10 Healthy Zero Prep Snacks
You’ve got 2 projects due at the end of the week, a quiz tomorrow, and a way too long homework assignment due the day after that. With all this craziness, who can worry about what they’re eating, right?
It’s easier to just head to the local fast food place to get something quick and easy. The problem with these meals in a sack is they are so full of empty calories they would make a nutritionist pull their hair out.
Good news is there are many healthy options you can add during the day to boost the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants you get. And best of all, they are easy to take with you, help stave off the drive thru line, and basically require zero prep time
Cherry tomatoes
I love these things! I love them so much that I eat them every day.
They come in a variety of colors and flavors. You can get yellow, orange, green, red and my favorite, zebra cherry tomatoes.
All have a slightly different flavor but they’re all super tasty with high nutritional value.
On top of great flavor, there is basically no prep time for these. You just rinse them, put them in a bag, and go!
Baby carrots
Carrots are one of the easiest choices if you just want something fast and healthy. Packing them to go is super easy too since you don’t have to worry about them getting crushed in your bag.
If you want to some extra flavor, add a little hummus. Key word here is little otherwise you’ll bump up the calories too much.
Celery sticks
Celery isn’t my favorite by itself but once it’s dipped in peanut butter it’s awesome. If you buy a package of celery it’ll last several days and it’s cheap!
Just rinse, cut into pieces and you’re done. If you want peanut butter, put a little in a container with a lid and that’s it.
You’ve got a healthy, filling snack in no time!
Nuts
Nuts are one of the easiest snacks to choose. They’re ready to eat when you buy them.
You’re best off buying the low or no sodium options though to avoid excess salt. These tiny snacks are full of protein, vitamins and minerals, and heart healthy fats. They are high in calories though so don’t eat an entire bag at one time.
You get a bonus if you eat these before an exam because they also boost your brainpower!
Popcorn
Now I’m not talking about the kind drenched in movie theater butter here. But, plain popcorn is a great snack to hold you over until you can eat your next meal.
It’s whole grain, full of fiber and contains polyphenols which help prevent cancer. This option does require throwing the bag in the microwave, but I’d say that’s about prep free.
Berries
I don’t think there’s anything better than a ripe handful of blueberries! Blackberries and raspberries are also amazing.
Plenty of antioxidants are found in these small, colorful fruits. They also help increase your mental performance.
They need no prep time – just wash and go. Raspberries do get squashed easily though so I wouldn’t suggest carrying them with you during the day unless you use a hard container.
Clementines
Clementines are like oranges but much better in my opinion. They’re small and compact, easy to peel and extra flavorful.
They can handle being tossed in a bag and carried around all day too! Now you do have to do the prep work of peeling them but it literally takes about 20 seconds.
Sounds pretty good, right?
Bananas
Who could forget bananas? Packed full of potassium and a variety of other vitamins and minerals, these are one of nature’s best no prep snacks.
Yogurt
Greek yogurt comes in so many flavors these days and all are really good. Buy a variety of flavors and then have a different flavor each day of the week to change things up. This stuff is packed full of protein and provides calcium women need. Make sure you put a freezer pack and a spoon in your bag before you leave though otherwise you’ll be stuck with wasted warm yogurt.
Apple Chips
I buy these every week! Crunchy like potato chips but healthy like apples. They taste great and they’re perfect for on the go snacking!
Apples are thinly sliced and baked to crisp perfection. They’re sweet and crunchy and provide fiber.
If you’re addicted to potato chips, give these a try. They are kinda pricey but they’re worth the money.
Start Snacking
Next time you’re in between classes and feeling the urge to go buy french fries, have one or two of these snacks instead. All are nutritious, filling, and best of all, don’t require a lot of time in the kitchen.
After all, what engineering student has time to spend thirty minutes prepping snacks for the day? None that I know of…
What healthy snacks do you munch on during the day?
