You know it’s going to happen. 3pm is going to roll around. You’ll suddenly be starving. You’re out and about. What do you do? Well you have two options. You can either follow the ideas below and be prepared, eat healthy and stick to your meal plan. Or you could grab the closest, easiest, most calorie dense thing that you can find.

By having healthy snacks on hand, you can make your life so much easier. You don’t need to worry about hunger pains at an inconvenient time. You know you won’t be able to leave that study session or lecture just because you want to eat. Getting prepared can help destress your life.

Spending a little time to be prepared can help you save money as well. Those vending machines aren’t cheap but healthy snacks can be. Fresh, in season fruit or simple vegetables with a dip are two super easy and cheap ideas that can save you money.

29 Low Carb Snack Ideas On The Go

Peanuts or peanut butter

Throw them in a baggie, or opt for readily-made single-servings packs – roasted & salted is generally fine by me. Choose a variety of nuts to get all the benefits – no one nut is better than another. 

Hard Boiled Eggs

Did you know hard boiled eggs last a whole week? Make a dozen on the weekend (only peel them when you’re ready to eat them). Just be aware of the smell haha! Top them with Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning or grated Parmesan cheese. 

Single-serving Cheeses

I LOVE string cheese and other single-serving cheeses like slices of cheese or round cheese in wax. So filling and tasty! 

Jerky

Seriously one of my favorite filling snacks. So tasty and great protein. I love Trader Joe’s regular (not teriyaki flavored) turkey jerky and Epic “Strips”.

Greek Yogurt or Skyr

These great single-serving options are full of high-quality protein, often probiotics, and are usually great sources of calcium. Opt for plain varieties and add your frozen fruit, or look for food companies who are using less added sugar!  

Baked Cheese “Crackers”

Many companies are now making baked cheese “crackers” – or what look and taste like crackers, but are only made of cheese – so low carb! I absolutely love these, and they’re non-perishable so you can keep them in your bag for a long time. Here’s a delicious kind – but they’re also prob at your neighborhood grocery store!

Veggies & Single-Serving Packet of Guacamole

Guacamole is an excellent, filling fat, and the to-go packets are life-savers because they last a long time and don’t go brown. Try dipping carrots, cucumbers, or celery in a packet. These single-serving packets are v. tasty.

Protein Bars

Look for ones with the least amount of added sugar and the most whole ingredients – but that are still tasty! Here’s a list of my faves.  

Veggies & Salsa

Salsa is pretty much just more cut-up veggies. Dipping non-starchy veggies in salsa then is just eating veggies with veggies. Since they’re so low in calories, this can work well to eat for a long time! 

Single-Serving Bag of Rice Cakes or Popcorn

Try to eat these foods slowly! These are other good low-calorie options that you can eat over a period of time.

Vegetable Soups

Soups can be great because they’re soothing, can be really low-calorie, and take a while to slurp so they keep you occupied! Here are some of my faves: Creamy Mushroom, Light Broccoli Cheddar, Garden Vegetable.

Beet Chips or Carrot “Chips”

These are similar to the seaweed snacks – a non-starchy veg that you can munch on for a while! Here’s one you can buy pre-made (because when you’re busy, you don’t have time to make your own!)

Baby Carrots

Sometimes you just need to munch to keep your brain awake when driving for a long time! You don’t have to worry too much about baby carrots going bad- and they’re so easy to find at any store.

Fiber bars

If you’re like me, you may get a little “stuck” when you’re traveling because you’re out of your routine. Coffee in the morning can help me along, but I do tend to also rely on a little extra boost from high fiber bars. Just stick with one per day, because these types of bars are HIGH in fiber – and you can get yourself in an unpleasant situation if you eat too many. Since you may be eating these out of necessity versus something to fill you up, I do recommend getting a slightly lower-calorie one, like this 90-calorie option versus the regular 140 calorie ones.

Dark Chocolate

Or any sweet treat! Stick with a single-serving portion size – individually wrapped options I always think are best because they make it easiest for us to track on track. I love Trader Joe’s 100-calorie chocolate bars – but you pick what works for you! Other good options include “fun size” candy bars (you know those mini ones you see at Halloween) or portion out 1-2 Tbsp chocolate chips in a little baggie. If you are bringing a treat – only bring a few (bringing this whole bag of fun-sized chocolate could be dangerous, am I right?!)

More Snack Recipes

Kale Chips

85 calories

Ingredients

• 4 cups leafy greens, kale, raw

• 1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

• 1 dash garlic salt

Instructions

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees

• Spray kale with an oil spray in a bowl and add sat and cheese, mix around

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

• Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes

Almond Butter Energy Bites

765 calories

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp almond butter

• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp almond flour/almond meal

• 2 Tbsp chia seeds

• 1 dash cinnamon

Instructions

• Coconut flour is another flour option

• Mix all ingredients together & roll into balls, refrigerate

Bell Peppers & Guac

318 calories

Ingredients

• 2 servings bell pepper, red

• 2 servings egg, large

• 1 serving guacamole, single-serving packet

• 1 tsp everything bagel seasoning

Instructions

• Hard boil eggs, top with everything bagel seasoning

• Slice bell peppers

• If making multiple servings, recommend only make for 2-3 days ahead of time to preserve freshness

Granola & Fruit Parfait

290 calories

Ingredients

• ½ c strawberries, fresh

• ½ c blueberries, fresh

• 1 serving yogurt, plain, Greek, 2%, single-serving container

• ¼ c granola

Instructions

• Layer or just pile fruit and granola on top & enjoy

• Switching out the plain for a flavored yogurt is fine, look for one with <15 gm sugar per serving

Yogurt and Granola

230 calories

Ingredients

• ¼ c granola

• 1 serving yogurt, flavored (<15 gm sugar/ serving), 2%, Greek, single-serving container

Instructions

1. Add granola to yogurt if you like

Eggs, Orange, And Yogurt Bento Box

456 calories

Ingredients

• 1 medium orange

• 2 large eggs

• ⅛ c nuts

• 1 serving yogurt, flavored (<15 gm sugar/ serving), 2%, Greek, single-serving container

Instructions

1. Hard boil eggs

2. Cut orange immediately before eating if possible 

3. If making multiple servings, recommend only make for 2-3 days ahead of time to preserve freshness

4. Feel free to swap out these nuts for another nut or seed you prefer. Roasted & salted nuts and seeds are fine

Low Carb Tea Sandwiches

292 calories

Ingredients

• 1 medium cucumber

• ½ c whipped cream cheese

• 2 Tbsp dill

• 2 Tbsp chives

• Dash of salt

Instructions

1. Cut herbs finely.

2. Slice cucumber.

3. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, dill, salt, and pepper. Stir until herbs are mixed in.

4. Spread mixture evenly on cucumber.

Shelled Edamame Snack

130 calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup shelled edamame

Pomegranate & Chocolate Chip Snack

157 calories

Ingredients

• ½ c pomegranate seeds

• 1 Tbsp chocolate chips

Seaweed Snacks + 2 String Cheeses

190 calories

Ingr
edients

• 1 serving seaweed snacks

• 2 servings cheese, string cheese, cheddar, full fat/ regular

Shrimp Quesadillas

436 calories

Ingredients

• 1 small tortilla, whole wheat or low carb

• 5 oz cooked shrimp

• ⅓ shredded mozzarella

• 2 small cucumbers

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Spray pan with an oil spray 

• Stir fry shrimp, drain away any excess liquid 

• Add shrimp, cheese, and red pepper flakes to one half of tortillas, fold over

• Bake in toaster oven, microwave, or in pan (flipping over after ~3 minutes on each side on low/ medium heat) until cheese has melted 

• Have cucumber slices on the side

• No dairy? Try a dairy-free cheese, guacamole, or refried beans. No shrimp? Use chicken, tofu, or another fish (e.g. tuna).

Keto Jalapeño Poppers

413 calories

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp whipped cream cheese

• 1 uncured bacon, slice

• 1/3 cup cheese, shredded, cheddar

• 1/3 cup cheese, shredded, mozzarella

• 1 jalapeño

Instructions

1. This recipe works best when making 2-3 servings

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. In a small bowl, stir/mash together the cream cheese and shredded cheeses (microwave the cream cheese for a few seconds first

4. Fill the jalapeno halves with mixture and wrap each with ½ strip bacon. Place onto a baking sheet.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes

Salty Apple Cookies

476 calories

Ingredients

• 1 apple, medium

• 2 Tbsp peanut butter

• 1/8 cup nuts

• 1/8 cup sunflower seeds, hulled

Instructions

1. Slice apple as shown in picture 

2. Spread PB on apples 

3. Top with nuts & seeds (separately or together!)

Salami Pickle Bites

324 calories

Ingredients

• 12 pickles, slices, dill

• 3 oz salami

Instructions

1. Wrap salami around pickles and spear with a toothpick to hold together.

2. Eat any extra salami or pickles on the side.

Read More