How many times has this happened to you? You are late for work, or driving your kids to school and while racing out the door you forget to eat breakfast. You slam down a cup of coffee and feel full enough, but an hour later your tummy grumbles and you groan. Or you pack your children’s snacks, sippy and lunch for a day at the park…but forget to pack something for yourself?
It’s something we all do, but taking care of ourselves needs to be priority number one. Eating small snacks frequently helps curb cravings and binge eating, and stabilizes your blood sugar and insulin levels. But women on the go don’t have time to stop to make smoothies or juice, and with summer around the corner many of us are trying to prepare for bathing suit season.
When I work late night games I often get hungry after dinner and after walking my 30,000 steps, but I don’t want to eat the standard chips and sodas in the press room. So here are my top 5 healthy snacks for women on the go! (Please note I follow a modified paleo diet, with very little dairy due to allergies and intolerance.)
1. Smoothies
(Pictured) Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
One of my favorite smoothies when I could eat dairy were EAS Advantage Carb Control, but now I’m addicted to Vega One. You can bring a packet with you and mix in a bottle of water, or pre-make these with fruit on the weekends and freeze them in a sealed mason jar. Then you pop it in your bag and a few hours later it’s melted and perfect for lunch or a snack! Here are my two favs that I make on a weekly basis: Banana Berry Smoothie and Chocolate Berry Bliss.
Keep in mind if you are freezing your smoothies, no need to put ice in them when you mix. And don’t fill in to the top, leave at least an inch for the liquid to expand.
2. Nuts
Cashews are a great source of protein as are almonds. We like the cinnamon almonds from Emerald. I make a homemade trail mix out of these almonds, with Enjoy Life dairy free chocolate chips, and dried cranberries or raisins for a treat for our girls!
If you don’t like raw nuts how about an apple with peanut butter or celery boats with almond butter? You can buy nut butters in small on the go packs now!
3. Hummus & Roasted Chick Peas
Hummus is another great source of protein you can pair with raw veggies or crackers or even pita. Plus it’s easy to portion into small containers on the weekends and have ready for you when you are in a hurry! Don’t forget to pre slice your veggies as well.
If you don’t eat beans, there are other ways to make hummus, here is a great alternative recipe. And I love these spiced maple roasted chick peas from 20 Something Allergies!
4. Muffins
Anyone starting a paleo diet knows muffins are a godsend. They satisfy your sweet tooth, and are super portable. We make some kind almost every week, Danielle Walker’s Against All Grains is a great place to start for muffin recipes.
5. Juice and Fruit
Don’t underestimate the importance of juicing! Much like smoothies, you can pre-make juices over the weekend and seal in mason jars. Or just pick up a delish bottle at the grocery store. Also you can throw an apple, banana, or your other favorite fruit in your bag for the day for those times when you are starving.
For those of you that can tolerate dairy, string cheese is a great snack for on the go. And don’t forget about edamame fresh or dried. I also love this post from Paleo Grubs, which has 53 healthy snacks to keep you satisfied. And here are some more ideas on pinterest!
Follow Kristen Hewitt’s board Healthy Living on Pinterest.
Hope these snacks help to motivate you to plan ahead for the week! And if you need more inspiration here are 6 healthy eating tips to get you back on track.
Great post! Something to keep in mind for all us working moms who just. don’t. stop.
These are great ideas. I guess I need to try those Vega One smoothies because every time you post about one I think how delicious they look!
Definitely love your suggestions and so many great ideas for snacking on the go, especially the muffins 🙂
They are the best! I sometimes even prep snacks for the kids and portion them and put them in the fridge where they can reach them.
This is so true! I have to pack a snack now- it does help! I love the smoothie idea- I am going to have to do that, and start freezing them!
Great list of snacks! I already make and eat all of them. But you’re right, we often forget about ourselves as we’re busy taking care of our kiddos and rushing out the door.
Thank you!
Your pictures look so yummy. They make me want to eat healthier. Great suggestions!
These are great choices! I make a smoothie each morning for my drive to work. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for this great post. I am most definitely going to take this to heart as I am trying to eat more healthy. Great job!
I love your list. It works for me and my son. I’m a HUGE hummus and smoothie fan. I’m also the random girl that carries around avocados. They are messy to peel with my hand, but can easily be torn open with plastic silverware. I still have to make the paleo muffins. They look delicious.
I almost added avocados but I can’t eat them plain!
I have gotten better at packing snacks for myself..I’m an expert with the kids, but need to work on me!!! I also like to keep granola and breakfast bars on deck! I don’t do nuts though….hummus is a good suggestion..it’s just one of those things you can keep going in on until you run out of chips or stuff to dip in it though!! LOL
I can’t have wheat so I didn’t add granola or snack bars but those are awesome!!
This is a great post and great ideas. I need to be more pro-active with packing my own snacks.
we all need to take care of ourselves better – food is medicine!
Great list! I love all types of bean salads and apples with a bit of maple almond butter
Great ideas! I am a sucker for hummus! I love it and cannot last a week without it. I am working on becoming a smoothie pro!
I’m nuts for nuts– east to carry and fills you up fast! Great tips!
good list. hummus is always a staple around here!
Wonderful suggestions!!! I love making big batches of muffins, that way when I’m hungry or in a rush, it’s easy to grab one and go.
Moms need to eat too (even though the kids make it hard for them to do so). LOL
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Great suggestions. I am so bad at this.
Well now you will be awesome at it!
This is a gold mine of great info and recipes, Kristen! I live on Vega One! It’s truly the best stuff you can buy, I’ve been putting it my morning green smoothie for about 5 years now, ever since I went back to school to study Nutrition. I buy the huge tubs when they go on sale …. like 5 at a time. Doesn’t it make you feel so energized!?
Yes! I drink it for lunch or snack 4-5 times a week. So filling and a great way to get nutrition in your kids. The new formula is safe for them…yay!
They all look so edible/drinkable. Seriously want to grab something from the photos. Thanks for sharing this post!
All those snacks look so good. Sometimes I’m so wrapped up in making sure my kids have snacks, I do forget to grab myself something. I love Suja’s Apple a Day Green Juice and Kind Bars.
Yum! I’m so guilty of skipping meals because I’m busy or on the go. Some of my favorites are nuts, apples and peanut butter, hummus and carrot sticks, cheese sticks, and protein muffins.
Great suggestions! Those muffins look amazing, and I LOVE roasted chickpeas but I haven’t had them in so long!
Wow, this post is chock full of helpful information! I have been on a mission to find healthy snack options lately. I am always hungry when I get off work and need a little snack to fuel me before my workout. These are great ideas! Thanks for sharing them with Hump Day Happenings.
That smoothie looks DEE-licious! I am a big fan of nuts as a snack, especially loving the almonds lately. Thanks for sharing!
Great snack ideas! Hummus and veggies is one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again next week 🙂
These look really healthy and easy to carry on-the-go! Just what we’ll need on our spring/summer trips 🙂
I’ve been taking smoothies to work and it has helped curtail my binging on lunchroom snacks. Nuts are another great idea. I do add a few to my salads every now and then.
Smoothies? Muffins? Juices? These are calorie laden, sugar filed snacks – not healthy!
Did you read the recipes? Paleo sugar free and wheat free muffins? Protein smoothies with berries and avocado? Not sure what your definition of healthy is…sorry to disappoint you.
Great post. We follow a whole food, Paleo diet and smoothies, Paleo muffins, and nuts are my go to snacks. I would love for you to share some tips at my linky party. http://faithfilledparenting.com/2015/12/faith-filled-parenting-link-up-party-3/
These are all great ideas. I tried vega one though and it was hella grainy and gross….BLAHH. I blended it in my magic bullet too.
I love it mixed with fruit!
Great ideas! I find myself making/feeding kids and then I don’t take the time to make myself something nice/healthy (I just grab whatever is easy, or leftover off their plates). I appreciate your ideas.
And Thanks for sharing on Monday Funday!
Holly @ Creatively Living