Healthy Snacks for College

If you are like me, you are officially feeling the full weight of college. With midterms weighing us down, events stacking up like crazy, and even the stress of the upcoming holidays, you may feel yourself always in a rush or lacking free time. Often times we forget about keeping up with our health as we dart from class to class or event to event. We tend to find it easier to grab a candy bar and soda than to take the time and prepare a healthy snack. However, if you take a few minutes each week you can easily prepare a weeks worth of healthy snacks to stash in your backpack or purse.

To start off make sure to keep your fridge stocked with healthy drinks. Individual sports drinks, Propel, and green drinks are great choices to take to class. Not only are they healthier for you but they also contain nutrients to give you energy (which is a must for college kids.)

Then make sure your fridge and pantry is stocked with items that are healthy. The above list is a great place to start. Make sure to include items that are easy to grab and go if you are running late and well as items that might take a little extra preparation.

Some of my personal favorite grab and go snacks are:

• Belvita Crackers - Not only are they delicious, but they also contain B-vitamins which give you energy and keep you full longer. I
• String Cheese - It is simple to grab a string and head out the door. Also, string cheese was one of my go to snacks when I was in grade school so it's like a throwback!
• Trail Mix - You can buy it already made or make your own! I always make a huge batch and separate it into baggies to carry all week. 
• Protein Bars - I travel a lot on the weekends and find it is easy to have a protein bar as a meal supplement. They provide nutrients, vitamins, as well as taste good. 

I also like to prepare snacks to take with me throughout the week. These items I seal in Tupperware or baggies and mark them with the date I prepared them so I use them before they go bad! The Undressed Skeleton has a great post about preparing snacks to take to-go!

• Mixed Fruit - I love to pick up fruit that is in season and chop it up and mix it with other fruit in a container. It is a healthy and fresh snack that is also easy on my budget!
• PB&J Crackers - Preparing mini-PB&J crackers is almost as fun as eating them. I take two Ritz crackers and put peanut butter on one and jelly on the other and put them together. I then put them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh until I eat them. 
• Veggie Tray - Using a separated Tupperware container, I add light ranch in one section and mixed veggies in the others. Then when I have time, I sit down and enjoy my own personal veggie tray.  

What are your favorite healthy snacks?