The Official Guide to Healthy Snacks, the Monsoon Market Way
We consider ourselves snack connoisseurs – you name it, we’ve tried it. If a snack has made it onto our shelves, that’s means our team has touched it, tasted it, loved it, and most likely connected with the brand’s founder as well. We carry packaged snacks of all kinds and we keep a wide variety so we always have the perfect recommendation for people coming in with specific requests. Often, people come in looking for healthy snacks to eat, so we thought we’d put together a guide to healthy snacks and what that actually looks like at the market. Read on if you want the secrets to our snacking philosophy and all of our favorite healthy snacks in the shop.
Our Healthy Snacking Philosophy
We’re not telling you to eliminate sugar (or any ingredients for that matter!), we’re not interested in dieting or restrictive eating, and you certainly won’t see us labeling foods as “good” or “bad” for you. Monsoon Market never subscribes to recommendations based on calorie count, low fat, weight loss, etc. Instead, we view “healthy” as a focus on ingredient transparency, locally-sourced foods, or nutrient-rich options to keep you feeling full and energized throughout the day. Choosing healthy, satisfying snack options is about nourishing your body with foods that fuel you and ultimately make you feel good.
Truthfully, we believe any delicious snack can also be a healthy snack, simply because it adds some joy and fun into your life. Sometimes you need a sweet treat, and sometimes a craving hits and all you want is the crunchiest, saltiest potato chip. Instead of limiting yourself and avoiding these foods, we think it’s better to find options that use clean, traceable, natural ingredients. With most of the brands in the market, there is plenty of information about the source of all the ingredients.
For example, we love Graza‘s new olive oil potato chips. Sometimes, there’s just no stand in for a perfectly crispy potato chip. These chips are fried in high quality, pure olive oil sourced from Spain. To us, it’s this kind of ingredient transparency that helps us feel good about the snacks we’re eating.
Monsoon Market’s Snack Ideas
We know that finding a “healthy snack” can mean something different to everyone, and we know that dietary habits and preferences are influenced by a variety of factors. In anticipation of all your potential snacking needs, we put together the following guide to healthy snacks at the market broken down by category or occasion. Salty, sweet, crunchy, protein-rich, locally-sourced – you tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll point you in the right direction!
Snacks for a Sweet Tooth
One thing you can always count on at the market is a variety of sweet treats to satisfy any craving. We love a sweet snack as much as anyone, and we’re not too concerned with limiting ourself when cravings strike. Instead, we’re looking for tasty snacks with cleaner ingredients and low amounts of added sugar. These are some of our favorites!
Date Better.These decadent, chocolate-covered dates are the perfect snack to grab on the go. Each little box has two dates filled with nut butter and other fun toppings and dipped in a generous layer of dark chocolate. Dates and nut butter are also extremely nutrient rich, which is an added bonus! Our recent favorite flavor is stuffed with cinnamon snickerdoodle almond butter.
Gigantic. We first tried these chocolate bars at our Halloween party last year and they were a major hit. Another low-sugar snack with unique flavors: we love the banana pecan and almond horchata the most. Each bar has gooey caramel, dark chocolate, and nuts for an added crunch. Dark chocolate lovers look no further, we got you.
Whims. This is a great alternative to a classic snack, a tasty peanut butter cup with less added sugars and cleaner ingredients. Enough said.
Protein-Rich Snacks
Sometimes, you need a high protein snack that will keep you full while you wait for your next meal. We’ve got a variety of high quality protein options at the market that you can grab on the go to help fill you up.
Coro. Coro’s sliced meats are perfect on their own or as part of a fun snack board spread. We have classic salami, but we also have other unique flavors for when you’re looking to change it up. Each serving has eight grams of protein to help you stay satisfied throughout the day.
Lentiful. These lentil cups are a market favorite because they a pack a flavorful punch and are easy to make in a little over a minute in the microwave. Each cup has five to seven grams of protein and we think they are the perfect, heartier afternoon snack.
South Forty Snacks. These simple nut bars have only four ingredients – 65% nuts (pistachio or cashew), glucose syrup, sugar, honey. They are the perfect balance of nutty and sweet and an easy boost of protein for on-the-go snacking.
Live Loud Foods. These mixed nuts from the Bronx are truly a flavor explosion in a bag. The Caribbean jerk nuts are a spicy punch in the face (in the best way!) and the candied pistachios are perfectly sweet.
Snacks for Salty, Crunchy Cravings
Sometimes all we want is a classic potato chip, but other times we like to switch it up. These snacks are the ones we reach for when we want something salty, super flavorful, and unique! You can’t find these snacks just anywhere, you’ll have to come to the market to try them out 🙂
Nemi Cactus Sticks. These rolled cactus sticks are made from Nopales, the flat paddle part of the prickly pear cactus plant, which are a high-fiber staple food in Mexico that thrives sustainably. They remind us of Takis, but way less artificial and much more interesting, complex flavors. Our current favorite flavor is pickled jalapeño.
Popadelics. If you’re looking for an alternative for a chip, these crunchy shiitake mushroom chips are the perfect option. We carry multiple savory flavor options.
Sea Monsters. Imagine the texture of cheetos puffs but with cleaner ingredients and more exciting flavors! These supergrain and seaweed puffs are so fun and flavorful – we are currently loving the spicy korean bbq and cheese pizza flavors.
Nutrient-Rich Snacks
The Ugly Co. We love the taste of this dried fruit from the Ugly Co. but we also love the premise! Founder Ben Moore was a fourth-generation farmer in CA when he decided to create the Ugly Co. as a way to address food waste. He takes high quality, but “ugly” fruit that isn’t fit to sell and turns it into these bags of dried fruit strips. Nutritious and tasty!
Fichi These little bites of fig & nuts are packed with antioxidants and fiber. They come in two varieties; little squares of dried fig mixed with either walnuts or almonds. This snack has no added sugar and a few grams of protein too to help fill you up.
Savory Snacks
Freestyle Olives.These olives are perfectly briny and savory with a hint of added flavor. We love the spicy green olives and the lemon & garlic flavor. They come in a resealable pouch and last for days in the fridge for extended snacking 🙂
Pan’s Mushroom Jerky. Mushroom jerky is a perfect vegetarian alternative to a classic snack. These dried mushrooms are the perfect chewy texture and we love the flavor combinations – we’re especially into Zesty Thai and Curry at the moment. A fun and satisfying snack!
Snacks With Locally-Sourced Ingredients
As with any of the food we consume, we appreciate knowing where the ingredients come from and how they were sourced. At the market, we stock many brands that take pride in their sourcing, finding ingredients that are farmed sustainably, treated humanely and are of the highest quality. We especially love supporting brands that follow these practices right here in Arizona!
POPPED Popcorn. This artisan popcorn is made locally and many of the flavors use ingredients that are sourced locally as well. The prickly pear caramel flavor is a best-seller and the ingredients are grown right here in the Sonoran desert. We love this popcorn as a gifting option as well, the perfect to show off a taste of the southwest.
Carolina’s Chocolate. High-quality, locally-made chocolate blended with a variety of chilis: Ancho, Cayenne, Chipotle, and Jalapeño. All of the spices are sourced fresh from Santa Cruz Spice Co. in Tomacocori, AZ or The Chili Guy in Bernalillo, NM. We also love her spicy, dark chocolate covered almonds.