There are so many ideas and Pinterest boards about healthy snacks to take on the go for our toddlers, but what about us?? Help a mama out! Sometimes I go most of the day without food because I am so busy feeding kids, packing lunches, making meals, managing tantrums (often with snacks), and breaking up fights (also often with snacks). On these days a meal feels like a luxury, and it’s not until I realize I’m about to actually take a bit of that sweet cheek I’m sniffing on that I turn and grab the closest thing that’s food to my face and eat it.
So if basic sustenance is already a challenge for us moms, managing to eat healthily and consistently enough to manage our hanger and help us feel balanced, or trying to actually lose weight and get healthy feels like a pipe-dream! About eighteen months ago I pledged to take better care of myself and my needs. I’m not always great at it, but I do have quite a few tricks up my sleeves by now and one of them is packing snacks for me, too!
If you have healthy goals you’re working toward, don’t let your nutrition stand in your way. It’s pretty much the key to your success.
Pro tip: back off that elliptical a bit and focus on your nutrition and you’ll start seeing those results you’ve been looking for.
Snacks On the Go
I wrote up a list of healthy(ish) snacks to have on hand on the go so you can manage your own tantrums (with snacks)!
Veggies: Prepack little baggies of carrots (big organic ones, not the “I’m on a diet” styrofoam tasting baby carrots), jicama, snap peas, baby bell peppers (and whatever else looks awesome to you).
Bananas (no, they are not too much sugar – they are a GREAT source of nutrients and they come in their own natural packaging. And natural sugars make it a nice sweet treat!).
Apples, oranges, berries: Stick the berries in some Tupperware to have on the go for you AND the kids!
Grass-fed beef sticks and cheese sticks: you know, if you’re into meat and cheeses shaped into sticks (which I am!). Another one that is great for mama and the kiddos. Beef or Turkey Jerky are great to keep around, too.
Nuts: Have a handful or two (max) throughout the day or all at once. Another awesome option to keep you satiated and going strong on busy days. I keep a bag of nuts and a bag of granola in my car (and often my purse!) for an easy on the go option.
Protein Bars: There are plenty of guidelines about how many grams of sugar to look for or how much protein and fiber, but just find one you like and that you recognize most ingredients as food! Have it for a meal you might otherwise skip or break it in half or thirds to have throughout the day.
Mini Meals
These are quick small but satisfying meals to keep on hand at home. Great for a quick heat and eat so you can feel like you’re having a meal you enjoy without needing to spend the time prepping and sitting and eating it.
Avocado and crispbread/whole grain seedy toast: 1/4 avocado laid on top of a hearty, seedy cracker (my favorites are Doctor Kracker Crispbreads, Trader Joe Gluten Free Norwegian Crispbread, or Wasa Crackers) with a bit of salt and pepper: SO delicious!
Chicken sausages of any sort with no nitrates, deli meats (no nitrates), meat or veggie patties – A few slices of uncured salami when you’re feeling peckish or heat up a chili lime chicken patty (Trader Joe’s FTW!) or a garden burger.
Treats
Feeling like treating yo-self but also want to stick to your goals?
Popcorn: I love popcorn – I have an air-popper and I add a bit of olive or coconut oil (spray makes it super easy) with some salt and whatever else – sugar, stevia, nutritional yeast, some chili powder even – get creative! On the go, pop chips are also a good healthy splurge over regular chips.
Desserts: I am a firm believer in treats! Cocktails, chocolates, ice cream… you name it and I love it. try to find a reasonable portion size, try to time it toward the end of the day so the sugar spike doesn’t derail your healthy eating plans and make sure you sit down and ENJOY it! Mini Magnum bars, a couple of squares of chocolate, Halo top low sugar/high protein ice cream… If you want to be able to sustain healthier eating habits, you need to be able to indulge!
Remember: you can’t ruin a diet with 1 brownie (really, no matter how big it is!), but you can do some damage by eating an entire tray of them! Every choice you make, you are in control. Make a choice you wish you didn’t make? One too many donuts? Try to balance it out the rest of the day. You’ve got this! Live healthily AND be happy!
For more details, recipes and tips on when to eat what, check out my blog post here!
