A fun fact about me is that I am a HUGE snacker! I could probably snack all day instead of eating whole meals. That can be a little tricky when I am trying to stick to being healthy. Most snacks are either full of calories, have a ton of sodium, or are just totally empty nutritionally. Over the years I have found a handful of snacks that aren’t perfect, but are what I consider really great options. Keep reading for my top picks for healthier snacks!
Kodiak Cakes Protein Waffles
A super easy snack option that I eat a ton is the Kodiak Cakes Protein Waffle you can find in the freezer section. Think of these as a more nutritionally sound version of an Eggo waffle. These are super easy to pop into the toaster, spread with some peanut butter or Nutella, and keep things moving. They are high in protein, and decent with calories and carbs. If you add peanut butter, it will increase your fat content. That’s not necessarily a bad thing depending on what you’re trying to do nutritionally, just something to keep in mind!
Power Crunch Protein Bars
Keeping with high protein options, I was introduced to Power Crunch Protein Bars by my best friend Heather a few years ago. These things taste AMAZING! I am a certified chocoholic, so the chocolate peanut butter, chocolate mint, and double chocolate ones are my favorite. They also have vanilla, salted caramel, red velvet, and more! These are different than most protein bars because they are wafers instead of the thick, gooey type of protein bars most of us are used to. Imagine eating a Kit Kat bar, but it not totally derailing your day nutritionally! You can find these in any grocery store in the health food aisle or where other protein bars are stocked.
Off the Eaten Path
A newer brand that seems to be super popular all of a sudden is Off the Eaten Path. Once you try one of the snack options from this brand, you’ll understand why people love it instantly! They make options like white cheddar veggie puffs, veggie crisps with lots of different flavor options, and hummus crisps. My favorite are the white cheddar veggie puffs that are basically a healthy version of Cheeto’s puffs, and the jalapeño flavored veggie crisps. Truthfully, though, I would tell you to give any of their options a try because I have yet to find one that I don’t like! I find these snacks in the health food section of my local Kroger, so check there first before trying the chip aisle at your local store.
Protein Balls
One of the easiest snacks to make and keep around are protein balls. For me, I like to use peanut butter as the base, but you could really use any nut butter that you prefer! It takes a 5 second Pinterest search to find a handful of recipes to see which might work best for you. The recipe that I’ve honed in on after a couple of attempts is:
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Basically you just mix everything together, separate into bite size balls, and pop into the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Super easy! This recipe makes around 15 protein balls in my experience, and I’ve calculated a rough estimate on the Nutrition Facts that I’ll put down below too.
Rice Cakes
Hear me out, I know rice cakes sound like the most boring snack option you can possibly imagine. But, if you’ve not looked at the options of rice cakes that have come up in the last couple of years it might surprise you! Of course, my favorite flavors are chocolate and caramel, but there are also options like lightly salted, cinnamon toast, and white cheddar that are great too. You can easily dress up a rice cake to come pretty dang close to resembling a dessert. I like to put peanut butter and chocolate chips on a chocolate rice cake to curb a sweet tooth. Another fun, sweet option is to put Nutella on a caramel rice cake, and maybe even throw some sprinkles on for fun! Rice cakes have basically nothing in them nutritionally speaking, so anything you add on top won’t hurt you too bad.
Final Thoughts
I hope you got some new, different ideas from my favorite “healthy” snacks. To be clear, I am not a nutritionist or certified to give any type of nutritional advice in any way. Also, I know these aren’t the best options in the whole entire world. But, for me, these snacks help to keep me on track while keeping my sweet tooth satisfied. If you’re looking for some variety, try out one or a few of these options!
Leave a comment below with what your favorite healthy snack options are!