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Top 5 Macro-Friendly Snacks

Top 5 Macro-Friendly Snacks

In this episode I share favorite snacks for traveling. Continue reading below for more healthy snacks rich in protein, carbs, and fats to help fuel you throughout your day or take with you while traveling.

Protein-based Snacks

Hard Boiled Eggs – My go-to protein snack! If you’re saving on fats, you can eat just the whites as well.

Protein powder – You can add it to yogurt from Starbucks, mix it into an iced coffee or latte, or just with almond milk or water. I also pack protein powder when I travel. This will be perfect after your morning workout, and to bring with you while away from your hotel and sightseeing!

Salmon or Tuna pouches – They can be used as snacks, or in place of a meal on the go. Skip the flavored varieties as they usually have added sugar and things you don’t want.

Beef/Turkey Jerky – A good high protein option to keep you satisfied between meals. Make sure you get one with low carbs, like 5-6g per serving

Cottage Cheese or Greek Yogurt – You can mix in your favorite nut butter, fruit, cinnamon, chia seeds, or your choice of sweetener.

PB Protein Balls – A simple recipe to throw together and keep on-hand. Recipe below.

PB Bites Recipe
Ingredients

  • 2 scoops Protein Powder
  • ½ cup Quick Oatmeal
  • ½ cup Peanut Butter
  • Splash of Almond milk to moisten dough.

Directions

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Use your hands to make sure it mixes well. Makes 12 balls, weighing 25g each

Macros

Protein 6.5g
Carbs 4g
Fat 4.5g

Recipe from I Heart Macros.

Carbohydrate-based Snacks

Low Sugar Fruits and Veggies – avocado, bell peppers, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, eggplant, lemons, limes

Popcorn – A good snack option to satisfy your salty/crunchy cravings. Make sure to look at the label to make sure the fat content per serving isn’t too high. Around 10-14g is good per serving.

Rice Cakes – These are great by themselves or topped with avocado, cottage cheese, or peanut butter.

No-Bake Energy Bites – Great afternoon, pre-workout or post-workout snack! Recipe below.

No-Bake Energy Bites Recipe
Ingredients

  • 1 cup – Old Fashioned Oats
  • 1/2 cup – Natural Peanut Butter
  • 1/3 cup – Honey
  • 1 scoop of Your Choice of Protein Powder
  • 1/2 cup – Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1/2 cup – Coconut Flakes
  • 1/2 cup – Ground Flaxseed
  • 3 tbsp – Water

Directions

Place all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, and mix together. This may take a while, but have patience! Once all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly roll into Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes, and then enjoy as a pre or post-workout snack! 15 individual servings or ‘bites’.

Macros

Protein 5g
Carbs 17g
Fat 10g

Recipe from BDawnFit.com.

Fat-based Snacks

Pistachios – Pistachios are a good, low sugar option. Having to open each one prevents you from overeating.

Your favorite nuts or seeds  – You really can’t go wrong, as long as you measure out an appropriate serving.

Nut/Seed Crackers – I don’t have a go-to recipe for these, but a simple Google search of “Paleo Seed Crackers” will give you plenty to choose from. Like this one from PaleoGrubs.com: Nut and Seeds Crackers Recipe

Shop Items from the Video

Country Archer All Natural Gluten Free Turkey Jerky

Angie’s BOOM CHICKA POP

Bumble Bee Premium Skinless & Boneless Wild Pink Salmon

Whey: Nature's Best Zero Carb Isopure

StarKist Chunk Light Tuna

Vegan: Garden Of Life Raw Protein

crystal@bodyofgratitude.com

0503

0103050607 08

© 2024 No Easy Day Training LLC.

Energizing Green Smoothie

Energizing Green Smoothie

Switch up your morning breakfast routine with this smoothie recipe from the book Eat Pretty. This is a perfect go-to for those who find themselves skipping breakfast for lack of time. For convenience purposes, green smoothies are as portable as a muffin or pastry—but so much more nutrient-rich.

Smoothies make appealing spring breakfasts since they are light and ideal vehicles for greens and veggies that energize your cells. Bump up the protein content with a scoop of a whey isolate protein powder like Zero Carb Isopure in Vanilla, or a plant-based powder like Garden Of Life Raw Protein. 

If you give this recipe a try, share your creation with me on Instagram by using #bodyofgratitudenutrition

 

Health benefits of this recipe:

  • Spinach contains bone-strengthening vitamin K and an abundance of minerals like iron, manganese, and magnesium. Eat spinach with vitamin C-rich foods like lemon or strawberries to aid in the absorption of its nutrients.
  • A handful of dandelion greens has over 100 percent of your daily vitamin A needs. These greens also have diuretic properties that reduce bloating.
  • Parsley is packed with iron and is a blood cleanser.
  • Avocados are nature’s healthiest source of fats. The vitamin E they contain help keep skin cells strong and hydrated. They are also good sources of fiber!
  • Lemons are chock full of collagen-building vitamin C and immune-boosting bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids boost lymph flow and strengthen blood vessels, aiding in the prevention of varicose veins.
  • Lemons also have properties that clean out the digestive tract and diuretic and laxative effects—helping you maintain a flat belly all day.
  • Bananas have the ability to provide fast energy, perfect for your AM hustle.  They also contain complex carbs that increase mood-enhancing serotonin production in the body—walk into work with a smile! Tip: the riper the banana, the more antioxidants! (Hart, 144)

See the full recipe below images.

Gluten free cereal option from the book Grain Brain
Gluten free cereal option from the book Grain Brain
Gluten free cereal option from the book Grain Brain

Ingredients

2 cups of water

2 large handfuls of spinach leaves

1 medium handful of dandelion greens or watercress

1 medium handful of parsley, thick stems removed

½ ripe avocado

1 organic lemon, peeled

½ frozen banana

Instructions

In a high-powered blend, combine the water, spinach, dandelion greens, and parsley, and blend to a coarse puree. Add the avocado, lemon (and some strips of the peel for added flavor and extra bioflavonoids, if you like), and banana. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestions:

 

serves: 2-4 | total time: 10 minutes

SHOP THIS RECIPE

Single Serve Travel Blender

Blend up your morning smoothie to-go

Garden Of Life Raw Protein

Garden Of Life Raw Protein

Plant-based protein powder

Nature's Best Zero Carb Isopure

Nature's Best Zero Carb Isopure

Whey protein powder

Eat Pretty Book

Eat Pretty Book

Great season-based recipes and nutrition/beauty advice

RECIPE MACROS

calories

protein

fat

carb

Calories and macros will vary based on ingredients used. Recipe macros based on 1/4 of the recipe and 1 scoop of Isopure Zero Carb Powder.

References

Hart, Jolene, CHC, AADP. Eat Pretty: Nutrition for Beauty, Inside and Out. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2014. Print.

crystal@bodyofgratitude.com

0503

0103050607 08

© 2024 No Easy Day Training LLC.

Quick Crunchy “Cereal”

Quick Crunchy “Cereal”

As you’ll soon learn, I am obsessed with breakfast foods. Since reading the Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD I have added this recipe to my rotation. It packs brain-boosting healthy fats and an abundance of antioxidants. Like its name implies, it’s a quick recipe to throw together on a busy morning or as a midday snack. You can easily modify it by adding your favorite nuts and berries. If you give this recipe a try, share your creation with me on Instagram by using #bodyofgratitudenutrition

 

Health benefits of this recipe:

  • Great source of healthy fats from the Walnuts. Walnuts are a good source for omega-3s and Vitamin E.
  • Coconut has great electrolyte balancing minerals and antiaging properties from the Selenium it contains.
  • Blueberries are full of great antioxidants, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Potassium. Blueberries also help reduce fat storage by decreasing insulin resistance. They are also a great source of neuroprotective resveratrol.
  • Looking to add more fiber into your day? Swap raspberries for blueberries. You’ll also be protecting collagen and adding in Vitamin B and Biotin.
  • Unsweetened almond milk is low in both calories and sugar. Store bought almond milk is usually fortified with half of your daily dose of vitamin E, the beauty vitamin that keeps skin moisturized and protected from the sun, plus 45 percent of your calcium and 25 percent of your vitamin D. Bonus- It’s free of the hormones and antibiotics found in conventional dairy (Hart, 111).

See the full recipe below images.

Gluten free cereal option from the book Grain Brain
Gluten free cereal option from the book Grain Brain
Gluten free cereal option from the book Grain Brain

Ingredients

¼ cup crushed raw, unsalted walnuts (or other nuts)

¼ cup coconut flakes

1 handful of fresh berries

⅔ cup whole milk or almond milk

Instructions

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy.

Serving suggestions:

  • Need more protein? Mix water and your favorite protein powder and use it as the “milk”.
  • Need more fiber? Use raspberries instead of blueberries.
  • For added omegas top with chia seeds, hemp seeds or ground flax seeds.

 

serves: 1 | total time: 5 minutes

RECIPE MACROS

calories

protein

fat

carb

Calories and macros will vary based on ingredients used. Recipe macros based on ½ cup of blueberries and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

References

Perlmutter, David, MD. Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers. New York: Little Brown, 2013. Print.

Hart, Jolene, CHC, AADP. Eat Pretty: Nutrition for Beauty, Inside and Out. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2014. Print.

Ceramic Bowl from Dirty Feathers.

crystal@bodyofgratitude.com

0503

0103050607 08

© 2024 No Easy Day Training LLC.

Low-Carb Protein Waffles

Low-Carb Protein Waffles

Breakfast foods are hands-down my favorite. Give me a stack of waffles and I am a happy girl. Even on a flexible diet plan, the carbohydrate content of traditional waffles can be hard to work with.

I recently discovered this Low-Carb waffle recipe from Amanda Bucci. Amanda is an uber inspiring fitness entrepreneur and bikini competitor. In one of her videos she said if this waffle isn’t a part of your life, you aren’t living. She’s not lying. This recipe is a godsend for those of us who love those carby breakfast foods but also love a trim waistline.

These waffles are loaded with protein and can be topped with your favorite source of healthy fat. Perfect for a high-fat high-protein diet, or the Metabolic Diet, or competition prep.

Ingredients

1 scoop of a casein or whey/casein blend protein powder. I used SELECT Snickerdoodle

1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

1 whole egg

1/4 cup of water (approx)

Cooking Instructions

Pre-heat your waffle maker before starting the batter.

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Add in a small amount of water to get the consistency slightly runny, but still viscous.

Spray waffle maker with a non-stick oil spray. Place half of the batter in the waffle maker. Cook according to your waffle maker’s direction. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serving suggestions:

 

serves: 1 (approx. 2 waffles) | total time: 15 minutes

RECIPE MACROS

calories

protein

fat

carb

Calories and macros will vary based on ingredients used.

crystal@bodyofgratitude.com

0503

0103050607 08

© 2024 No Easy Day Training LLC.

Low Carb Turkey Tacos

Low Carb Turkey Tacos

This Turkey Taco recipe is great is you’re following a low-carb diet, or if you’re coming up short on carbs on a flexible diet plan.

It is a great lunch or dinner option. If you’re preping this recipe ahead of time to bring for lunch, package the lettuce leaves and cooked meat separate. Combine when ready to eat.

Ingredients

1 lb of lean turkey (or lean ground beef)

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

1/2 packet of taco seasoning (sugar/salt free, if possible)

1 cup of tomato sauce (no salt added)

1 tsp. olive oil

Cooking Instructions

Heat oil in a heavy pan. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the meat and half ot the packet of taco seasoning mix. Saute on high heat for an additional 5 minutes, until meat is browned. Reduce heat to medium and add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring often.

Serving suggestions:

  • Serve taco meat inside of large romaine leaves like tacos
  • Serve taco meat over 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
  • Serve taco meat with 2 corn tortillas, salsa, and shredded lettuce

 

serves: 4 (approx. 1 cup each) | total time: 30 minutes

RECIPE MACROS

calories

protein

fat

carb

crystal@bodyofgratitude.com

0503

0103050607 08

© 2024 No Easy Day Training LLC.

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