Frequently Asked Paleo Questions
What is a good Paleo snack?!
Welcome to the first in a series of answers to some very “frequently asked paleo questions!” I’ve talked with a couple of you about this question – and my general guidelines would be to think of snacks as just smaller meals and try to eat one of each macronutrient. For example: a protein, a healthy fat and a carb. Or for an example in terms of real food: chopped chicken breast, avocado and chopped tomatoes (yum). As you get further into the challenge, you might notice that your snack cravings are few and far between because you are eating nutrient-dense meals full of real food that keeps you satisfied longer!
BUT I know that sometimes it’s not that easy to just pull together a snack of real food so here are some paleo snack ideas that I use sometimes. These will also come in very handy when you need to travel or be away from your home (and kitchen) for a long period of time!
- Chopped, raw vegetables with guacamole and/or salsa – any veggies! My favorites are carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, celery, tomatoes…
- Avocado – with anything 🙂 One of my favorite avocado meals/snacks is a recipe from Everyday Paleo:
Stuffed Avocados
3 -4 ripe avocados
4 cans of Trader Joe’s tuna packed in water
3 green onions
3 celery stalks
1 palm full of dried dill
1 tbsp garlic powder
fresh ground black pepper to taste
grape tomatoes halved
Cut avocados in half lengthwise and remove the stone – leave the peel on. In a large mixing bowl mix together the tuna, celery, onions, and spices.
To make about 1 cup of:
Olive Oil Mayo– 1egg, 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, pinch of sea salt, few shakes of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 1 cup olive oil. In a food processor, process for 5 seconds the egg, vinegar, mustard, cayenne pepper, and sea salt. After another 5 seconds of blending slowly add the olive oil until it makes mayo. Then add the mayo mixture to the tuna, mix well, and scoop onto halved avocados and top with tomatoes. And then EAT!
More snack ideas:
- Kale Chips – make your own! Separate 1 bunch of fresh Kale, evenly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle garlic powder and pepper (and any other seasonings you want). Spread the seasoned Kale pieces on a foilded baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes at 300 degress – checking often and turning if needed. These can burn easily but if you watch them carefully and take them out just when they get crispy, they will be delicious!
- Shredded Coconut Flakes – you can find the Let’s Do Organic brand at Whole Foods and the Hyvee Health Market.
- Coconut Butter – this is almost too good to be Paleo 🙂 but it is. It’s good as a dip for carrots or berries or just from a spoon to your mouth. You can get the Artisana 100% Organic Raw Coconut Butter at Whole Foods.
- Hard-boiled eggs – add some guac or avocado and you just made them even more awesome.
- Beef jerky – BE CAREFUL about the store-bought versions because most all have additives like sodium, sugar, soy and wheat… look for a home-made jerky recipe to be posted on the blog soon.
- Olives
- Leftovers – whatever you made for dinner last night is excellent as an afternoon snack too.
What’s your go-to paleo snack?!
This is a sample snack I brought to work the other day – 1 small piece of salmon, half of an avocado and about 1/2 cup of cooked kale.