Simple Snack: Crackers, Cheese, & Fruit

I’ve been working with a nutritionist for the last few months to balance my diet, get fresh and new meal ideas, and to look at trends in my diet. One trend is that I need an afternoon snack between lunch and dinner. Every day, right around 2-3pm, my tummy growls something fierce. We’ve been working on options that are healthy and filling so that one go-to snack is enough between meals. My nutritionist’s recommendation is to have a little bit of everything – carbs, fat, and produce – to create a truly filling and nutritious combination, rather than just having carbs or just having fruit, being hungry 30 minutes later, eating more, racking up the calories, etc. We’ve come up with my new favorite combo – a classic – crackers, cheese, and fruit.

I’ve included a collage below of the combinations I’ve been making lately of crackers, cheese, and fruit because there are so many options!

First, let’s talk crackers. You’ll notice that they are the one thing that stays the same in my combo. My go-to are the 365 brand Woven Wheats from Whole Foods. Basically they are Triscuits, which could totally work here too. The reason these are my favorite cracker option is because they have two ingredients. Yep, only two ingredients: whole wheat and salt. No enriched flours, no HFCS, no fillers, no chemicals, no xatham gum, no words I can’t pronounce. You can’t get any less complicated and more healthy than that!

Moving along – cheese! The choices are obviously endless here but I’m mainly going for portion control and taste with my cheese selections. My favorites are 365 brand whipped cream cheese, 365 brand colby jack cheese sticks, and mozzarella Babybels.

Last but not least, the fruit component. My picks here are mostly just what I prefer and what looks good at the supermarket. I’m definitely loving clementines for their portability, grapes for their sweetness, and pomegranate seeds for a new and exciting option. Strawberries, apples, and bananas are great too. Whatever you like!

Bonus Round: You’ll notice some M&Ms up there too. As I mentioned, my nutritionist and I are working on composing one healthy, filling snack between lunch and dinner. I found I was having my afternoon snack and a sweet snack on top of that every day (I can’t be the only one who craves chocolate right after a meal!). So, instead of mindlessly munching on a whole bag of M&Ms or handfuls of Hershey’s kisses in addition to my mid-afternoon snack, I’m working on integrating the two – still having the sweets/chocolate but reducing the amount and combining it with my mid-afternoon snack. So far, so good!