High Iron Vegetarian, Nut-Free Snacks

So It has been about three weeks since I started my iron plan, and honestly I am feeling a lot better already.  I feel like I do have more energy, my lips seem to have more colour and my stomach feels fine.  (I hope I don't jinx it).  The horrible constipation due to iron supplements has not hit me yet.  I'm hoping it will continue this way!  I'm now up to 2 1/2 or 3 iron supplements a day, as per my doctor's instructions, and I am eating a lot of iron-rich vegetarian food (plus some fish, seafood and eggs, no dairy, no coffee/tea) always with plenty of vitamin C-rich foods.  I think it's working!  (Power of positive thinking?  Possibly...)

I am a big snacker!  When eating on a mainly vegan diet (with the exceptions listed above) I get hungry frequently.  (I also think I have a naturally high metabolism).  So I have put together a list of yummy, high iron, vegetarian snacks that are nut-free, and therefor safe to bring to schools, etc. (I certainly snack on nuts at home- some have high iron- especially cashews).  I have paired the high iron food with a complementary high vitamin C food to go with it to increase iron absorption.  I snack on these between meals to keep me going with my busy job and busy life at home.

SNACK LIST:

High Iron, High Vitamin C, Vegetarian, Nut-free 

1. Shreddies cereal, with dark chocolate squares (90%) and an orange

2. Hummus and fresh veggies (peppers, yellow beans, carrots, broccoli)

3. Quinoa granola bars and strawberries

4. Roasted chickpeas (homemade or store bought) and red peppers

5. Black bean tapenade with brown rice cakes and broccoli

6. Power seed bars (chia, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin) and clementines

7. Bean bread (homemade whole wheat bread with mashed up navy beans or white kidney beans) and cherry tomatoes

8. Chia seed pudding with papaya 

9. Sunflower seed butter (I prefer homemade) on whole wheat crackers and 1/2 grapefruit

10. Pea Protein Snacks and fresh pomegranate seeds and mixed berries (black berries, raspberries)

11. Trail mix (sunflower seeds*, pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, dark chocolate chips, iron-fortified cereal such as Shreddies or Cheerios) with watermelon

12.  Kale and Pineapple smoothie

13. Spinach and cherry smoothie 

14. Oatmeal muffins with ground hemp and chia seeds and cantaloupe

15. Lentil-noodle pasta salad with broccoli and tomatoes

16. Lentil-apple salad, squeezed with lemon or lime

17. Kale chips (again homemade is best) and honeydew melon

* Make sure sunflower seeds are not made with peanut oil for this to be nut-free

**To check the fruits & veggies with High Vitamin C, I referred to:

 http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/vitamin-c-in-fruits-and-vegetables