Healthy Fruit & Veggie Snacks

Snacks are an important part of most people’s diets, but if you can have healthy snacks, they are even better! Here are some delicious options if you want to add some fruit and vegetable snacks to your rotation. The key to choosing healthy snacks is to prepare them before you’re ready to eat. Spend an hour on the weekend chopping fruits and veggies and making dips and spreads so that it’s easier to choose this option when you’re looking for something to stave off between-meal hunger.

Start with some veggies.

Figure out ways to add veggies into your snacking to ensure you get the recommended daily servings. Plus, veggie-based snacks are low in calories but high in fiber and vitamins. Here are some excellent options to prep.

Baby carrots with Ranch dressing

Baby carrots are a simple, inexpensive option for snacking. Have a ¼ cup with a little Ranch to create a delicious, healthy afternoon food break.

Diced broccoli & cauliflower with ranch dressing

Yep, dice up some broccoli and cauliflower. You only need 1 cup total to have a full serving of veggies. When you chop them, put the veggies in containers and eat a few pieces with ranch dressing or sprinkled with Italian seasoning daily until they’re gone.

Cherry tomatoes with mozzarella

These ingredients are two of the basics needed for caprese. Just use a fork to eat small tomatoes and mozzarella chunks for a much-needed energy boost. Add fresh basil if you want to want to complete the caprese trifecta.

Baked zucchini

Slice zucchini thinly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, & parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Eat as chips!

Dehydrated peas

Harvest Snaps are one of the most popular brands of dehydrated peas, but there are others available as well. Check the ingredient list for something with whole foods and add little ½ cup snacks to the listed options.

Keep it sweet with fruits for a snack.

Eating two to three fruits a day can help to keep you healthy and satisfy your sweet tooth. While juice is a source of the vitamins fruit provides, eating whole fruits with peels provides more fiber. Try out these options when you’re craving something sweet and delicious.

• Apple slices with nut butter
• ½ cup of berries
• Fruit leather
• Whole pieces of fruit
• Melon balls

For fruit options that are more complicated, try out these snacks.

Slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter and banana slices

Getting whole wheat or sprouted grain bread adds some taste and fiber to our healthy options. Take a slice of this bread and toast it, then spread peanut butter and add banana slices for a filling, delicious snack.

Vanilla yogurt with berries makes a quick and easy snack.

Buy some individual containers of plain or vanilla yogurt and fresh or frozen blueberries. Simply put ½ cup of blueberries in the container of yogurt. Combine and enjoy!

Celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins are a classic snack.

“Ants on a Log” can be tasty and fun. Dice up 2-3-inch pieces of celery on the weekend and then put peanut butter and raisins in them during the week for a quick after school snack option.

Cottage cheese with fruit can be a good snack when you’re busy

Put ½ cup of cottage cheese in a bowl along with a ¼ cup of fruit. Stir and enjoy for a snack with protein and vitamins.

Don’t use these snacks as a comprehensive list. Instead, use them as a jumping off point for other snacks. The key to fruit and veggie snacks is to make sure you’re eating whole foods while adding tasty, but low calorie, accents to your snacks.