Nutritionist recommend that we have two snacks (between breakfast and lunch the other between lunch and dinner), just to keep the metabolism going. Usually, we will see on the list cottage cheese, a piece of fruit, a light yogurt or a smoothie, of course not all of them together. Despite the fact that these snacks are delicious and healthy, they do tend to become boring, especially for those who prefer a bit of crunch in their snacks.
So, here are ten delicious and healthy alternatives for our daily snacks.
1. Vegetable chips
Without a doubt, homemade vegetable chips, possibly other than potatoes, are a healthy alternative to those industrial, full of salt, flour, dyes, oil and artificial flavors chips. Prepared by the book, these salted rewards are not only delicious, but also very easy to prepare. Eat them alone or with yogurt sauce and herbs and these veggie chips will satisfy your crunchy cravings.
Fresh vegetables – celery, beets, zucchini, potatoes, carrots – cleaned, washed, cut into thin slices. The more thin the slices, the more tasty the chips.
The slices are put in a deep bowl and rubbed well with a little fine salt and olive oil. Bake in the oven (on a baking sheet) for about 20 min, turning halfway through. Season to taste with herbs, garlic (powder or crushed), paprika, curry powder. Delicious!
2. Nuts and rosemary mix
You need a mixture of almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and raw cashew, a few strands of fresh rosemary, a splash of oil, brown sugar, pepper, paprika and salt. Mix all ingredients and place them on a baking paper on a tray. Bake in hot oven until almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts are browned. In about 20 minutes they are done and you can keep them for the day in tightly sealed jars.
3. Popcorn
Popcorn cooked without oil is a low calorie snack, rich in dietary fiber. If you do not appreciate their natural taste, you can use canola oil in order to add extra flavor. Avoid sprinkling salt and eating popcorn which is prepared in the microwave!
4. Homemade tortilla chips and hummus
Take a few simple corn tortillas (you can find them in any supermarket), cut them into triangles and bake them in the oven on a baking sheet, sprinkled with a bit of salt and olive oil. It takes less than ten minutes for them to be ready and you can consume them with cottage cheese, yogurt dressing or delicious hummus (but no more than three tablespoons, which is about 80 calories).
5. Roasted chickpeas
We found here three delicious recipes for roasted chickpeas. Whether you enjoy a pizza taste (a bit of parmesan, oregano and garlic) or you like the sweet taste of cinnamon, roasted chickpeas are a delicious alternative to a crunchy, healthy snack, so make sure you try one of these recipes.
6. Milk and cereal
If the combination works for breakfast, why wouldn’t it work for a snack as well? You have the crunch from the cereal (if at breakfast, you can add fruit and even a bit of dark chocolate in your bowl, make sure you keep things simple when having your snack).
7. Apple slices and… something
And that something can be peanut butter, melted dark chocolate (with high cocoa content) or anything you can think it would suit your apples.
8. Flax-Sunflower-Sesame Crackers
You will need: 1/2 c shelled sunflower seeds, roasted, unsalted, 1/2 c whole flax seeds, 1/2 c sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 c water. It takes 30 min to bake and just 15 min to prepare everything. The wonderful thing is that you can vary the recipes: you can ass 1/2 cup reduced fat grated parmesan cheese in place of the sesame seeds, or use your own spices in with the recipe too. See the entire recipe here.
9. Crispy Baked Parmesan Green Bean Fries
Ingredients: 1 (14 oz) bag of frozen whole green beans (or about 4 cups fresh), 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste), 1/8 tsp pepper (or to taste). The wonderful thing about this recipes is that it can be prepared with either frozen green beans or fresh green beans. See the entire recipe here.
10. Cottage cheese and black radish
The crunch of the radish (you can go for early radish as well) and the creamy taste of cottage cheese. What more could you ask for?
What other crunch and healthy snack recipes do you know? Make sure you share them with our readers.
