Being on a mission to achieve your fitness goals makes it hard to snack. Most of what you would have eaten before is now off-limits, but that doesn’t mean you can’t snack. You just have to find the right foods.
The following is a list of easy snacks and tasty mini-meals you can have while you’re working toward your fitness goals.
1. Lily’s chocolate chips
If you’re missing out on getting your chocolate fix because you’re avoiding sugar, you’ll be excited to know Lily’s chocolate bars and chips are sweetened with Stevia, not sugar or fake sugars. This means you can actually indulge in your chocolate cravings without sacrificing your progress.
Although these chocolate chips are sweetened with stevia, and they taste amazing, you probably don’t want to eat the entire bag. Use these chocolate chips as a sweet tooth fix, not a meal replacement.
2. Ka’Chava smoothies
Ka’Chava is a company that makes amazing superfood smoothies from all organic ingredients. There are plenty of these products on the market, but it’s hard to beat all organic and delicious flavors.
The smoothies are made by mixing water with powder. It’s the consistency of a basic protein shake, but it’s loaded with organic, superfood-based nutrition. These smoothies make great meal replacements and snacks between meals.
You can get these smoothies in chocolate, vanilla, chai, or coconut acai. They’re all good flavors, even the vanilla. If you’ve ever eaten vanilla superfood smoothies, you know how hard it is to make a truly good vanilla. Well, Ka’Chava figured it out, and the vanilla is one of the best flavors.
3. Homemade veggie burgers
All the veggie burgers you buy in the stores have been processed, sometimes to a large degree. If you’re into veggie burgers because you want an interesting way to eat your veggies, try making your own burgers.
You don’t really need an exact recipe to make amazing veggie burgers. Just shred a bunch of veggies you like to eat together and mix it all in a large bowl. Add some egg to keep it together and maybe a little flour to thicken the mixture, and just keep mixing it all up until all the veggies are coated in the egg and flour evenly.
Next, form flat patties out of your vegetable mixture and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake them in the oven at 350F for as long as it takes to cook the egg and make them golden brown.
4. Baked sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a source of tasty, dense nutrition. They contain the right kind of carbohydrates (complex), fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin A. They’re tasty, too. Once you start a sweet potato habit, it will be hard to break.
Bake or boil a sweet potato a few times a week, either for a meal or a snack. Keep the skin on, because that’s where most of the nutrients are located.
When your sweet potato is done cooking, open it up and add a little Himalayan salt. You probably don’t even need to add anything else if you learn to enjoy the flavor of the sweet potato. However, you can add a little butter if you desire.
5. Homemade unsweetened apple sauce
There’s nothing like homemade applesauce, because you can make it as chunky or smooth as you like. The best apples to use are honey crisp, but you can also use Fuji, pink lady, or any other red apple that you enjoy.
Making unsweetened applesauce is easy.
- Peel, core, and chop your apples (start with 4 for a small batch and 8 for a large batch)
- Bring ¾ cups water (for every 4 apples) to a boil in a large pot
- Add the apples to the pot along with ½ to 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Boil the apples for about 20 minutes or until they’re soft enough to mash
- Mash the apples, draining some water if it’s too runny for your taste
- If you have any liquid left over, you can turn that into hot apple cider by adding a little stevia or a pinch of sugar
If you need to follow an exact recipe, try this simple one and just ignore the sugar.
6. Frozen fruit ice cream
When you crave something sweet and frozen, ice cream is usually off limits. However, you can make ice cream from frozen fruit and it will actually taste better than what you find in the stores.
Choose your fruits – strawberries, bananas, and peaches work well. Mash them up and whip them together in your preferred flavor combination(s). Once you’ve made the mixture as smooth as possible, portion it out, and then freeze it all for at least 24 hours.
When your mixture is fully frozen, it should still be soft enough to eat like ice cream. Add toppings like a dusting of cocoa powder or a drizzle of honey. There’s no need to sweeten this ice cream.
7. Chia tapioca pudding
If you like tapioca pudding, but you don’t want to eat the sugar and processed ingredients, you can make your own. Check out this keto-friendly chia tapioca recipe.
All you need are chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla extract, and your choice of berries and nuts. Some people sweeten their chia tapioca with erythritol, but you don’t need to if you prefer unsweetened pudding.
Do you need help with your nutrition?
If you need help coming up with a meal plan that supports your goals and is tailored to your specific needs, we can help. We offer customized nutrition coaching programs completely online through our app.
Whether you’re looking to lose fat, gain muscle, or just get strong, we’ll create a custom meal plan that will help you achieve your goals. After your initial assessment, our team will continue to connect with you to make sure you’re on track and to answer any questions you may have.
This program won’t just tell you what to do – we’ll make sure you understand the foundation so that you can make your own decisions. Still on the fence? Contact us today to learn more about our programs.
Nathan DeMetz holds degrees in Exercise Science, Business Administration, and Information Technology as well as certifications in strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, run coaching, and other areas. His credentials come from organizations such as Indiana Wesleyan University, Ivy Tech College, Utah State University, and the ISSA College of Exercise Science.
Nathan has 20 years of personal and professional experience in the health and fitness world. He works with people from across the globe, including locations such as Kuwait, Australia, and the USA.
To work with Nathan directly on your personal training goals, contact him today!