Balanced Snacks for Moms

What are you snacking on these days?

Healthy snacks can sometimes mean the difference between days that go well and days that go awry. I write a lot about nutrition for little ones, but in both the short- and long-term, balanced meals and snacks are important for moms too!

If you sometimes experience:

• Mid-day energy slumps

• Sleepless nights

• Fatigue

• Irritability

…choosing meals and snacks that offer a combo of FAT + FIBER + PROTEIN + CARB can help slow the rate of digestion and prevent the dips and spikes in blood sugar that can lead to low energy, tiredness, irritability, difficulty sleeping and imbalanced hormones. Getting enough sleep, eating three meals a day, being physically active and drinking enough water also make a huge difference when it comes to how we feel.

10 balanced snacks:

1. Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries and Gotta Have Granola (If choosing store-bought granolas or cereals, look for a fiber content of 3 grams or more per serving)

2. Apple slices topped with nut butter and a dusting of cinnamon (When possible, try to choose nut butters that contain only nuts and maybe a little salt)

3. Homemade trail mix - almonds, cashews, dried fruit 

4. Roasted Toasty Chickpeas and a few avocado slices topped with lemon juice and salt

5. Veggie sticks with nutrient-dense dip (like hummus, mashed avocado, greek yogurt w/ lemon and dill, My Mom’s Baba Ganoush)

6. Hard-boiled egg with mashed avocado and whole grain crackers (look for whole-grain crackers that contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving)

7. Celery sticks topped with nut butter and raisins (we moms can enjoy ants on a log too)

8. A handful of almonds with string cheese 

9. Chia pudding made with chia seeds, vanilla soy milk, honey, and topped with fresh figs

10. No-Bake Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Gotta Have Granola

Toasty Chick Peas

My Mom's Baba Ganoush

Mango Chia Seed Pudding

If you find yourself feeling extra munchie and craving certain foods, it’s often more effective (and enjoyable!) to eat a little bit of what you crave and move on, rather than restricting yourself and then obsessing about it. But if boredom snacking and/or lack of time is an issue, it can help to post a list of your favorite healthy snack combinations on the fridge, to jog your memory and help steer you toward healthier choices in the moment.

Thanks to my dietetic intern, Amy Bryan for her contributions to this blog post!

What are your favorite balanced snack combos? Let me know in the comments below.