3 Energizing Snacks for Your 3 P.M. Slump

It’s 3 p.m. You’ve been nose-to-computer for several hours. But people are starting to stir: opening emergency candy drawers, zombie-walking to the coffee maker, looking anywhere where there may be snacks.

Do you drop a handful of bills on 32 ounces of sugar vaguely disguised as coffee? Or do you hope Carol from Finance has a birthday today and cupcakes are imminent? Either way, you’re setting yourself up for a sleepless night, a sugar crash, or a set of intense 5 p.m. hunger cramps.

Here’s a third idea. Sunsweet Fruit Packs are a single serving of prunes, apricots, or dates. At less than 60 calories and with absolutely no added sugar, they’re the perfect way to please that afternoon sweet tooth. The dried fruit has a natural sweetness, and one serving size delivers a more concentrated hit of vitamins and minerals than an equal serving size of fresh fruit. Sunsweet’s individually wrapped portions of 100-percent real fruit keeps things fresh and serving sizes in check.

They’re perfect for snacking on the fly, but we like to take advantage of that antsy afternoon hour by getting up to put together a simple snack plate. Taking a moment to arrange a snack and mindfully eat it (away from the screen, please) gives you a chance to recharge your mind and your belly. Here are three combos, each one made with three ingredients you can keep in a desk drawer or office fridge.

Eyeing your candy stash? Sunsweet’s Amaz!n Prunes paired with dark chocolate and cottage cheese satisfies that sweet craving without the resulting sugar crash.

Dark chocolate is lower in sugar than its milkier counterparts (look for 70-percent cocoa or higher) while the fiber from the prunes helps regulate blood sugar. That fiber and the protein in cottage cheese will help keep you full until dinner.

Dates have a natural sticky sweetness that we like to play against creamy nut butter and a crunchy rice cake. Spread the nut butter over your rice cake and add dates for a fiber-packed snack that’s rich in nutrients.

The velvety contents of an Apricot Fruit Pack team up with yogurt and almonds for a subtly sweet combo. We like plain 2-percent yogurt here to avoid additional added sugars, but if there’s only fat-free left on hand, try drizzling a spoonful of olive oil over your bowl—the small hit of healthy fat will help keep you satisfied through the afternoon.

^{This post was created by the Kitchn Creative Studio and is sponsored by Sunsweet.
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