Snacks

9 Paleo Snacks You Can Eat On the Go

By Jess

Sticking to a healthy Paleo snacking plan can be a real challenge, particularly if you lead a busy life and are typically on the go. While there are a number of convenient and easy snack ideas that make the grade in terms of nutrition, some snacks may fall short when it comes to exciting your taste buds.

A handful of almonds or a hard-boiled egg are quick and easy Paleo snacks, but after a while you can get bored or burnt out with making the same couple of snack choices day after day.

Here are some delicious, Paleo-friendly snacks, specifically designed to bridge the gap between your meals while providing your body with energy through good quality nutrition:

1. Fruit and Vegetable Chips:

If you’re a big fan of chips, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to give them up when following the Paleo diet. While you may not be able to incorporate your favorite brands from childhood or run by the convenience store for a quick snack bag, fruit and veggie chips are a much healthier and lighter alternative. Although you can find pricey bags of these types of chips at most grocery stores today, the ingredient list can be questionable. Compared to the equivalent, make-at-home fruit and veggie chips will provide your body with energizing nutrients. Here are some recipes for chips that you can feel good about eating:

Paleo “Corn” Chips (Tastes For Everyday Life)
Taro Chips (This Is So Good…)
Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips (Paleo Grubs)
Zucchini Chips (Cave Food Kitchen)
Maple Roasted Parsnip Chips (Yummy Inspirations)
Paleo Plantain Chips (Fed + Fit)

2. Nuts and Seeds:

Nuts and seeds are rather popular snacks for both Paleo and non-Paleo eaters. If you aren’t careful, you can end up consuming quite a few of them because of their ease and convenience. There’s also a whole host of health benefits you can get from nuts and seeds as most are loaded with nutrients.With high levels of antioxidants, nuts are cardio-protective and seeds on are packed with dietary fiber. There are quite a few flavorful alternatives, sweet or savory, to consider as an alternative to your spoonful of nut butter or your handful of almonds. Here’s a list of sweet and salty recipes to keep your tastebuds guessing and prevent boredom:

Jalapeno Paleo Pumpkin Seeds (Paleo Porn)
Rosemary Fried Almonds (The Primalist)
Curried Cashews (GI 365)
Paleo Spiced Nuts (Elana’s Pantry)
Superfood Nut and Seed Snack Mix (Primal Palate)
Paleo Granola (Paleo Cupboard)

3. Energy Balls and Bars

Our markets today are saturated with all kinds of snack and protein bars. After a glance at the ingredient list, you may find yourself shaking your head at the thought of these bars being considered a “health” food. You may not even be able to pronounce some of the ingredients listed on the nutrition label. Granted, a handful of bars are considered to be Paleo-friendly; however, the price tag that accompanies many choices is considerable. Some of the simplest and tastiest Paleo snack recipes fall into the category of energy balls or bars. Set aside a little time and make a batch or two of these goodies to eat as a great on-the-go snack for you or pack for your loved ones. Check out these tasty ideas:

Grain Free Power Balls (Delightful Taste Buds)
Wholefood Simply Snack Bars (Wholefood Simply)
Paleo Nut Energy Bars (Tastes of Lizzy T’s)
Kind Bars 2.0 (Primal Bites)
Double Chocolate Energy Bites (PaleOMG)
No Bake Almond Joy Energy Balls (The Healthy Maven)

4. Finger Veggies or Crackers with Dip:

Before starting on your journey to Paleo, perhaps it was common for you to run to the store and grab a box of highly processed, expensive gluten-free crackers thinking gluten-free must equal health. Now that you know that gluten-free does not always equal healthy, you may feel a bit stumped as to how to incorporate crackers into your diet. The good news is that making your own gluten-free, grain-free crackers can be a rather easy process. Most Paleo cracker recipes have very few ingredients and require very little time to prepare. If you have never been much of a cracker fan, however, replace the cracker recipe ideas listed with some of your favorite finger veggies and enjoy them with some of the Paleo-friendly dips suggested below:

Quick Crackers (Wholefood Simply)
Zucchini and Avocado Hummus (Things My Belly Likes)
Rosemary & Sesame Paleo Crackers (The Healthy Foodie)
Butternut Squash Chipotle Dip (Life Currents)
Paleo Herb Crackers (Multiply Delicious)
Paleo Buffalo Ranch Dip (Plaid & Paleo)

5. Fruit Snacks or Leather:

Fruit snacks and roll-ups (i.e. fruit leather), often packed as additions to a child’s lunch box or provided as an afternoon snack, can be anything but a fruit-based snack. Often packed with simple sugars and void of dietary fiber, fruit snacks may not seem like a healthy snack to incorporate as part of a Paleo diet, but it is easy to cut out excess sugar when you make your own fruit snacks or roll-ups from scratch. These “real” and natural fruit-based goodies make a delicious sweet snack when you are craving sugar. Great to have on hand for both yourself and children, take a peek at these tasty recipes that may soon become a staple in your Paleo pantry:

Gummi Orange Slices (Mindful Mama)
Healthy Fruit Leather (Brooke’s Kitchen of Culinary Dreams)
Sour Watermelon Gummies (Meatified)
Gut Healing Gummy Snacks (Primal Palate)
Strawberry Fruit Leather (Paleo Grubs)
Sweet & Sour Gummy Gelatin Snacks (Balanced Bites)

6. Jerky:

If you’ve been following the Paleo diet for a while now, and you are in the habit of including snacks, chances are you’ve incorporated some form of jerky from time to time. Unfortunately, when buying off-the-shelf jerky, you can spend your fair share of time scrutinizing over the ingredient list to ensure that it is free from added sugars or other preservatives that you are trying to avoid . On the other hand, there are quite a few Paleo-friendly brands out there. In the long run, you may find that making your own jerky may be an easier, cheaper, and more flavorful option. Here are some easy and flavorful recipes for your jerky repertoire:

Peggy’s Beef Jerky (Buttoni’s Low Carb Recipes)
Eggplant Jerky (Eileen’s Everyone Eats Right)
Paleo Bbq Beef Jerky (Bravo Paleo)
Honey Garlic Ginger Beef Jerky (Pirate Jeni)
Amy’s Paleo Beef Jerky (Epicurious)
Amazingly Good Beef Jerky (Brian’s Backpacking Blog)

7. “Stuffed” Veggies:

Many of you have tried some version of a stuffed vegetable at your meals such as a tuna-stuffed tomato or beef-stuffed peppers, but there is no reason why you can’t incorporate similar items into your snacks as part of your Paleo plan. By rotating various colorful varieties of vegetables into your snacks, you’ll be fueling your body with loads of vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. Stuffed vegetables can be made into gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free snack options with a little creativity and advance preparation. Definitely not taste-free, glance over some of the recipes listed below and see which one sounds like it might be a tasty addition to your snack rotation:

Buffalo Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomatoes (Stuff I Make My Husband)
Salami Stuffed Banana Peppers (Primally Inspired)
Leek and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms (Paleo Grubs)
Sweet Pepper Poppers (Popular Paleo)
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Zucchini (Fed + Fit)
Guacamole Bacon Stuffed Pepper Poppers (Health-Bent)

8. Protein-Packed Muffins:

You may not be a stranger to the world of muffins, but your former idea of a muffin is no longer a healthy snack consideration. While you can no longer go to your favorite coffee shop and order one of their giant, bakery-style muffins, as tempting as they may be, you know how detrimental those sugar-laden baked goods can be to your health. Fortunately, there are a number of amazing Paleo muffin recipes that are low in suagr and high in nutrient content. Whether you are looking for a fruit or vegetable-based muffin, you’ll find a recipe to suit your needs below:

Buffins Aka Protein Muffins (Livin Paleo)
Pumpkin Protein Muffins (Health Easy)
Almond Butter & Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins (Great Body & Skin)
Grain-free Pizza Muffins (This Flourishing Life)
Bbq Stud Muffins (Cavegirl Cuisine)
Paleo English Muffins (Running to the Kitchen)

9. Eggs:

eggs Hard-boiled eggs are a simple and easy snack. They require minimal preparation and you can easily boil a dozen at a time to have on hand as a grab-and-go snack. While you can couple your eggs with a piece of fruit, some leftover protein, or a cold baked sweet potato for a carbohydrate source, over time the thought of eating another hard-boiled egg may turn your stomach. If you are looking some delicious variations in the egg department, these suggestions are worth consideration: