Healthy On The Go Snacks You Can Grab At The Smoothie Bar
Every New Yorker knows the struggle of balancing a healthy lifestyle with daily responsibilities like work (and the dreaded subway commute that goes along with it), family, community, and your social life. Often, it can seem like a never-ending battle between eating healthy and living our lives, as if it’s virtually impossible for the two to go hand-in-hand. Quick serve restaurants and food delivery programs like Seamless save our lives most night of the week, but we can probably all agree that these aren’t the best healthy lifestyle choices.
This is where your local smoothie bar or juice bar franchise comes in to save the day. Unlike quick serve restaurants or takeout, smoothie bars like Pure Green offer real, whole food meals and snacks with all of the good-for-you ingredients, and none of the unhealthy add-ins, like msg, preservatives, and unnatural dyes. Smoothie bars are the best bet for grabbing a nutritious meal or snack on-the-go, and their quick serve setup is ideal for those of us (let’s be real; all of us) who are looking to balance our daily lives and fuel our bodies properly at the same time. If you’re a smoothie bar newbie, or you’re just not sure how to make the healthiest choices choices for your body, we’ve compiled a list of the healthiest options that you can grab at your local smoothie bar for a simple snack or healthy, portable lunch.
Protein-Packed Smoothie Bar Snacks
Protein is vital when mid-morning or afternoon hunger strikes and you need a healthy hold-over until your next meal. Not only do protein-rich snacks keep hunger at bay, but they also provide sustained energy that won’t put you in a food coma. Below are some of our favorites to grab at your local smoothie bar.
Protein Smoothie
Protein smoothies are a great choice for a light lunch or mid-afternoon snack. We especially love fueling up post-workout with a protein smoothie. At your local smoothie bar, look for a smoothie made with ingredients like whey protein, or pea, soy or hemp for vegans or those who are lactose intolerant. Not a fan of powdered protein add-ins? Add cashew, almond or peanut butter to any smoothie for an easy protein boost. Looking for a vegetable boost along with your protein? Throw a cup of spinach into any smoothie, as this leafy green packs six grams of protein per cup! Other easy options for added protein include pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, raw oats, or chia seeds.
Check out our favorite protein-packed Pure Green smoothie recipe below:
Banana Nut Protein Smoothie:
Ingredients:
Frozen banana
Cashew butter
Coconut
Whey protein
Agave
Almond milk
Nutrition Information (20 ounce serving):
Calories 305
Total fat 15g
Sodium 84mg
Carbs 31g
Fiber 14g
Sugars 17g
Protein 22g
Chia Seed Pudding
Chia seeds provide a plethora of nutritional benefits and pack a whopping nine grams of protein per each three tablespoon serving. Chia seeds are also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, and the fiber content of chia seeds makes them an excellent choice for a pre-workout snack.
Making your own chia seed pudding is simple, and you can make it in a big batch at the beginning of the week and enjoy it all week long. Simply add a cup of chia seeds and a cup of your favorite milk (almond, soy, hemp) to a blender with a bit of sweetener, like agave or honey, then blend and refrigerate overnight. You can enjoy chia seed pudding with delicious add-ins like cacao powder, protein powder, and toppings like fresh fruit or cacao nibs.
Acai Bowls
Acai bowls are our favorite smoothie bar go-to for a quick meal or snack. There are so many delicious and healthy options to make your acai bowl your very own healthy and personal creation. Similar to smoothies, you can add anything from protein powders to nut butters into your acai bowl, depending on your preference and nutritional needs. We always recommend topping your bowl with plenty of fresh fruit to make it as beautiful as it is delicious.
If you’re new to the concept of acai bowls, we recommend starting with a basic Pure Green Acai Bowl before venturing out and customizing your own creation. If you’d like to make your very own Pure Green Acai Bowl at home, follow the recipe below:
Pure Green Acai Bowl:
Base Ingredients:
Acai
Spirulina
Bananas
Almond milk
Apple juice
Topping Ingredients:
Blueberries
Hemp granola
Sliced bananas
Nutritional Information (16 ounce serving):
Calories 360
Total fat 4g
Sodium 105mg
Carbs 18g
Fiber 6g
Sugars 21g
Protein 9g
Antioxidant-Rich Smoothie Bar Snacks
Smoothie bars are a great option for protein-packed snacks, but they’re also the perfect pick for an easy antioxidant boost. Fruits and vegetables are the number one way to add antioxidants to your diet, but we won’t pretend that everyone loves eating fruits and veggies everyday. Below are some of our favorite ways to enjoy fruits and veggies in a healthy, delicious and portable way.
Chia Seed Juice
Yes, you can add chia seeds to a fruit based juice, and it is actually delicious. Pure Green’s Coconut Hydrate is a yummy mix of cold pressed pineapple, lemon juice and coconut water, mixed with whole chia seeds for an extra protein and antioxidant boost. We recommend enjoying a juice like this one after a sweaty workout to refuel your body and keep you going until your next meal. The best part about smoothie bar juice is that you can enjoy the healthiest form of juice without having to worry about the messy cleanup at home.
Coconut Milk Yogurt
When that 3pm hunger strikes, you know you need to fuel up fast. One of our tried and true go-tos for a healthy smoothie bar snack that is fast, portable, and delicious is coconut milk yogurt. Coconut milk yogurt is a simple and versatile snack that can be enjoyed by vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. It’s got a mild flavor that makes for the perfect vehicle for toppings like chia seeds, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, or fresh fruit. It’s also a great way to sneak some probiotics into your diet, which are vital for healthy digestion.
Berry Smoothie
When we think of antioxidants, we usually foods like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. While it may not always be possible to purchase fresh produce at your local farmer’s market each week, you can always enjoy your favorite antioxidant-packed fruit in smoothie form at your local smoothie bar.
At Pure Green, our best recommendation for an antioxidant-rich smoothie is the Purple Haze. It’s blended with good-for-you ingredients like blueberries, strawberries, banana and spirulina, and it’s out of this world on the flavor scale. Want to enjoy your own version of the Purple Haze smoothie at home? Toss the below ingredients into your blender and enjoy.
Pure Haze Smoothie:
Ingredients:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Banana
Spirulina
Plant-based protein
Agave
Almond milk
Nutritional Information (20 ounce serving):
Calories 230
Total fat 1g
Sodium 77mg
Carbs 24g
Fiber 9g
Sugars 14g
Protein 12g
Cold Pressed Green Juice
If you’re in a hurry and need fuel fast, but you’re at a loss for what to grab, we always recommend opting for a cold pressed green juice. It’s by far the simplest and most effective way to flood your body with the nutrition it craves. Cold pressed juice retains 100% of the live vitamins, minerals, and enzymes of the fruits and veggies it is made with. It’s like eating a fridge full of produce packed into a portable, drinkable bottle.
The best part is that there is a green juice for every flavor preference. If you’re not one for vegetable-heavy juices, you can try something like Pure Greens with apple, lemon and ginger. This juice is packed with plenty of fresh greens, but that vegetable flavor that some people hate is easily disguised with sweet apples, a hint of lemon, and a kick of ginger.
For the very vegetable averse, we recommend starting with something like Golden Girl, which is a blend of cold pressed pineapple, carrot, turmeric, lemon and ginger, or the Wake Up Call (our personal morning favorite), which blends cold pressed apple, lemon, ginger and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Make Your Local Smoothie Bar Your One-Stop Shop
For those of us wondering how to incorporate a healthy diet into an otherwise hectic life, make your local smoothie bar your go-to spot for your portable, healthy meals and snacks. Smoothie bars are a fantastic place to get your fruit and veggie fix without having to plan ahead or prep produce at home. Plus, you can easily customize your options to meet your needs, whether you’re looking for a filling lunch, post-workout hydration, or fuel between meals. Smoothie bars are the ultimate destination for health and convenience.