I slinked into the kitchen to get a second (or was it third?) spoonful of Nutella. If I did it on the sly, I felt like maybe it didn’t really count as another helping. Clearly, I felt guilty about this unhealthy late-night snack, but what kind of person can resist a heaping spoonful of rich chocolate hazelnut goodness?!
Plus, scooping Nutella out of the jar seemed a heck of a lot easier than getting the cutting board out to cut up some fresh fruit to curb my sweet tooth. And I was a little sick of pineapple anyway. Nutella it is!
…Sound familiar? I’ve been there all too often, but in the past year and a half, I’ve collected a few healthy snack ideas so that the above scenario doesn’t happen on the regular. Ya with me?
Along for the healthy snacking ride toward small healthy choices to live an intentionally healthy life and feel better as a result? Let’s jump right in.
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You’ll Feel Better if you Replace your Snacks with Healthier Options
This isn’t new news by any means, but just a friendly reminder that your body knows the difference between crap and whole foods with real nutrients.
In fact, your body craves the good stuff! Ever find yourself craving a glass of orange juice? That’s likely because your body needs the vitamins in there!
Junk food and prepackaged, preservative-filled foods like bags of chips and Oreos make you feel lethargic and sluggish.
Unhealthy foods can lead to serious health issues like obesity, growth and development issues, mental health issues, digestive issues, heart problems, and more. I’m not saying this to scare you by any means because it’s never too late to start making intentional healthy choices.
Whole foods like fruits and veggies, healthy fats like nuts and avocado, proteins found in meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy, and healthy carbs found in seeds, grains, fruits and veggies are the better-for-you option.
| Related Reading: How to Eat Healthy Without Going on a Diet: The Ultimate Guide
These things give your body long-lasting energy and the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to function fully at its best. (More on that here.)
These healthier options are not only good for your body, but will keep you fuller longer than junkier foods, and give you the focus you need to get through your school or work day. (We all know that 2 o’clock slump, right?!)
Healthy snacks will push you through the afternoon sleepies with no problem. And if you think the healthy stuff is boring and you won’t look forward to eating it… you’re mistaken, my friend.
Keep reading for all my favorite healthy snack ideas that I can’t wait to eat each day.
Healthy Snack Ideas
Dessert Hummus
It comes in so many flavors and you can find it at most grocery stores! By nature, it’s made from chickpeas so there’s some protein in there to keep you full. And the best part is the seasonal flavors you can find like pumpkin pie and chocolate peppermint. Use this as a replacement for icing or dip some apple slices or pretzel thins in there for a satisfying, guilt-free snack.
Fun tip: get a few flavors and scoop each into a little ramekin, then have a little tastetest of each! It’s like a hummus flight!
Low Carb Tortillas
I looove this option because it’s so versatile. Naturally, I try to keep my carb intake to a healthy amount, because it’s so easy to eat more carbs than recommended.
There are so many healthy snack ideas with low-carb tortillas, which I get from Aldi but you can find anywhere really.
You can spread a little peanut butter and throw some banana slices in there for a super-filling healthy snack. Or try sprinkling a little cheddar cheese in there and heating up, maybe with some shredded chicken in there too for an even more filling snack.
Protein Cookie Dough
You heard me, healthy cookie dough. Super easy to whip up and crazy filling to get you through that afternoon or evening slump. I’ve tried a few recipes and landed on my own version, but play with the consistency to make it as thick or thin as you’d like.
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp milk or milk substitute
- ½ scoop of protein powder, any kind you have (I’ve been using this vegan protein powder, but I also switch off between whey isolate protein powder too!)
- As many chocolate chips as you want. (Since I’ve been dairy free for a while, I use dairy-free chocolate chips. I wrote a whole post on why I went dairy free, too!)
Mix everything together in a bowl for a one-serving delish snack!
Smoothies with Greens
Buy a bag of frozen fruit, the store brand is usually quite affordable, and fill your blender with any fruit, a handful or two of greens (I use spring mix), protein powder if you’d like, water or any milk, maybe some cocoa and a scoop of peanut butter too if you’re feeling sassy, and bam, you have a filling, healthy snack!
Be creative here! You can add anything you want, and it always comes out so good! Even some shredded coconut, chia seeds or flax seeds (make sure they’re ground- I grind mine myself in my coffee grinder), or whatever floats your boat.
I like this healthy snack idea because you don’t have to have any specific ingredients, you can use whatever ya got!
Hard Boiled Eggs and Adobo
MmmmMmm. I am obsessed with adobo seasoning, as salty as it is, it’s such a good addition!
I use it sparingly on my hard boiled eggs each morning and man, it really elevates the whole experience. Silly, but I’m passionate about this one!
Eggs are such a good source of protein and healthy fat, and I find they keep me full all morning, but they can get old, so sprinkling a little adobo magic on there is quite a game changer.
Hard boiled eggs don’t just have to be for breakfast, they’re a great snack in between meals when you’re hungry.
Protein Bread (from Aldi)
I’m loving Aldi’s Protein Bread so much! It’s got 10g of protein and only 4 net carbs per slice. One of my fave healthy snack ideas is to toast a slice of this bread, and put some peanut butter and jelly right on top.
This is my go-to before bed snack when I’m hungry, and such a healthier, intentional choice over my guilty pleasure- death by chocolate ice cream.
Healthy Dessert Ideas
Okay, ya got me, I have a major sweet tooth. If you do too, keep reading for my favorite healthy dessert ideas that always get me through. These are minimal prep, guilt-free, and unique so you won’t be sick of them. They’ll cure all your snacking woes.
Sorbet
A breakthrough for me. I love a good frozen treat, so this is game-changing.
Frozen fruit in a food processor for a few minutes until smooth (you can use a blender too, but may want to add a tiny bit of water or your milk of choice to get the blender going a bit).
It comes out like sorbet and the only ingredient is fruit! Hello, whole food snack!
Plus you can freeze the extra and let thaw on the counter for about 10 minutes and it’s perfect when you have your next snack craving.
A variation of this is to freeze bananas (I usually freeze my browning bananas that are on their way out).
When I want something sweet, I throw the frozen banana chunks into my food processor (or blender) with a few sprinkles of cocoa and a dollop of PB, and then you have peanut butter chocolate “nice” cream.
You can add aannything you want to the frozen bananas to make it whatever flavor you want, but I’m a chocolate kind of gal.
Healthy No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
This is an all-time favorite cookie of mine. This isn’t my own concoction, it comes from Joy Food Sunshine. This is if you’re in the mood to prepare something and spend a little time in the kitchen, about 10 minutes.
You’ll need:
- ½ peanut butter
- ¼ honey
- ¼ coconut oil
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 c quick oats
- ¼ c shredded coconut
Here are the directions. Trust me, these are WORTH making.
Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt
Again, you’ll need a few minutes in the kitchen and a few specific ingredients for this one, but it’s seriously SO good. The recipe comes from Tastemade.
You’ll need:
- 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
- 3/4 cup cream cheese
- 4 cups frozen strawberries
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 whole graham crackers, crushed
Protein Balls
Super simple and flexible for whatever you have in your kitchen.
Here are the main ingredients:
- Rolled oats, nut butter, something sticky (honey, agave, maple syrup), and protein powder.
Play around with the amounts until you get the right texture.
You can add seeds, chocolate chips, raisins, cocoa powder, coconut flakes, anything you like!
Here’s the recipe I usually go off of from Eating Bird Food. And here are a few more variations!
Workout Brownies
These will definitely satisfy a chocolate lover’s sweet tooth! Here’s the recipe. It’s from Chocolate Covered Katie.
Cinnamon Apples
Cube your favorite apples. Heat a little coconut oil in a pan. Toss in the apples and some cinnamon and cook until the apples are soft. Enjoy with a bit of whipped cream for a healthier version of apple pie without the pie crust.
Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt
Mix in a few chocolate chips and a dollop of PB into vanilla greek yogurt. Pop in the freezer for about 40 minutes.
Baked Banana Treat
Slice bananas, drizzle with honey or agave, sprinkle some cinnamon, pop in the oven at 350 degrees for about ten minutes.
Let’s Bring it Home
There are enough healthy snack ideas here to get you through the apocalypse. Seriously so many good things to try.
Bookmark this blog post so you have a few healthy ideas right in your back pocket when hunger or craving strikes, when you’re tired of the same old, same old, when you want a guilt-free, satisfying snack that fuels your body well.
Any of these healthy snacks will help you make intentional choices toward a healthier you, and with minimal prep too. I promise it’s not hard to make small choices each day to feed your body what it needs.
If living a healthy lifestyle feels too overwhelming for you, start here, by just switching your snacking up a bit with recipes like these. Your body will thank you.
Related Reading:
How to Eat Healthy Without Going on a Diet: The Ultimate Guide
What I Eat in a Day and Why + 6 Tips for Healthy Eating
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