Healthy Snacking and Blue Diamond Almond Review!

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.  I was given various flavors of almonds to sample and review or include in a recipe.  Although the product was provided by the company, all opinions are my own and no compensation was provided.   I truly love the products from this company and feel grateful for the opportunity to sample different products.  

For today's foodie Wednesday post, we are going to shift gears a little bit.  I have been talking about restaurants lately, but to be honest, I am a firm believer in everything in balance, and with friends in town my eating our habits were a little... off balance.   I am back to my normal routine of cooking yummy food at home, and keeping dining out to a minimum.

I wanted to spend some time talking about snacking.  It can be really easy to grab something (usually unhealthy) on the go when we are in a rush.  But, what if I told you it was just as easy (maybe even easier) to prep your own healthy snacks on the go?

My saving grace for my busy life on the go has been keeping a package of almonds in my car.  There is always some form of food conveniently stored in the center console for easy access for when the runger and hits full force.  I have even learned to keep another stash in my backpack when the hanger strikes at school. This requires about 1 second of prep, no new containers, no refrigeration, no heating.  Just keep a jar or bag of almonds in your car, in your backpack or in your purse.  This will be a life saver when you need a snack to hold you over until dinner time.  Or to prevent you from killing your coworker or running the bad Utah drivers off the road.  

The bag sitting in my center console is the wasabi/spicy variety.  While they are absolutely delicious and insanely addictive, I was really excited to try some new flavors.  

I present to you two fun new flavors:  

Honey Dijon Almonds and Honey Roasted Cinnamon Almonds.

Lets start with the honey dijon almonds.  These were absolutely delicious and reminded me of those honey dijon pretzel bites I love.  But the kicker?  These are so much easier to eat than messy pretzels (no crumbs on my driver seat! it is the little things...) and are a healthier option.  The tangy yet sweet flavor of the honey dijon combined with the already delicious almonds has guaranteed this flavor a new spot in my center console. 

and how cute is that lid?

Blue Diamond is donating to honeybee research. 
"BeeCause we care"  <3 

Now, lets talk about honey cinnamon almonds.  I was a little thrown off by the name when I first opened the package.  For some reason, I have always purchased the more "savory" almond flavors so I was surprised by the honey cinnamon, or sweet sounding label on these almonds.  After I tried a few I realized I was an idiot and honey cinnamon, a slightly sweet yet desert like topping for these tasty almonds, just made perfect sense.  These bad boys are going to be the perfect substitute for when the discounted easter candy has run out and my sweet tooth hits big.  

I also want to brainstorm some ways to incorporate these into a dessert or a sweet snack.  THEN, the lightbulb went off and I realized how yummy these would be in my yogurt.  I also want to brainstorm some ways to incorporate these into a dessert or a sweet snack.  THEN, the light bulb went off and I realized how yummy these would be in my yogurt.  

Tastes like dessert.  Really loving the sweeter flavors!

And now I think I need to go out and buy the cocoa dusted variety because I just remembered how delicious those are too (and you gotta love the 100 calorie snack packs!)
Speaking of 100 calorie packs, I think nuts often get a bad rap for being high in fat and calories.  According to the lavel, the serving size is 1 oz (28 g/about 28 nuts) for only 160 calories (120 from fat).  A healthier snacking option than you thought. 

Throw this delicious, healthy, and easy snack in your car, or in your bag, and have Blue Diamond almonds handy to snack on when you need them!
Enjoy!