If you”re anything like me then you”re biggestВ issue is staying healthy all the while having a few snacks each day. I don”t have any problems making full meals but I tend to run out of healthy ideas when hunger strikes in the middle of the day. It always seems that I”m most hungry when I get home from work, so instead of grabbing anything I can get my hands on from the fridge, I”ve learnt to plan ahead! See below a few ideas that are now my go-tos! The kale chips especially have become a staple in my kitchen- let me know what you think!
All-Dressed Kale Chips
Ingredients:
- Approx. half a bunch of kale leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1.5 tabelspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove leaves from the stems of the kale and roughly tear it up into large pieces. Wash and spin the leaves until thoroughly dry (Important!)
- Add kale leaves В into a large bowl. Massage in the oil until all the nooks and crannies are coated in oil. Now sprinkle on the spices/seasonings and toss to combine.
- Spread out the kale onto the prepared baking sheet into a single layer, being sure not to overcrowd the kale.
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more until the kale begins to firm up. The kale will look shrunken, but this is normal. I bake for 25 mins. total in my oven.
- Cool the kale on the sheet for 3 minutes before digging in! This really makes all the difference! Enjoy immediately as they lose their crispiness with time.
Baked Apples Stuffed with Cinnamon Date Pecan Oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 2 large firm baking apples (I used Honeycrisp), cored
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 4 Medjool dates (or raisins), pitted and chopped
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (or try ground flax)
- 1/4 cup pecans (or walnuts), chopped
- 1.5 cups almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 tbsp pure maple syrup, plus more for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Wash and core apples. You want to make the hole about an inch in diametre, so there is enough room for stuffing. Place cored apples in a lightly oiled rimmed baking dish (I used a 4 cup dish).
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.
- Fill apples with the oatmeal mixture (pack it down slightly) and then spoon the leftover oatmeal all liquid into the dish, surrounding the apples.
- Bake, uncovered, for approximately 35-50 minutes (this time will vary depending on your apples, so keep an eye on it). To test for doneness, pierce apple with a knife. If it slides through fairly easy it’s done. The almond milk should also be absorbed and the oatmeal fairly firm. Serve with drizzle of pure maple syrup, apple butter or pumpkin butter, whipped coconut cream, non-dairy ice cream, or yogurt.
Cucumber Hummus Bites
Ingredients:
- 1 Cucumber
- Hummus
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Sliced Tomato (optional)
- Fresh Baby Spinach Leaves (optional)
- Fresh Basil Leaves (optional)
Directions:
- Cut the cucumber into slices to your desired thickness. Spread your favorite hummus on. Then place one or two slices of mushrooms (I usually do half of a mushroom for each bite) on top of the hummus. Add to or replace the mushrooms with tomatoes, fresh spinach or fresh basil if desired.
Bananas with Almond Butter
Simply spread almond butter on top of your banana and enjoy! For something a little more filling/exciting, you can also add coconut shavings, goji berries, dried cranberries, carob chips… and so on!
Healthy Trail Mix
- Raw Almond
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Dried Cranberries
- Sunflower seeds
- Coconut Flakes (Optional)
