Staple Snacks

I. Love. Snacks. I’m most certainly not one of those three-meals-and-done kinds of people…I need my snacks! On a typical day, I’ll have between 2-3 healthy snacks, which is perfect to keep me going between meals.

What with supermarkets selling hundreds of snacks that are marketed to be ‘healthy’, but in actual fact are just as good as snacking on chocolate and crisps, it can be confusing to know what is actually healthy to snack on. Although the healthy snack market is really taking off, with the likes of energy balls, baked crisps and cereal bars proving quite popular they often contain a lot of sugar, along with other nasties. My advice would be to snack on whole foods/ home made snacks wherever possible. If I know I’m going to be out for the day, I will always pack some nutritious snacks to stop the temptation of impulse buying whatever takes my fancy.

Having tried a lot of snacks out, I’ve finally managed to nail down my absolute go-to’s. In my opinion, there is something for everyone whether you’re fancying something sweet, savoury, filling or a lighter bite, it’s all here.

1. Wholemeal Toast & Cottage Cheese

This tastes amazing with some salt and cracked black pepper, it’s also great in terms of fibre and protein. The bread I use is Tesco’s high protein loaf which only costs £0.80, and at 5g of protein per slice, you can’t go wrong! I know cottage cheese isn’t for everyone, so instead, you could always use cream cheese. Also, if you’re wanting a lower carb option, brown rice cakes and Ryvita crackers work just as well.

2. Greek Yoghurt & Berries

This is such an easy snack to prepare, just add a few dollops of Greek/natural yoghurt, top with your favourite berries and you’re good to go! Of course, you can top your yoghurt with just about anything such as honey, a sprinkling of your favourite cereal, or some grated chocolate, it’s all about finding the combos that you love.

3. Fruit

Often if the sweet cravings are calling, I’ll go for nature’s candy 😉 It’s sweet, delicious and loaded with vitamins and minerals. I eat a LOT of fruit, but in particular, I tend to snack on apples, clementines, bananas and berries.

 

 

4. Nuts

If I’m a bit peckish I’ll have a small handful of nuts, as they’re full of good fats and protein they’ll keep you feeling fuller than you’d expect. My favourites include cashews, almonds and pistachios. Also, I’ll often buy a bag of mixed nuts which will be available from many supermarkets.

 

5. Apple Slices & Nut butter

The classic Instagram snack! I know it sounds like a strange combination to start with but once you give it a go, there’s no turning back. I slice up a Gala or a Jazz apple (of course 😉 ) and dip it into some peanut of cashew nut butter. There is so many peanut butters out there it’s just a case of finding the few that you love. I would highly recommend Pip & Nut and Meridian for their nut butters.

6. Carrot Sticks & Houmous

Basically the savoury version of apples and nut butter, for all of you savoury lovers out there! I love trying all the different houmous’ that are available, my favourites include sweet chilli, caramelised onion, and Morrocan style houmous (hummus/houmous…who knows lol?!)

 

7. Mini Oat Bowl

Definitely the most filling of all the snacks, but great post-workout or if you want something that will actually satisfy you. To make this snack even more macro friendly, I’ll sometimes add a scoop of protein powder and top it with a few berries or some dark chocolate. I used 30g of oats, and just enough almond milk to cover the oats in the pan.

I hope you’ve found a snack that tickles your tastebuds, and that I’ve helped there to be one less hangry person in the world 😉

Jazzy B ❤