My Go-To Healthy(er) Snacks

A jar sitting on a counter filled with wooden spoons, a wisk, and other baking suppliesWritten by: Grace Turek, 4th Year Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences

Photo by Sven Mieke on Unsplash

When quarantine started back in March, I suddenly had more free time then I knew what to do with. I always enjoyed cooking and baking but I never really had the time to truly explore this hobby. When online school started to wind down and my boredom began, I decided to finally start cooking and baking! My inspiration for meals and snacks come from Instagram accounts that focus on “healthier alternative” recipes including: @purelykaylie, @wellness_md, @joyful_health. Check them out, you will be amazed!

My All Time FAVOURITE Baking Snack: Banana Bread! 

I’m sure some of you probably noticed how hard it was to come by a bag of flour or a bottle of vanilla extract. This was likely because of everyone’s quarantine craving to bake banana bread. As an occasional baker myself, I hopped on this trend and whipped up a batch of my favourite banana muffins/ bread recipe. After trying many recipes over the years, I have created the ultimate delicious healthy banana bread. I love this recipe because you can easily modify it. If you are lactose-intolerant and gluten-sensitive like me, you can swap out the butter for coconut oil and regular flour for gluten-free!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill GF Baking flour, but really anything will do)
  • 4-5 ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cup honey (can substitute for 3 tbsp maple syrup if desired)
  • 1/2 cup butter (coconut/olive oil will also work)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp of nut/oat/regular milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

These instructions are easy!

  • Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix away.
  • Banana bread: bake in pan for 55 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Muffins: bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit

freshly baked banana bread

Must-Try Salty Snack: Sweet Potato Fries and Chipotle Sauce! 

These sweet potato fries are my go-to alternative when I’m craving something salty or fast-food fries. I eat these frequently as a side dish for many of my meals! Here are my simple instructions!

Ingredients

Fries:

  • Sweet potato
  • Salt
  • Coconut oil ((preferably because it structure sustains high heat better than other oils)

Chipotle Mayo:

  • 1/2 mayo (I use Farmboy’s vegan mayo)
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp water
  • dash of salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp chipotle powder (if you don’t have this it still works well without it)
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic (optional)

Instructions

  • Start by melting the coconut oil and lather it over the sliced sweet potato on a pan.
  • Season with salt and garlic (optional).
  • Bake at 425 Fahrenheit for 17 min and 450 Fahrenheit broil for 6 min to get them extra crispy. Flip halfway through.

sliced sweet potatoes sitting in a baking tray

No-Bake 3 Ingredient Snack: Crunchy Cereal Bars! 

This next snack is perfection, and is perfect for a sweet tooth. You can mix it up however you like. These cereal bars are super easy.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of cereal (I recommend Cheerios, Shreddies, or Rice Krispies
  • 2/3 cup of nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower… whatever works)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • Chocolate chips

Instructions

  • All you have to do is melt the honey, coconut oil and cashew butter, and pour it over the cereal.
  • Use your hands to mix together and add some chocolate chips.
  • Once it is combined and somewhat stuck together, lay it in a pan flat and put in freezer until solid.
  • Cut it up in squares and you are good to go! (I like to keep it in the freezer just so it keeps its shape)

a bowl of cheerios cereal

I hope you give some of these recipes a try! Definitely stay tuned for some more quick and easy snack ideas to come!

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