In an ideal world, when you get hungry in between meals, you’d make a delightful recipe made from healthy foods you purchased that day. However, that’s far easier said than done! The other day, a friend asked me to recommend some packaged snacks that are both tasty and nutritious, and I figured I would share my list with Zeitgeist readers! Whether you’re heading to school, work, or any activity, these snacks are convenient on the go and will hold you over until your next meal.
1) SQUARE ORGANICS: Protein Bar
Not only are these chocolate-coated bars gluten-free, organic, and non-GMO, but they also are incredibly filling and only consist of 200-something calories depending on the flavor. My personal favorite is the peanut butter, which tastes like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup– but healthier! Square Organics’ protein bars are the perfect bite and will be sure to satisfy any pesky cravings.
2) PAPA STEVE’S: No Junk Raw Protein Bars
Although the name of this protein-rich snack may sound intimidating, fear not! These protein bars come in a variety of delectable flavors, such as apple cinnamon, banana oat dark chocolate chip, and cherry cashew, among others. These bars are made from completely natural ingredients and contain no refined sugar, chemicals, GMO ingredients, or gluten. Most bars from Papa Steve’s offer 12 grams of vegan protein in under 250 calories. Additionally, the apple cinnamon flavor accounts for 60% of your daily fiber intake, which is very important, as fiber keeps us feeling full!
This Icelandic brand produces some of the most amazing yogurt you will ever find in a grocery store. I always have at least a few containers of each flavor in my fridge whenever I need a quick snack, especially after a workout. Siggi’s is sold at Whole Foods, Gelsons, and many other supermarket chains.
4) JUSTIN’S: Honey Almond Butter
The name alone makes me love this brand, as my dad’s name is Justin, but Justin’s offers some of the highest quality nut butter I have ever tasted. The best flavor is the honey almond butter, which is available in both squeeze packs (super convenient for travel, etc.) and jars. The squeeze packs are delicious eaten alone, or perhaps with some celery or apple slices. Justin’s also produces fantastic peanut butter cups, but they aren’t quite as healthy, so I will leave them off of this list for now 🙂
5) PERFECT BAR: Mini Peanut Butter Bar
This organic and creamy snack is both sweet and savory, at only 100 calories! According to the wrapper, there are 20+ organic super foods, and it is soy free, which is rare with protein bars. A lot of them contain hidden soy, which is fine in moderation, but too much of anything isn’t great, so I was happy to hear that this bar from Perfect Bar does not have any. Right now, they only offer one other flavor, that being almond butter, in the travel size, but there are a multitude of other flavors available in the regular-sized bar. Some of those flavors include coconut peanut butter, cranberry crunch, and blueberry cashew. Yum!
6) HALO TOP: Mint Chip Ice Cream
Although ice cream is not necessarily considered a midday snack (though why not?) Halo Top is a wonderful way to satisfy your sweet tooth. This ice cream brand’s products are filled with protein and very low in sugar and calories. I’ve always been a mint chip kind of girl, but any of their flavors are amazing.
