Since my stomach requires food so often throughout the day (every few hours on the dot!), it was important for me to find healthier snacks. I have been gravitating towards trail mixes, nuts and raisins, veggies and hummus, fruit, granola and yogurt, and various healthier chocolate-based yummies. As a teacher, I make sure that I have my snacks with me in the classroom because I am not necessarily hungry during the prep periods or breaks. I have various baggies in my purse and some days, I end up going through them all quite quickly or I have some leftover depending on my appetite (or meal size at lunch and/or breakfast).

I recently discovered that I LOVE macadamia nuts! I was eating almonds with my raisins, but there was a dinner recipe that require macadamia nuts – other nuts don’t stand a chance at my grocery cart anymore. The ones I bought are a bit too salty for my liking, but I know what to look for when I am thinking of a healthier nut. Eating unsalted almonds can get a bit boring since they have a bland flavor and feel like tree bark (at least to me!) – if you are trying to eat healthier, it helps when you actually can ENJOY the new snacks and meals.

The chocolate that will also stay as my “go-to” for quite a while are these protein chocolate bars from Winco Foods. They are available in the bulk section next to the trail mixes, so it was a simple find. The bars take some getting used to at first – they have an interesting flavor..BUT it is delicious once you realize that it is not that sweet. However, I have noticed that it still fills my chocolate fix since there are big chocolate chips mixed in. Now, you don’t worry about needing something sweet throughout the day 🙂

Another great bulk item at Winco is the trail mix section. They have so many with varying nuts, dried fruit, healthy sweet ones, etc. I have been trying to get a different one every time to be able to find the perfect tasting for me. I also consume the trail mixes consistently enough throughout my day (because there are so many different things in them) that I like to change up what I buy each month. So far I have tried a more basic mix with peanuts, raisins, and chocolate as well as one just with dried fruit and also, a mix of healthy toffee, caramel, choc-covered nuts, white choc chips, and raisins. The last two mentioned have been very delicious, but they can be too sweet at times (the dried fruit are coated in a sugar). I’m still on the hunt for a great interesting trail mix!

Depending on the season, I like to eat grapes, apples, or watermelon for my fruits and carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, broccoli (pretty much any veggies ha) with hummus or peanut butter. I really love veggies on their own as well! They just make me feel healthy as I eat them, and they fill you up if you eat enough of them or add a dip.

As you can see, there are so many variants for healthy snacks. It is important to enjoy what you are eating, which is why I go for a number of choices in my cupboard. I often get bored of snacking on the same thing day after day, so having all these delicious things stocking the fridge and dried goods pantry is crucial. I hope you can be inspired to eat healthier snacks because you will feel much more energized and not worry about needing to grab food often!