6 Super Easy, Healthy Snacks You Can’t Live Without

One of the questions I’m asked most often is, “What’s a really healthy, easy snack that I can take on the go?” So today I’m giving you my top six.

Each of the below are super healthy, complete (balanced good card, healthy fat, and protein) snacks that are easy to make and you can take on the go.

Enjoy!

1. Edamame
It’s delicious warm, room temp, or cold. You can also put it in a small glass pyrex and take it to work or school for a snack. Organic edamame is only about 20 cents more than not organic, so always go organic if you can.

To prepare, simply steam or blanch a 16oz bag of frozen shelled or “in the pod” edamame for 3-4 minutes, don’t over cook it or it will become mealy. Strain, and drizzle with 2 tsp flax oil and 1 tsp course sea salt. Olive oil works great, too. Keeps in the fridge three days.

(You can also try this yummy Spicy Edamame recipe, courtesy of our friends at Sushi Den in Denver.)

2. Homemade Trail Mix
The best part about this snack is you can make it exactly how you want it. Shop the bulk aisle at your local natural foods store if you can. Keep everything raw and unprocessed (i.e. skip the roasted, salted nuts and seeds) and forgo anything with wheat or flour in it. Go light on the fruit, it’s still a source of sugar.

Combing your choice raw pumpin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, currants, raisins, unsweetened dried fruit, cacao nibs or unsweetened chocolate chips, almonds, walnuts, and/or coconut flakes.

3. Plain Greek Yogurt (All Jazzed Up)
It contains tons of protein that will keep you full and happy. Add a little natural sweetener, like agave nectar or stevia, and some type of seeds or nuts to make it a full, complete snack or meal.

My favorite yogurt: 1 cup organic, plain greek yogurt (I love the Okios brand), 1 tsp organic agave nectar (or honey), 5-6 drops vanilla stevia, 2 tbsp ground flax or chia seeds. Stir well to combine. Yum! You can put it in a glass pyrex for on the go in a chilled lunch box, or buy the individual containers of low-sugar greek yogurt with fruit.

4. Any Fruit or Veggie with Almond Butter
The produce supplies the good carb and fiber, while the almond butter give you a healthy fat and protein. My favorite combos are an apple or banana with 2 tbsp almond butter. Delish! It’s great with raw carrot sticks or celery (think gourmet ants-on-a-log), too.

5. Mini Caprese Salad
This snack seems so elegant but is super easy to make. Make sure you buy real mozzarella, not the highly processed stuff. The small bocconcini balls of mozzarella are great because you can just cut them in half for bite-sized pieces.

Wash a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Cut one ounce of mozzarella into bite-sized pieces; combine the cheese and tomatoes in a small bowl with 1/2 tsp good extra virgin olive oil, a pinch each of sea salt and black pepper, and a either a dash or dried or chopped fresh basil. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator or a chilled lunch box.

6. USANA Nutrition Bars

These are my go-to snack bars because they’re low-glycemic and taste great. A lot of bars on the market – even the healthy ones – are still high-glycemic and will leave you starving after an hour. The Chocolate Fusion bar is my favorite, I always have one in my purse for “OMG-Get-Me-Food-Or-I-Might-Eat-My-Hand” moments. And for just regular moments, too  Let me know if you want some, I can get them at a discount.

*** Homemade hummus with veggies would be next on my list, but I didn’t include it here because I called these super easy snacks. Hummus is pretty easy, but it involves a food processor so I left it out. I rarely buy store-bought hummus as it’s full or additives and preservatives, and really isn’t that good for you. Always read the label, it should only contain beans, a healthy oil, tahini and garlic/spices.

xo,