COVID-19 lockdown was very impactful on my diet. First off, to be clear, when I talk about my diet, I mean it as a noun, not a verb. I think about my diet as simply the kinds of food that I habitually eat. While in the past, I ate Paleo, intermittently fast, ate low-carb, etc., dieting doesn’t work for my mental health. Instead, I constantly keep my favorite healthy snacks in my fridge & my pantry to ensure I always have healthy options on hand to snack on, instead of eating chips or candy.
Mixed Nuts & Dried Cranberries
The first time I had this snack was in the waiting room at a spa. It’s the perfect combo of salty & sweet in my opinion. I even make my own trail mix sometimes for long hikes by mixing Craisins with my two favorite nuts: Almonds & Cashews.
JIF Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter & Fuji Apples
Because of my mom, I’ve always loved Fuji apples. They are the only type of apple that my mom would buy growing up, & I still do not love any other type of apple just as much. When I still worked at IPSY, I LOVED that our office manager always kept single packs of JIF Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter & apple slices in stock. Nowadays, I put a huge scoop of peanut butter on a spoon & bite in a whole apple.
Baby Carrots & Hummus or Ranch
I owe this favorite snack to my sister. She buys two giant bags of baby carrots from the grocery store every week, & every week, we finish every last carrot. While I’m fine eating baby carrots on their own, I do love dips & sauces. Hummus & ranch are my favorites ones to pair with my baby carrots when I’m feeling saucy.
Edamame
I love Japanese cuisine, & I love going to restaurants that offer edamame as an appetizer. Costco has huge packs of edamame that you can quickly heat up in the microwave. Edamame is high in protein, can help lower cholesterol, & reduce the risk of breast & prostate cancer.
Cuties
I don’t recall when Cuties came onto the scene, but I’ve loved them since the first time I picked up a bag from the grocery store. I must eat at least two at a time, if not more. They are my favorite snack when I’m craving something juicy & sweet.
Bananas
Whenever I need a piece of fruit that’s going to keep me full for a significant amount of time, I reach for a banana. Unlike cuties, bananas keep me feeling full if I have a long meeting before lunch, or I get hungry in the afternoon with several hours to go before dinner. Another plus to bananas is that if I ever forget about them, I have an excuse to bake my ultimate banana bread.
Do you share any of my favorite healthy snacks? Do you have anything that you always keep on hand in your fridge or pantry that you want to recommend? Let me know in a comment below!
XO Denise
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