Get your healthy snack on

VIWE NDONGENI-NTLEBI

MAKING healthy choices can be hard. It sometimes gets really difficult saying no to comfort food or stopping the temptation of reaching out for a packet of chips. But making healthy snacks available such as unsalted popcorn, unsalted nuts and fresh or dried fruit can take you a step closer to reaching your health goals. Besides, there’s more to healthy snacking than the usual.

Here are some recipes that will change your snack game and remind you that snacks need not be boring. You just need to use healthy ingredients.

NO BAKE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

These easy double chocolate cookies are the most perfect healthy pre-workout energy bites, afternoon pick me up snacks, or a nightcap dessert.

Ingredients

1½ cup raw cashews

1/3 cup almond butter

6-8 medjool dates (pitted)

¼ cup cacao powder

¼ cup chocolate chips 2

tsp sea salt 2

- 3 tbs coconut flour

Soak cashews in warm water (enough to cover the cashews) and a pinch of sea salt overnight. Drain and rinse a few times before blending.

Pulse cashews and pitted Medjool in a food processor until finely blended. Add cacao powder, a pinch of sea salt, and pulse again. Blend in almond butter until gooey. Add 2 - 3 tbsp coconut flour if the batter appears to be very runny. Leave “cookie dough” in the fridge or freeze for 10-15 minutes to chill.

Use a cookie scooper or hand to make cookie dough into 11- 12 balls. Press the balls down to cookie shape with the palm of your hands.

Use a fork to add a few marks on the cookies, sprinkle some extra sea salt, chocolate chips and/or nut butter on top. Freeze and then enjoy!

AVOCADO, EGG SALAD AND HERB SANDWICH

Ingredients

4 slices of wholewheat bread

2 eggs (optional)

2 small handfuls of micro herb salads

¼ of a small cucumber, sliced

1 avocado, cored and thinly sliced

¼ tsp of mixed herbs (dried)

1 tsp mayonnaise

1 tsp salad cream

small handful of spinach

1 lemon

Butter of choice for spreading

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add the eggs to the saucepan. Boil the eggs on a maximum heat for 8-10 minutes depending on how runny you like your egg yolk. Once cooked, peel the eggs and then add to a bowl of ice-cold water, then set aside.

Cut and peel your avocado into two pieces and thinly slice. Squeeze over lemon juice. Season slightly with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt.

Roughly chop the boiled eggs into small pieces and place into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, salad cream, herbs, salt, black pepper to taste and mix.

Spread the two slices of bread with butter, add a layer of egg mixture, spinach, cucumber, the sliced avocado half and then top with micro herb salad or cress. Slice in half and repeat to make two sandwiches.