Snacks for Hangry Teens please!

[BaconAndAvocado]

14 and 16yo DCs get in from school, hoover up crisps, chocolate bars, sausage rolls, pre-packed fruit such as watermelon and pomegranate seeds, biscuits and STILL complain that there’s no food in the house.
I have to hide food and phase it into the public sphere otherwise it just disappears and my food budget is at breaking point!

Anyone got some ideas for filling, healthy snacks that don’t cost the earth?

Bread

good old fashioned bread

add some cheese or ham

done

all this fancy snacking! It has to end…. Who can afford it? Trying to fill up a teen on pomegranate seeds and crisps must cost £50 a day 😁

Mine as teenagers went the whole school day not eating as they hated school food but wouldn't bring in a packed lunch.

Of course when they got in they were hungry.

I put a stop to the stuffing their faces with snacks by bringing their tea forward so instead of 5 or half five they would have their meal 4 or half four.

In the evening they didn't have that mad 'starving' feeling so snacks were selected wisely.

3 teens in our house

plenty of bagels/crumpets/bread for toast or sarnies.
fruit - i find if I chop it up it gets eaten more
DD will make things like cookies, banana bread etc
noodles, avocado on toast, boiled eggs with soldiers, chicken wings, mini cheeses such as cheese srings and babybels, yogurts

@ReallyShouldBeDoingSomethingElse my DS loves plain cooked wholemeal pasta!

He's also a big fan of tortelloni from the chilled cabinet at supermarkets. Throw it in some boiling water for a few minutes, bob's your uncle!

Boiled eggs boiled in advance if you don't want mess.
Greek yoghurt with fruit. Better for them than sugary stuff.

Oh I forgot to mention. I also get a big bag of chicken drummers, coat them in a mix of melted butter and marmite and then air fry and chill for the fridge. They go down really well.

I love them too as I'm diabetic so any snacks need to be low carb and high protein.

Came here to say homemade flapjacks! Cheap and easy, and you can control how much sugar goes in!
Also generally homemade stuff too. Bread, cakes. Get them to make it!

Try having a gluten free teen who used to eat half a loaf a day. He's permanently hungry and I can't afford him to eat sooo much now. GF stuff is horrendous. I'm trying to gently wean him on to hummus and a chicken is a great idea. Thanks for this thread

Rather than buying pre-packed melon, perhaps buy whole melons? We tend to have a large watermelon and a couple of honeydew melons a week. They can cut themselves a slice. Will be cheaper and last longer than pre-packed melon.

Another vote for a fridge chicken, either do one on Sunday whilst the oven / bbq is on or buy a rotisserie one. Break it down, big Tupperware in the fridge - go nuts!
Also pizza crumpets, jar or tub of pizza sauce or any basic tomato pizza sauce. Top with grated cheese, add toppings if teen can be bothered.
I sometimes pick up reduced sushi on my way home for work or the Japanese outside DH's gym does an evening special of 4 for $10 They are very popular, and if they don't get devoured, they go to school as a snack. Asian supermarket buy minute noodles, weird and wonderful flavours - cheap.
We also put a snack allocation in his room, that's more junky like Crisps but that only gets topped up once a week.
None of this is overly nutritious, but his 3 main meals are balanced so don't tend to worry it's more about just getting calories in at this age.
DSS15, over 6ft plays football 3 x per week!