snack time

The silver lining in bidding farewell to candy-infused holidays until October: it so much easier to put healthy snacks on your plate once the last few jellybeans and foil-wrapped chocolates are scavenged from the bottom of the Easter basket.

Bethany got us rolling last week with a bag of orange slices dusted with tangy li hing mui powder, made from dried plums. Oranges, of course, have tons of vitamin C but they’re also full of dietary fiber and thirst-quenching juice. The li hing mui powder, traditionally sprinkled on fruit in Asia, gave them an extra dose of tangy, salty-sweetness and made them look like perfect spicy peach slices.

This week I stocked my car with a bag of DIY trail mix from the Whole Foods bulk section, blended to curb my sweet tooth and balance my blood sugar on drives between interviews or heading home for a late dinner. Inspired by my summer as a body+soul magazine intern, I picked:

Apricots - sweet like candy, but packed with natural sugars, beta-carotene, fiber and vitamin A
Almonds - stuffed with good fats, protein, and vitamin E, these are an instant cure for late-afternoon brain fuzz.
Pumpkin Seeds - like super-sized sunflower seeds, and rich in omega-3

I have every confidence this mix of filling fiber, satisfying fats, and nutrients will keep me clear of the drive-thru and chip-stocked pantry.