Items to Have at Your Snack Table

There are plenty of choices of healthy snacks in the grocery store, however nothing beats a fresh homemade snack. Personally, if I don’t have a healthy, quick snack –  I will without a doubt, reach for chocolate mid afternoon. Filling up on healthy snacks gives our body more energy and focus and it can help improve our mood. Having healthy snacks in between meals helps keep our body full throughout the day – hopefully detering us from poor snack choices later. 

Hunger always strikes at the worst time, making our snack choices difficult. We have to plan our snacks the same way we plan our nightly dinners. Have snacks pre packaged in the refrigerator or on your snack table. Snacks are the perfect way to add fruit and vegetables to your daily nutrition. Have them washed, peeled, packed and ready for you to grab when you need them. Another great snack is leftovers. After dinner, pack small portions in a container and have in the refrigerator for tomorrow’s snack. 

A few items to have at your snack table for grab and go snacks. A whole piece of fruit such as a banana or apple, unsalted soy nuts, single serving of canned tuna with celery, vegetable sticks with hummus or a yogurt-based dip, air popped popcorn with olive oil or non-hydrogenated margarine, unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon and toasted nuts. 

Pepper Jelly

Mango pepper jelly has many uses and if you keep that handy, you can mix it with cheese and crackers and eat as a snack. You can mix pepper jelly with cream cheese for a dip, spread on turkey slices with goat cheese, roll-up, chill and eat as an afternoon snack.  Mix with sour cream and use as a dip, spread it on egg bagels with cream cheese, mix it with peanut butter on a cracker or toast. Use it as a dip for fried vegetables, such as fried zucchini and fried okra.

Cheese Spreads

Cheese spreads can be used often and have so many different options. Many cheese spreads can be used with crackers, corn chips or veggies. There are warm cheese spreads as well that you can serve with bread. If you love jalapeno poppers, jalapeno popper dip is always a delicious treat. 

Fruits

Dried fruit is a great option as well, it is high in fiber and nutrient-dense. Need a pick me up – dried fruit is a great source of energy and contains no fat. Some favorite dried fruits are dried mango, dried apple, and dried banana. If you don’t necessarily care about calories, have dried bananas covered in chocolate.