4.25.2013

Take Five: Snacks

I am a snacker. I love snacks. Instead of having 3 regular meals, I generally eat about 5 - 6 snack-type meals. I wrote a post a while back about what I typically eat on a regular work day. I am also a creature of habit. I usually eat very similar things each day. I am not really into candy or chips or soda. My go to snacks are these:

1. Legumes: Perhaps this is not a "snack" but each week I make a batch of some sort of bean and I take it with me in a little tupperware and it's my mid afternoon snack. I eat it a couple hours before I get off work so when I am going for a run after work I am not totally hungry but it has time to set in.

2. Dried Fruit: I am not really a big sweet lover, but I DO love dried fruit! Craisins (and dried coconut) are my crack! I also love dried mangoes, cherries and apricots. If you can dry it, I will eat it. Plus you can take them anywhere and they don't go bad, get squished or make a mess! The only bad thing about dried fruit is when you get the big bag from Costco and you eat the whole thing in one sitting!

3. Nuts: When I need something salty, which is VERY often, I look for my nuts. Ha. No, seriously, almonds are my favorite, but I am not nut-ist; I love all nuts!

4. Fruit: I probably eat at least 3 and sometimes more like 5 servings of fruit a day. It generally travels well, it hydrates you and it tastes good! I also snack on carrots, celery and radishes most days at work.

5. Granola/Oats: Whether it's oatmeal in the morning, or granola and yogurt later in the day, I think oatmeal and granola are a great way to get a nice full feeling while still being healthy.

Usually I buy items separately from the bulk aisle (or Costco) and mix up my own trail mixes, granola or nutrition bars, but sometimes it's just easier to grab and go. Some of my favorite pre-made items are made by Kind and one of my favorites of theirs is the Almond & Apricot bar. It's everything I love, all rolled up into a bar! The only thing it's missing is the legumes.

almond & apricot

I have tried a lot of bars and some are good and some are only so-so, but I have to say, I have not yet met a Kind bar I didn't like.

What is your favorite snack? What is your favorite nutrition bar?

**I was not compensated for this post, but I was given this product for free in return for an honest review. Rest assured, my reviews are just that.

8 comments:

  1. Oo, kind bars are good. And have you tried kind granola? Also so very very good. I ate a lot of that last year with yogurt and fruit when I was marathon training. My grocery store seemed to have it on sale all summer for some reason so I just kept buying it! So yummy.

    My favorite snacks are fruit and mixed nuts. I also like to eat edamame, I will sometimes make a whole bag at home and then portion it out into snack sized servings. I also like having popcorn, too. There was a hotdog place in the lobby of my building in Minneapolis and they had THE BEST popcorn, so I would have it once a week.

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  2. I bring dried fruit or nuts or trail mix with me to work, and generally fruit as well. My 9-hour days are a little too long for no snacks, even if I get to eat lunch, so I almost always have a few snacks with me.

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  3. I LOVE Kind bars! My fav is coconut and almond!! Yum!!!

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  4. I'm trying to be much less of a snack kind of girl, because I'm a sucker for chocolate. Sweets buys nuts and chocolate in the bulk aisle and makes his own nut mix ... Gavin is funny, because he picks out all the chocolate (just like his mama, even though he's never seen me do it!).

    My favorite granola bars are Quaker Oats Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip. I've tried the others - healthy and not healthy alike. And I'm very meh about most of them. I always come back to my PB&C bars for a quick, on-the-go snack.

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  5. I'm a big snacker too! Love almonds and dried fruit. Yum! We have a food dehydrator and it's fun to dry our own stuff. The only problem is that I eat it faster than I can dry it. ;)

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  6. You are a super healthy snacker!! I go for dried fruit and nuts almost every day, too. And I love Kind bars!

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  7. I've never tried the Kind Bars. I enjoy Earnest bars myself! The quinoa in them is SO yummy!

    Sarah
    www.thinfluenced.com

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  8. I'm looking for new types of snacks now that I'm having to go gluten-free. This sounds like one to try for sure!

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