When your focus is eating whole foods you end up cooking a lot. There is just no way around it. And despite my commitment to our new diet, I occasionally miss the convenience of ready-made store bought foods. Not only do I have to make sure I cook a healthy dinner every night, but I now also have the added responsibility of making breakfast, lunch and snack foods as well. That’s what happens when you no longer eat store-bought cereals, tortillas, hummus, or granola bars.
Ever since we made this change a few months ago I have been on the prowl for store-bought items with a simple list of ingredients. We all already know about ready-to-eat snacks such as nuts, raisins, popcorn and fresh fruit, but here are some other convenient options that I have recently become a fan of… 
Triscuits
We love that these crackers have only 3 ingredients as opposed to their Wheat Thins counterpart that boast a dozen or more ingredients including multiple sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup.
Lara Bars
These are a variety of fruit and nut bars some of which have as little as TWO ingredients! Until I came across these I
never imagined a ready-made snack could exist with only two ingredients (and they are good too). Definitely choose these over options such as Nature Valley’s Trail Mix Fruit & Nut bars, which contain almost 20 ingredients including 3 different types of sweeteners. Here in Charlotte I have found Lara Bars sold at Trader Joe’s, Earthfare, and Harris Teeter.
Freeze Dried Fruits
We have always been fans of traditional dried fruits such as raisins, but I recently came across some freeze dried fruits that are similar in concept except crunchy in texture. I found the ones pictured at Earthfare, and they come in a variety of flavors such as pear, pineapple, banana, and apple. I have also seen other brands like Funky Monkey which can be purchased at Target.
Fruit Leathers / Strips
These fruit strips remind me a lot of Fruit Roll Ups although they have quite a different (and simpler) list of ingredients. Sold in a wide variety of flavors including cherry, mango, strawberry and grape, I have found them under various brand names at Target, Harris Teeter, Trader Joes and Earthfare. Despite having a very short list of 4 or 5 ingredients they do contain fruit juice concentrate (which is basically a sweetener) so we do view these as “treats” in our house. And my kids love them!
Applesauce On the Go
Even though my kids have become much more accepting of our whole foods diet they are still kids that of course love foods that come in fun 
packages. That is why I was so thankful to come across these Applesauce On the Go products (which again I have seen sold under different brand names at different stores). Despite these products containing fruit juice concentrate as one of their few ingredients the sugar content is not much different from straight-up applesauce out of a jar.
Milk Boxes
If you have kids consider bringing along these “milk boxes” instead of the more traditional juice boxes the next time you are on a picnic or lunch outing with
friends. I do admit that juice boxes are convenient and quick to pack, but since juice is high in natural sugars and low in fiber (as opposed to the whole fruit before it is juiced) I opt for these milk boxes when we are out and about. My kids love milk at home and think these little milk boxes are fun to drink. We save them for special occasions when I know we will be around other juice box-drinking friends.
I’ve seen a few of these items at Costco – Lara Bars, organic freeze dried fruit and fruit leather, Horizon milk boxes (and, of course, Triscuites) for a substantial savings.
Good to know Elizabeth since we aren’t members! Thanks for sharing.
Lisa, I’m totally going through your site right now, making a grocery list!
The granola and the biscuits are on it. 
Lisa-
Another great option for fresh and healthy sushi is eeZ Fusion & Sushi. They have the option of either white rice or brown rice. Also, you can make your own roll! You will love it, if you have tried it before! Much better than the grocery store
Enjoy!
We actually have made our own sushi before and I agree it is very fun and tasty! I have it on my list to write about b/c I think it is much easier to do than people would expect…and you can make a whole evening out of it with friends too. Also, thanks for the tip about eeZ.
Sorry for the confusion…..I meant that you can make your own roll at eeZ. They have custom sushi!!
Hi! Even though Triscuits have less than 5 ingredients, the manufacturer adds a preservative. I don’t have a box in front of me, but I think it’s BHT. Kashi has a non-BHT brand as does Earthfare.
I actually have a box of Triscuits right here and the ingredients are: whole grain soft white winter wheat, soybean oil, salt. That’s all! I will have to check out Kashi crackers too next time I am at the store.
Thank you for this great post. I shared it on Facebook so other more conventional eaters can see it. I try to eat only real foods, and it’s my requirement at the grocery store always. Unfortunately my kids (esp. DD11 who is very social) get fed a lot of junk when out of the house so especially DD11 has quite a taste for it and it’s helpful to get more ideas of what’s out there for convenient, kid-friendly foods. I personally love the Lara Bars and so does DS13, but I can’t get DD to try them.
I wish we could eat the Triscuits but I’m afraid as long as these companies use soybean oil I will avoid it. Soybeans (unless they’re organic) are nearly 100% genetically modified in the U.S., which I try to avoid. Scary stuff. We do love Kashi brand.
Thanks for your comment! And I know I haven’t even begin to tackle GM’s and am just taking things one step at a time!
I was actually going to say the same thing. I come from the soybean part of the country. If you’ve seen Food, Inc, you know how bad it is. Also, the palm oil mostly comes from South America and is not a very green earth type of industry. I have always avoided those, even before this challenge.
Just wanted to say thank you for having a blog such as this! It also gives me relief to see you say you are taking one step at a time (in regards tot he GM foods)! I feel the same exact way!! As soon as I find something that seems like an easy fix in a pinch, I find out maybe it isnt:( I too love triscuits, but worry about the GM and also read that the packaging is treated with preservative. It just seems so hard to stay one step ahead sometimes!
Thanks for the encouragement! I live in an area where this process is difficult and lonely sometimes, but I will keep on making my small steps!!
I would be careful with most grocery store sushi you buy because it is often loaded with sugar (including HFCS) and food dyes. Though I am sure you check, your readers may just assume that brown rice sushi = healthy.
Another great option for drinks when you are out and about is to buy your kids steel water bottles with sport tops. Best to get wide mouth ones that can go in the dishwasher or easily be washed by hand, and with no plastic lining. You can fill them with ice and water and keep them in an insulated lunch container. Great in the south on hot summer days when the car is an oven. Especially if they have fun designs, or a brightly colored thermal drink sleeve, on the outside, your kids friends will all want one too, and your kids won’t even notice that they are drinking the healthiest drink of all.
Good point…I have noticed (and also heard from a mom friend) that our kids often drink so much more when it is out of a fun cup!
Good point…I have noticed (and also heard from a mom friend) that our kids often drink so much more when it is out of a fun cup!
[...] For convenience: The best store-bought snacks [...]
[...] a fun challenge to try to find as many prepackaged “real food” snacks as I could. I’ve done a few posts on snacks in the past, but never before using “individually wrapped” as the main criteria. So [...]
Thank you for this blog. Due to health issues for my son our family has been attempting to make real food choices. I recently come across your website in a magazine that I receive, I have visited your site everyday since I came across it. Your blog and everyones input has really helped make the transition easier and knowing that everyone else has the same challenges when shopping and cooking that I have is a great support. Thank you and keep up the great job.
You are not alone…thanks so much for stopping by and good luck with your journey!
I just found your BLOG and LOVE It!
We have been on a journey to change our way of eating snce my duaghter since birth has had many FOOD ALLERGIES and intolerances and now has environmental triggers too (such as ALCOHOL, like in hand sanitizer, hairspray, etc.)
I wish I could have gone 100% WHOLE FOOD from day one…but to ease my family into it I have done it in BABY STEPS…thus my blog- Babyfoodsteps.com
where I try to make a change each week…. slowly we are getting there…
I have gotten quite a soybean education since SOY is one thing that my daughter reacts to. Between The Genetic modification and how Soy oil is processed (the hydrogentation process which can create unhealthy trans fats) it is enough to be concerned!
Thanks again for this blog and keep up the great work!
Thank you for sharing your story and good luck with your journey as well!
re: Triscuits. We love these. Due to the GMO comment regarding the oil, I decided to look at some other similar crackers. The Kashi have quite a long ingredient list (probably some no-nos too). We don’t have Earth Fare near here, but we have Whole Foods just over half hour away. They have a 365 Everyday Value brand woven whole wheats. I can find nutrition info online, but not ingredients. Nutrition info says there is no sugar and I believe WF pledges no GMO. I will check these out next time I am there.
Thank you so much for this wonderful blog. I have been taking various steps over the last couple of years to make healthier foods a way of life for my family. This year I have reduced our meat and replaced some with even more veggies (I have always tried to include in all meals — though not successfully), we joined 2 CSAs and I stopped drinking my 1/day Coke. I have lost about 20 lbs in just a few months without trying, back to what I weighed 11 years ago before I had kids! I have found a local beef farm and a local dairy with non-homogenized HTST milk. Planning to do the mini-pledges this summer. Thank you again for so much information and inspiration!
Good for you…keep up the amazing changes towards good health!!
This is not related to any previous post that I noticed above, yet it is a comment about the article. I encourage everyone that desires to eat natural foods to consider the nutrition of cow’s milk. If you are not drinking an organic milk then you are possibly being subjected to pesticides from the cow’s feed (which is typically grain; not the cow’s natural food) plus hormones and antibiotics given to the cow to speed it’s growth and protect it from illnesses that are a result of it’s poor living conditions. I recommend not drinking cows milk, period, organic or not. Consider the arguments that humans are the only species to a) drink milk after infancy, and b) drink the milk of another species–each of which, in my opinion, are not natural. Please do not take my word for. Always do your own research.
Thank you for the great ” in a pinch options”! I think lunches will be the hardest hurdle to overcome. I really feel there is no safe commercially manufactered food. Triscut used GMO and palm oil(a no-no). I used to be a complete junk food junkie…Taco Bell every other day, BBQ chips and Reeses at night …and I dont even want to discuss my ice cream habit!! For me, the elimaination of all processed/boxed for is the only way I can stick to it. Triscuts could be a gateway to other products LOL!! I can honestly say the work that goes into making ALL your food from scratch really cuts down on mindless eating. If I am spending four hours on a sunday to make basic staples for the pantry, I am not eating junk food in front of the TV during that time.I also don’t want to fix my self a snack when I have been in the kitchen all day long…so an apple looks VERY good (my new fast food). When people have questioned us regarding our food habits, we refer to it as “going amish” in our eating. I just put money down on a grass fed calf that will be ready for processing next year november. Grass fed beef at $4 a lb instead of $8 a lb. and it is grown locally yay!!
ezekial 4:9 granola! mix it with raisins, nuts and maybe dark chocolate bits (especially since the granola isn’t sweet)
to add onto the granola mix add dried cranberries, and flax!
My kids are HUGE pudding and yogurt eaters. Any good natural recipes for pudding? And I have tried home made yogurt, but it is TOO runny!! We need it think!! Especially to spoon feed my girls and them to learn to feed themselves. Any suggestions?
Paula
Paula, I would encourage you to try the homemade yogurt again. It took me a few tries (and recipes) to get my homemade yogurt “just right.” I agree that learning to feed is always messy and yogurt is one of those foods that is the worst!! They will get the hang of it eventually. I have a pic of my youngest covered in homemade yogurt. It is adorable. LOL!
paula, if you want to try again with the homemade yogurt, get yourself some cheesecloth and try straining it. put two or three layers of cheesecloth in a colander set into a larger bowl or pan to catch the liquid. pour your runny yogurt into the colander and let it sit for a few hours so that the excess whey drips into the bowl. if you really want to thicken it up even more (or make yogurt cheese), you can wrap the corners of the cheesecloth over the top of the yogurt and set something heavy, like a bag or two of beans, on top to force out more liquid. i love the milder flavor of homemade yogurt–store bought can be so tart–but mine comes out really runny, too. this method takes more time, but it’s just waiting time, it’s not like you have to fuss over it while it drains.
Deliciously Organic has some pudding recipes: http://deliciouslyorganic.net/?s=pudding
I have been a HUGE fan of real eating for years now and cannot believe that more people don’t get on the bandwagon! The only bad thing is we recently moved to a very small farming community and the local grocery store does not have an organic section. We travel out of town about 1x per month to try and stock up but organic is still not available. I feel like at least my kids are still getting educated about real food and not junk.
I have seen larabars, the fruit leather, and the organic milk at Krogers!
Ok here’s my question: what if there are more than five ingredients but they are all real food ingredients? Soups, for example, can have more ingredients. Also, should ALL sweeteners, including honey and 100% maple syrup, be given up at some point?
Here’s an explanation on our 5-ingredient rule: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/06/10/mini-pledge-week-14-five-ingredient-rule/
And also another post talking about sweeteners that might answer your other question: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/27/mini-pledge-week-12-no-sweeteners/