Let’s face it – the pandemic has been exhausting. To combat the fatigue, i’m always looking for healthy snacks that are satisfying and easy to fuel my family. Self-care is critical these days. One of the ways I make my life easier is to stock up my pantry. Yesterday I had a load of groceries delivered from Costco. It felt like Christmas day as I unpacked all the goodies and stocked up my shelves. Note: You can also find many of these items on Amazon if you don’t have a Costco membership. Here’s my top 5 list of products that make great snacks when energy is running low:
1. Organic Dried Mango: My entire family loves this product. Most dried mango is soaked in sugar. This brand has no added sugar. Just small handful is chewy and satisfying. It’s an easy snack to grab on the way out the door. NOTE: A half cup has 19g of natural sugars. That’s about the same as a cup of blueberries or an apple or an orange. You don’t need to limit natural sugars is you are eating them in reasonable portions. They are absorbed slower than refined sugar. Added sugars (refined sugar) should be limited to 8-10g per snack size serving)
2. RX Bars: These bars are a nice gluten free alternative to granola bars. They aren’t fully plant based but the ingredient list is simple. Dates, egg whites, nuts, unsweetened chocolate. Each bar has 12g of protein which balances out the 17g of natural sugar from the dates. They are chewy and satisfying. A perfect snack to grab on the way out the door. (Note: They aren’t cheap! They run about $2 each. However, if they fuel your afternoon and prevent you getting ‘hangry’ before dinner… that’s worth it’s weight in gold).
3. Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups: This tasty treat seems to hit the spot when searching for something sweet to have in the evening. They are individually wrapped which is not good for the environment but it’s very helpful for portion control. One of these little chocolate cups has only 80 calories and 5 grams of added sugar. The ingredients are simple – no artificial sweeteners. I also find them very satisfying when savoured mindfully alongside a cup of herbal tea.
4. Orville Redenbacher Butter Flavour Reduced Fat Popcorn: My family loves popcorn in the evening. The Costco pack has 24 bags which ensures we won’t run out anytime soon! I wrestle with the fact that each bag is wrapped in plastic, however I try to reduce my plastic in many other ways. Each bag is 80grams. That’s about 11 cups popped. A whole bag is 300 calories, 10 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein. A half bag makes a pretty ideal snack.
NOTE: If you want to ramp up the nutrition – try adding 1 Tbs of nutritional yeast flakes (or as my husband calls them: fish food!). The yeast flakes give a subtle cheesy flavour and boosts the protein and B vitamins.
5. Ancient Grains Granola: It’s tough to find a granola that still tastes good and is not loaded with added sugar. This brand has it all. In a satisfying ¾ cup you get: 5g of protein, 6g of filling fibre and only 9 grams of added sugar. NOTE: The guideline I always recommend for added sugar on a label is “8 is great or 8 is enough”. Most granola has 12-16g of added sugar for a ½ cup.
Mason Jar Berry Parfait
Fill mason jars by alternating plain or vanilla yogourt, sliced berries, low sugar granola and nuts. Add a lid and keep for up to 3 days as quick snacks!
For added flavour and fullness add chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds.
Once you’ve fueled your body make sure you remember to feed your soul. Check out my upcoming programs: SoulCollage®, Mindfulness and Retreats.