Who doesn’t love roaming the grocery store aisles looking for new snacks to enjoy? It seems like there’s a new product to try just about every day, making it that much more enticing. And while we love to snack just as much as the next guy, store bought packaged snacks aren’t always made with the healthiest ingredients. Most of the time, our favorite processed snacks are jam packed with high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors, carrageenan, trans fats, and lots of other questionable ingredients. Additives like these can be harmful to our health (inflammation, trouble concentrating, headaches and digestive issues), so it’s best to only consume these foods every once in awhile.
While these things are certainly okay to consume in moderation, we thought it would be fun to think about how we could make our favorite store bought snacks right in our own kitchen! Click each snack below to be taken to it’s recipe:
Popsicles: Who doesn’t enjoy an icy cold treat on a hot, summer day? This Banana and Mango Popsicle recipe was made by one of our very own little cooks, so you know it’s good! They’re naturally sweetened from real fruit and honey instead of highly processed, man made chemicals. What’s more is all of the nutrients packed into these delicious treats: bananas provide lots of fiber and potassium while mango is packed with vitamins C and A!
Trail Mix: This snack is not just yummy, but it’s also portable, customizable, and super filling! Because a well balanced trail mix recipe like this one contains protein, carbs, and healthy fats, you’re sure to be fueled for hours. While it’s certainly possible to find high quality store bought trail mix, you’ll miss out on customizing this snack to your personal taste if you don’t make it yourself!
Fruit Roll Ups: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Fruit Pectin, Monoglycerides, Malic Acid, Dextrose, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Acetylated Monoglycerides, Natural Flavor, Color (red 40, yellows 5 & 6, blue 1)… What you just read is the ingredient list of store bought fruit roll ups. Including the word “fruit” in the title and using images of fresh fruit on the package is a tricky marketing tool to make you think you’re making a healthy choice. But those ingredients don’t exactly sound super nutritious, do they?
On the contrary, our fruit roll up recipe includes just 3 ingredients: bananas, 100% orange juice, and cinnamon. And we’re willing to bet you’ll enjoy our version even more!
Potato Chips: Crispy, crunchy and salty chips go great with a sandwich… artificial colors and flavors do not. Rest assured, we’ve got your chip craving covered with this delicious (and super easy) sweet potato chip recipe. This snack is full of vitamin A, fiber, heart healthy fats, and last but not least, flavor! What’s not to love?
Granola Bars: Did you know the typical, store bought granola bar has nearly the same amount of added sugar as a regular candy bar? It’s true! Some contain roughly 20 grams of added sugar per bar, meaning this one little snack provides nearly 80% of the daily added sugar limit for kids. On the other hand, this granola bar recipe uses ingredients like honey, almond butter, cinnamon, and dark chocolate for sweetness!
Oreo Cookies: An American classic, the Oreo cookie has stood the test of time. Who doesn’t love these yummy cookie sandwiches? Well, this recipe claims to taste even better than the original. What’s more is it uses dates, cocoa powder, and cashew butter to obtain that sweet, creamy texture. We highly recommend this one if you have a sweet tooth!
Fruit Snacks: These 4 ingredient gummy fruit snacks are an undercover health food! Swap out refined sugar and artificial colors and sweeteners for kombucha, honey, berries, and gelatin powder. These little treats pack a ton of nutrition, like fiber, probiotics, and collagen!
