Healthy Snacks for a Girl on the Go

There are a few things that infuriate me more than any other things, and they are lying, airports, being cold, and hanger. Hanger, or the state of anger caused by hunger, is a real thing. Even if it isn't yet defined in Dictionary.com (I checked).

When I'm hungry, LOOK OUT! I can't concentrate, I can't make decisions, I'm short with people, and sometimes, I'm just plain mean! When I feel hanger coming on, I imagine Ursula, the octopus queen from The Little Mermaid is rising from the depths of my stomach. The hubs is always relieved when I announce "The monster has receded!" This of course, only happens once I've been fed.

I try to be considerate of others and generally prevent the rise of the sea monster that lives in my stomach by keeping healthy snacks around at all times. Here are a few of my go to favs!

1. Light String Cheese: OMG, I die. I freakin' love string cheese. Eat it by stringing it though folks! You can't trust a person who bites off chunks of their string cheese. At only 50 calories per stick and a whopping 14 grams of protein for two, these are definitely a staple. I pretty much eat them every day, non-negotiable.

2. Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt: I've tried all the brands and there are only three I would recommend. In order, Kirkland Signature (Costco), Chobani, Fage. I typically measure an 8 ounce serving into tupperware and use zero calorie sweetener for flavor. Sometimes I'll mix in strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or peaches.

Greek yogurt because--PROTEIN. Plain because--LOW CARBS. A typical 8 oz. serving has only 9 carbs and yet, 23 grams of protein!

Flavored versions have a much higher carb:protein ratio on account of the sugar used to sweeten. I would much rather my carbs come from real food than sugar to keep me feeling full for longer.

3. Raw or smoked almonds: As a small person, I have a very small allotment of fat grams on a daily basis. I try to choose low fat items throughout the day so that I have more options in the evening. If I don't feel like being creative, almonds are a great source of fat. Read FAT, people! I was talking to someone the other day who was telling me they had peanut butter on toast for breakfast and that was their protein. Marketers sell nuts as a protein, but if you take a look at the nutrition label, nuts are primarily a fat!

4. Honey Crisp Apples: Love love love Honey Crisp. They are unfortunately expensive and limited in season, which makes me so sad. But, this is a great option for a fiber filled carb for a low amount of calories.

5. Snap Peas: They're just so crisp and crunchy! You can happily nosh away on these for a long time before you make a dent in either your calories or your carbs. READ: You can eat a high volume of this food. I posted the other day on IG Story about choosing between 2 tablespoons of marshmallow fluff (a total of 12 grams in weight by volume) or 122 grams of snap peas. SAME AMOUNT OF CARBS, PEOPLE, SAME AMOUNT. Snap peas: fiber + low calories + low carbs + high volume = WINNING.

6. Cherry Tomatoes: They're just so easy and fun to eat. Did anyone else incessantly pop these between their fingers when they were growing up just because they found it amusing? No? Just me? I did grow up on a farm...

Also, low carb, low cal, high volume. Sensing the trend here yet?

7. Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches: These are relatively low carb and low calorie enough to easily fit into my macros. Also, low in fat. If I've planned well, I'll have room for one of these after dinner. I can eat ice cream every day and still lose fat?! Sign me up.