If you’re like my husband, you don’t think about food until the late afternoon (weirdo) and when you do, it’s a gut filling meal. If you’re like me, you’d prefer to snack through out the day never being full and rarely being hungry. I’m not sure which is the healthier of the two, I suppose it’s preference or some sort of a balance. Either way, today we’re going to review some of my go-to snacks.

Some of these were my favorite before I cut out animal products, but although I don’t consume them now I still wanted to mention them in case you could benefit from a new idea!

1. Nut butter and Plants!

Everyone loves the good ol’ apples and peanut butter or the Ants-on-a-log from kindergarten (celery, Pb and raisins), but why leave out the rest of the garden? I love to blanch broccoli and cauliflower to dip or raw zucchini, carrots, and more! Have a sweet tooth? Try any berry (especially frozen blueberries) or my favorite, sliced bananas with nut-butter and freeze them!

(If you’re watching fat or calorie intake, mix normal peanut butter with Pb2)

2. Cottage cheese and Salsa Dip!

Exactly what it sounds like! Mix the two and use for a protein based salsa dip (rather than nacho cheese). Dip with raw veggies, whole grain crackers or eat with a spoon!

3. Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast!

Nutritional yeast is a hidden gem in the vegan world. Packed with B vitamins and other minerals, this beneficial bundle of flakes can be added to salads, soups, dips, or in this case, popcorn! I dry pop my own kernels then lightly dust with coconut oil and sprinkle with Himalayan salt and Nutritional yeast. Add a glass of wine and you’ve got dinner! (Guilty smile here)

4. Homemade Spinach Dip!

Forget the mayonnaise, creme cheese and other pointless calories… throw together some Greek yogurt, avocado and wilted spinach with your favorite seasonings and viola, dip!

5. Guacamole!

I know, I know… it’s fattening and high in calories blah blah blah but it’s one of those superfoods we spoke about in the last post! It’s packed full of all the good stuff that supports a healthy body along with a buttery texture that really satisfies the mouth hunger mentioned in Mindful Eating. If the nutrition facts still scare you, load it up with scrumptious fillers like puréed spinach, tomatoes, peppers, onions, jicama.. add whatever you love to bulk up the serving size.

6. Angelic Eggs! (verses deviled)

When I was fit-cray cray I avoided deviled eggs at all cost, yolk and mayonnaise, no way, not in this mouth! I missed the handy quick snack so traded in some of the traditional ingredients for healthier options. My go-to was Greek yogurt or cottage cheese but now without dairy, I use avocado, mustard and WATER! Yep, when you’re recipe is a little dry, no need to blob on more mayo, just add a splash of water and it’ll moisten it up enough for eating!

7. Frozen Yogurt Dots!

Super easy and tasty. Grab your favorite yogurt, Greek or full fat, flavored or not (I used plain then flavored with protein powder or honey). Put it on a plastic baggy then cut the tip off, squeeze dots onto a tray and freeze. Once frozen, scrape them off and enjoy!

8. Homemade popsicles!

I LOVE frozen treats so this dandy is one of my staples during the hot months. You have control of what goes inside so why not pack it full of nutritious ingredients?! I often mesh some sort of nut milk with vegan protein powder. To make it even more creamy, I’ll blend in a banana, nut butter, chia seeds or avocado. You the fruity type? Put some mango, yogurt and coconut together… craving mint chocolate chip? Add mint extract and cocao nibs! No matter what your taste buds are seeking, just throw your goodies in a blender, purée it until it’s smooth and then fill up the molds. By dessert time you’ll have a feel-good popsicle to savor!

So there you have it, 8 ideas to fill the snack space while keeping your health in mind.

I’m not going to go into any detail this week on the physical challenges of our Friday Fitness so I’ll leave it up to you to review the past weeks and keep it up!