Healthy Snacking to beat the munchies

Healthy Snacks to satisfy the munchies

Who else finds it challenging to keep their active kids fuelled up? How many times do you hear the words ‘I’m hungry’ on a daily basis, and how often do we have to convince our little ones to make healthy choices? We are overwhelmed with a choice of foods to snack on throughout the day, from cereal bars and baked crisps to dried fruit, nuts and smoothies, the variety is huge. But the sad fact is that many of these so-called healthier options are packed full of hidden sugars and additives and perhaps not as good for our family as we might think.

Preparing your own healthy snacks can be time consuming, but with a little bit of preparation and a well-stocked cupboard, getting into the habit of making your own can have a huge impact of the family diet. We’ve rounded up some of our favourite healthy snack recipes which are simple to make and can be enjoyed by everyone when the hunger pangs strike.

Coconut Balls 

• 1 Cup gluten free oats
• 1/2 Cup toasted unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 Cup cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 Cup flaxseed meal
• 1/3 Cup raw honey
• 1/2 Cup coconut butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2Tbsp coconut oil, melted

1. In a large bowl, mix together oats, coconut, cocoa powder, chia seeds and flaxseed meal.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together honey, softened coconut butter, vanilla extract and melted coconut oil. Pour over the oat mixture and mix well to completely combine. If the mixture feels too dry, add a bit more honey. The mixture will be too soft to roll into balls.
3. Refrigerate the mixture for 15-20 minutes and then roll into 24 balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. The mixture may be a bit crumbly so pressing them into balls might work better than rolling. I found that rolling them would cause them to crumble but pressing and forming them worked well. They will harden up and keep their shape when refrigerated.
4. You can store these in the fridge for 7-10 days

Thanks to Sharon Lachendro - What The Fork Food Blog

Ingredients

1. Drain dates and mix all ingredients together
2. Half the mix and to one half add 1 tbsp of peanut butter and to other half 1 tbsp cocoa
3. Bake at 180c for 10-15 minutes until golden

Recipe from The Healthy Mummy

Apple Donuts

• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened, cut into thirds
• 2 tsp. honey, divided
• 1/2 c. melted chocolate
• 2 drops pink food coloring
• 3 apples
• Assorted sprinkles, for decorating

1. Divide cream cheese among three small bowls. In one bowl, add 1 teaspoon honey. In another bowl, add melted chocolate. In the last bowl, add remaining teaspoon honey and pink food coloring. Stir each bowl together until combined.
2. Slice apples and use a biscuit or cookie cutter to hollow out centres.
3. Spread mixtures on apple slices and top with sprinkles.

More like this from Delish.com

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate, plus more for topping

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and applesauce until combined. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. 
3. Using a large cooking scoop, arrange balls of dough on prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Gently flatten each ball slightly.
4. Bake until golden around edges, about 12 minutes.

Thanks to Delish.com

We’d love to hear your ideas for healthy snacks and we’d be delighted to feature them on our blog. Drop us a message with your recipe and a picture and we’ll feature the best ones.

Happy snacking!