Because we’re all human and we all love to snack!
Food is delicious. There it is; no guilt, no shame, no denying it! It can also be our body’s biggest fan and supporter. The foods we eat play a major role both in our physical and mental health. While an unhealthy relationship with food can be harmful, fueling your body with nutritious, wholesome options is one of the greatest ways to show your body some love and be ready to tackle anything! I think this is why it breaks my heart a little every time I hear someone talk about how they need to stop eating, eating is ruining their body, food is something to be avoided. It’s not always just about how much you eat, but rather, what you eat. To have a healthy relationship with food is to stop viewing food as the enemy or a vice. Food is a necessary source of nutrition and energy, but many people view it as something to be restricted. Contradictory and one-sided nutritional information have left us with a lot of noise and nothing to eat.
With so much pushing about supplements and the thousands of new diet plans, it’s easy to forget that our bodies are perfectly capable of being healthy and happy on their own, so long as we treat them well! Ultimately, developing a healthy relationship with food means learning to accept food as nourishment, balance our ideals with realty, and start enjoying the foods we eat!
Related to our workouts, what we eat and when when can greatly influence how our bodies perform and recover! If you want to read more about the specifics of nutritional basics and how your body utilizes macro-nutrients, check out the Back to Basics: Fueling Your Workout post! Below, I’ve gathered 15 healthy and delicious options to help fuel your workout and aid your body in recovery. Most are personal favorites while some are new ideas I can’t wait to try! Let me know which new snacks you try out for your next sweat-sesh!
1. Banana+Peanut Butter
This classic duo is the perfect combination of healthy carbs and protein, making it a great option for both pre-and post-workout snacks. I’ve personally had it at both times with great results either way. The sugars of the banana and fats from the peanut butter [or almond butter if you prefer] are great fuels for doing work, while the banana’s potassium and peanut butter’s proteins work to aid your muscles in repair after a workout and avoid soreness!
All you need for this snack is a banana and a couple tablespoons of your preferred nut butter. And if you don’t want to go through the hassle of making it into cute little sandwiches, simply spread a bit of peanut butter on each bite as you eat the banana!
2. Granola
Granola is a perfect mix of oats, seeds, and dried fruit to power you work. Most granola use honey as a natural sweetener, so as long as you look for a decent brand, processed sugars and fats are not a problem.
I love granola because it’s a versatile, crunchy, sweet snack that is energy-packed to get me through whatever I’m doing in a day, whether I’m hitting the gym or out hiking. It’s like a savory version of trail-mix!
You can buy any number of types of granola from the store, or choose to make your own. My current obsession [pictured] is one I get from the bakery section of the grocery store and contains oats, honey, flax seed, pumpkin seed, raisins, almonds, and sunflower seeds.
3. Trail-Mix
Now for the hardier version of granola! Trail-mix has been a long time favorite of mine to keep me going on the hiking trails. Fats from the nuts and sugars from the dried fruit and chocolate provide quick energy to keep me going. Recently I’ve began using it more and more as a pre-workout snack.
What I love most about trail-mix is that it is completely customizable to your tastes and there is no limit to what you can create! My personal favorite is heavy on the almonds, with raisins, cranberries, and dark chocolate.
4. PB+Honey Sandwich
This is another great option for a pre-workout snack. Healthy carbohydrates from the bread and fats from the peanut butter will give you lasting energy to get through even your most challenging workouts. Not to mention a bit of natural sweetener from the honey!
Be sure to use whole grain/whole wheat bread to get the most out this snack. I will also say peanut butter is one food that is very easy, at least for me, to over indulge on before a workout. Too much and I’ll feel bloated and almost sick during my exercise. If this sounds like you, just be sure to use modest amounts and give yourself at least 30 minutes before beginning any physical activity! My trick is to only make a half sandwich!
5. Almonds+Dark Chocolate
If dark chocolate is not your thing, then feel free to skip this snack! I love the taste and texture of dark chocolate, it’s a little hardier and not nearly as sickly sweet as milk chocolate. Also, dark chocolate has a fairly high iron content, which is important for transferring oxygen to your muscles during work, especially if you’re anemic and find yourself struggling with breathing and fatigue during your workouts.
I prefer this snack as a post-workout treat. While wholesome and delicious, the higher proportion of chocolate in this duo makes it sit a little uneasily when going right into high-intensity exercise! But it is a great restorative option that tastes more like dessert than healthy snacking!
Note: I’m not normally as fancy as to have chopped chocolate on hand, so I typically just toss a handful of dark chocolate chips with a handful of toasted, unsalted almonds.
6. No Bake Energy Bites
These no-bake energy bites require a bit more preparation than the previous options, but the yield is great and can easily get you through a week of workouts! These fun and energy-packed balls of deliciousness are great for both pre-and post-workout snacks.
The base of this option is oats, banana, and honey, so they’re made from wholesome ingredients without a lot of processed sugars and fats. What’s great about them is there are numerous different flavors to try, and you can even add your own mix-ins to make your own unique creation, so you’ll never be bored!
My personal favorite creation consists of peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, honey, and flax seed. However, after recently finding this post on Pinterest, I’m eager to try their Monster Cookie and Chocolate Banana! Click here for recipes for all these variations from Bless This Mess, and get inspiration on how to craft your next no-bake energy bite!
7. Hard Boiled Egg with Avocado+Tomato
This fresh and flavorful salad-toss always strikes me as more of a morning workout snack, but maybe that’s just me!
A simple mixture of a chopped hard-boiled egg, sliced avocado, and diced tomatoes, this option is a great, and most definitely deserved, treat after your wake-up exercise! True to any breakfast hash, this creation can be tailored to your tastes. Experiment with adding sweet potato chunks or crumbled turkey sausage for a more savory taste!
8. Banana Bread
This is another option that requires the prep-work in advance, but produces enough to keep snacking on throughout the week. Because this is a form of bread, it’s best eaten before a workout to power your grind.
While I definitely love banana bread, actually making it isn’t exactly my forte, so here’s a recipe for one of my favorite variations! What you’ll need:
Flour, Mashed Banana, Olive Oil, Honey, Milk, Baking Soda, Vanilla Extract, Salt, Cinnamon, Optional Mix-Ins [walnuts, pecan, raisins, shredded carrots, chocolate chips, etc.]
ProTip: warm up a slice with just a bit of butter and pair with some fruit for a delicious breakfast!
9. Yogurt+Berries
This snack is fun because you can either enjoy the berries mixed in with your favorite yogurt on the spot, or coat the berries and freeze them for a creamy and delicious treat.
To make this healthy snack, simply mix you preferred berries in a bowl of greek yogurt. Then separate and spread the berries on a plate or pan and stick in the freezer for 3-4 hours. To make it even simpler, grab a silicone ice-cube mold and fill the spaces with yogurt. Top with berries and swirl or shift the mold to submerge the berries in the yogurt before freezing. Et voila, creamy yogurt bites!
10. Peanut Butter+Banana Toast
If you’ve read my Not Your Momma’s Toast post, then you know this is an absolute favorite snack of mine! Breakfast, dessert, pre-workout, it’s absolutely perfect! Not to mention easy, too.
Simply toast a piece of whole grain/ whole wheat toast, and top with nut butter and sliced banana!
11. Sweet Potato Cookies
So this is a completely new creation for me that I can’t wait to experiment more with!
These past couple months, sweet potatoes have become a bit of a miracle food for me. They’re relatively cheap, I get at least two servings from each potato, and I can make them for every meal! So why not try them as a pre-workout cookie?
Because the base of this cookie is sweet potato, a complex carbohydrate, this would be best as a pre-workout snack. They’re also made with oats and peanut butter, so you get a whole host of power foods! Plus, because the potato is naturally sweet, there’s no need for high amounts of added sugar.
Here’s the recipe I’ve been experimenting off of. I will admit, I replaced the raisins with chocolate chips in my batch!
12. Cheese+Crackers
Throwing it back to a classic, this light and simple snack can work great as both a pre-and post-workout fuel.
The biggest thing to keep in mind here is the type of cracker. Try to avoid the plain, white crackers that will be full of simple, processed carbohydrates. Instead, try something with a bit more substance, such as a whole grain or whole wheat cracker. My current obsession is the Milton’s Multi-Grain Crackers. They’re a delicious, all-natural cracker that go great with cheese, spreads, soup, meat, or even just as a snack by themselves!
13. Fruit Smoothie
Smoothies are a great way to simplify your food routine. There are countless combinations for make-ahead recipes. All you have to do is pick your desired fruit, place in a Ziploc, and freeze until you’re ready. Then all you do is shake, blend, and go!
14. Oat Bars
Oat bars are a great grab and go snack for any pre-workout fuel. They’re also generally pretty easy to make and easy to add whatever mix-ins are your favorite [dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips]!
This recipe is a copy-cat of Nature Valley’s Oats ‘N Honey bar. I love them because they’re a simple, basic bar that I can then fix up any way I want. Note: they call for coconut oil but as I don’t typically have that on hand, that can be substituted with butter at a 1:1 ratio. Other ingredients include oats, baking soda, honey, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
15. Greek Yogurt+Peanut Butter
Last but not least, one of my all-time faves, peanut butter greek yogurt!
This snack is the perfect post-workout treat with a great combination of proteins and fats. Not to mention, it tastes great and can be completely styled by you!
Check out my Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt+Fruit Dip for the full recipe, and read more absolute gushings from me on this amazingly delicious creation!
To start, simply mix 1 cup greek yogurt and a generous tablespoon of peanut butter together. Mix in honey to taste. Style with mix-ins [fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, trail-mix]. Enjoy on its own, or as a fruit dip with sliced apples as pictured!
Hope you got some new ideas to power your next workout!
Enjoy!
bFit bFearless 