Healthy Store Bought Snack Options

This post is sponsored by Clean & Fit but all opinions and photography are my own.  I received no compensation for my recipe other than a free sample of some of the products and other products I purchased myself. This post does contain affiliate links (check out my disclaimer here) but I wasn’t paid for this post. I wanted to offer my readers ideas and discounts where I could when it comes to store bought snack options.

So funny story… while I completely prefer homemade snacks, in the last year or so I have been DEDICATED to finding some healthy snack options. Basically, I chose a new bar to try almost every time I hit the grocery store

Part of this is due to the fact that Baby Bear always wants to buy something for herself as a treat and part is because sometimes it’s just convenient to buy snacks instead of make them (#truth)

My issue with pre-packaged snacks is that they are LOADED with extra sugars. If you look at the ingredients list (instead of the label) normally the second and sometimes even the first ingredient is a sugar. And yes, organic cane sugar is still sugar. It’s still not ideal for you and definitely not something I want to give to a growing little one as “fuel”.

So in the last year or so, I have tried far too many store bought snacks. I think by now I’ve tried every bar on the shelf 😛 This means that I have some great snack options for you though!

The last batch of snack options I wanted to try came from the Clean Fit Box. I have to give kudos to their marketing team because I keep seeing this box of snacks everywhere and have been pretty excited to give them a try! Their whole premise is clean, no Additive snacks for a healthy lifestyle- which is pretty much me to a tee. You can learn a bit more about them and why I was so eager to snag a box below.

So when it comes to healthy snacks, my criteria is the same for pre-packaged as it is for homemade:

I’m looking for snack options that contain real food ingredients, have minimal sugars and are somewhat balanced. Meaning, dried fruit is great but unless it’s paired with a fat or protein it’s really just a big sugar rush… with a crash.

While I’ve tried a bunch of snacks, the ones below are the most popular snack options I’ve tried or really loved.

 

The Art Of Raw

I’ve become pretty addicted to these bars because they’re essentially just like the ones I make at home! The ingredients are all things I have in my cupboard and it’s all real food. As far as healthy packaged snack options go, this one is pretty amazing. No sugars added (just that from the actual fruit), a good blend of macronutrients and they’re super tasty.

This is also one of the few bars I have no issues giving Baby Bear! My particular favorite is the lemon coconut but overall, the brand itself is awesome. Plus, you can get them at most major grocery stores. Plus, while it’s not on the label, these bars (at least the ones I’ve tried) are vegan.

 

Rise Bars

My obsession with the Clean Fit Box actually stemmed from these bars when I noticed they used them in their boxes! Rise bars are deliciously healthy. One of the reasons I love these bars so much is that they are a protein bar!  While I love fruit and nut based bars, it’s always nice to have a protein travel option- it also means they make a great post workout snack in a pinch.

Unfortunately, ninety percent of store bought protein bars I’ve come across have been lackluster. Either they have too much poor quality sugar added to them, the list of ingredients is too long and unpronounceable or every option is based off whey protein.

While we don’t avoid dairy (though you can read my tips on how to do go dairy free here) it’s definitely something I don’t like to base our diets around.

Rise bars are fantastic because they offer both options- whey based bars and plant based. This makes it perfect to grab a bunch because it gives you a nice variety based on what you personally enjoy.

The other benefits: there’s only about four ingredients in all the bars- and all the ingredients I use in my own homemade bars- so win.

I love them so much I reached out to chat with one of their reps who offered a 30% discount to my readers. So just hit up risebar.com and use the code “teamrise30” to take advantage of that awesomeness.

Lastly, rise bars are gluten free which makes them an easy purchase for all my celiac friends!

 

Roo Bar

I snagged a bar of these because it looked cute. Yes, that was my reason. This nut and fruit bar is vegan and gluten free. Similar to the raw bar, Roo Bars are just like the energy bars I make at home.

They’re based off of dried fruit, nuts and seeds making it a tasty, all natural bar full of energy. My personal favorite is the cashew one.

 

Marigold Smoky Chipotle Almonds

This was another gem from the Clean Fit Box and the only non-bar on this list. It’s also one of my absolute favorites.

You may know this about me.. but I am an almond addict. Seriously, I put that sh*t in everything 😉 Almonds, almond flour, almond milk, almond butter.. I love it all.

And sometimes while traveling all you really want is something to munch on. Not a bar or a piece of fruit, but something you can repeatedly put in your mouth.

These almonds are that thing!

They’re gluten and soy free and one of my favorite snack options! They have only five ingredients (almonds, ghee + spices) and are utterly addictive.

If you’re going on a long road trip- these are a must! Or, if you’re sitting at your desk writing blogs.. they work for that kind of munching too 😉

 

Prima Bar

Sometimes, you need more than just fruit and nuts to get you going! Which is why I wanted a coffee flavor bar to add into the mix.

The Prima espresso almond bar was tasty and actually contained coffee. One of my biggest pet peeves is when coffee bars only contain “coffee flavor”. What in the hell is that!?

But this lovely bar has actual coffee along with its other healthy ingredients. I actually really enjoyed this one because in addition to the dates for energy it also contains quinoa (and some healthy fats) to help stabilize that release. So way to go prima!

It’s a gluten free bar and while the label doesn’t say vegan the ingredients seem that way.

 

Note: most of these health boosting ingredients can be purchased through my favorite retailer Well.ca– and the best part is that they offer free shipping!

So there you are, a few of my all time, favorite, store bought healthy snack options. While I don’t purchase snacks too frequently, all of these snacks are good enough that I would give to my daughter (minus the coffee one!). They contain real food, healthy & nourishing ingredients and are convenient. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Now, to finish off here, I do have a few more notes on the Clean Fit Box that kind of started the whole shebang!

This little box is quite possibly the cutest thing I have stumbled upon! It’s filled with healthy snacks and wellness products and to be honest when it came in the mail I was far more excited than I had anticipated!

Within the box was:

• The two rise bars (ahhh yay!)
• A whole foods protein supplement
• Three energy supplements which work awesome for pre-workout
• A vitamin d booster made not from animals but from mushrooms, spinach and quinoa
• Two smoothie power blends
• Marigold almond slivers

Without meaning to, I fell in love with these products! Seriously.. the vitamin d supplement alone made me excited 😛

I also enjoyed the messages that came with the box. There was the explanation of the vitamin d, a list of everything included and it’s nutritional breakdown and even a mini workout to do. All in all the box was freakishly motivational!

When I originally reached out to Clean Fit Box (yes, I reached out to them, not the other way around. I was really really interested in this box!) I was excited because of the reason behind the box:

This box contains products to help you boost your workouts and your health in a long term scenario. The items are all extremely healthy choices. There’s no GMO’s or artificial flavors. They really and truly help you boost your health while keeping it convenient.

This is something I can get behind.

The box is a monthly subscription so basically you receive a box full of wellness goodies each and every month. If that’s not something that keeps you motivated I don’t know what is!

If you want to check them out you can hit up their website or social channels (my favorite being their instagram because it’s pretty motivational!)

Regardless of what path you choose, there are definitely healthy, pre-packaged snack options. So basically, don’t ever let a lack of time prevent you from eating nourishing foods and improving your health. Shop around, trial and error and most importantly, always rock it xx

Don’t forget to pin these healthy, on the go snack options!