This post about portable protein has been brought to you by Silk and Tapinfluence but all opinions expressed here are my own.
We are a very active family and all of us have our own personal workout regimes. Depending on the day, you will find various family members at the gym, on the tennis courts, running a 10K, or doing gymnastics in the back yard. Staying active keeps us in good health but it also means appetites soar, especially when the weather is nice. Good nutrition is important for everyone but athletes need to really make sure they get the right combination of foods to maintain proper health. Keeping protein intake up is a good way to build muscle health and give us the energy to make it through our next workout. Of course, I don’t want all that protein to come from meat! That isn’t healthy, nor is it practical to take a chicken leg with you to your tennis match! If you are looking for a few portable protein snacks for your next on the go workout, here are a few you might want to consider!
Portable Protein for on the go Workout Snacking
1. Nuts: Don’t just stick to peanuts…get adventurous and try macadamia nuts, almonds, Brazil nuts or whatever else strikes your fancy. Use nut butters on crackers or take a few celery sticks to scoop it up with.
2. Seeds: Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are great portable protein sources. If you get the salted varieties they will help you replace the salt you lose from sweating during your workout.
3. Cheese: If you have a cooler, pack some cheese sticks or cubes of cheese. String cheese is always a fun portable protein snack for kids if your child is very active.
4. Deli rollups: While sandwich meat isn’t always the healthiest option, there are several organic and natural varieties now available at major grocery stores. Roll up a few slices of sandwich meat with some slices of cheese for a nice portable protein treat.
5. Hard Boiled Eggs: The egg is one of natures most perfect protein sources. While you can’t take a pile of scrambled eggs with you onto the tennis courts, it is easy to pack a couple hard boiled eggs into a container and tuck it into your cooler. No mess and no silverware needed!
6. Hummus: Loaded with chickpeas, hummus packs quite the nutritional punch! It is loaded with protein and can easily be scooped up with veggies or tortilla chips for on the go snacking.
7. Edamame: If you aren’t familiar with edamame, it is basically a pod full of soy beans. You can buy them fresh or frozen and they just need to be steamed and salted for a delicious snack. You can eat them warm or cold…just squeeze the pod and a tiny little protein packed bean will pop right out. A truly delicious snack!
8. Yogurt: The best choices for yogurt are those that are not sweetened or flavored artificially. Choose a yogurt with live and active cultures that is preferably organic. Individual serving sized containers work best and I have been known to buy the ‘tubes’ of yogurt for the kids so no spoon is even needed.
9. Protein bars: I try to limit the number of protein bars I buy, mainly because they are really expensive and some contain a ton of sugar. They do make a quick and easy high protein snack, though, and the kids love them.
10. Almond milk: Nuts are great sources of protein, as are non dairy milks made from them like Silk. I like almond milk as a source of portable protein because it also helps keep you hydrated at the same time. Just pour your almond milk into a reusable bottle and off you go. An insulated bottle will help keep your almond milk cold but if you don’t have one, freeze the almond milk in ice cube trays so you don’t dilute your drink with regular ice cubes. When your almond milk ice cubes are frozen, just toss them into the water bottle, fill with more almond milk, and head out on your adventure. A nice, cold, portable protein snack!
If you have never tried almond milk, I encourage you to pick some up. Silk has added 2 new varieties to their extensive product line. Silk Almond Coconut Blend in Unsweetened and Original and Silk Protein + Fiber Almondmilk in Vanilla and Original are in stores now and make a delicious portable protein snack.
Silk® Original Almond Coconut Blend is a delicious blend of both almond and coconut flavors. It is cholesterol free, has only 50 calories per serving and has no artificial ingredients. It is also on Silk’s list of Non-GMO Project verified products. In addition to being a great source of protein it also has 50% more calcium than traditional dairy milk. If you are looking for even MORE protein, along with a little fiber check out Silk® Protein+Fiber Almondmilk. It is packed with 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber that may help keep you feeling full longer.
If you would like to give Silk a try, head over to Silk Facebook page for a coupon and learn more about their newest products!
What are YOUR favorite portable protein snacks?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
I started using the ALmond Silk in my smoothies and I just love the taste.