Food Freedom comes with a little bit of preparation initially… Making sure you have nourishing eats on hand to take the thought out of “what’s next” or overthinking food. Here are 50 easy snack ideas to keep stocked in your fridge (plus a new homemade protein bar you have to try).
I call Sundays “Getting Life Together Days.” There’s really no set-in-stone agenda, more than a “re-set.” Time to center my soul, throw in some laundry, clean out my car, catch up on some writing, and meal-prep for the week ahead. What are you whipping up this week?
Preparing to Succeed
Even though I am not a huge meal prepper (more of a ‘make as I go’) in this season of my life, I do LOVE having a few staples on hand to reach for during the week when life gets busy:
- Roasted veggies (zucchini, Brussels sprouts, yellow squash, beets, carrots)
- Sweet potatoes
- Baked chicken thighs
- Salmon
- And, perhaps a few experiments (This week: Coconut Cauliflower Oatmeal, Carrot Fries, and Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Bars—recipe below).
You KNOW having things on hand makes life (and nourishing your body) easier…And when you are nourished throughout the day, you think less about food—and you stress less about “what’s for dinner”…
So what’s stopping you?
A crucial part of food freedom involves making self-care a new habit.
You don’t plan or overthink your weekly meals out of obsession…BUT you do ensure that you have some nourishing, sustaining options on hand to feed the machine (in order to do and think about all the amazing 100-bajillion other things you want and like to do in your life—outside food and fitness and calorie counting).
Whether you do so on Sundays, Mondays (or any day you decide)…Take an hour or two to set yourself up for success in the food department to begin making self-care more of a new habit. Such as…
- Preparing a few nourishing foods to have on hand (and in a pinch)
- Ordering a few delivery-service lunches to stash at the office
- Coming up with your exit strategy for the moments that binge monster makes an appearance
- Stocking your kitch with easy grab-and-go eats that you barely have to cook (like Rotessire chicken, chicken or tuna salad, canned wild salmon, frozen berries + coconut milk + protein powder, hardboiled eggs, quick-cook turkey sausages, pre-sliced or pre-bagged fruits and veggies)…
Speaking of stocking up on some quick eats, if you need some inspiration, here are 50 EASY snack ideas to keep boredom at bay.
50 Easy Snack (Attack) Ideas
- Apple/Pear/Half Banana + 1-2 tbsp Nutbutter or coconut butter
- Apple + Raw grass-fed cheese slice
- Bacon (nitrate-free) Wrapped Asparagus
- Avocado-Cacao pudding
- Bars:
- Bulletproof Collagen Bar
- Bearded Brothers Bars
- Exo Protein Bar
- RX Bar
- Primal Kitchen Dark Chocolate Almond Bar
- Thunderbird Bars
- Epic Bar
- Homemade energy bars
- Beef/turkey jerky + Handful nuts or piece of fruit
- Bone broth + 1 tbsp. grass-fed butter
- Canned wild salmon + avocado/primal mayo
- Celery + 1 tbsp almond butter + cranberries/raisins
- Cherries/Orange/or Kiwi + Coconut Flakes
- Chia seed pudding (Inspired by this one but I substitute stevia for honey—1 tbsp. liquid stevia)
- Chicken Drumsticks
- Chicken Sausage or Turkey Sausage Link + Peppers
- Chicken/Tuna with primal kitchen mayo (no hydrogenated oil)
- Coconut butter packet
- Coconut butter + Dark chocolate chips bite
- Coconut-Crusted Chicken Tenders/Cod
- Collagen protein in iced herbal tea or smoothie
- Coyo yogurt or other plain, grass-fed fermented yogurt
- Cucumber +Turkey or Smoked Salmon
- Deviled Eggs (Guacamole or Primal Mayo filling)
- Egg Salad (hardboiled eggs + 1 slice nitrate free bacon + Primal Mayo)
- Green Juice (all greens + lemon, or 1 fruit)
- Guacamole + carrots/seed crackers
- Handful nuts or seeds (cashews, macadamia, almonds, sunflower, etc.)
- Homemade Paleo muffins (almond-butter or coconut flour based; here’s my favorite Carrot Muffin recipe—sans frosting for breakfast)
- Jackson’s Honest Sweet Potato Chips + Paleo Ranch or Guacamole
- Fermented full-fat grass-fed yogurt (plain) + berries and/or nuts
- Kale Krunch or homemade kale chips
- Liver Pate
- Meatballs/Turkey meatballs
- Mini Meat Loaf Muffins
- “Nachos” (sweet potato chips + ground beef/turkey + guacamole)
- Olives
- Pepperoni chips (nitrate-free, bake at 400-degrees x 10 min.) + Guacamole
- Pickles (wrapped in turkey or ham for some protein)
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Plantain chips + Guacamole or nitrate-free salami
- Prosciutto or ham wrapped melon/peach slices
- pureWOD protein + almond milk (blended/shake)
- Roast beef slices + bell pepper
- Sardines
- Sea Snax + Cashews
- Seed-based Crackers (Mary’s or Livin’ Spoonful) + 1 tbsp. grassfed butter
- Seed-based Crackers + Turkey/Ham rollups
- Shrimp-Peel & Eat
- Zucchini Chips + Homemade Hummus or Tzatziki Sauce
- Carrot fries with Homemade Aioli
- Cauliflower Popcorn
- Tomato Slices + Cucumber + Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Fresh Ground Pepper
Ingredients:
- ½ Cup Natural Raw (Creamy) Almond Butter
- 3 Tbsp. Honey or 1 Tbsp. Liquid Stevia or 1 Ripe Banana
- 1 Pasture-Raised Whole Egg + 1 Egg Yolk
- ½ Cup pureWOD Chocolate Protein Powder (beef-isolate; GREAT for lactose sensitivity)
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- Optional: Dark Chocolate Chips or Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease an 8 x 8 inch pan with coconut oil or ghee.
In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt almond butter and honey (1-2 minutes).
Mix in the eggs until well combined and the almond butter thickens.
Add protein powder, sea salt, baking soda (and optional chocolate chips) and mix until well combined.
Pour mixture into the pan and spread out evenly.
Bake until a fork inserted in the center of the bars come out clean, and edges are golden brown (approx. 10-15 minutes).
*Don’t overbake.
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