I never used to carry a snack until last month when I went out longer than I planned to end ended up having to grocery shop while I was hungry, not a good idea I now carry a 100 calorie snack nutribar which has fiber and protein. I also carry crystal light in case we ever stop for a drink so I can just grab a bottle of water. I prefer the Live Active crystal light flavours (10 cals and prebiotic fiber in each)
I carry lots of snacks, but it all depends on what I'm doing. I commute by bike so I always carry a fruit strip for an energy boost b/c energy bars tend to be too calorie-dense for me. The Archer Farms fruit strips are the best so far because they have no added sugars and they hold up really well in the heat (there's always one tucked in my seat bag).
I also like to carry a Fiber One or Kashi bar in my backpack in case I get really hungry while out in general. They don't hold up as well for extended bag time though.
If I know I'll be hungry while I'm out and don't have time for a meal, I have little cases that I picked up at Sanrio and The Container Store and use for hummus and carrots. Sometimes I'll also throw some string cheese or Annie's bunny grahams in as well.
Most of these snacks can be burned off in an extra 5-10 minutes of cycling and they keep me from getting grumpy and going off plan so I like them a lot.
Hey, ricepapr, I carry hummus around too! Especially since it's so easy to make. I also carry vegetable sticks (carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers cut into strips, etc). They're especially good to snack on when I'm not hungry, but want to eat.
I also carry rye bread and feta sandwiches that I dress up w/ whatever veggies I have in the house (tomatoes, scallions, peppers, whatever). They're filling enough to tide me over to the next meal (or as a meal subsitute, if I need it), but still healthy.
Nuts are my emergency snack because they keep better than most of the other things people list. I don't routinely snack so I don't want to bring extra fresh foods that I might not really want and they'd either go bad or I'd eat them in order to not waste them even if I wasn't really hungry.
I haven't been keeping them in my purse, I keep a small container at my desk at work. But someone suggested using an Altoids tin, so I'm going to fill up one of those so I can always have them in my bag too.
For me, the key was finding a specific nut (almonds in my case) that I like but don't really love, so I'll eat them if I'm hungry but won't munch away just because I like them, the way I would with many other types of nuts.
Yea thats how i am. If it was cashews or honey roasted peanuts i would eat the whole bag. Almonds are ok, not my favorite. I can eat them and stop after the serving
Speaking of which, I wish they'd make a trail mix that swapped out the bits of dried fruit for bits of dried vegetables, and that the vegetables weren't greasy or sodium-loaded. I have no idea how this would be achieved, but I'd buy it, if it didn't taste awful.
This thread is awesome! I am going to be traveling a TON in the next couple of months (like... country to country, all over Texas, etc)... and I'd rather have something healthy to grab instead of getting glared at by my mom for running into the convience store because I'm wanting some nuts.
I was thinking that maybe instead of paying more for "prepackaged" things... I could buy a nut mix or whatever I choose to get (not a fan of nuts, but I'm gonna look around) in those economy size packages or whatever and then seperating them out into little "100 calorie" packets for myself. And since my family re-uses most ziploc bags... it'd work well.
I like to have nuts or a fiber bar with me as well. Keeps well. Hummus is also a winner for me, although I don't keep it in my bag.
saef - you could probably make your own. Have you seen the freeze dried vegetables like "just peas" "just corn" "just carrots" etc? I have used them to make my own camping foods and I'm a fan. Here's a link. They have them in some grocery stores. I always make my own trail mix for backpacking.
Theresac: your sandwiches sound so good. I'm adding them to my recipes. Maybe I'll try them with pumpernickel.
Serbrider: rad idea! My family also reuses ziploc bags which I don't get and grosses me out. I always try to throw them away in secret when I visit. They are being green and stuff so blah blah--nah, it still grosses me out.
I now carry a 100 calorie snack nutribar which has fiber and protein. I also carry crystal light in case we ever stop for a drink so I can just grab a bottle of water. I prefer the Live Active crystal light flavours (10 cals and prebiotic fiber in each)
I dunno... I don't find it all that gross personally... but to each their own. 
