I'm typically pretty good about making smart snacking choices when I plan out my eating ahead of time. It's when hunger strikes me out of the blue and I don't have my usual food staples around that I make choices I later regret.
This was the reason I ate the peanut butter cookie at work when I don't even like peanut butter cookies. I was at a catered lunch event and was still hungry after my sandwich. I usually pack my lunch and snacks. That day I didn't bring anything and was left hungry and with a cookie staring me in the face.
The same thing happened when I was at WordCamp Omaha. There were no snacks except for candy and peanut butter cookies (!!) when a hunger craving hit. I managed to avoid the cookie, but ended up eating a mini Twix and a Peppermint Patty.
To avoid situations like these in the future, I've started packing my own snacks that will fill me up and satisfy my hunger.
Enter protein bars. I love that protein bars are satisfying, filling, and come in lots of different flavors. What I don't love is how big they are. I'm a person that eats to finish things. When I open a bar, whether it's a protein bar or a candy bar, I feel compelled to finish it. Although I'd feel better eating a protein bar over a candy bar, I still don't need 200 calories worth of one after a workout or when a hunger craving hits.
Something I've taken to doing is cutting up protein bars into bite size pieces. It's a snacking tip I'd really recommend for when you're on-the-go. Protein bars are dense, so there's a lot to chew on with every bite, which I find super satisfying. And I feel like the bite is the thing I'm needing to finish instead of the entire bar.
I like to eat some protein right after a workout (especially if it's a workout with weights!). I don't eat protein bars as a meal though, so I usually stick to a square or two to fill me up until I can prepare a meal. The same is true with snacking. A square or two will fill me up without adding a ton of calories to my day.
My little snack bag fits right in my purse.
The protein bars I've been snacking on lately are from Pure Protein. They seek to help maintain overall health, support lean muscle and strength, and help fuel your body. Each bar has roughly 200 calories and 19 grams of protein. They also are very low in sugar (less than 3g!), which I love. I get enough sugar in my day without needing my snacks to add to that.
I was sent three flavors to try:
- Dark Chocolate Coconut
- Chocolate Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Salted Caramel
I loved the dark chocolate coconut and chocolate salted caramel. They have good flavor and good texture. I am not a fan of a lot of peanut butter things (despite loving peanut butter and almond butter), so I skipped those all together.
Josh was a fan of the chocolate salted caramel and chocolate peanut butter. He didn't like the dark chocolate coconut as much. This actually works out great because when I cut up snack bags for us I get all the dark chocolate coconut bites and he gets all the chocolate peanut butter bites.
We've been loving these after a trail run when we're out in the woods, or when we need a quick bite on the go. Josh just got back from traveling for two weeks and he said these were perfect plane snacks.
These are available in most major grocery stores and drugstores. For those of you who live by a Wegmans, you can pick them up there (I miss that store so much!). They have a chocolate chip cookie dough flavor I really want to get my hands on.
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Questions of the Day: Are you a fan of protein bars? Have you tried Pure Protein Bars? What's a snacking tip of yours?
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