Eating healthy throughout the week can be hard, but it's a lot easier when you prepare ahead of time. Here's 5 easy and healthy snack recipes to keep you on track & satisfy your snackin'.
'Cheesy' Garlic Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients:
1 15oz can chickpeas
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set aside a nonstick baking sheet. *or line with parchment paper*
Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then pat them dry with a towel to soak up most of the water.
Place the chickpeas in a small/medium-size bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss until the chickpeas are evenly coated.
Add the nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt, and pepper to the bowl and toss again until evenly coated.
Pour the chickpeas onto the baking sheet in a single, even layer.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until they are no longer soft in the middle and completely crunchy all the way through.
Once they are fully cooked & crispy, remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
Tip: Give the baking sheet a shake every 15-20 minutes of baking to allow the chickpeas to move around and bake evenly.
Recipe makes 3 servings.
Nutrition information (per 1 serving): 160 calories, 6.5g fat, 18g carbohydrates, 9.5g fiber, 8g protein.
Chocolate Stuffed Raspberries
Ingredients:
2 cups (1 pint) fresh raspberries
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp coconut oil (solid state)
1 small sandwich bag
Instructions:
Rinse and clean the raspberries. Lay out a paper towel, then place the raspberries on top of the paper *in a single layer* to dry. *Pat the raspberries dry with another paper towel to speed up the process.*
Place the raspberries in a container *tightly together* so they can remaining facing with the holes up.
In a small bowl, heat the chocolate chips & coconut oil in the microwave for 30 second intervals. Stir the mixture with a spoon after each 30 seconds. Repeat process until the chocolate & oil are completely melted & smooth. *Should take around 2 minutes total*.
Transfer the chocolate to a small sandwich bag using a spatula to fold it all into the corner of the bag. Then, cut a TINY hole in the bottom corner of the bag. Fill each raspberry with the melted chocolate by squeezing the bag into each raspberry hole.
Once all raspberries have been stuffed with the chocolate, place the container of raspberries into the freezer for 15-20 minutes to let the chocolate set.
Remove from freezer and place the raspberries into an airtight container to be kept in the freezer until ready to eat. Thaw before eating & enjoy!
Tip: These last 3-4 months in the freezer.
Recipe make 4 *1/2 cup* servings.
Nutrition information (per 1 serving): 105 calories, 6.5g fat, 15g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 2g protein.
Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup raw mixed nuts
1 1/4 cup quick/instant oats
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a nonstick or greased muffin pan.
Combine the oats, baking soda, and cinnamon into a blender. Blend until a flour-like consistency is achieved.
Add the nuts to a processor and process until they are all crushed into small chunks. *If you don't have a processor, you can use a blender.*
In a separate, medium-size bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until fully mashed with minimal chunks. Then, stir in the vanilla extract and mix together thoroughly.
Add the dry, oat mixture to the bowl with the bananas and fold everything together with a spatula until well combined.
Scoop the mixture evenly into 10 of the muffin cups, filling each 3/4 of the way full. Then top each muffin *evenly* with the chocolate chips by pushing them into the tops with your finger.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven, let cool for 15 minutes and enjoy!
Tip: To check if muffins are fully cooked, test by inserting a fork into the center of one. If the fork comes out clean, they're ready to come out.
Recipe makes 10 muffins.
Nutrition information (per 1 muffin): 110 calories, 5g fat, 16g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 2.5g protein.
Almond Butter 'Nana Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 medium banana
1 tbsp natural almond butter
1 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
Cinnamon *to sprinkle*
Instructions:
Slice banana into 10 even slices.
Evenly spread the 1 tbsp almond butter onto 5 of the banana slices. Then evenly sprinkle the coconut flakes on top of the almond butter.
Close the sandwiches by placing the untouched slices on top of the slices with the almond butter and coconut.
Transfer the sandwiches into a flat container, then seal the lid and place in the freezer. Let freeze for 20-30 minutes. Remove from freezer, let thaw slightly, and enjoy!
Nutritional information: 240 calories, 11.5g fat, 31g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 5g protein.
Coconut Cashew Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup oats *rolled or quick/instant*
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (1 scoop= 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup natural cashew butter
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
3-4 tbsp unsweetened plant milk (I use vanilla almond milk)
3 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut
Instructions:
Blend the oats in a blender until a flour-like consistency is achieved.
Remove the oat flour from the blender and pour into a medium-size bowl. Add all remaining ingredients into the bowl and using a spatula or clean hands, fold the mixture thoroughly, until a dough forms.
Once the dough has formed, lightly wet your hands and divide the dough and roll into 12 even, individual balls, then set them on a large, flat plate that you'll use to set them in the fridge.
Before placing them in the refrigerator, form the balls into cookie shapes by pressing each down lightly with the back end of a fork.
Place the cookies in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 1 hour. Enjoy!
Tips:
Begin with 3 tbsp milk. If the dough is a bit too dry, slowly add up to 1 more tbsp.
For best freshness, store leftover cookies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
Recipe makes 12 cookies.
Nutrition information (per 1 cookie)= 90 calories, 3g fat, 11g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 3g protein.
***Nutritional information are estimates based off of exact products I used & may vary slightly***
Prep any of these for the week to ensure you snack smart!
xo Mackenzie.