If you didn’t already know, I am a big time snacker. My fiancé Matt can eat a filling dinner and be good to go for the rest of the night. Me on the other hand, I intentionally eat a smaller meal so I can snack later. Snack ideas can be one of the hardest parts of becoming health conscious. That’s why I put together a list of my go-to easy snacks that are under 200 calories. They are all pretty macro friendly too if that’s your jam.
1. Hummus & baby bell peppers | 150 calories
Personally, I enjoy baby bell peppers as my veggie of choice. However, raw broccoli or carrots are a good substitute too!
- 2 tbsp of Sabra roasted garlic hummus:
- 70 cals | 2g Protein | 5g Fat | 5g Carbs
- 4 Bellafina baby bell peppers
- 80 cals | 2g Protein | 0g Fat | 12g Carbs
- 10 baby carrots
- 52 cals | 1g Protein | 0g Fat | 12g Carbs
- 1 cup raw broccoli
- 30 cals | 1g Protein | 0g Fat | 4g Carbs
2. Asparagus | 75 calories
If you read my “A Foodie’s Guide to Macro-Friendly Eating” blog, you’ve seen this one before! I know it’s not your average snack idea but bear with me. When I started looking for healthy snacks to eat I had the realization that sometimes it’s just easier to eat a “meal” type food but in a smaller portion. If you haven’t tried asparagus or you think you don’t like it, give this recipe a try! It is one of my absolute favorite ways to eat veggies and it’s such an easy snack.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut about half an inch off the bottom of each asparagus stalk. You just want to cut the white-ish purple off. Put them on a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil and season with seasoning salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Cook for 8-10 minutes depending on how thick the asparagus is. (Optional) drizzle with balsamic glaze before eating!
- 10 asparagus
- 40 cals | 4g Protein | 0g Fat | 8g Carbs
- 1 Tbsp Bertolli Balsamic Glaze
- 35 cals | 0g Protein | 0g Fat | 8g Carbs
3. Peanut Butter Toast | 140 calories
I use the all natural peanut butter because I like the flavor better. It’s nuttier/saltier but any peanut butter will do. In fact, Jif peanut butter is a little lower calorie.
- 1 slice of Nature’s own honey wheat bread
- 60 cals | 3g Protein | 0.5g Fat | 12g Carbs
- 1 Tbsp Smucker’s All Natural creamy peanut butter
- 80 cals | 4g Protein | 8g Fat | 3.5g Carbs
- 1 Tbsp Jif creamy peanut butter
- 70 cals | 2.5g Protein | 6g Fat | 3g Carbs
4. Strawberries & Honey | 150 calories
It’s no surprise that fruit in general is a great choice because it is usually low calorie so you can eat a larger portion of it. Fruit on it’s own does not cure a sweet tooth for me so I drizzle honey over it.
- 10 small strawberries
- 20 cals | 0g Protein | 0g Fat | 5g Carbs
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 129 cals | 0g Protein | 0g Fat | 34.9g Carbs
Important note: 2 tbsp of honey is quite bit so you could easily cut the portion down to 1 tbsp to cut the calories and carbs down.
5. Dark Chocolate with sea salt | 98 calories
I was never a dark chocolate fan but something about the sea salt makes them so delicious. Plus, because dark chocolate has a strong flavor, 2 squares is plenty.
- 2 squares Lindt Dark Chocolate with sea salt
- 98 cals | 0.5g Protein | 3.2g Fat | 6g Carbs
6. Chloe’s pops | 60 calories
Personally, I think the strawberry is the best but the mango is pretty good too. With only being 60 calories, you can have two if you want.
- 1 strawberry popsicle
- 60 cals | 0g Protein | 0g Fat | 15g Carbs
7. Yasso bars | 100 calories
They are a frozen greek yogurt bar and they’re so delicious! Ive had the cookies and cream and the cookie dough and both are amazing. Plus they have 5g of protein per bar which is a lot as far as desserts go.
- 1 cookie dough Yasso bar
- 100 cals | 5g Protein | 2g Fat | 17g Carbs
8. Wheat Thins | 140 calories
Wheat thins are a decent salty substitute for chips and you can eat 16 of them for 1 serving which I think is pretty good. I often eat these as an easy snack before the gym. If you have some extra calories & fat to spare, melt an 1/8th – 1/4th cup of cheddar cheese over them and thank me later. (Shout out to my mom for this delicious childhood snack hack!) This however would make the total calories 250.
- 16 Wheat Thins
- 140 cals | 2g Protein | 5g Fat | 22g Carbs
- 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese
- 110 cals | 7g Protein | 9g Fat | 1g Carbs
9. Taco Salad | 180 calories
Okay this is a new found easy snack for me and I LOVE it. I included the low calorie “dressing” option (Salsa) as well as a slightly higher calorie “dressing” option (Guacamole Salsa) which would make the total calories for the taco salad 215.
- 2.5oz Lean Ground Turkey (We cook this for turkey tacos and then I use the leftovers for Taco Salads!)
- 100 cals | 14g Protein | 5g Fat | <1g Carb
- Fresh Express Sweet & Crunch salad mix (I use about 1/4 of the bag. You can use a different type of salad mix but I try to aim for the dark leafy greens if I can)
- 8 cals | 1g Protein | 0g Fat | 0g Carbs
- 1/8 cup (or a little more than a sprinkle) of shredded cheddar cheese
- 55 cals | 3.5g Protein | 4.5g Fat | 0.5g Carbs
- 3 Tbsp Salsa
- 15 cals | 0g Protein | 1.5g Carbs
- 2 Tbsp Herdez Guacamole Salsa
- 50 cals | 0g Protein | 4.5g Fat | 2g Carbs
Guys, you gotta try the Guacamole Salsa. I buy the “medium” and it is quite spicy so if you’re sensitive to spiciness, stick with regular salsa!
10. Hard Boiled Eggs | 143 calories
Hard boiled eggs are the perfect easy snack because they require almost no cooking and you can make 8-10 at once and leave them in the fridge. Also, if you struggle with eating something salty and then wanting something sweet after and then back to salty (like me!), eggs are perfect to nip that in the bud. These are also great pre-gym snacks because they’re filling without being too heavy.
- 2 large hard boiled eggs
- 143 cals | 12.5g Protein | 9.5g Fat | <1g Carbs
11. Saffron Road Crunchy Chickpeas | 140 calories
In researching these for this blog I realized they have a bunch of flavors! I’ve only ever had the Bombay Spice because that was what was available at my local Publix. I really enjoy it but as you might imagine it is a strong Indian flavor so that may not be for everyone. My Publix also has sea salt.
- 1/4 cup of chickpeas
- 130 cals | 6g Protein | 4g Fat | 18g Carbs
12. Diced Potatoes | 100 calories
Okay I know this is probably an odd idea for a snack but it’s really delicious and easy. I had never had canned potatoes until a recent family dinner with my in laws. You just heat them in a saucepan with a little salt and garlic powder until they are softened. We eat what we want with dinner and then the rest is an easy snack during the week. If carb intake is a concern, this may not be the snack for you. Keep in mind however that carbs keep you full longer so they can be a great snack to keep you full before a workout or until your next meal.
- 1/2 cup Del Monte Diced Potatoes
- 100 cals | 2g Protein | 0g Fat | 24g Carbs
13. Cottage Cheese
Alright I know it’s kind of 50/50 if someone likes Cottage Cheese but if you haven’t tried it in awhile, I encourage you to try it again. I used to hate it but I tried it a couple years ago and didn’t mind it anymore. Plus, you just can’t beat the amount of protein in it! The calorie/macro info I’m including is for the 4% fat version. If you can dig the low fat, definitely go with that. It’s just not my fav.
- 1/2 cup 4% Publix Cottage Cheese
- 120 cals | 13g Protein | 5g Fat | 5g Carbs
Half the battle with eating healthy, especially with snacks, is just being conscious of what is actually in the food you’re eating and how much of it you consume. I still get down with chips and cookies every now and then. I just try to make the majority of my snacks healthier choices. Just remember balance and moderation is the only way to stay consistent.
