100 Calorie Snacks

Lay

The price was right on this line from Lay’s: only 35 cents. Plus, I didn’t have to buy a whole big package to try them out. These Cracker Crisps come in a .812-ounce package, which includes about 25 of the little rectangles, which are sprinkled in a fine orange powder not unlike that pouch that comes with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. If only they tasted as good as mac-n-cheese. I was disappointed in these baked crackers. They were crisp, but the flavor wasn’t that great and they left a funky aftertaste. I’m hoping for better in the Cracker Crisps line, because these are handy to buy for a lunch when you’re in the supermarket. Interestingly, the fact that they are 100 calories wasn’t even touted on the package I bought.

Special K Snack Bites

Kellogg’s Special K brand has branched out from cereal to offer a range of diet-friendly products, from bars to breakfast drinks. These 90-calorie “snack bites” are described as “lightly textured crunch multi-grain snacks.” The rectangle-shaped snacks look like pulverized cereal embedded in chocolate or chocolate flavoring. They’re OK. If you stretch your imagination, the texture and taste is a little like toffee. There’s a bit of an aftertaste, and it’s pretty clear these snacks are intended for a low calorie diet. Still, they’re not too bad. I got mine cheap with a coupon during a Kellogg’s promotion.

Ritz Snack Mix

These packs are more filling than they are tasty. Ritz has packed multi-grain Ritz Bits, stick pretzels and what looks like Wheat Chex and Cheese Nips in these packs. They’re a little bland and dry, but the saltiness combined with a nice bit of carby goodness makes for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Still, I’d prefer plain Ritz.

Crispy, light and tasty, these oatmeal chocolate cookies are some of most healthful pre-packaged 100 calorie snacks on the market today. Leave it to Trader Joe’s to come through with a snack that packs a lot of flavor in just a few calories. If you prefer buttery cookies, you might find these a little dry. But these tiny cookies are pretty filling, and definitely a recommend.

These animal crackers confused me like a carnival trick. Nabisco makes a 100 calorie pack of Barnum’s animal crackers. And yet, here’s what must amount to two or three more creatures (say, a bear, a hippo and a broken giraffe) and they make a whole new package that’s distinctively labeled 120 calories. Far be it from me to get inside the heads of the marketing geniuses at Nabisco. All I know is, their animal crackers are tasty whether it’s a few in a 100 calorie pack, a handful in a 120 calorie pack or the specially formulated chocolate animal crackers 100 calorie packs (not as buttery or flaky), which incidentally are on clearance for $1.70 at my Target right now.

I’ve never really thought of marshallows as a snack. They’re more like an ingredient or topping. Maybe I’m biased and have post-traumatic issues from the marshmallow man in Ghostbusters. But when I found these mini packs of Kraft Jet-Puffed ChocoMallows miniature marshmallow, with the bag proclaiming they’re fat-free and “great for snacking,” I figured I’d give them a whirl. They’re tasty enough: powdery on the outside and chewy, with a light chocolate taste. And they come in at 90 calories. My 3-year-old was much more impressed, and wanted to eat an entire 1-ounce bag.