Healthy Snacking

My BFFs and me at the beach. Its like whatever. Via
Alllllllright so this quest of ours to look like the models above be healthy (or whatever) is not without its challenges. Exercising is one part of the challenge but for today's chat, I'd like to focus on eating right. Specifically, snacking right.

As you can see here, I love me some junk food. Well to be fair... I love all food. Period. So no sort of "starvation diet" is going to fly for me. No, I want a plan that is satisfying and sustainable. What that means to everyone is different, but to me, I want to be able to eat foods that are good, good for me and foods that fill me up. This philosophy very much applies to snacking as well as full-on meals.

Healthy can be delish too- I swear!
I have always been a big snacker. While my snacking used to be less-than-healthy (read: fun-size Snickers and Cheez-Its), I'm trying to substitute healthier options as part of my quest. There are of course many theories out there as to whats best but I've found for me, a diet low in sugar and complex carbs and high in protein (and the "good" fat) works best. Since I don't eat meat, most of my meals aren't high in protein so I love having snacks that do that heavy-lifting for me.

Hard-boiled egg and avocado mash. I legit look forward to having this every day!
I've tried a variety of options and I find these snacks to be both healthy and delicious. 
  • Hard-boiled egg and avocado mash (if you don't like avocado you can just have hard-boiled eggs)
  • Edamame (in shell)
  • Carrots and hummus
  • Cottage cheese, blueberries and slivered almonds
  • Raw almonds (just a handful)
  • Celery sticks or an apple with almond butter
  • Greek yogurt (beginners add a little bit of honey, pros add stevia to sweeten as its bitter at first)
  • Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries (I know these are sugar but its a much better alternative to reaching for a couple of candies)

UPDATE: Since you all shared so many wonderful ideas with us, I wanted to make sure everyone benefited from your wisdom. Here are the reader submissions for even more healthy snacks!

  • Boar's Head honey roasted ham or turkey roll-ups
  • Grilled Chicken in BBQ sauce
  • Cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Chocolate smoothies: avocado, banana, cacao powder, almond milk, and dash of stevia
  • String cheese
  • Tuna mixed with avocado, feta and lemon juice
  • Avocado with pepper and feta
Thanks again for all your contributions! Feel free to share any other ideas in the comments section below :)

Comments

  1. What about good ole apples and bananas? I have 1 of each almost everyday!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it! Eggs and avocado?! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's so funny, I look just like you + your friends in my white bikini! :) I live on greek yogurt - it's my favorite healthy snack. I do smart ones ice cream dessert cups after dinner when I'm craving sweets, they are amazing.

    http://itsthelittlethingsblog.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yummy Jules! I'll have to try the avocado and egg. I buy turkey from the deli (the good stuff lol) and munch on that. The hams and turkey that are honey roasted (Boars Head is the best) has only a couple calories more and tastes great. Sometimes I even grill a couple extra chicken breasts from dinner the night before and chop it up and then bring some bbq sauce to dip it in. Cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes is another good one that satisfies a sweet craving. Hope this helps! XO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thats a great tip Caryn! Thanks for sharing :)

      Delete
  5. Pomegranate seeds (tech not in season right now, but usually found at Trader Joe's) are THE best for mindless munching. Also, have you tried the new Luna Protein bars? The chocolate peanut butter is crave-worthy and super filling-- could even work as a meal replacement in dire circumstances.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love avocado. We do healthy chocolate smoothies. Avocado, banana, cacao powder, almond milk, and dash of stevia. They are fabulous! If I'm not near a blender though, it's Greek yogurt. Chobani pineapple is my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds delish! Do you add ice or milk or anything?

      Delete
  7. I'm a big edemame fan. I want to try that egg and avocado mash though!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey there LADIES! I have a few good ones for ya...

    * String cheese and 1/2 an apple - basic, but satisfying
    * Larabars - on the blog today! They have mini ones that are great for a small snack
    * Kombucha is a great way to stop the snack attack!
    * Blothouse Farms smoothies - drink 1/2 and save 1/2! I love Green Goodness & Vanilla Chai Tea! It Has green tea and tons of protein! Careful not to drink the whole bottle, it's really delish
    * 1/2 cup of cherrios - add blueberries!
    * mix tuna with avocado and feta, add lemon juice - same idea as your egg salad
    * avocado with pepper and feta - my new addiction!

    I have a million more, I can be the queen of snacking, so let me know if you want more!

    xoxo

    Meg @The Healthy Classroom
    http://givinganappleaday.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  9. My favorite (and I eat them all the time) is a diane's dark chocolate (dairy free) covered bananas. Otherwise just before my fruit is about to go bad I throw it in the freezer for a easy to blend treat!

    ReplyDelete
  10. ummm...the heart of palm hummus i put on the blog today would DEFINITELY qualify as a healthy snack!! super easy too. just sayin'.

    CupcakesOMG!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for commenting!

Popular Posts