Back To School Snack Ideas: Gluten Free Haul from Whole Foods

I love buying new snack foods at Whole Foods. With the new school year just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to share a few new items that may have eluded your shopping cart and give you some inspiration for new and exciting snacks. This haul features three NEW items and one new to me item. All are gluten free, some organic, some nut free and most vegan with the exception of whey in the lentil crackers. This is not sponsored at all. I promise. I brought all of these items with my own money.

Go Raw Organic Ranch Salad Snax

I love most foods made by Go Raw. Organic, gluten free, vegan and raw of course, this little bowl is made without nuts! Softer than crispy kale chips, this snack is surprisingly filling. It’s a fun way to get in some extra veggies without the hassle of chopping or worry of wilting. You’ll be surprised to see sprouted organic watermelon seeds on the list of ingredients but everything else is familiar. While they are sweeter than I hoped, the ranch flavor is mild and a fun, alternative take of the kale chip craze. It also has 2g of protein, 2.5 g of fat, 1g of sugar and 1g of fiber.

Raw One Food Granola Banana Walnut Cacao Nibs

Another raw treat but this time from a new to me company called Raw One. I love buckwheat granola because they tend to be less sweet than their oat counterpart. This snack did not disappoint. Not as crunchy as they look but still a satisfying treat that is just sweet enough with only 3g of sugar. The list of ingredients is impressive and will make you feel healthy just reading it.

Enjoy as a snack by itself or mix with chia pudding or greek yogurt. This might be my new favorite granola go to. I can’t be trusted alone in a house with the regular kind. 

Zing Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar

My friend Kristy loves these bars and so I finally decided that I would have to try them. What is funny about these bars is that they are always on the lowest shelf at Whole Foods so you never see them unless you look intentionally! It’s a game grocery stores play. Top priority items get eye level attention, the rest are either higher or lower. Usually companies pay to put in the top priority placement which makes me feel bad for foods that are good but low to the ground. GMO free, soy free, gluten free, and vegan, these bars are a good protein mid day snack alternative to some of the other protein bars our there with 10g of protein coming from organic rice. They have a similar taste to the Tone It Up protein bars so if you are not a fan of the vegan protein in bar form, skip this suggestion. 

Mediterranean Snacks Tapaz 2 Go Lentil Crackers and Red Pepper Hummus

Out of all of the snacks featured, this one is probably the least clean but still a fun option if you want a snack that is portable, ready to go, brown bag friendly and calorie controlled. To eat the entire thing, it comes out to a total of 210 calories. The crackers have a whey in them but are gluten free, i.e. not vegan friendly but still vegetarian. While you don’t have to refrigerate, I still have kept mine cold since buying. I would have loved this in high school! 

I have the hardest time with snacks when I am planning my meals for the week. These are “safe” options that will fill you up and not cause an afternoon sugar crash. 

Have you discovered any new items at the grocery store that you think I should check out?