5 Quick Snacks | Healthy in a Hurry

When you are really hungry and need a snack to tide you over until the next meal, finding something you can put together fast, is crucial. Because the longer you stay “hangry” the more likely you are to begin craving all the bad things. When I am hungry and in a hurry, telling me to eat a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts is just not going to cut it.

Here are a few nutritional options that require minimal ingredients, minimal effort and pack a flavor punch.

Salt & Vinegar Cucumbers

I love salt & vinegar chips! But they make me breakout. These are not salt & vinegar chips but they are close enough to satisfy the craving. The only ingredient not found in the name of this snack is cracked pepper. I slice up a cucumber into a bowl of Tupperware, season with salt & pepper, add vinegar to cover and done! I like sticking mine in the fridge for at least 5 minutes to get nice and cold. This also gives the cucumbers a little time to soak in the flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• Dash of sea salt and cracked pepper

Nutrition Boost:

Cucumbers are high in nutrients and low in calories. They contain antioxidants, which are great for your skin.

• This snack is rich in vitamin k (bone strength and healthy blood flow)
• and has a decent amount of manganese (good for skin, bones and immune system)
• among other nutrients like vitamin c, potassium, and magnesium to name a few others.

Avocado & Sardines

This used to be my emergency lunch. It can’t get much easier. Scoop avocado into bowl, top with drained sardines and done! Sardines get a bad wrap but they’re delicious. The flavor isn’t unusual and the texture is somewhat similar to canned to tuna. So if you do not have an aversion to fish, there is absolutely no reason not to give this one a chance.

If I’m feeling extra ambitious I will drizzle a little olive oil, squeeze a lemon and grind some salt/pepper on top of the avocado before the sardines. This is also good paired with the salt & vinegar cucumbers and/or with some toasted naan bread.

Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• 1 can of sardines, drained & chopped with fork
• Olive oil, lemon juice, cracked pepper and sea salt… optional (but a must for me)

Nutrition Boost:

This one is a nutrient powerhouse! And if you add some cucumber or a leafy green to it, game changer.

The avocado hosts some heavy hitters being rich in:

• Potassium
• Fiber
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B6 & more!

The sardines round out the pair with loads more nutrients including but not limited to:

• Protein (1 can of sardines satisfies almost half of your recommended daily intake)
• Calcium
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B12 (this salty fish packs 136% of the daily recommended value)

Garlic Sesame Edamame

This is the most involved recipe of the list but it still only takes 5 minutes. It is tasty and easy. Costco sometimes sells frozen edamame by the case. Which is nice because they are broken up into individual servings.

I throw some sesame oil and garlic in a pan and then sauté the edamame pods with a drizzle of soy sauce on top, until thawed. (Medium low heat for 3-4 minutes)

Ingredients

• 1 cup edamame pods (frozen is fine, no need to thaw)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Nutrition Boost:

Edamame is an excellent source of protein and fiber. It also carries a variety of nutrients, most notably:

• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Vitamin C

Fresh garlic is known for a laundry list of health benefits and it contains good amounts of manganese, vitamin B6 and vitamin C.

Peanut butter and honey on whole grain toast

Enough said. Toast some bread, spread some organic peanut butter on top and drizzle with a little honey. Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 slice of whole grain bread (my favorite: Dave’s Killer 21 grain bread)
• Peanut butter
• Honey

Nutrition Boost:

This snack is big on Fiber and Protein. It hosts decent amounts of most other nutrients but the star of the benefits is definitely the fiber and protein. Which is great for our muscles, skin and hair. But it is also good for balancing our blood sugar to help you feel full and maintain energy. The key here is choosing a whole grain bread and not just wheat bread. I really am a huge fan of Dave’s Killer bread, most especially the 21 grain bread. It has a little bit of almost all the nutrients you aim to get into your daily consumption. The best part is, it tastes good! (this post is not sponsored, I just love the bread and my son does too!)

Plain yogurt, fruit & Granola

I always keep a tub of plain Greek yogurt in my fridge. It is a great sour cream substitute and a good base for sauces and dips. But it is also a great snack.

I like to drizzle with honey and then top with berries and homemade granola.

Ingredients

• Greek Yogurt (plain)
• Fruit of choice (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries…etc)
• Granola (preferably homemade… many of the store bought variety are a bit high on the added sugar)
• Honey

Nutrition Boosts:

• Plain yogurt is a good source of calcium, vitamin B12 and protein.
• Homemade granola is loaded with heaps of nutrients like vitamin A, calcium, iron, B6, fiber and protein.
• Berries are an overall great fruit choice rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

Nutrition Tips:

This snack can get unhealthy easily if you are not careful. The key is diy.

• Plain yogurt is the way to go. I avoid the flavored varieties because of the added sugar and I think plain yogurt with fresh strawberries tastes way better than the pink stuff.
• Use just a drizzle of honey; it is a decent sugar substitute but honey is pretty weak in the nutrition arena.
• Homemade granola made with date paste is the ideal for maximum nutrition without the added sugar.

Enjoy!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin