Snacks to Fuel your Bite-Sized Adventures

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Best Snacks for Snack Time

Some of my favorite things in life are good snacks.  If I am at work, stuck in quarantine, or having a tiny adventure with my dog; snacks are almost as important as my choice of shoes, a good cup of coffee, and a bottle of water.  Your snack choice can mean the difference between getting back to the car with a smile or a hangry dehydrated headache. 

Your snacks need to be able to withstand the type of adventure you will be having.  If the weather is really hot, do not pick something that will melt.  If you are carrying a backpack with heavy gear, the snacks need to make sure they do not get crushed in your bag.  And the snacks need to provide enough protein and energy to get you through the bite-sized adventure (even if your snacks are not bite-sized).  

(Disclaimer- this post has affiliate links throughout, if you do choose to purchase something linked here it does support this blog).

Here are my top choices for snacks during a micro-adventure or even a super-sized huge adventure.  

  1. Clif Bars - This is really just my choice of an energy bar, but you can have you find your own; Power Bar, Luna Bar, RX Bars, or LaraBar.   There are dozens of choices in this industry with countless flavors.  My favorite is the coffee collection from Clif Bar.  They do not taste like cardboard and have good coffee flavoring.  

  2. GORP - Good Ol’ Raisin and Peanuts was a staple for hikers when I was growing up.  Nowadays, there are so many more options besides just raisins and peanuts, and some grocery stores will let you mix your own (shout out to the Wegmans trail mix counter).  My favorite combinations include, but are not limited to, peanuts, cashews, almonds, m&m’s, small pretzels, raisins,  and sesame sticks.  

  3. Apples/Banana and Peanut Butter - This one is pretty classic but the hook here is that you can buy a small individual packet of peanut butter or other nut butter.  Many peanut butter companies have a solo squeeze pack available but I would recommend the RX Nut butter or the Justine’s Nut Butter squeeze packs.  They both are delicious and pack a lot of protein, and when paired with an apple or banana are the perfect outdoor snack.  

  4. Granola - Granola is an easy win.  You can go into most grocery stores and find a granola combination that fits your tastes, then it is simply, grab-and-go.  Granola can also be elevated with nut butter or yogurt (careful because yogurt is weather or cooler dependant).

  5. Veggie Sticks - Fresh cut veggie sticks are great because they will hold up to backpack abuse, especially if they are stored in these reusable bags.  The problem is when you are looking for more protein or a little more flavor in a dip.  Celery and Peanut Butter squeeze packs are a good combination, so are carrot and small hummus packs.  This is easy to get creative with and tailor to your flavor profile, try cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower, Nutella, tzatziki, or hummus.

  6. Bagels - Bagels from the grocery store have a long shelf life and can stand up to being in the bottom of a backpack.  They are good for bite-sized adventures when you are looking for more carbohydrates to fill the stomach.  Try a bagel with peanut butter and jelly, or hummus, or even cut open an avocado on the trail for a special treat.   

  7. Make your own Energy Bar - Pinterest and food blogs are full of energy bar recipes.  You can customize to your tastes, avoid allergies, and make as many as you want.  Here are a few of my favorites I have used in the past.  

    1. Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars from  Five Heart Home Oatmeal Peanut Butter Energy Bars ~ NO-BAKE! • FIVEheartHOME 

    2. Superfood Granola Bars from Domestic Gothess Make Vegan No-Bake Superfood Granola Bars 

    3. Chocolate Energy Bars from The Kitchen Girl - Energy Bar Recipe [Chocolate Snack Bar] 


Honorable Mention goes to Dried Fruit.  There are a huge amount of choices in the dried fruit and nut categories, so they are a great option for so many people.  I just have a love/hate relationship with mixed dried fruit, especially the prunes in those mixed bags.  But that trip may be a story for another day.  


Since tiny adventures need to be simple and require limited planning, snacks are perfect for when you are looking for something simple.  These simple snacks will help you answer the question of “what to eat.”  As a side note, notice that most of these will encourage you to want to drink water to wash them down, and that is kind of the point.  Not only are you getting energy from your food but they are helping you stay hydrated and therefore happy. 


Snack Hard!! 


  


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