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Healthy And Socially Conscious Snack Options

Snacks, drinks — it’s the stuff of life, right? Everything we take in to nourish our bodies won’t be a full meal. And often, snack and hydration options aren’t given nearly as much consideration as full meals when it comes to health objectives.

Snacks and drinks during the day are often grabbed on-the-go — sandwiched between hours at work, collecting the kids from school, and ferrying everyone to various other appointments and activities. It can seem impossible to find time to make sure that what we eat and drink between proper meals is a good, healthy choice. Anything that makes these choices as close to thought-free as possible (while still being healthy options) is a win, in my book.

Adequate hydration is the most important thing. After all, we can survive much longer without food than we can without water. But, plain water is boring. Most people will find any way they can to liven it up a bit. A slice of lemon, some berries, maybe a sprig or two of mint — great ways to give water an extra kick of flavor, but they all require a small bit of preparation. And some days just do not afford any extra time to think about, much less execute, that kind of task.

Tohi Aronia Berry Beverages

Tohi Ventures has a super simple solution to support your healthy lifestyle. The only prep required is for you to pick their products off the grocery store shelf and put them in your shopping cart. Done. Tohi is a Native American word that means wellness. The aronia berries that they use in their line of canned drinks are grown in the American Midwest. They were utilized by Native Americans for their nutritional and medicinal value.

In addition to having a distinctly NON-boring super rich purple color, Tohi Aronia Berry Beverages are chock-full of healthy antioxidants. They are also clean label, all natural, non-carbonated, no sugar added, caffeine-free beverages.

I can’t even tell you how many “healthy” drinks I’ve tried. It’s rare to find one that tastes smooth and crisp without either the taste or texture reminding me that it’s a supposedly good health choice. Often, I end up with a puckered face after drinking such products because some of them frankly just aren’t that refreshing.

These drinks really just taste like a nice flavored water to me. And they have fun flavors. Aside from The Original aronia berry drink they offer Blackberry Raspberry, Ginger Lime, and a Dragon Fruit flavor option. Check out the deep, vibrant red color!!! Drinks like this are best when they are super-cold. I pour these over a glass full of ice cubes. But, they are refreshing straight from the refrigerated cans, also.

Here’s what I like about Tohi Aronia Berry Beverages:

• They’re non-caffeinated, but not bitter or dull-tasting. They’re refreshing and activate my taste buds.
• They all feature a really gorgeous dark purple hue — instantly less boring than clear water or brown soda.
• They’re canned, which means they are easily portable. You can grab one or two of them on the way out the door in the morning and toss them in your bag. Or you can tuck them into a cooler or keep them in a mini-fridge by your desk at work.
• Aronia berry beverages feature many health benefits. They are naturally sweetened with monk fruit. Also included are antioxidants to combat free radicals in our environment. Truly a no-guilt drink option.

Check out this quick and easy Popsicle Recipe that can be made from these delicious drinks for extra refreshment and nutrition during the hot summer months. Tohi also offers some very interesting skin care and health supplement items in their product line that I am very interested in giving a try. 

While refreshing drinks are essential, a substantive snack is also much appreciated to help me get through busy days. Some days, I seem to be so focused on getting my to-do list done (as much as is possible) that I have been known to just forget to eat breakfast and/or lunch. We’ve all been there, right?

The thought of any kind of snack that’s not ready to go with no up-front prep is enough to have me trying to convince myself that it’s totally cool to just wait to eat until dinner, when I can sit down and take the time to prepare and enjoy it. But, that often ends with me raiding the pantry for anything I can snack on quickly.

Whether I’m prepping dinner after yet another busy day or on-the-go and toting a ton of stuff around, here are two easy, healthy, and tasty snacks I recommend.

Kate’s Real Food Hand-Rolled Energy Bars

Granola bars are one of the easiest snacks to grab when hunger pangs strike. But, not all of them are healthy. They can be packed with stuff that tastes good, but does little to nothing to support a healthy body. Kate’s Real Food Hand-Rolled Energy Bars tick several boxes on snack success list:

• They are well packaged and don’t tend to fall apart while getting jostled around in my purse. I do not enjoy opening a granola bar snack that has broken apart. I think they tend to do that when they are drier, so I like that these are more moist and hold together well.
• The company offers appealing flavors and the appearance of the bars makes me excited to eat them. You can actually see the healthy oats, fruit pieces, and nuts. My two faves are the Mango Coconut bar and the Lemon Coconut & Ginger bar. 
• The bars have all the sweetness I love in a snack, but contain no artificial sweeteners. The bars are all sweetened with all-natural, organic honey. (Many thanks for the bee’s hard work!) Also, they are USDA certified organic, gluten free, non-GMO and kosher. So, you can nibble away without guilt!
• I also like that these are nice, thick snack bars. They fill up your hand nicely and each bite is a delight to be savored. Kate’s Real Food has a winning lineup!

Sometimes I’m in the mood for something a little more adventurous. Something that I can snack on over time like while reading or crafting, visiting with a friend, or working at my desk. At these times, I am apt to pour a small amount of jelly beans or chocolate candy in a little bowl to snack on. Here’s a better option.

Women’s Bean Project

You will never have heard of these flavors of snacks before. And they have caused no small amount of excitement around my house lately. Both my husband and my teenage daughter have laid claim to a couple of my Women’s Bean Project snacks. Here’s why — variety and uniqueness!

We’ve all had nuts, dried fruit, chips and candy. Been there, done that. And Women’s Bean Project has these, too, but if you are starting to yawn with boredom … perk up. I’m about to take a hard left into heretofore unexplored flavor realms.

You ever tried Swedish Fish? It’s one of my favorite candies. WBP has a version of this gummy candy, but it’s flavored with raspberry. I love them because they have all of the fun with a flavor twist and are so soft and chewy. Winner!

Banana chips or plantain chips your thing? How about plantain chips with chili picante flavor? Intrigued yet?

My kids (when they were young) loved dried pineapple and mango. WBP offers dried mango with chili spice. It’s good. It’s not my personal jam, because I love the simple sweetness of dried fruit. But, my husband loves it!

In addition to snack options, Women’s Bean Project also offers other food items like soup and chili mixes, baking mixes, coffee and tea, popcorn, cookie mixes, dog snacks, and even some apparel and Inspiration Necklaces. My adult daughter loves Lentil Soup, so I’m thinking I may purchase a few things from this company to add to her birthday gifts next month.

I love having munchies on hand when I’m working or crafting. I’m a late-night snacker when I’m writing or knitting. It’s pretty easy to fall into the habit of having a small bowl of potato chips or a handful of candy sitting beside me to munch on. I appreciate having a healthier (yet just as quickly ready to eat) option available.

Obviously, this company has created jobs. All companies do. But, what’s great about the Women’s Bean Project is that this Colorado company (celebrating its 30th anniversary) has an important mission aside from producing quality products.

It also provides employment for women with a history of incarceration, former gang associations, and former addiction issues and gives them the means of creating a better future for themselves and their families. 

I cannot stress enough how important it is to offer opportunities to those who have found themselves down on their luck. We need many more companies who will provide opportunity and reach out to those who need help getting back on their feet. It’s so important to help our fellow community members when they need it, it helps everyone in the long run.

Here at Beauty Brite love trying new snacks. Here are a few others we’ve tried that you might like:

Four Healthy Snacks To Add To Your Back To School Stash

Snacks Your Whole Family Will Love

A Healthy Breakfast Starts With Fruit And Oats

Back To Life Back To Reality AKA School

Overhaul Your Snack Cupboard

There are no shortage of snacks out there. It’s up to us to do a little digging to find the best ones for our families. Hopefully this article will make it a little bit easier for you.

What is your favorite healthy snack to feed your family?