Boredom, tiredness, stressed, sad, happy…we all snack for different reasons. Even I have been known to down half a bag of Tostitos with Lime (how good are those??) or enough cookies to up the stock in Nabisco. Most of the time I consider myself to be a pretty healthy eater. However, everyone has their weaknesses and mine is that I love to snack. Between lunch and dinner I find myself on the hunt for the perfect afternoon snack. It’s funny, breakfast, lunch and dinner I have no problem choosing satisfying, healthy meals, however, when it come to an afternoon snack I usually want something that satisfies a craving rather than a need to eat healthily. So I have found some items that I typically turn to when those cravings hit. Most of these are great options that can be used for on-the-go snacks as well. If I’m on the road for work or sitting in my office all day, these are healthy items to keep on hand. Knowing you have healthy snacks to turn to will help keep you away from tempting, unhealthy items that may be lurking around. Besides, choosing a healthy snack will energize you and keep you moving throughout the day unlike high fat/high sugar ones that will leave you crashing shortly after ingesting them.

My List of Healthy Snacks:
Edamame

Mmmm……I love edamame. You can buy them in the pods or already shelled and you can buy them frozen as well. I like to leave them in the pods and sprinkle them with a little sea salt. This is a great snack to satisfy a salty craving and much, much healthier than chips!

Roasted Chickpeas

Here is another good alternative to chips, pretzels or the like. Rinse a can of chickpeas and spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. You can season them with anything that you like. I like to use salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and whatever else I feel like experimenting with. Stick them in the oven for about 30 minutes and enjoy. It’s something you can munch on and feel good about because it is high in fiber and protein and low in fat!

Hummus

I absolutely adore hummus! Honestly, I eat it almost every day on sandwiches, wraps, with vegetables, or whatever. It works great as a snack with a variety of chopped veggies. Veggies are just my vessel to consume more hummus. I can’t get enough of the stuff. Fiber, protein, healthy fats, pure deliciousness 🙂

Luna Bars

Chris and I really enjoy Cliff Bars and I have found Trader Joe’s to have the best prices on them. These tend to be an occasional treat, especially if I’m craving a cookie or something. The little bit of chocolate or sweetness in these bars helps to curb my craving and it is much healthier. I tend to stick with the Luna variety because they are a little smaller and lower in calories than the regular Cliff ones. These also work well for an on-the-go breakfast!

Fruit

Fruit is a wonderful choice when you want something sweet. Bananas, oranges, apples, pears, strawberries, cantaloupe…..I haven’t found a fruit I don’t like. I especially crave fruit in the summertime, which is when there are so many delicious varieties in season. I also like to freeze fruit for a cool, refreshing treat 🙂

I hope this list gives you some ideas for healthy snacking. Let me know what your go-to snacks are!

Snack happy 🙂