Did you know the average American eats an additional 1,300 calories per week minimum from snacks alone!? That’s like consuming enough food for 8 days over the course of 7 days! What’s worse is the majority of snack calories come from processed foods that are extremely high in sugars, refined oils and artificial or chemical ingredients. With all this excess, it’s no wonder we are in the middle of an epidemic of obesity, diabetes and metabolic disease!
Snacking can be such an easy and fun way to start making healthy changes to your food routine since it doesn’t involve making drastic changes to the family meal plan structure. A balanced snack will always include a source of fiber and either protein or healthy fat to slow digestion and keep the body full and energized. Think real plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes, rather than processed items in packages. Simply swapping those granola bars and chips for an apple with string cheese or celery with almond butter could save you a full day’s worth of unhealthy calories! Here are my favorite nutritious and delicious snack recipes and ideas that are so easy you’ll forget all about the office vending machine!
- ¼ c nuts of any kind! Make your own mix in snack-sized Ziplocs or buy pre-portioned snacks like these or these!
- ½ c. plain Greek yogurt + ¼ cup berries
- 2oz. cheese + baby carrots
- Guacamole + celery, jicama and bell pepper slices
- Hard-boiled egg + salt and pepper + hot sauce
- Cherry tomatoes with mozzarella slices, basil, olive oil and vinegar. Check out these adorable caprese skewers!
- Olives and pickles
- Celery sticks with 2Tbls almond butter. Read ingredients on mini packs to be sure there’s no sugar or oils added. I like these.
- 1oz. dark chocolate + ¼ cup nuts
- ¼ c. berries + ½ cup cottage cheese
- ¼ c. hummus + carrots and celery sticks (or branch out to other raw veggies, like radish slices, zucchini, jicama, broccoli, cucumber, baby tomatoes, snap peas…) Here’s 5 yummy variations of homemade hummus!
- Turkey-mustard lettuce wrap
- Beet chips with guacamole
- Baked mini bell peppers (alone or with guacamole)
- Raw mini bell peppers stuffed with hummus
- Cucumber slices topped with smoked salmon and dollop of pesto
- 5 strawberries topped with plain Greek yogurt mixed with PB2 and cinnamon
- Thin slices of ½ apple topped with yogurt-PB2 mix (or bake the apple slices first!)
- Yogurt dip with raw or steamed veggies (my favorite mix is plain Greek yogurt mixed with Trader Joe’s Green Goddess salad dressing….yum!)
- Cucumber slices marinated in rice vinegar
- Tuna or canned salmon mixed with avocado or plain yogurt + carrot sticks
- Dried chickpeas or edamame like these or these!
- Dried seaweed wraps with tuna and cucumber or with avocado and veggie sticks
- Whole grain rice cakes or crackers topped with cottage cheese and roasted bell peppers. I am loving these crispbreads from Trader Joe’s right now!
- Chai tea or coffee with protein powder and almond milk
- Cup of hot broth mixed with salsa (it’s like a cup of tortilla soup sans tortilla!)
- Homemade energy balls (get creative with flavor combinations in both sweet and savory!)
- Quickie protein smoothie: almond milk, fruit, favorite protein powder, cinnamon
- Protein popsicles: simply blend strawberries, protein powder and Greek yogurt and pour into popsicle molds!
- Chia pudding. This peach-raspberry combo is so tasty!
Author: Megan Wroe, MS, RD, CNE, CLEC Megan is a registered dietitian and health coach at St. Jude Wellness Center. She runs the REACH Weight Management program, teaches classes on a variety of nutrition topics and sees clients for individual consults.
