Eating paleo meals is fairly simple - lean meats, fish, vegetables, healthy oils - but when it comes to snacking, it can be harder to satisfy your cravings without breaking the guidelines. While you might not be able to enjoy your favorite highly processed chips and sweets, you can still enjoy lots of delicious snacks while still eating Paleo. Here are some easy, tasty options to take along on your adventures.
5 Best On-the-Go Paleo Snacks
1. Nuts, Seeds, & Nut Butters
Jam-packed with nutrients, healthy fats, and protein, nuts, seeds, and nut butters are a great way to stay full and energized on a paleo diet. Nuts and seeds are easy to throw in your bag, and with Yumbutter pouches, you can even take your almond butter to-go with a convenient resealable top. Just be sure to avoid peanuts (technically a legume) and non-approved sweeteners such as cane sugar or corn syrup in your nut butters.
2. Raw fruit & veggies
Obvious? Sure. Boring? Never. Whether dried or fresh, fruits and veggies make a great on-the-go snack when you want some variety in your paleo snack repertoire. Stick with classics like baby carrots, cucumbers, apples, clementines, and berries, or change things up with options like dried mango, coconut chips, or homemade kale chips. You can even combine fruit and veggies with nut butter (hellooo almond butter stuffed dates!) for an extra boost.
3. Crunchy Grain-Free Snacks
Really missing your favorite crunchy snacks? You still have options! Cassava flour is a great alternative that you can find in snacks like Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs and Siete Tortilla Chips. You can also still enjoy sweet potato, plantain, and beet chips, as long as they use a paleo-approved oil such as coconut or responsibly sourced palm oil. Feeling adventurous? Try dried seaweed snacks!
4. Clean Jerky & Meat Snacks
For a satisfying and savory on-the-go paleo snack, look no further than jerky! You'll need to steer clear of most conventional supermarket beef sticks and jerkies which often contain sugar, preservatives, and other paleo no-nos. However, there are lots of great options out there. Chomps Grass-Fed Beef and Turkey Sticks are a safe choice, and Epic makes delicious paleo jerky. If you're looking for an extra dose of Vitamin D, you can even give mushroom jerky a try! As with all paleo foods, check the label and look for simple, recognizable ingredients in your meat snacks.
5. Homemade Paleo Cookies
There are some decent packaged paleo cookies out there...but nothing beats that fresh from the oven bite. These paleo cookies are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without giving you that refined sugar hangover.
Here's a decadent twist on a chocolate chip cookie that's totally paleo-approved:
Flourless Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt
Ingredients
1 Cup Yumbutter No Sugar Added Almond Butter or Yumbutter Plant Protein + Probiotic Almond Butter
1/3 Cup raw honey or pure maple syrup
1 Organic free range egg
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract, gluten free if desired
½ Teaspoon baking soda
½ Teaspoon sea salt
3.5 oz. paleo dark chocolate bar coarsely chopped and divided, such as Hu Kitchen for a Paleo option
Sea salt, for sprinkling
About 18 almonds for topping, if desired
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together almond butter, honey (or maple syrup), egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt until smooth and creamy; about 2 minutes. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chunks.
Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, top each cookie with extra chocolate chunks and an almond if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies turn a slight golden brown underneath; they will be puffy! Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes 18 flourless almond butter cookies.