7 Healthy Snack Prep Ideas to Make Ahead

With these 7 healthy snack prep ideas, you’ll be crushing your fitness goals, and enjoying tasty bites at the same time! In this post we’ll go over everything from tofu hummus to tamago (egg) sushi.

The Snack Dilemma

You’re cooking your meals, balancing your plate, and hitting the gym. You’re doing your best, but something always gets you: snacks. When it comes to your meals, you have more time to plan nutrient-rich dishes to nourish your body.

But when hunger strikes and you just want something small, it’s easy to reach for a bag of chips or other not-so-healthy snacks. Here are some nutrient-rich snack ideas, easy to prepare, and taste good too!

7 Healthy Snack Prep Ideas

1. Veggies and Hummus

Hummus is such an easy snack to have in your fridge, and it goes with so many things; crackers, toast, pita, or crunchy vegetables for more fiber. And the dip itself is extremely versatile as well, my favorite is this tofu hummus. 

Ingredients:

• Carrots
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Bell peppers
• Your favorite hummus

Prep:

• Cut all the vegetables into long thin slices.
• Separate the veggies into different containers.
• Blend all the ingredients for the hummus.
• Add garnishes.
• Transfer to an airtight container.
• Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Hummus is best fresh, but it’s fine for up to a week in the fridge. Whenever you’re hungry just pull out the tub and start dipping your favorite vegetables

2. Greek Yogurt Cups

Plain Greek yogurt has about 15-18 grams of protein per cup and gut-friendly bacteria. When paired with berries and nuts you get a filling, high-protein snack or breakfast complete with antioxidants and healthy fat.

Ingredients:

• Greek yogurt (whole milk or low-fat, plain)
• Strawberries, quartered
• Blueberries
• Mixed Nuts
• Chia seeds
• Honey
• Coarse Salt

Prep:

• Add Greek yogurt to small containers.
• Place fruit on top of yogurt.
• Top with mixed nuts and chia seeds.
• Add a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of coarse salt.
• Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Depending on the size of the cups/jars you use, this can easily make a filling snack or breakfast.

Whole milk yogurt has more vitamins and nutrients, but it’s also higher in calories and fat, so it’s really a personal preference! What you really need to lookout for is the sugar content, which is sometimes extremely high in vanilla Greek yogurt.

3. Fruit and Nut Mix

Healthy snack prep can be as easy as you want it to be; even if that means throwing stuff in a jar!

This snack is flavorful treat with a balance of sweet, salty, crunchy, and soft elements. Nuts and berries are some of the most nutrition packed foods on the planet, and are associated with heart health, lower cholesterol, and improved brain function,

Ingredients:

• Berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.)
• Mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans)
• Dark chocolate bar (70-90% cocoa)

Prep

• Cut the chocolate bar into small pieces.
• Combine all ingredients in small jars and store in the refrigerator until up to 5-6 days.

If you choose to use dried fruits instead of fresh, you can store the mix at room temperature. Otherwise store this in the fridge to prevent the berries from going bad.

4. Tamago Sushi (卵寿司)

Tamago (卵) means “egg” in Japanese, and that’s just what this dish is: Egg sushi. The combination of rice and eggs make this snack a great option for athletes/active people looking for a quick boost of energy and high-quality protein.

Ingredients:

• Tamagoyaki, sliced
• Cooked Rice
• Sushi vinegar
• Nori, cut into long thin strips

Prep:

• While the rice is cooling, season it with the vinegar.
• Form the rice into small ovals with your hands.
• Place a slice of tamagoyaki onto the rice.
• Wrap a nori strip around the sushi horizontally, and repeat.
• Eat immediately or store in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

Like all sushi, tamago sushi tastes best immediately after being made. However, the eggs won’t go bad nearly as fast as raw fish, and can be stored in the fridge for a ready to go snack.

5.. Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Roasting chickpeas for a long time (I usually go about 40 minutes) makes them irresistably crunchy and crispy. Not to mention their health powerhouses, containing 7 grams of protein and 20% of your daily fiber intake.

Ingredients:

• Chickpeas
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Cayenne
• Garlic Powder
• Dried Herb Mix

Prep:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Drain rinse, and dry the chickpeas.
• Coat in olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, spices, and herbs.
• Roast for 40-45 minutes until crispy.
• Eat immediately or store at room temperature, loosely covered for up to 1 day. They lose their crispiness fast!

These chickpeas are quite addictive right out of the oven, but my one complaint with this is they lose their crispiness pretty quickly. So I recommend only making as much as you can eat in 1-2 days.

6. Fruit Cups with Tajín and Lime

Fruit cups have been a favorite of my mine since childhood (wait, am I still a child?), and I’ve always loved picking up a cup from a Mexican food stand in the summer, maybe with some eloté or an ice cold horchata as well.

Ingredients:

• Watermelon
• Pineapple
• Honeydew
• Cucumber
• Tajín
• Lime Wedges

Prep:

• Cut all the fruits and the cucumber into long, equally sized-strips.
• Add 3-4 strips of each to a small cup or jar.
• If eating immediately, sprinkle on tajín and squeeze the lime over the fruit.
• If eating later, add a lime wedges to each jar, close, and store in the fridge for 1-3 days. Season with tajín and lime right before eating.

If you’re looking for a low-calorie, refreshing snack that’s easy to make look no further. And don’t sleep on the tajín and lime! A drizzle of chamoy goes a long way as well.

7. Ajitama (味玉) Soy Marinated Eggs

Have you ever wondered what gave the eggs in your favorite bowl of ramen their brown outer layer? The answer is simple, soy sauce, along with other Japanese seasonings like sake and mirin.

Aside from being a great ramen topping, ajitama makes an easy and high-protein snack, with more character than a plain hard-boiled!

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Soy Sauce
• Water
• Mirin
• Sake

Prep:

• Bring 1 part soy sauce, 1 part mirin, 1 part water, and ¼ part sake to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
• Let the soy mixture cool to room temperature.
• Boil the eggs until medium firmness, about 8 minutes.
• Make a small crack on each egg, transfer to a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then peel the eggs.
• Combine the eggs and seasonings in a airtight container, and top with a clean paper towel to ensure the entire egg is seasoned.
• Store in the fridge for several hours before eating. Consume within 3-4 days.

Eggs have numerous health benefits aside from being rich in protein. Eating one or two of these flavorful eggs after a workout is one of the easiest ways to buffer your protein intake in between meals.

That rounds out this list of healthy snack prep ideas! I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you want to see more articles like this one, don’t forget to comment, and sign-up for the QB Cooks newsletter!