Healthy & Delicious Snacks
It is 3 PM and you haven’t eaten for three hours. You’re on your fourth cup of coffee and feel like you need a “pick-me-up” to finish out the workday, but don’t want to take on hundreds of calories or spoil your dinner. Don’t run to the kitchen and grab a bag of chips or some other salty, crunchy snack food!
Here are my top five quick and easy snack foods that are both healthy and filling:
- Banana/Celery and Peanut or Nut Butter: The classic after-school snack of a banana or celery with peanut or nut butter is the quintessential fast and easy snack that is satisfying and healthy. In it, you get potassium, protein and healthy fats to get you through the rest of the day!
- Green Smoothies: Take any variety of raw greens (kale, spinach, chard, etc.) and blend them with sweet fruits, such as mixed berries, to even out the taste. This snack is filling, with lots of fiber, while still low in calories. You can make several and grab them out of your refrigerator at any time for an on-the-go snack! And if you find you need your green smoothie to be a bit more sweet, just add 1/2 dropper of liquid stevia.
- Nuts: Never underestimate the power of a handful of assorted nuts. Whether you prefer almonds, cashews, pistachios or walnuts, they are all high in protein, give you a boost of energy and contain essential healthy fats.
- Jerky: Jerky is not only for hiking trips. Grab yourself a few strips of beef, turkey or bison jerky for those afternoon blues. Brands like Epic make all natural, low sodium jerky that is high in protein and tastes great!
- Leftovers: Odds are, you made just a little too much dinner last night. Throw those leftovers on a pan and heat them up for a hot, healthy and satisfying snack in the middle of the day!
