People say breakfast is the most important meal of the day but let's be honest here: snacks are! Keeping you fueled, energized, and your cravings satisfied, snacks are sometimes the only thing getting you through your day. Check out the three healthy snacks. They will blow your mind. Trust me.
1. A Dozen Cousins Beans
These beans come in pouches that you can stick right in the microwave, making them super convenient for a quick dorm meal or protein boost. All of A Dozen Cousins's beans are inspired by Black and Latino dishes, so these beans are a great way to try some new flavors. You can choose from any of the following:
Cuban Black Beans:
These beans had to be my absolute favorite. They were full of flavor, had the perfect level of spice, and went great with cheese over rice. The flavor reminded me strongly of homemade chili.
Mexican Cowboy Beans:
I'm a really big fan of pinto beans in my burritos so I had to give this a try. These beans are definitely spicier than the other two flavors and you really get a kick of the green chili peppers. They would be a great substitute for refried beans.
Trini Chickpea Curry:
This bean flavor was definitely the most surprising. Typically, curry is thought of as an Indian dish but chickpea curry (also known as Channa) is super popular in Trinidad. This is packed full of delicious spices but at the same time somehow isn't super spicy. This exotic curry is similar to something you would find at a restaurant.
You can find these beans at Walmart or Amazon. If you're interested in trying all three flavors make sure to order the 3 flavor variety pack. Click here to learn more and shop A Dozen Cousins.
2. Barney Butter
I'm a huge peanut butter fan so I didn't think I would ever find a nut butter that I liked more. Barney Butter is an almond butter company based in California and certainly shocked me when it came to overall variety in the products. From classic almond butter that you can spread on toast (available in smooth or crunchy) to powdered almond butter which is amazing in smoothies and protein shakes, they truly have something for everyone's snack desires. While the almond butters come in almost any flavor you can think of, make sure to check out these staples:
Smooth Almond Butter:
This is your classic smooth almond butter. Amazing on toast, in sandwiches, or as a dip, this will be a pantry favorite. It contains all real ingredients so you don't have to worry about any unnecessary ingredients.
Bare Smooth Almond Butter:
If you're looking for an even healthier snack, this almond butter is the way to go. It doesn't have any added salt or sugar but it still tastes amazing--and this is coming from someone with a major sweet tooth.
Chocolate Powdered Almond Butter:
This powdered almond butter tastes absolutely amazing in protein shakes, desserts, or just mixed in with water to create almond milk on the go. I love that in powdered form, it's super portable so you can bring it with you in a reusable container and add it to pretty much anything.
Unsweetened Powdered Almond Butter:
Like the chocolate powdered almond butter, you can pretty much add this to anything. I preferred this almond butter powder in smoothies to the chocolate one because it doesn't take away from fruity flavors. Also if you're not a huge fan of chocolate this is for you.
You can find Barney Butter at your local Whole Foods, Safeway, Star Market, many other local grocery stores, or online. Click here to learn more and get yourself some Barney Butter.
3. Bright Foods
Protein bars have always a snack staple for me because they're so easy to throw into your backpack and munch on them in between classes. But a big issue with many protein bars for me has always been large amounts of added sugar. However, Bright Foods has "Clean Protein" bars that are 100% plant protein and don't trade flavor for nutrition. The best part of the bar was the Bright Superfood Blend which is a mix of apple, banana, coconut milk, kale, spinach, reishi mushroom, and maca powders. I love that they found a delicious way to incorporate ingredients that aren't typically found in protein bars. Don't know which flavor to try? Make sure to check out the following flavors:
Chocolate Sea Salt:
If you're a chocolate lover this is the one for you. The bar reminds me of dark chocolate fudge. The almonds make the bar chock full of protein so you can enjoy them guilt-free.
Peanut Butter:
Peanut butter lovers, feel free to rejoice. This bar definitely does not lack peanut butter flavor and brings back memories of eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon. It feels like you just ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, minus the jelly.
Almond Butter:
If you want to switch things up from peanut butter, give almond butter a go. The almond butter bar had nice chunks of almonds and it really filled me up in between my classes. I would definitely recommend this bar to anyone as a pre or post-workout snack. It's kind of like an almond fudge.
Peanut Butter Chocolate:
This bar literally replaces my Reese's peanut butter cup cravings! This bar was definitely my favorite because it combined two of my favorite things: chocolate and peanut butter.
You can find these bars in Whole Foods, Sprouts, local supermarkets, and online. Click here to learn more about Brights Foods and grab some bars.
All images are from the companies mentioned in this article.