My Go-To Packaged Snacks for the Whole Family
In an ideal world, we would only eat foods found in nature, in their whole, unprocessed form. But let’s be honest, I don’t live in my ideal world 😝! So while I do what I can to prepare snacks and foods that provide the most bang for their buck nutritionally, I also have a pretty robust list of packaged foods I fall back on from time to time. Whether it’s snacks for on-the-go or meal components for those nights when I just don’t want to cook, I know I’m still providing wholesome ingredients that are good for my entire family.
A couple of things I keep in mind when choosing packaged items:
No, or at least low, added sugars (this one is so tricky because sugar is often hidden, especially in foods marketed towards kids. I do my best, and just try to limit the items that have sugar in them 🤷🏻♀️)
No inflammatory oils, like sunflower, safflower, or canola oil
Minimal, whole ingredients
Some amount of protein and/or fat
Bonus points if they have a vegetable in them
It’s also rare for me to give a packaged snack as the sole snack item, I’m almost always pairing it with something, i.e., a cheese stick with veggie straws and apple slices. I try to stick to my Full in Four, by including produce, protein, fat, and carb to ensure my kids avoid the hangry crash later on.
Where to Shop
I do my grocery shopping at various stores. Some are local natural food stores and some are chains like Hannaford and Whole Foods. For snacks, I rely pretty heavily on Thrive Market. I find they have a really great selection at really good prices, shipped directly to my doorstep. If you’re not a member there, click here to get 40% off your first order!
My Go-To Items
Natierra Organic Freeze-Dried Fruits
Raisins (the only ingredient should be raisins)
Applesauce pouches (unsweetened; my preference are these or these)
Hu crackers
Thin Stackers rice cakes
Veggie straws/sticks (these are tricky, and so far Thrive’s brand is the only one I’ve found that doesn’t use seed oil)
Cascadian Farms Purely Os (Purely Os don’t have any nasty oils, however, they do have a little sugar in the form of malted barley)
Rhythm kale chips (some of their other products use seed oil)
Lesser Evil puffs
SeaSnax roasted seaweed
Snack Factory Organic Pretzels (the non-organic uses seed oil)
Cheese sticks
Cerebelly bars
Skout bars
These items are better than most conventional packaged products, but because of either higher amounts of sugar and/or the use of inflammatory oils, I try to only use these if I’m in a pinch:
Simple Mills crackers
Made Good bars (allergen-friendly, but high in sugar)
Annie’s Bunnies or cheese squares
I hope these ideas offer some easy go-to’s for your family, whether you’re on-the-go, or just need something quick & easy to grab for you or your kiddos!