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10 Real Food Snack Ideas

By Jen

hard-boiled egg and carrot sticks, roasted pumpkin seeds, and apple with coconut ginger cashew buter

Real food snacks are fueling, tasty, and satisfying! It’s hard to say that about most of the junk that’s sold as quick-grab snacks. Picture those impulse-buy snack options stacked by the register in just about every store. Yeah, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

You know that hangry moment when you’re stuck roaming the aisles of the gas station shop, and your main choices seem to be Doritos, Cheetos, and Jolly Ranchers? (I have to admit, though, the options do seem to be improving a little bit these last few years. So encouraging, right?!)

10 Satisfying, Real Food Snack Ideas

If you are trying to swap out highly processed snacks with real food snacks, here are a few ideas to get you started. Aim to include a combination of at least two macronutrients if possibile (i.e. protein & fat, or carb & fat, or protein & carb). Doing so typically leaves you more satisfied and energized.

  • nut butter and apple slices
  • roasted pumpkin seeds and dried fruit
  • single-serving pack guacamole and red pepper strips
  • hard-boiled egg and carrot sticks (That small container in the pic is salt and pepper. I keep that little container always filled in the cabinet, so I can just grab it quickly when packing this snack.)
  • pear slices and a sharp, flavorful cheese
  • single-serving pack of olives (I get mine at Trader Joe’s) and a clementine
  • hummus and veggies
  • peanut butter and celery sticks
  • roasted mixed nuts
  • cottage cheese and fruit

Snacking and “appetite awareness”

To be honest, I’m much less of a snacker since I focused my diet on real, whole foods, and, frankly – started eating MORE at mealtime, and making sure my meals almost always include protein, fat, and slow-digesting carbs. I feel more satiated by my meals, and don’t always need a snack to get me through to the next meal. It’s pretty convenient, actually! I used to be the queen of snacks, packing SO many snacks everywhere I went. Once I focused on feeling nourished instead of famished, I discovered that I had much less need for snacking. Nourished, not famished!

If you are feeling the need to snack constantly throughout the day, check in with yourself at mealtime for some “appetite awareness”.

Are you eating to satiety at mealtime?

Is it possible that you’re simply not eating enough to meet your needs at mealtime?

Or are you missing out on certain macronutrients (protein, fat, or carb?) in your meals, leaving you with that “always hungry” feeling?

That being said, there are days when we’re going to feel a bit hungrier than other days, and you might need a snack or two. And we all have those days when nothing goes according to plan – a delayed meeting, crazy traffic delays, a last-minute trip to the pediatrician’s office, and then lunch or dinner didn’t happen when you needed it to. It makes a world of difference to keep something stashed in your bag, to get you through until mealtime. By packing your own snack, you’ll guarantee that it will be real food that will fill you and fuel you.

I’m always looking for more real-food snack ideas . . . what do you like to pack?

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10 Real Food Snack Ideas
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Filed Under: Featured, Recipes Tagged With: real food, snacks

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About Me:

Hi, I’m Jen, and welcome to Nourished Not Famished. Here you’ll find recipes, meal ideas, and wellness tips to thrive without deprivation, restriction, or calorie counting. Nourish yourself and your loved ones with the pleasures of eating real, whole foods, using familiar, easy-to-find ingredients and without spending endless hours in the kitchen. Β Find out about more about me here.

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Maple Tahini Dressing/Dip 😍 Aiming to eat more Maple Tahini Dressing/Dip 😍 Aiming to eat more veggies this week? You'll have no problem getting yourself to hit your #veggiegoals if you're pairing them with this perfectly tangy-yet-sweet, smooth & creamy tahini dressing. Hit link in my bio @nourished.not.famished for the recipe!

Tahini (a.k.a. sesame seed butter) is a great plant-based fat to add into your rotation. It can be used in a million different dishes, so if you decide to take the plunge and buy a jar, I assure you that it will not go to waste. πŸ™Œ

In my house, we'll be using this as a dip to go with our usual veggie platter we prepare almost every week.

When the dinner hungries hit, and dinner isn't ready quite yet, I grab our veggie platter and dip out of the fridge. Everyone nibbles aways, takes the edge off their hunger as they await dinner AND, boom πŸ’₯ - everyone's just eaten a hearty serving of veggies. πŸŽ‰

What's your plan to hit your veggie goals this week? How are you setting up your Future Self to succeed with that? πŸ™Œ #letsdothis 

#mealplan #mealprep #shapethepath #tinyhabits #healthyhabits #simplenutrition #ditchthediet #omnivore #plantforward #plantfocused #veggies
πŸ˜† Truth, right? Let's be real, grocery shopping πŸ˜† Truth, right? Let's be real, grocery shopping isn't all that fun, but if you already have a clear plan in place *before* you shop, it feels a lot less overwhelming. And by "have a plan", I mean:
πŸ‘‰ Figure out *what* you (and your household?) are going to eat for meals in the coming days. Nope, it doesn't need to be perfect. 
(πŸŽ‰I've broken that down for you into 6 bite-sized steps to help you get it done.πŸ™‚ Hit link in bio @nourished.not.famished to see it now on my blog!)
πŸ‘‰Then, make your shopping list based on your plan. 

I promise you . . . if you start with a plan before shopping, you will probably end up spending less, eating better, and reducing #foodwaste .
#winning πŸ™ŒπŸ™Œ

❓So, what kind of grocery shopper are you? A planner? Just-wing-it? A little bit of both??

❓What's on your meal plan this week? 
❓How are you showing your Future Self (who *really* wants to make good choices) some love & support by planning ahead?

πŸ“· photo by Suzanna Kreiter of The Boston Globe

#mealplan #mealprep #groceries #groceryshopping #adulting #simplenutrition #feedingmyfamily #ditchthediet #healthyhabits #healthymom #healthymoms 
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😍 Feelin' the #leftoverslove today! By Friday, 😍 Feelin' the #leftoverslove today! By Friday, who wants to think about actually cooking something, amirite?? 😩 
Making intentional leftovers whenever possible and/or batch cooking a few things is one of the BEST gifts you can give *your future self*. 

You know, that Future Self who had all sorts of intentions this week to eat delicious, nourishing, balanced meals that leave you feeling satisfied and energized? Yeah, that self. πŸ˜€ 

I get it. You're probably a lot like I used to be.
πŸ‘‰ You have a good-enough sense of what you want to do/need to do.
πŸ‘‰ You often start out with a bang, but you quickly fizzle out. Life gets in the way. The changes you're making don't fit your life and your needs.
πŸ‘‰ You wonder if your problem is lack of willpower, that maybe you're just sucky at this "being healthy" stuff.

Yeah, I used to be that person who thought:
✴️ "I really should be eating more vegetables regularly, I mean I actually even like vegetables πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ."
✴️ "I know that I'm not regularly eating the amount of protein my body needs to thrive. I should do something about that."
✴️ "Ugh, why didn't I have any plan in place, anything at all! Now it's 6pm and WTF are we going to eat for dinner. I hate this feeling!"

I'm not that person anymore.
But that change didn't happen overnight, it didn't happen in a few weeks, it didn't happen in just a few short months.

And, no, everything's not perfect now. I don't always know what we're eating for dinner. I don't always have the most wonderful, prepped foods ready & waiting in the fridge. 

But I am prepared more often than not. And that's enough to make it work for me and my household. #youdoyou 

Instead of wishing for change then failing, I started taking tiny actions that, when done consistently, resulted in better choices most of the time. I worked on skillpower, not willpower.
Like:

πŸ‘‰ writing down a simple plan for at least some*of the meals for the week. 
πŸ‘‰ making intentional extras here and there
πŸ‘‰ batch cooking one or two items weekly, things we almost always eat (steel-cut oats, chicken, veggies- raw, roasted, quick-pickled, or in a soup)

❓How do you support your Future Self?
❓What's one thing you could try
West African inspired comfort food for dinner toni West African inspired comfort food for dinner tonight! 😍 This peanut-y, veggie-packed sweet potato stew was super quick to make, and totally satisfied. And the whole fam agreed that we should add it to the dinner recipe "bank". πŸŽ‰ It was fun to try something that was new-to-us, yet easy to make!

You can grab the recipe for this stew (known as "Mafe") over at @oldways_pt , along with plenty of other inspiring recipes & meal ideas centered on delicious, healthy, nourishing "old ways" of eating found in heritage-based diets and shared cultural food traditions from around the world. 

I added some spiced lamb meatballs to the stew, too. They're a good batch-cooking item, because we can use the extras in bowl meals or a soup or stew this weekend! 

✳️Here's my recipe for Spiced Lamb Meatballs✳️
I cooked in #instantpot but oven would work well too (at 375F or so)

Combine in a bowl:
πŸ‘‰ ground lamb
πŸ‘‰ diced onion (I used red, use what you've got.)
πŸ‘‰ minced garlic
πŸ‘‰ ground cumin
πŸ‘‰ ground coriander
πŸ‘‰ fresh parsley, chopped

Roll into small meatball size (I used a small 1.5 tbsp or so cookie/muffin scoop to portion out, and then rolled by hand).

Place trivet in Instant Pot. Pour in 1/2 cup water.

Place meatballs on trivet. Gently stack if necessary.

Close with lid, set to sealing, and cook at high pressure for 7 minutes. Wait for 2 minutes and then release remaining pressure using Quick Release method.

Would love to know if you try it, or if perhaps you're already a fan of this stew.πŸ™‚

#ilovefood #honoryourhunger #africanheritagerecipe #inspired #eeeats #whatsfordinner #feedingmyfamily #nutritiousisdelicious #simplenutrition #nourished #nourishednotfamished #omnivore #plantforward #veggies #slowcarbs

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