Snacks..

I find the end of the day sometimes the most challenging. Myself and the kids are tired and our blood sugar in crashing. Emotions are flying high! I use to find I would throw whatever at us just to help satiated all the feels. But it was really more like throwing gasoline on the fire.

Let’s chat a bit about snacks. I like to think about snacks as a a small meal that give us a little kick. A combination of foods that together will help to regulate my blood sugar, a small refuelling. Something to help pull us out of a tailspin….

Here are some snack combos I like to turn too:

1. Nuts and Fruit

My favourites nuts are almonds and walnuts. They will give you a little hit of protein and fat, combined with dates and raisins (our go to dried fruit for on the go) or apples have fibre and will give you a sweet hit you may be wanting. I find this combo goes well together, keeps me satiated for longer; over just having a handful of almonds or an apple. Not to mention with nuts I do find myself mindlessly going back for more.

Try organic nuts if you can as conventional almonds can be heavily sprayed with pesticides and choose raw over roasted so you can get all the healthy fats!

2. Cookies, Muffine or Granola Bars

I am a sucker for baked goods they are my weak link. Did you know it’s ok to eat cookies and muffins! But if you are wanting an energy boost that lasts or something to satiate your hunger for more than a half hour you will have to rethink beyond the traditional cookie and muffins recipes!

My favourite is cookies and muffins that are packed with oats, nut butter, fruit or veggies (you can sneak zucchini, carrots and beets into cookies) and no keep those refined sugars to a minimum or completely out. When we eat baked goods high in refined sugars and refined flours it spikes our blood sugar leaving us wanting more and more. When we pack baked goods full of nutrient-dense foods, we’ll be astiated for longer and we’ll be giving our body the nutrients it needs to keep going.

3. Apple slices and Nut Butter.

This one is can be fun. You can have the nut butter in a small container and cut your apple and dip away. I also will core the apple an slice it in half the long way around (so it look like a dough-nut). The slather a layer of nut butter like icing. You can have fun and add toppings if you like - hemp seeds, nuts, cinnamon. I have even let the kids put a few chocolate chips on!

Apples and nut butter are delicious; my favourite is apples with hazel nut butter or this delicious chocolate spread! But good old peanut butter always takes the cake for my kids. It’s satisfying and the combo of fibre and nourishing fats with a little protein will keep your energy up and you going!

4. Smoothies

I love having a smoothie between school pick up and after school activities. They travel well. I will sometimes pack a smoothie to bring with me when I have a bunch of meetings and errands; or the I am not sure how the day will unfold. Packing it full of greens, nourishing fats, low glycemic fruit like berries and protein powder to keep you full for hours.

5. Veggies and Hummus or Hard-boiled Egg.

I love having veggies pre chopped and hard-boiled eggs pre-cooked for easy munching in the fridge. Having veggies like carrots, celery and peppers in a small mason jar with some hummus for dipping at the bottom is an easy to go snack.

Snack like meal should have a combination of fat, fibre and protein. These three things will keep you satiated for a long time, along with keep your Blood sugar stable. This mean you won’t be left dealing with cravings, energy crashes and the witching hour mood swings!

I would love to hear your favourite snack combinations!