Displaying results for Healthy Snacks
10 Low-Sugar Snacks You’ll Love
It’s 4 p.m., you’re hungry, you’re tired, and you are jonesing hard for the donuts/cookies/candy/insert tempting treat here in your office break room. (We’ve all been there). But you know that 10 minutes after eating it, you’ll both suffer the sugar crash and feel hungry again.
5 New Healthy Products: Volume 18
This week we discovered powerhouse teas, addictive organic baking mixes, tasty nut milks, patriotic looking chips, and green lunch bags.
Whip Up Your Own Paleo Granola
Here’s a template to build your own Paleo granola and imbue it with whatever magical powers you like…
Crunch On These 7 Healthy Chip Alternatives
Craving potato chips? Make these tasty healthy chips to satisfy the urge. It is certainly a yummy and easy way to add more vegetables to your diet.
The Best Go-To Office Snacks
By Megan Zichelli We’ve all been there, in the middle of a meeting or responding to emails at your desk, when your stomach starts to growl. If you’re unprepared, you may end up at the vending machine or reaching for the donuts in the office kitchen–neither of which will leave you feeling tip-top and ready to tackle the afternoon. We gathered some of our favorite healthy, energizing snacks–both packaged and homemade–to stash in your desk. So the next time the munchies hit mid-meeting, you can smash them with something tasty and good for you that will keep you kicking butt all day. BARS Look for ones that include only whole-food ingredients, like unsweetened fruit, nuts and spices. Avoid anything with added sugar (which may go under an alias) or ingredients you don’t recognize. (A good question to ask: Would you eat all of the ingredients individually? If not, put it back.) Buy it: Larabar and Thunderbird offer lots of flavors DIY it: Make your own Almond Butter Snack Bars ENERGY BITES These are simple to make and easy to eat (no wonder the term is tagged so much on Instagram). With only a few ingredients and no oven required, you can roll up a tasty homemade snack in seconds. They’re especially convenient because you can just grab one to take the edge off, or have two or more if you need a more substantial snack. Buy it: Navitas Power Snacks (we love the cacao-goji, and the blueberry-hemp) DIY it: Try our recipe for chocolate, pumpkin, and peanut butter energy balls DARK CHOCOLATE Satisfy your sweet tooth, reap the health benefits, and get an energy boost with a few squares of dark chocolate. This is not a free pass to hit the vending machine; be sure to choose very dark bars (at least 70%) that are free of refined sugar and artificial ingredients. Buy it: Try Hu, Fruition, or Eating Evolved NUTS AND NUT BUTTER With plenty of good fat, fiber and protein to keep you satisfied, nuts are a fantastic snack. Keep pre-portioned servings from your favorite bag of nuts in your desk drawer. If you’re feeling fancy, add in a couple of small chunks of dark chocolate. Or grab a packet or spoonful of nut butter, and have it on its own, with a piece of fruit or slathered on a rice cake. Look for all-natural varieties, free of partially hydrogenated oils and other additives. Buy it: Try Nuts.com’s Roasted Mixed Nuts with 50% less salt; Justin’s nut butter squeeze packs or Artisana Organics nut butter squeeze packs DIY it: Feeling adventurous? Whirl up your own nut butter SEEDS To take a break from nuts, but still crunch your way to lots of protein, fiber and minerals, try seeds. Pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, squash–all have health benefits and taste great. Buy it: Go Raw Sprouted Seeds DIY it: The next time you cook a winter or spaghetti squash, don’t throw away the seeds. Instead, rinse and dry thoroughly before tossing with oil and your favorite spices. Roast at 325ºF for about 20 minutes or until toasted, stirring a couple of times during baking time. Divide into individual portions and keep in sealed containers. YOGURT Keep this in the office fridge, not your desk drawer, of course. Look for plain, whole-milk yogurt (ideally organic and grass fed), and mix in your own chopped fruit, nuts or a a drizzle of honey. You get protein, satiating fat and a shot of gut-healthy probiotics. Buy it: Maple Hill, Stonyfield 100% Grassfed and Organic Valley Grassmilk DIY it: It’s easier than you think to make your own homemade yogurt EDAMAME Filled with fiber, protein and iron, these soybeans make a filling snack. Be sure to buy organic, which is non-GMO, or that the label specifies non-GMO, as most soybeans are genetically modified. Buy it: Seapoint Farms Roasted Edamame (in flavors like Spicy Wasabi and Sea Salt) DIY it: Make a batch, divide into single servings and keep in your desk drawer HUMMUS With plenty of protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron and other nutrients, it’s no wonder creamy, delicious hummus is a favorite snack choice. Buy it: Wild Garden Hummus with Gluten-Free Quinoa Crisps DIY it: It’s easy to whip up a batch of Golden Garlic Hummus BETH
5 New Healthy Products We Love: Volume 15
Our weekly picks of the best new healthy items out in the market. Perfect snacks for both you and your little one.
Fuel Your Workouts Like The Pros
What to eat for increased energy pre-workout, or for post-workout recovery? We get the answers.
New Healthy Energy Bars We Love
These tasty real-food bars will fuel your day. Pack them in your bag for a quick healthy snack.
12 More Awesome Uses For Almond Butter
Go even more nuts for almond butter with these 12 recipe ideas.
The Sea’s Perfect Vegetable
This sustainable sea vegetable—packed with nutrients and flavor—is ready for its close-up. A perfect snack filled with omegas and plenty of vitamins.
3 Tasty Snack Swaps You’ll Love
Got a #snackattack? Swap out candy, cookies and chips for more nutrient-dense treats from certified-organic Made In Nature.
8 Drool-Worthy Instagram Recipe Videos
Want to get inspired to make dinner in under 60 seconds? Check out some of our favorite Instagram cooking videos.
5 New Healthy Products We Love: Volume 13
This week’s list is loaded with tasty items to help you save time and stay satisfied, from the easiest oats ever to a creamy, protein-packed swap for yogurt.
Golden Garlic Hummus
You’ll go crazy for our golden garlic hummus. Check out the recipe video and see how easy it is to make!
Raw Bar: 7 Healthier Snack Bars
Our favorite energy bars may be free of GMOs and gluten, but they are filled with flavor
What’s organic, raw, non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, trans fat-free, and contains little to no added sugars? Click to find out.
5 New Healthy Products We Love: Volume 7
Our weekly picks of the best new healthy items out there.
This week we discovered how we much we actually enjoy eating savory oats for dinner. Don’t knock it till you try it! Read on to find out more
Love With Food, Love Your Food
Snack Smart with this monthly subscription service while donating to hunger-relief organizations
There are a few times in life when you can score a win-win: Adopting a loving dog from a shelter or learning carpentry skills while building a house for a veteran are two that come to mind. We just discovered a new one: joining Love With Food. This California-based company serves up smart snacks shipped right to your door. When you sign up for a subscription of just $7.99 a month, you receive a bountiful box of better-for-you snacks every four weeks; they select all-natural and/or organic items with no high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavorings or colorings. (There are also gluten-free options.) Plus, you receive new offerings that you might not find at the grocery store. But, the ultimate win-win is that for every box sent, a meal is donated to feed hungry children in America. To date, Love With Food has donated more than one million meals to food banks connected with Feeding America and The Global Food Banking Network . Help end childhood hunger by snacking smart and doing good! For one week starting today until Tuesday, August 23rd, Love With Food is offering Clean Plates readers a special sale of 15% off on all subscription plans. Sign up today.
5 New Healthy Products We Love: Volume 5
Our weekly pick of the best new healthy items out there
We love snacks that add a bit of snap, crackle and pop to our day especially when a group mid-afternoon yawn rolls around. Here are this week’s favorite new healthy products:
5 New Healthy Products We Love: Volume 3
Our weekly picks of the best new healthy items out there
This week we’re finding tasty ways to up your protein intake with these healthy new food products. You’ll go nuts (and beans!) for these new protein-rich, plant-based goodies. 1. Explore Cuisine Bean Pastas: We’re spilling the beans on this new line of organic, non-GMO pastas from Explore Cuisine, made with nothing but, well…beans! There’s thin spaghetti crafted from either fiber-laden black beans, adzuki beans, edamame or soybeans, as well as fettuccine made from edamame and mung beans. Each two-ounce serving is packed with 20 to 25 grams of vegan protein—pretty darn impressive for pasta. The tender, chewy bean noodles work especially well in Asian-themed recipes. Explore Cuisine also makes tasty pulse pastas from chickpeas and lentils, some with pea protein added for an extra protein punch. (Available at stores nationwide; $25 for a box of six.) 2. Perfect Bar: Bars go by a lot of names—sports, energy, or protein—but many are high in sugar and low in protein and flavor. The Perfect Bar is an exception. This gluten-free, non GMO, nearly all-organic bar is crammed with more than 20 super food ingredients but has no refined sugar. They are also high in protein; the peanut butter, carob chip and almond butter flavors all have between 13 to 17 grams of protein. The best news is they actually taste like real food and are so fresh that they recommend storing them in the refrigerator. (Available at stores nationwide or online; $24 for 8.) 3. Beanfields’ Chips: Tortilla chips may not sound like a good place to look for a protein boost, but Beanfields’ version, made from beans and brown rice instead of corn, have as much as 150 percent more protein and 200 percent more fiber than conventional tortilla chips, plus 44 percent less fat than the standard chip. They recently introduced three new savory flavors: black bean, white bean, made with navy beans, and jalapeño nacho, made with a mix of black beans and navy beans. The vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO chips are great snacks right out of the bag or as canvases for creamy guacamole or fresh salsa. Crispy and salted lightly with sea salt, they’re oh-so addictive! (Available at stores nationwide or online; $30 for 12.) 4. BRAMI Snacking Lupini Beans: You’ve probably never heard of lupini beans, but thanks to Brami, these beans—commonly eaten as a snack in the Mediterranean—are bound to become as familiar as edamame, which they resemble in appearance, taste and texture. Ancient Roman warriors apparently favored them for good reason: They have more protein per calorie than black beans, chickpeas or almonds, making them a good fuel source for long battles (or treks through the urban jungle, as the case may be). They’re also rich in fiber, magnesium and folate. Brami makes the beans tender by soaking them for days before lightly pickling them with spices. They come in four appealing flavors, sea salt, garlic-herb, chili-lime and hot pepper. Cool beans! (Available at some stores or online; $40 for 8.) 5. Nutraw Pistachio Products: Did you know that pistachios contain more protein per ounce than other commonly eaten nuts like almonds and walnuts, more potassium in two ounces than a large banana and more Omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids than fish oil? Nutraw Foods is making it easy to enjoy the heart-healthy green nut with their line of organic products made with raw pistachios from California farms. The pistachio raw bar is a lip-smacking mix of chopped pistachios and almonds with dates, coconut oil and green cardamom, which lends a Middle Eastern lilt. We also dig the dense pistachio butter, whose coconut oil and vanilla make it a naturally sweet treat to spread on sprouted toast. (Available via Amazon or online; $26 for 12.)
Snack smart with these almond-flour crackers
Finding a cracker that’s both healthier and delicious isn’t as easy as it’s cracked up to be…
Pure Energy Bars
Shanti Bars are the best of portable plant-based nutrition
When Lauren Feingold and Ashanty Williams make a protein bar, they don’t mess around…
We know it sounds weird, but this is one trend you will want to blend with
We love smoothies. But what makes for a refreshing wake-up in July can be decidedly less…
Skip the microwave variety and cook up some homemade kernels
Make your own popcorn complete with healthy toppings.
Brussel Bytes offers Brussels sprout lovers an addictive new way to eat their favorite veggie
We found an easy way to get all the health benefits of Brussels sprouts.
Sweet Thing
EKG Project desserts are gluten, grain, dairy and soy-free
EKG Project makes guilt-free, healthy desserts.
Simple ways to incorporate almonds, walnuts and other heart-healthy nuts into your diet
Try these easy ways to add more nuts into your diet.
Whole Wheat Lavash Crackers with Sesame Seeds
This recipe is from The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook: Artisanal Baking from Around the World ($35) by Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez and Julia Turshen.
Organic, non GMO energy bars that will make you say, "Yes, please, can I have some more?"
For clean eaters like us, the holiday season involves a lot of saying “no.” No to the sugar…
Try Goodbites for organic, vegan, gluten-free treats
Goodbites’ addictive snacks are made using a short list of wholesome, raw and nutritious ingredients.
Healthy smoothies, no matter what
Two smoothie companies are making it even easier to blend a healthy snack…
Bar None
Unprocessed ingredients and real energy wrapped into one little bar
These snack bars are healthy and delicious…
Jerked Around
Why jerky can be a smart way to snack.
Jonty Jacobs uses traditional South African curing methods for their beef jerky.
Best of Clean Plates 2013
Which Clean Plates stories were most clicked in 2013? Read our top 5 countdown!
Got extra guests coming, or need to whip up a dish in a hurry? Check out these fast recipe videos for the holidays or any time!
Pink is for eating your way to health, not just ribbons. You can fight breast cancer by choosing these pink foods.
Have You Tried Amaranth?
This whole grain is packed with protein
This ancient grain is gluten-free, and it’s a complete protein. Discover amaranth!
4 Easy Ways to Add Moringa to Your Diet
Have you heard about the latest superfood? Discover moringa—and some tasty bites that contain it.
And why they're so darn good
Are you missing out on an unusual nutrient powerhouse? Discover fermented foods…
5 Better-For-You Junk Foods
What to reach for when you get really hangry
Got a craving for a sweet or salty treat? Try our 5 picks for better junk foods.
Dear Clean Plates: Are Granola Bars to Blame for My Bloat?
The lowdown on granola bars
Are granola bars to blame for your bloat? A particular “high-fiber” product additive might make your on-the-go snack guilty as charged. Find out what it is here.
Thyme Carrot Chips with Potato-Yogurt Dip
Want a winning snack for this Sunday’s Super Bowl? Forget the bagged snacks; whip up this inventive potato dip with carrot chips.
Coco-nut Granola
You might just beat not only the cold, but a cold with this coco-nutty granola, baked with immunity-strengthening coconut oil and anti-bacterial honey.
Take the stress out of snacking with this new subscription service
No matter how good we are about healthy meals, it’s the snacks that often suck us back down into the dark world of…
Diversify your veggies with this underwater green
You’ve probably heard, “Eat your greens,” but do you include veggies from the sea too? Seaweed and algae, the ocean’s vegetables, add valuable nutrients to the diet and variety to the plate…
These Oscars-approved snacks get a Clean Plates health-conscious update
Have a red carpet experience from the comfort of home with these delicious recipes, perfect for an Oscars viewing party…
These decadent breakfast puffs get a health-conscious update
Try my makeover of Smitten Kitchen’s Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs—same deliciousness, packed with better-for-you ingredients…
Buffalo Wings for Super Bowl Sunday
Bring buffalo chicken wings and blue cheese dip to a healthier level
These wings are guaranteed to score high marks, even if your favorite team doesn’t…