Hello everyone!

Today we are talking about 10 healthy snacks to help you reach your fitness goals! In a time where Uber Eats, SkipTheDishes, GrubHub, and PostMates make eating out so accessible, it can be very challenging to want to eat at home. Meal planning is essential in helping you stay on track with eating home-cooked meals! If you have a choice between a $15 Chipotle order or cooking for 40 minutes- the choice is hard (and easy). Therefore, meal planning will take you out of this dilemma and allow you to eat delicious home-cooked meals every day without having to think about it or spend hours in the kitchen.

Meal planning is essential but what happens when you get hungry between meals? Easy and healthy snacks are great to help you avoid low-nutrition foods like chips, cookies, or sweets! It is imperative to not let chips and cookies become your “fear food”. Enjoy your treats! But, if it is your goal to adopt a healthy lifestyle, opt for eating them less often or swapping them for the healthy snack alternatives in this list.

So let’s get into it!

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1. Avocado Toast

Avocado toast might sound super boring but you can spice it up to your liking! The biggest mistake we see with avocado toast is not seasoning the avocados. Try out different spices (salt-free) and find out what flavours you like! You can use smoked paprika and sesame oil for a deeper flavour profile or you can use black pepper and a drizzle of hot sauce for a kick! Don’t be afraid to experiment with it. Avocados have healthy fats that are great for the body- specifically the skin, hair, and nails! Another great tip is to put your avocados in the fridge once they feel a little soft. This will help prevent them from ripening so fast and avoid you from opening your avocado and finding a bunch of black and brown spots.

2. Cottage Cheese with Fruits and Nuts

We know cottage cheese may be an acquired taste but if you can eat it- start eating more! As a vegetarian and getting enough protein can be a struggle(without the use of protein powder) but cottage cheese has helped tremendously in hitting those macros. Cottage cheese is low-calorie and packed with protein! As we know, protein and fats keep us fuller for longer which is great if you’re a notorious snacker like us! So chop up some of your favourite fruit and place it on top of your cottage cheese. Top it off with some healthy nuts and honey then enjoy!

Don’t be afraid to add some superfoods like chia seeds, flax seeds, goji berries, and hemp seeds as well.

3. Smoothies and Smoothie Bowls

If you’re on Instagram, you’ve seen at least one too many smoothies and smoothie bowls. This is not for nothing! Smoothies and smoothie bowls are delicious, nutritious, and quite filling (could even be a meal instead of a snack). A good blender is something we would invest in if you’re starting your healthy eating journey.

Pack up on some frozen fruits and some greens (kale, spinach, etc) and start blending! Smoothie bowls are also great for adding in superfoods and also protein powder, collagen powder, and other supplements!

4. Rice Cakes with Banana, Peanut Butter, and Honey

If you love eating a lot of bread, try opting for using plain rice cakes instead! Plain rice cakes are super low in calories but you can dress them up any way you want. Some people even use rice cakes as their base for avocado toast! We prefer to use our rice cakes to be more sweet foods than savoury but do what you like best. Our favourite healthy snacks are using rice cakes topped with peanut butter or banana and honey with a sprinkle of cinnamon. It is super delicious and filling and can be a great snack to satisfy your sweet tooth.

5. Hummus and Vegetables

If you prefer more of a savoury snack then this one is for you! Hummus is another high-protein snack because it is pretty much all chickpeas. Carrots, sweet peppers, and celery are great for eating with hummus and are very filling. If you want to take it a step further, try making your hummus at home. All you need is a food processor or blender, chickpeas, spices to your liking, and lemon juice. Experiment with adding garlic, turmeric, and other cool ingredients and create your own perfect (and secret) recipe!

6. Air-Popped Popcorn

Popcorn as a snack may be the easiest one on the list! It is a great alternative if you are trying to kick your chip cravings to the curb. Although you may be missing your buttery popcorn, you can add your spices (salt-free) to spice up your snack. A great additive is some nutritional yeast! Nutritional yeast is especially great for vegetarians and vegans because it is a rich source of vitamin B-12. Nutritional yeast adds a cheese-like flavour to food and can be incorporated into many different dishes.

7. Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts

A parfait is an easy and healthy snack to have between meals. Try to opt for some sugar-free or Greek yogurt and dress it up with granola, fruits, nuts, and honey! It is very delicious and filling. Parfaits are also another great recipe for you to sneak in your superfoods (flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and goji berries). Gut health is very important for our overall health so try to eat your prebiotics and probiotics! Although not a snack, other foods packed with probiotics include kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso, and kefir.

8. Trail Mix

Trail mix is just a mix of nuts and dried fruits (sometimes chocolate). Buy some trail mix or make your own! Trail mix is very high in protein because of its nut content and therefore will keep us fuller for longer. Try to be reasonable in your portion sizes because although nuts are very healthy and essential for us, can be very calorically dense. A great trail mix could be almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate nibs, and dried fruit like raisins. If you’re not a fan of pre-made trail mixes, head to your grocery store and pick out your favourite assortment of nuts and dry fruit, and experiment! Trail mixes are healthy snacks that pack a big satiety punch.

9. Fruit Bowl

This recipe is fairly straightforward- it is just a bowl of your favourite fruits! Sometimes it can be hard to get all of recommend serving of fruits and vegetables so try snacking on them between meals. A fruit bowl is great in the morning and gives you a bunch of energy. You can add a dollop of cottage cheese or peanut butter as a dip for the protein to keep you satisfied for longer as well! Fruits are always healthy snacks- and probably the easiest.

10. Oatmeal Cookies

Although this recipe is not the quickest healthy snack, it is something you can make in larger quantities to save for later! When bananas get too ripe, oatmeal cookies are a great way to use them.

Mash up the bananas until smooth and then add oatmeal until the mixture isn’t sticky anymore (cookie dough texture). From here you can add anything to your liking! You can add your superfoods (flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds), coconut flakes, peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, or dark chocolate nibs. Just try to keep the mixture in its cookie dough texture! Form your cookies or use a spoon and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for around 15-18 minutes at 350°C. 

Cook more or less depending on your preference.

This is an amazing snack that can last you up to a week in the fridge. You can warm it up in the microwave and drizzle some honey on it or you can grab one and go!

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What are your favourite healthy snacks to eat? Which healthy snack(s) are you going to try? Let us know in the comments below!

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