Snack pairs to take anywhere

​by Tara Sallee, MS, RD, LD, Hy-Vee Corporate Dietitian

​     Life is busy. Sometimes we have an unpredictable week full of work, family and personal events that we didn’t plan for. We tend to put our meals on the back burner to get our tasks accomplished first.
    However, we need to keep ourselves full and focused throughout the day. This is where snacks come into play! Snacks on hand can keep our blood sugar stable, our cravings down, and fill in our nutritional gaps.
     Snacks can help you in many ways throughout the day. They can stabilize your blood sugar, carve out your cravings, and satisfy your nutrition with the right snack pairings. When you pair a carbohydrate or fiber filled snack along with a protein-packed snack, then you create a hunger-fighting duo that is sure to keep you stable and satisfied until your next meal.
     Even with these snacks, portion control is still our main goal. Once we find the right balance and pairing, then our snack game can rise to fame.
     Now let’s make some snacks! We need our carbohydrate or fiber friend to match with our protein pal. Here are a few duos to start you off: apple and nut butter, banana with nuts and seeds, and berries with Greek yogurt.
     If you want more snack ideas – visit hy-vee.com for recipes, join our carb-swap cooking class, or schedule a Discovery Session with your local Hy-Vee dietitian.

     For an on-the-go treat, check out this Maple-Cinnamon Trail Mix to satisfy your sweet tooth.