salt content too

Nori is fantastic, it’s very light and has a strong taste. So you’re not eating much by weight. It’s also healthy, if you’re not eating tons every day.

Dried apricots are my favorite and are rich in fiber and vitamins. Other dried fruits are good too, but personally I like apricots the most.

Air-fried spinach leaves.

Add some species you like to the leaves, spray them with some olive oil and airfry for 10-15 mins at 200°C.

Makes for a great alternative to normal chips but takes some practice to find the perfect timing to make them crispy but not burned.