Snacking is probably every mom's biggest vice. Given our hectic schedules, sometimes the only time a mama can eat is on the go. For a stay-at-home mom, snacks are essential — when we're not changing a diaper, playing, reading, putting baby down for nap, or cleaning, we're preparing meals or snacks for our children. But for moms who work outside the home, snacking is also important. I know from experience, that on busy days, if I don’t bring something from home to munch on, I can easily go the whole day without a single meal. Then again, on a reasonably paced day, I might find myself munching on all sorts of sweet or fatty things (doing my waist no favors).
If only there was a way to snack without having to worry about the scale. The obvious choices of healthy snacks are fruits and vegetables. I don’t know about anyone else, but sometimes I get bored with the same old produce choices. It's probably just me. But just in case it's not just me, I've compiled a bunch of recipes and ideas for snacks that are not only appetizing but also keto-friendly. Everybody's doing it (or at least trying to). Even if one isn't on the keto diet, it's never a bad idea to cut back on simple carbs and added sugar.
To snack consciously, it takes a little more preparation and planning. Some of these snacks are ready-to-eat, and can be purchased from a grocery store. But many of these are recipes. We might have to stay up a couple minutes later to make them, but in the end, having some these munchies together ahead of time can save us some inches on the thighs and some dollars in our wallet.
Blue Diamond Habanero BBQ Almonds
On the keto diet, the intent is to try to consume less than 20 grams of carbs per day, and low to moderate amounts of protein. You'd be surprised, but these habanero and barbecue-flavored almonds only contain 5 grams of carbs per serving (and each serving is a hefty 28 nuts!)
Blue Diamond Bold Habanero BBQ Almonds ($4, Target)
Kale Chips
Packaged snacks are some of the sneakiest vehicles for sugar and carbs (and all sorts of other stuff) to enter our bodies. They don't fill us up, but they sure do bring a lot with them. That’s why coming across a snack like these kale chips is a rarity. I'm not sure about the taste, but they're seasoned with a little sea salt, and they're veggies — I'd say that’s a win/win.
Kale Chips Supersnacks Olive and Sea Salt ($5, Made in Nature)
Baken-ets Pork Skins
These pork rinds are probably a sight for dieting eyes. A great replacement for starchy potato and corn chips, these munchies only have 1 gram of carbohydrates and 0 grams of sugar. Unbelievable!
Baken-ets Fried Pork Skins ($2, Target)
Hickory Smoke Turkey Jerky
Not only is jerky a great food to stash in one's emergency kit, its also insanely flavorful. When trying to steer clear of carbs, one can't go wrong with a piece of turkey! Better yet, one that is non-perishable.
Hickory Smoke Turkey Jerky ($6, Country Archer)
String Cheese
Many people stay away from cheese because its known to be full of fat. But as the Diet Doctor notes, the point of the keto diet is to put the body into a state of ketosis by denying it carbs. "Your entire body switches its fuel supply to run almost entirely on fat. Insulin levels become very low, and fat burning increases dramatically." That's right, on a keto diet, fat = good!
Kraft String Cheese ($7, Target)
Baked Parmesan Zucchini
Zucchini is a great vegetable to grab when having a carb craving. It has a starchy consistency, but these baked zucchinis sticks contain significantly less carbohydrates (7 grams) and sugars (5 grams) than a similar potato snack. Zucchini also has potential health benefits, which may help heart health and may improve digestion. This tasty recipe sprinkles them with a little cheese and seasoning.
Get the recipe here.
Salt & Vinegar Zucchini Chips
Another way to take advantage of the health benefits zucchini potentially offers is with this nifty recipe. The zucchini is seasoned with salt and vinegar, perfect to curb the craving for one of my favorite potato chip flavors.
Get the recipe here.
Oven-Roasted Cauliflower
Cauliflower is everywhere these days. Never in my life have I seen so many cauliflower-based products in the grocery store as I've seen over the last month. Cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower itself! These roasted florets make for a tasty, low-carb snack.
Get the recipe here.
Tomato Salad
Biting into a juicy tomato on a sandwich can add a refreshing touch. But a bowl full of tomatoes? Imagine eating a bowl of this dish, chilled, on a hot summer day. Invigorating!
Get the recipe here.
Parmesan Squash Chips
Squash is a slightly sweeter version of zucchini (even though zucchini is technically a type of squash). I personally love stewed squash, but it at that level of heat, all the health benefits have probably diminished. These tasty squash chips are sprinkled in Parmesan and garlic salt, and the recipe allows one to have sour cream on the side. That doesn't sound half bad!
Get the recipe here.
Low-Carb Fried Cheese
This recipe is a great alternative to mozzarella sticks, which are breaded and not keto-friendly. The key to this recipe is the type of cheese it uses, commonly referred to as bread cheese. This cheese is specifically designed for frying! Like many keto foods, it relies on a higher fat content to provide that satisfied feeling.
Get the recipe here.
Spanakopita Hand Pies
Spanakopita a favorite for spinach lovers like me. When it's in bite-sized form, it's ready to grab and eat at work. This would be a great little snack for moms who always order the spinach Stromboli from the pizza place and those who love Greek cuisine. The dough used is a low-carb one.
Get the recipe here.
Garlic Cheddar Cheese Crisps
Obviously, when looking for a snack, anything Utz, Lay's, or ending in "ito/eeto" is out of the question. This is really hard in a land where vending machines, convenience stores, and gas stations abound with these kinds of snacks. Come prepared with tasty cheese crisps to fend off those cravings.
Get the recipe here.
Butter Crackers
Innocent-looking crackers are loaded with carbs. With this keto-friendly cracker, we can have something to stack with our cheeses and meats, but instead of pairing them with a carbohydrates, we're eating them with some nuts (the flour used to make these crackers is from almonds).
Get the recipe here.
Truffles & Cake Pops
Now we get to the sweet stuff. How, one might ask, can these delicious-looking treats possibly be as tasty as they appear? The recipe uses Lakanto Powdered Sweetener and Lakanto Chocolate, which claims to have 0 grams of carbs and sugar!
Get the recipe here.
No-Bake Keto Cookies
At first glance, these sweet goodies look like a version of Rice Krispie treats, just drizzled with some chocolate. However, the secret ingredients consist of pork rinds, butterscotch extract and nut butter. I've never tasted pork rinds in a dessert, but this I am willing to try.
Get the recipe here.
Nut Bars
These bars are both tasty-looking and keto-friendly. Normally, nut bars like this are held together with sweet syrups or honey. The key to making this bar and getting all the nuts and seeds to stick is using coconut oil or butter, and freezing the mixture.
Get the recipe here.
Easy Peanut Chocolate Clusters
One thing I love about all these recipes is the minimal ingredients. These morsels are made up of only three: peanuts, peanut butter, and sugar-free chocolate. What is more, they look delicious!
Get the recipe here.
Candied Pecans
Just looking at this bowl of glossy pecans makes me feel like I'm gaining weight. They look so bad (in a good way). It's always nice when a "diet food" looks as good as its supposed to taste. These would be great to have in my purse in a little zip-top bag in place of candy. Not only for myself but for my daughter, who sometimes needs something to munch on the ride home from daycare.
Get the recipe here.
KNOW Better Chocolate Chip Donuts
These doughnuts look so appetizing, don't they? Something special about these goodies is that they are sweetened with allulose, which is only found in certain natural foods. Allulose is a monosaccharide, or single sugar, that the body doesn't turn into insulin. For me, as long as its tasty, I'm in!
KNOW Better Donuts ($10, KNOW Foods)
