Smart Snacking with Maple Leaf Natural Selections PROTINIS and Great tips from Hayley Wickenheiser ~ #Review

I can't believe January just flew by and I bet some of you are still working on your New Years Resolution of eating healthy.  I always tried my best to eat healthy.  People at work know I always bring a salad for lunch.  I am so lucky we have a fridge at work so I bring enough salad ingredients to last me the whole week.  The salad alone is never enough so I make sure to add a little protein in it.

Like, many Canadians, I have at least two - three snacks everyday.  Research shows that snacking accounts for more than 25% of our daily calories intake.  Whoa!  That is alot.  So the key when snacking is to make it nutritious and filling to make you last until the next meal.  Don't even think of going for those junk food.  Think healthy and satisfying foods  Think Maple Leaf Natural Selections PROTINIS and PROTINIS Skewers for your snacks.

I had the pleasure to try the Spicy Thai Chicken and Chicken Souvalaki PROTINIS Skewers.  My daughter really loves the chicken souvalaki when she asked for more.  I think they both taste great.  I really love the Chicken Souvalaki because I love tzatziki,  It is one of my favourite sauces to add on pork or chicken.  The spicy Thai tastes both sweet and spicy.  I love having this for a snack.  All I have to do is take it out of the fridge and open to eat.  If I want it warm, I would pop it in the microwave for a 5-10 seconds. This is also great when I am rushing out of the house and don't have time to make myself breakfast.  I would grab this and eat it on the bus while going to work or sitting at my desk in the morning.  The chicken is cooked to perfection.  It is tender and not dry.  It peels of the stick easily and the sauce is the perfect portion I need for the chicken.

Sometimes, I have no idea what to pack in my daughter's lunch bag.  If I could take these PROTINIS Skewers for my snacks at work, I don't see why not my daughter could use it for her morning snack.

I know sometimes we snack on junk food because it is so easy to grab on the go when we are so busy.  It is ideal to plan ahead so there is no reason for snacking on unhealthy foods.   It is ideal not to have them in the house and stay away from them when shopping in grocery stores.  Believe me - once you have tried Maple Leaf Natural Selections PROTINIS Skewers you would choose them again when you are thinking about snacking.  Not only do they taste great but each pack is low in fat and has less than 100 calories each.  Each pack comes with two portions.  I could eat them both at once or spread it out during the day.

Everyone is busy and the best person who knows how busy we can get is no other person than the five-time Olympic gold medalist, Hayley Wickenheiser.  As a hockey player, mom, and student, Hayley understands how busy life can be, leaving you with little time to prepare healthy meals and snacks.

Hayley partnered up with Maple Leaf Foods to provide healthy tips on how to "snack smart" to power through your day.  Here are her top seven tips for eating smart on the go.

1. Plan ahead. Avoid the temptation of vending machines, quick-service restaurants and convenience stores by planning your snacks ahead of time.
2. Always carry healthy snacks with you on the go - they'll always be within reach so you won't be tempted with less nutritious options.
3. When reaching for a snack, opt for something that is tasty and provides good nutrition to avoid the crash that often follows empty calories snacks (ie high in sugar/fat).
4. When at the grocery store, stick to the perimeter where you'll find healthy, fresh and protein-rich foods such as poultry, diary, fruits and vegetables.
5. Whenever possible, choose lean protein snacks.  Since protein helps to slow down the digestion of food, protein snacks will keep you feeling fuller and satisfied longer.
6. Make sure you get enough complete protein every day.  Complete protein contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs and cannot produce on its own.  Examples of foods with complete protein are milk, eggs, fish, meat and poultry, like the oven-roasted chicken in the new PROTINIS Skewers.
7. Serve complete protein to your active kids as a perfect recovery snack to help build and repair muscles quickly - making sure their next game is even better!

Hayley provided alot of great tips on healthy snacking.  I would like to add to her tip #4, is try not to shop while hungry.  You tend to purchase things you might regret.  It is always good to shop with a list especially when you are on a budget.  I know some families cook for the week during the weekend and pack it up in the fridge.  This eliminates any junk food or eating out.

PROTINIS oven-roasted seasoned chicken snacks are available in eight flavours including Oven Roasted Chicken, Sweet Thai Chili Chicken, Mild Salsa Chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken, Oven Roasted Chicken and Cranberry, Oven Roasted Chicken and Superfruit, Oven Roasted Chicken and Mango, and Oven Roasted Chicken and Apple.  They're now also available in three new flavours - Chicken Souvlaki, Spicy Thai Chicken and Tandoori Chicken.

PROTINIS - available at major grocery stores across Canada and retail for approximately $3.99.  Each retail pack comes with two PROTINIS snacks.

For more information, visit www.protinis.ca and join the conversation using #busierthanhayley

Disclaimer -  This is a Sponsored post.  I received compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.