Healthy Snacks to Help You Stear Clear of the Vending Machines

We all know the feeling… 2 or 3 p.m. rolls around, lunch seems like a lifetime ago, and you start thinking about what could be in store for your afternoon. Is it a Snickers bar? Maybe a bag of BBQ chips? Or maybe you’ll go for the “healthy” option of fruit snacks or peanut butter crackers…

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s time to start putting in a little work to prep some truly healthy snacks for yourself. Whadya say? This is the predicament I’ve been in lately. Trying to shed a few pounds, but not wanting to starve myself, I often pack too little food for the day and then find myself wandering over to the break room, and let me tell you, that is not a good look on anyone!

So what kind of healthy, easy snacks can you make for yourself? Here are a few of my favorites below. Now, I’m not saying by any means that I’m an expert or that any of these are AMAZING for you, but I can say they are better than most of the stuff you’ll find pressing D7.

Fresh fruit slices:

This snack make take a little prep time in the morning, but once you get everything sliced (don’t forget to pack a fork!) it’s much easier eating than an apple or peach, which can get messy! Fruits are so good for you, and even give you that sweet tooth fix you might be craving!

Naked juice:

Again, another sweet tooth quencher! I know these have sugar, but before you jump on me for them not being healthy, you should check out how many FULL pieces of fruit each juice has. For example, a 15.2 oz bottle of the Might Mango juice has: 1/14 mangos, 1/2 orange, 1 3/4 apples, 1/3 banana and a hint of lemon. Say what? It is packed full of awesome fruits! I will say, we buy the 10 oz bottles which are much smaller and a much better portion than the big ones.

Cocoa roasted almonds:

I had never tried these till my mother-in-law had them one day, and up until that point, I didn’t even know I liked almonds! These nuts are so tasty, and almonds are really good for helping you maintain a healthy weight.

Rice cakes:

If you want to get really crazy, add some peanut butter! Rice cakes are definitely an easy go to!

 Yogurt:

Greek, light, fruit, plain, frozen… it’s all good! To further jazz it up, I even throw in mixed fruits (see first point) and add granola sometimes, and turn this into a light, healthy lunch!

 

Veggies and hummus:

Again, this will take a little prep time to cut up the veggies, but you’ll get that salty snack you’ve been craving, without having to regret a bag of chips later!

 

What are your favorite afternoon snacks?

XO,

Amanda