Quick & Easy Paleo Snacks

The Paleo Diet is a way of eating that cuts refined sugars, grains, processed foods, artificial sugars, legumes, and dairy products out of your diet. It is a diet that is meant to mimic the way that our ancestors hundreds of years ago ate. Since much of the food we find readily available to us in todays world contains a lot of these things, it can be hard finding snacks available to us cheap and easy. This blog post will include some store bought paleo friendly snacks, and also some yummy homemade paleo snacks.

Ranch Seasoned Almonds: Almonds are a really great quick and easy Paleo Snack, but plain dry roasted almonds can get boring overtime so we suggest making them a little more intriguing with some seasonings. For this snack, all you have to do is mix 4 cups of almonds with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 dash paprika, and one teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, dried chives, and dried parsley. Bake them on a baking sheet at 335 degrees for 20-25 mins, moving around occasionally to prevent burning.

Paleo Friendly Protein Bars: Unfortunately most protein bars that we eat on the regular contain ingredients that are not really paleo. However, there are a few paleo protein bars on the market, and we also carry some here at the gym. We recommend the RXbar because it is made with simple ingredients, and they actually taste really good! In addition to RX bars, Primal Kitchen has a line of collagen protein bars that are also paleo. There are probably a variety of other paleo protein bars out there on the market, you just have to look and check over ingredients to see if it counts as paleo.

Whole Fruits: Whole fruits like apples, pears, oranges, and bananas make the perfect snack on the paleo diet because they are not only convenient but packed with fiber. Fruit is also packed with powerful plant compounds that help decrease inflammation and reduce your risk of chronic disease. Fruit can be pair with other healthy, filling foods like nuts, seeds and nut butters to add substance and keep you full longer.

Homemade Coconut Cashew Bars: Making delicious healthy treats at home doesn’t have to be difficult. For paleo, you just have to really focus on simple ingredients. For these bars, combine one cup of raw cashews, 1.5 Cups of pitted dates, 3/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, and 1 Tablespoon of Melted Coconut oil, and pulse in a high speed blender until a dough forms. Press into a pan, and cut into small squares. Keep in mind that this is a high fat snack, so eating it in moderation is important.

Sweet Potato Avocado Toast: Avocado toast is all the rage right now. Sweet Potatoes contain rich nutrients and plant compounds like beta-carotene which is a powerful pigment that can lower your risk of conditions like heart disease. You can cut your sweet potatoes into thin slices as a replacement for bread, you can thinly cut them into half inch slices and roast them at 400 degrees in the oven for 20 minutes. Top them with sliced avocado, and everything but the bagel seasoning. *chefs kiss*

Fresh Veggies with Dairy Free Dip: You can slice up some of your favorite vegetables like carrots, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers and dip them in a non dairy dip for a convenient lower calorie snack option. You can make a dairy free dip using coconut yogurt, fresh dill, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.

Paleo Chips & Guacamole: Tortilla chips are not paleo typically, however there are several brands on the market that are paleo that are made with paleo friendly ingredients like cassava, chia seeds, and coconut flour. A brand that we recommend is the “Siete” brand which you can find at publix and target. Pair these with your own homemade guac, and you have yourself a healthy treat that tastes almost as good as the real thing.