Wholesome Snacks for Work, No Fridge Needed!

When it comes to snacking, availability is often just as important as desirability. A delicious and nutritious snack that’s inconvenient can easily lose out to junk food that’s right at hand. That makes it important to have snacks that meet your needs without troublesome storage or transportation concerns. 

What is a Good Snack to Eat at Work?

Convenience is a key factor when it comes to picking a snack for work. Even if your office has a community refrigerator, it’s a good idea to have a snack on hand at your desk.

Having a wholesome snack at your desk can also help you resist the temptation of candy dishes and other readily available items that are less nourishing. Plus, you never know when hunger is going to hit, so having a snack ready helps satisfy those cravings even if you’re in the middle of a meeting!

Tasty and Non-Refrigerated Protein Snacks

Needing a snack in the middle of the day shouldn’t mean having to sacrifice protein-rich foods that help keep you feeling satisfied. We have you covered with some of our favorite wholesome snacks to help keep hunger at bay while you’re at work.

Meat Sticks

Meat sticks have many qualities that make them an excellent choice for snacking. They’re satisfying to eat, delicious, and easy to transport and store. They’re a scrumptious, ready-made snack when you’re getting mid-day cravings.

The Original Beef Sticks from Lorissa’s Kitchen are slow-smoked to perfection, removing the need for refrigeration. Made from 100% grass-fed beef, they’re seasoned with a blend of flavorful spices for a mouthwatering taste.

The meat is slow-smoked and has no nitrites or nitrates except those naturally occurring in celery extract and sea salt. With six grams of protein per stick and 130 calories in each stick, these snacks can help you address your hunger without resorting to chips or sweets

Whole Grain Dry Cereal

When choosing snacks, there’s definitely something to be said for products that are easy to find almost anywhere that sells food.

With any cereal, it’s important to monitor sugar content. Many options, even among whole grain cereals, can be loaded with added sugar.

Cereal is shelf stable, clearly not needing a fridge for storage, so it’s a great no-fridge snack for work. It also has the benefit of coming in a wide range of choices to satisfy your palette.

If you’re trying to increase your fiber intake or want more iron or protein, there are cereal options that can serve your needs. If you take a peek at the label before making your selection, you can find a whole-grain dry cereal that makes an excellent choice for a convenient, nutritious snack at work.

Trail Mix

The first food that comes to mind for many people when it comes to portable, shelf-stable snacking is trail mix. A staple of camping trips for generations, trail mix generally consists of nuts, seeds, dried fruits (usually raisins), and granola.

Many versions add chocolate in one form or another. Because the recipes for trail mix vary so widely, this snack can easily be tailored to support your nutritional goals and your taste buds.

The USDA lists the following nutrition facts for regular trail mix. One ounce contains 131 calories, 3.91 grams of protein, and 8.34 grams of fat. Regular trail mix with chocolate chips added contains 137 calories, 4.03 grams of protein, and 9.04 grams of fat per ounce.

As a major component of most trail mixes, nuts are an important part of the nutrition profile. Nuts are tasty, but also highly filling. Peanuts, almonds, pistachios, and cashews are all excellent sources of protein. Dried fruit adds sweetness without sacrificing the non-perishable nature of the food.

As with cereal, it’s important to consider the sugar content of your trail mix. Too many high-calorie or high-fat ingredients can easily send trail mix into the junk food category.

Rice Cakes & Nut Butter

Rice cakes gained considerable popularity when cutting fat was a major diet trend. While these crispy little snacks still have their fans, many people turned away from them in search of more satisfying fare.

When paired with a favorite nut butter, however, the snack becomes a more delicious and satiating experience. Rice cakes and most nut butter, including peanut butter, can be found in shelf-stable varieties. When combined, they make a wholesome snack choice that you can enjoy eating at your desk.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a snack that comes highly recommended for many reasons. Air-popped popcorn without any added butter is relatively low in calories, a good source of fiber, and very satisfying to eat.

According to the USDA, popcorn, air-popped with no butter added, has 30.8 calories, 1.03 grams of protein, 0.362 grams of fat, and 1.15 grams of fiber per cup of popped corn. It’s also undeniably fun to eat. You can easily add to its flavor with salt, pepper, paprika, parmesan cheese, or other seasonings.

Popcorn is an excellent choice for people who tend to snack unconsciously. You can eat quite a lot of it before the calories exceed what you want in a snack-sized portion.

Banana or Plantain Chips

This is another snack where reading the label is important. Banana or plantain chips can be prepared in different ways. To make them shelf stable, they can be fried in oil to remove their water content, or they can be dried through freeze-drying or a similar process. Unsurprisingly, chips fried in oil have a very different nutritional profile than those that are freeze-dried. 

Another consideration in picking banana or plantain chips is sugar. Many versions of this snack will add sugar. Bananas are relatively high in sugar on their own. Adding more to the mix might not be what you’re looking for in a snack.

The flavor and texture of banana chips are hard to beat. If you’re careful about picking the right product, this snack can absolutely be a good choice for a work-time treat. Plus, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated!

Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a wholesome snack from the legume family. Most notably, they’re a good source of protein and fiber. The USDA food database says 100 grams of chickpeas contain 138 calories, 7.04 grams of protein, 6.3 grams of fiber, and 2.47 grams of fat.

The protein and fiber content make chickpeas a filling and satisfying snack choice. They can help sustain you in your work day without loading you up on sugar or fat the way many snacks do.

There are many different options for seasoning or flavoring roasted chickpeas, making them a versatile snack you can go to again and again without getting bored. If you haven’t tried roasted chickpeas, now may be the time to enjoy this excellent crunchy snack.

Find a Wholesome, Convenient Snack for Work With Lorissa’s Kitchen

All the meal planning in the world can fall flat when you’re trapped at work without a wholesome, practical option to address your hunger. A quality snack you can eat at your desk, without the need for a refrigerator, can keep you on track and make your eating day a success.

Whether you choose one of Lorissa’s delicious beef sticks or any of the other wholesome snacks listed above, you’ll benefit from making sure you have a good option close at hand. We also have meat strips, if that’s more your style! Give one or all of the options above a try to help keep your hunger in check while you’re hard at work.