A Bag of Snacks - Easy Snack Ideas

I’m a mom. My life is controlled by two little kiddos. They are my alarm clock, my daily
planners, my bosses. I’m their cook, housecleaner, referee, chauffeur, horsey... you get
the idea. In the beautiful business of being mom, it’s so easy to forget to think about
mom herself. I make sure my littles have snacks, fresh water, sunscreen, clean clothes
and brushed hair.

Then there’s mama... I finish what they don’t eat and call it lunch. And
let’s not even talk about clean clothes or brushed hair, cause there’s no such thing in
mom-world.

There’s something to be learned from kids. Well, there’s a heck-of-a-lot that they teach us, but here’s just one. Snack... and snack often. Naturally, we are meant to eat small, frequent meals. Little bites, keep the body and metabolism running efficiently. Not eating enough or eating meals that are too large will smother the metabolism. So, snacks are the answer. This leads us to the oh-so-popular problem: no time!

Seriously, who has time for anything “extra”? Truth is... we all do. Snacking doesn’t mean making a full meal. In most cases, you don’t have to mix, bake or cook a thing. Simply grab a handful of something healthy and chuck it in a baggie.

For those environmentalists (I’m with you), re-use the baggies over and over or use a tupperware. I recommend filling up a bunch of ready-to-go snack bags each week, so when you “don’t have time”, all you need to do is grab and go. Heck, with the delicious ideas I’m about to give you, you can just double or triple up on the baggies and share them with your kiddos.

Here’s a different snack bag idea for every single day of the month. Oh, and fill the bag with 1 serving.... Not the whole bag!

Trail Mix
Banana Chips (not the sugar-coated ones) and dark cocoa nibs/chips
Dried edamame
Carrots & Celery
Freeze dried fruit
Sunflower Seeds (shell or no shell... you pick)
Pretzels and peanuts
Granola clusters
Popcorn
Protein Powder (1 scoop, plus bring along a shaker cup to fill with water)
Jicama with chili powder and lime
Nuts & dark chocolate
Wheat thins & cheese
Pumpkin seeds
Apple & Nuts
Grapes

Celery & PB (I like the peanut butter that is in little cups. Just throw a cup in a bag with
some celery)
String Cheese & Cucumber Slices
Cherry Tomatoes & Pumpkin Seeds
Blueberries & Almonds
2 Hard-Boiled eggs
Rice Cake w/ nut butter
Peanut Butter pretzels
Beef or turkey jerky
Chocolate Graham - 1 graham cracker sheet, 1 square dark chocolate

** Warning... These ones take a little more effort:
Mini Sandwich: 1 slice of whole grain bread & a little nut butter
Hummus Roller - 1 small wheat tortilla topped with hummus & rolled up
Banana Coconut Balls (recipe below)
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
Cinnamon Honey Chickpeas (recipe below)

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
2 cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1.5 TBSP coconut or olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
dash of salt
> Heat oven to 400. Place drained chickpeas in a large bowl and toss with all
ingredients. Spread on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake 30-40 minutes (until
crispy). Makes 6 snack-size servings.
* To make Honey Cinnamon Chickpeas, swap all of the spices in above recipe for 2
tsp cinnamon & 1/2 TBSP honey.

Banana Coconut Balls
2C dry oats
1/4C flaxseed
1 ripe banana
1TBSP coconut oil
dash of cinnamon
> Mash banana well. Mix in all ingredients (using hands is easiest). Form into 18 small
balls and place in tupperware in fridge. Two balls are a snack-size serving.

This little babe wearing our Dark Grey Suspenders HERE.

-Elyse (make sure to follow Elyse on Instagram HERE)