Snacks

Raspberry Chia Pudding

An excellent easy breakfast that’s simple to make the night before. Just combine all the ingredients into a glass jar and pop in the fridge until morning. Great on busy mornings when you don’t have time to make anything as it’s ready to go! Also makes a good morning tea snack.

Gluten free, Dairy free and full of nutrients to fill you up and energise you for the day ahead.

Combine the following ingredients into a glass jar:

1/2 cup Chia Seeds
1 cup coconut water
1 cup cashew milk (or other nut milk)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp of maple syrup or rice malt syrup (if you like it sweet)
1-2 cups of frozen raspberries (or other berries) melted

Optional – all or some: (but still good without)
1 tbsp Maca powder
1 tbsp Maqui powder
handful of goji berries
handful of cacao nibs
1 tbsp of bee pollen

Stir, seal jar and put in the fridge.
After about an hour, give the jar a good shake. Leave til morning or for a few hours to set.

Serve with a dollop of coconut cream , coconut flakes and berries.

Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids

Growing kids seem to be constantly hungry and keeping them well fed can sometimes be a chore. This starts when they are toddlers and your handbag always seems to be full of snacks to get through any outing… And then as they get older there is the constant need to keep lunch boxes full and after school snacks ready for them the minute they sit in the car. My two primary school aged boys can’t even manage the 15 minute car trip home from school without something to eat.

Although it is tempting to stock your pantry full of pre-packaged snack food, it ends up being very costly and not the most nourishing option. Even a lot of the packaged foods that claim to be healthy are full of preservatives and ingredients that do nothing for their health. I’m not completely against these foods however it’s best to keep them as occasional food rather than their every day snacks. Also, eating too much processed and pre-packaged foods high in salt and sugar changes their taste preferences which makes it harder to get them to enjoy the ‘real’ food that they should be eating more of. Instead, make sure you are exposing them and their taste buds to real, whole food on a regular basis and keep the takeaway and packaged foods as occasional food.

So, with that in mind, here are a list of some everyday snack foods to keep the kids going.

Pastryless Mini Quiches

These are a great snack to have for the kids and adults. Delicious hot or cold. Can be served for brunch, lunch with a salad or on their own for a quick snack or picnic food.

Ingredients

1 small onion, finely chopped (can leave this out if the kids are fussy about onion in things.
1 1/2 cups (180g) of good quality ricotta or quark or you can just use grated tasty cheese if you prefer.
1/3 cup (50g) spelt flour
1 tsp of baking powder
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to season
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk
You can then add any other ingredients to taste. Ie chopped ham, chopped spinach, sun-dried tomatoes etc.

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12-hole muffin tray with cooking spray.
Whisk eggs and milk together and add the other ingredients and combine.
Combine ham, onion, cheese, flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Scatter over base of dish.
Pour into the greased muffin tray. You can also add the different variation of ingredients here if you want to make a multi-batch to suit different tastes.
Cook for 25-20 minutes or until golden
Immediately run a small, sharp knife around outside of each quiche, then invert onto a wire rack to cool
Cool slightly. Serve warm or cold.

Popcorn – The traditional way.

Friday night is often a pizza and movie night in our house. According to the kids, there are three things required to make for a proper “Movie Night”.

We all have to watch the movie together
We have to be allowed to eat pizza on the couch watching the movie
We must have popcorn! (See below for how to).

It’s the popcorn in particular that seems to be a hit. I use to keep a supply of microwave popcorn in the cupboard however have gone back to making popcorn the traditional, simple and healthier way….

The kids find it a lot more fun to watch it made on the stove – especially with a glass saucepan lid.
It’s cheaper to buy your corn kernels in bulk and you can choose to buy good quality (organic) ones too. I buy mine from the bulk food section of Flannery’s.
By cooking them on the stove you avoid using the microwave with it harmful effect on your food.
You also avoid any nasty ingredients, bad oils, preservatives and flavours that are added to the pre-packaged microwave packs, such as the harmful ingredient diacetyl, found in the fake butter flavouring. This is a chemical that is toxic when heated and inhaled, and is what gives the microwave popcorn that distinct buttery smell. Other flavours and preservatives that are added to pre-packaged foods are also unhealthy and unnecessary, especially when the scratch option is so easy.

Popcorn from Scratch

Protein Balls

These protein balls are delicious and chocolatey yet full of goodness and protein! A great between meal snack to satisfy that sweet craving while keeping you feeling full for longer.

Protein Balls

Why do we need protein?

Without protein our body cannot function properly. Our body nerves, tissues, bones all are made up of proteins. So proteins become very necessary for them to grow and repair. Studies also suggest that protein appears to help prolong satiety more than carbohydrates or fat can. This is because protein takes longer to digest than carbohydrates so it will help you stay full for longer.