Special Diets Heart Health 18 Heart-Healthy Snacks to Pack for Work By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on January 2, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Trending Videos Close this video player When you’re craving a quick bite between meals on busy days, turn to these simple and packable recipes. These snacks are made low in saturated fat and sodium to help you support a strong and healthy heart. Plus, they’re so delicious, balanced and help make it easier than ever to follow a heart-healthy eating pattern. Try recipes like our Peanut Butter-Oat Energy Balls and Low-Carb Blueberry Muffins for yourself, and you’ll want to keep a supply ready for whenever hunger strikes. 01 of 18 Peanut Butter-Oat Energy Balls Sweet, sticky dates act as the glue for these no-bake energy balls. Perfect for hikes or during sports, this healthy snack travels well. For the best flavor and texture, use Medjool dates--the largest and most luscious date variety. Look for them in the produce cdepartment or near other dried fruits. View recipe 02 of 18 Low-Carb Blueberry Muffins Just because you're watching carbs doesn't mean you can't have the classic breakfast pastry. In place of all-purpose flour, nutty almond and coconut flours make these muffins fluffy while slashing carbs. A bit of brown sugar blunts the tartness of fresh blueberries. Make these ahead for a grab-and-go breakfast for the week. View recipe 03 of 18 Cottage Cheese Snack Jar Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco This creamy, crunchy snack packs 20 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber in one small mason jar. Adding the chickpeas right before serving will keep them crunchy. If you want to store everything in one jar, opt for 1/4 cup rinsed canned chickpeas instead. View recipe 04 of 18 Flourless Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins Pulsing rolled oats with eggs, banana, brown sugar and oil creates the moist dough of these chocolaty muffins without a bit of all-purpose flour. These are two-bite muffins with a dense and gooey texture. They're delicately sweet and rich, too, so baking them as mini muffins makes them a perfect snack or quick morning bite. View recipe 05 of 18 Crispy Peanut Butter Balls All you need are four simple ingredients to make healthier crispy peanut butter balls that kids and grownups will love. Make this easy recipe for a bite-size treat, on-the-go snack or easy homemade gift. You can swap the peanut butter for almond butter or even sunflower seed butter if you need a nut-free snack for school. View recipe 06 of 18 Pumpkin Oat Mini Muffins These easy pumpkin muffins are packed with oats and chocolate chips. Plus, these mini gluten-free pumpkin muffins are made entirely in the blender, making cleanup a breeze. If you'd rather make 12 regular-size muffins, bake for 18 to 20 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes before turning them out of the pan. View recipe 07 of 18 Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Chips Thinly sliced sweet potatoes fry to a crispy crunch in the air fryer. These homemade chips also use much less oil, which cuts down on calories and fat. They're a naturally sweet side for sandwiches, burgers, wraps and more. View recipe 08 of 18 Cranberry-Almond Energy Balls Ali Redmond These energy balls are the perfect make-ahead snack. Filled with cranberries, almonds, oats and dates, these energy balls come together in minutes. Maple syrup and tahini help bind everything together while adding a touch of sweetness and bitterness. View recipe 09 of 18 3-Ingredient Crispy Potato Peel Chips These 3-ingredient potato peel chips are a cross between a french fry and a potato chip, and they’re the perfect snack to make when you have potatoes to peel! These chips can be enjoyed as-is or dressed up with seasoning. Simply toss baked potato peel chips with seasoning immediately after removing them from the oven. (If you season before baking, the spices may burn.) The only trick is to season them right away—the seasonings will not adhere well once the chips have cooled. View recipe 10 of 18 Peanut Butter Energy Balls These healthy peanut butter and chocolate energy balls deliver a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates to help fuel you up whenever you need a little boost. View recipe 11 of 18 Maple Granola This quick and healthy granola recipe can be enjoyed like cereal with milk or sprinkled over yogurt to make an easy parfait. Serve with a banana for a balanced breakfast. View recipe 12 of 18 Almond-Date Bars These no-bake snack bars are packed with nuts, dried fruit and rice cereal. For the best texture, use naturally sticky whole pitted dates. Make these bars ahead of time and pack them in a lunchbox for work or school. View recipe 13 of 18 Pea Pods with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce Ana Cadena Kids don't think twice about eating their veggies when they're served alongside a delectable dipping sauce! View recipe 14 of 18 Spiced Crackers Give plain crackers a flavorful boost when you roast them with paprika and oregano. For a touch of smokiness, try smoked paprika instead of regular. Serve with hummus, cheese or your favorite dip. View recipe 15 of 18 Rhubarb Oat Muffins These tasty rhubarb muffins have a sweet streusel topping and are ready in 45 minutes. Use regular rolled oats which have more texture than quick-cooking or instant rolled oats. View recipe 16 of 18 Apple-Oatmeal Cookies Brie Passano These healthy apple cookies made with oats, shredded apples and brown sugar make snack time enjoyable for everybody. View recipe 17 of 18 Date-Nut Bread Dates are naturally sweet so no extra sugar is needed in this quick-bread recipe. Toasted almonds add a nice crunch and the optional coarse sugar topping—while it isn't needed for sweetness—certainly adds to the presentation. View recipe 18 of 18 Strawberry & Cream Cheese Sandwich Sliced strawberries and reduced-fat cream cheese come together in a sandwich for this quick and healthy lunchbox treat. View recipe Was this page helpful? 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