The Best Easy + Healthy Snack Ideas Every Mama Needs
As all moms know, having prepared food on-hand is KEY to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but snacks are life. Many times I’m having my clients work toward optimizing nutrient-density in meals so that we are not leaning on snacks all day long. Unfortunately, snacking or “grazing” and pre-packaged snack items at the grocery store are often the biggest sabotagers to our health— through blood sugar chaos and sneaky additives like sugars, flavors, and oils.
That being said- I know you know- sometimes a healthy snack is a NEED! Whether you need a healthy snack for on the go, a snack that is healthy and easy to grab while working, or chasing after (and feeding) little kiddos all day- sometimes an easy-grab healthy snack is LIFE SAVING for mama AND the kiddos! So keep reading to find out the best healthy snacks, healthy snack on the go, healthy toddler snacks, and snacks that are easy to make in advanced.
Many of them are whole foods that I recommend preparing ahead of time and storing ready-to-grab, and others may be packaged items that pass the test. You will notice many things are paired with other things - a fat and a protein, a carb and a protein, etc. Always aim to have a protein and/or a fat with your snacks! This is all with blood sugar balancing in mind, so don’t skip the pairings!
Here are some of my best ideas for snacks to have on hand.
Snacks
Apples with nut butter
Banana with nut butter “drizzle” (and a little sprinkle of chocolate chips— my kids love this)
Any fruit with “peanut butter drizzle” (peanut butter + olive oil until it forms a “drizzle” consistency)
Any fruit tossed with coconut cream
Cottage cheese with grapes
Avocado with Simple Mills crackers
Guacamole with red peppers
Pork Rinds (4505 brand) and blueberries
Roasted brussels sprouts with garlic aioli
Figs with almonds
Raw cheese and cashews
Nut butter stuffed dates
Cream cheese stuffed dates
Grass-fed butter stuffed dates
Salami slices with cucumber
Celery with nut butter and raisins aka ants on a log!
Hummus with carrots, cucumbers, or peppers
Turkey slices rolled up with avocado, sauerkraut, pickled veggies, mayo
Grass-fed jerky with raw cheddar slices
Gelatin Gummies
Chia Pudding
Cucumbers soaked in vinegar
Roasted beets with toasted walnuts and blue cheese
Tuna salad with Simple Mills crackers
Hard boiled eggs and sea salt
Chopped hard boiled eggs,tomatoes, and avocado tossed in EVOO and balsamic
Pear slices with raw white cheddar
Chicken salad (shredded chicken, mayo, dijon, slivered almonds, celery, grapes, dill, salt, pepper)
Sourdough, sprouted grain bread, or gluten-free bread with almond butter and cinnamon
Whole fat greek yogurt/coconut yogurt/cashew yogurt with homemade granola and berries
Olive packs
My Serenity pouches
Seaweed Snax (in olive oil)
Beef sticks
Protein shake (Be Well by Kelly protein)
Epic Bars
Sprouted pumpkin and sunflower seeds with berries
Kale chips with smoked oysters
Pear and prosciutto
Dried mango with mixed nuts
Bone broth, raw cheddar, berries
Sprouted pumpkin and sunflower seeds with raspberries
Fresh mango slices with chili lime spice, salami, and cashews
Cucumbers with ranch and pepperoni
Brands
I am not affiliated with any brands, and this is not an exhaustive list. I just know shopping for healthy foods can be overwhelming so I’m sharing a few that I use or know of! I did incorporate my amazon links and if you use those it will help support my blog the tiiiiiniest little bit!
Beef sticks/jerky: Chomps, PaleoValley, Country Archer, Epic
Pouches: Serenity Kids (they’re for babies/tots but whose to say it can’t help a mom fuel up on the go?!)
Crackers/chips: Simple Mills, Siete, banana
Protein: Be Well by Kelly, Equip
Deli meat: Applegate, True Story
Nut butters: (anything with no extra ingredients- no sugar, no oils) Wild Friends, Kirkland, Adams
Meatballs/sausages: Amylu, Teton Waters Ranch
Dairy Free replacements: Forager, Kite Hill, CocoYo, Culina
Ranch and Garlic Aoili: Primal Kitchen, or use homemade mayo + make your own
If you want to have a downloadable version of this list to save on your computer or screen shot on your phone to easily access at the grocery store or when you are hungry and need some good direction, click the link below to get the downloadable version!
What would you add to this list? What are your favorite healthy snacks? I’d love to hear in the comments below!