Purse-Friendly Snacks: 5 Quick, Healthy Snacks For When You’re On The Go

By Fiona J. Kirk

There’s nothing worse than reaching into your purse for a mid-day snack to find that the chocolate bar has turned into a gooey, sticky mess or that the carrots you carefully put into a baggie are now rolling around the bottom of your tote. Below are some snack ideas that are both good for you and promise to be purse-proof. Happy eating!

Larabars. They come in 19 different flavors – with mouth-watering names like pecan pie, peanut butter cookie and key lime pie – but these snack bars are considerably healthier than their names might suggest. In fact, ingredients only include unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices (no nasty, unpronounceable ingredients here!) and each bar is a great source of protein, meaning you’ll stay full for longer! ($21.99 for 16 at drugstore.com)

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Organic Valley Stringles. These may be a kid’s lunchbox staple, but that doesn’t mean string cheese is just for kids. Rather, string cheese is an excellent source of calcium and protein at any age. We particularly like Organic Valley Stringles because they’re made without antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides – and they come in grown up flavors too, like mild Cheddar and Colby Jack (in addition to their mozzarella variety). And, let’s be honest, peeling string cheese is fun! ($19.99 for 24 at organicdirect.com)

Yummy Earth Organic Gummy Bears. When you have a sweet tooth and yearn for something chewy, these gummy bears fit the bill. They have 100% of your recommended daily amount of vitamin C, are 100% natural and each bag contains a delicious mix of pomegranate pucker, strawberry smash and sour apple tart flavors. Yes please! ($4.84 each at swansonvitamins.com)

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Blue Diamond Whole Natural Snack Packs. We all know that almonds are great heart-healthy and protein-packed snack, but carrying them around just got easier with these snack packs from Blue Diamond.  Plus, portion control can be quite the challenge when we’re faced with a big bag of nuts, and this takes the guesswork out of that. ($21.95 for 42 at bluediamond.com)

Smart & Skinny PB&J Mix. This snack line was created by a registered dietician who wanted a quick and easy snack for her clients to take on the go – and that they are! The PB&J mix contains roasted unsalted peanuts (good source of heart healthy mono-unsaturated fats), dried organic strawberries (high in antioxidants) and whole-grain strawberry granola crisps (for high-fiber crunch) for an ideal balance of protein, high-fiber carbs and heart-healthy fats. ($37.50 for 10 at smartandskinny.net)

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