One of the things that helps for the week to go smoother for my husband and I is just by taking some time to do some food prep. It may seem at first like there is no energy, time or drive to prep and plan ahead on your weekends, it is your weekend, but trust us it is so worth it! We make a list and take inventory of food items that we need for the week and purchase, prepare and pack our snacks ahead on the weekend. I will share my meal prep ideas, menus, recipes and tips in a few future posts! In this post today, I wanted to share my TOP 5 healthy and simple snacks that are quick to prep, grab and go and will keep you energized throughout your day and week.
Hard boiled eggs: We go through quite a bit of eggs per week, about a dozen. We have one to two hard boiled eggs per day either with breakfast, as a snack or with our lunch. Boil the eggs ahead for the week. Keep them in a bowl or container in the fridge and pop them in your lunch bags, (we put them in a sandwich baggy, or Tupperware container) and you can also grab them to have as part of your breakfast/lunch, throw in a salad, sandwich or have on its own on the go!
Greek Yogurt: This is one of our favourites! If you are watching your sugar intake and/or you want a more satisfying snack, buy the plain Greek yogurt. We buy the large 17g container of Liberte Lactose-free Greek yogurt because I am lactose intolerant and am able to enjoy this delicious treat (it replaces ice cream for me, just as delicious if not more!) plus it is a great source of protein. You can have it on its own or add in some options from number 3 and 5 below.
Fruit: We chop up and wash some fruit ahead of time, put that into medium sized containers and add some yogurt to the fruit in a small container for a snack. Change up your fruits each week, maybe based on what is on sale, or in season, for example; have strawberries and blueberries one week and then have pineapple, raspberries and apples or cantaloupe another week. Bananas and apples are great too on their own or combined with other snacks as well! There are so many fruit options out there and you can even make your own fruit salad for snack using fresh fruit too!
Crackers and Peanut Butter/or Seed Butter: We love this snack – it is a great substitute for your grain portion of your meal, or on its own with some fruit. Ryvita crackers have become our favourite and that of our families as well. They have so many delicious options. Add some plain PC Blue Menu Just Peanuts peanut butter on top, throw the crackers together and into a baggy and enjoy!
Trail Mix: We make our own trail mix and the great benefit of doing so is that you control what is going into the mix, instead of buying and eating the premade packed mix with all the extra oils, instead, we buy plain nuts and seeds and add them all together into a sealed jar to maintain freshness and pop that in the fridge. We portion them into small containers and have that as a snack daily, throughout the week. P.S. Add in some dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips for a sweet treat – there is ALWAYS room for some chocolate in your day!
Taking the time to plan for and prep your snacks ahead of time not only will help to make your week run more smoothly, it is also a simple way to enjoy “snack time” and ensure that you are incorporating some healthy options to fuel your week!
What are some of your top/favourite snacks?