Resisting the temptation of the vending machine can be tough, but if you have a supply of delicious, energy-boosting, satisfying snacks at your disposal, you’ll soon manage to break the habit.
1. Dark cocoa superfood granola
Instead of buying granola, why not make your own? This recipe even has dark chocolate in it for those days when nothing but chocolate will do. The good news is that it’s also packed with nuts (full of “good” fats and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for heart health), oats (a great antioxidant) and chia seeds (a single serving of which has a whopping 33 percent of your recommended daily intake for fiber). Make a batch of granola at the start of the week, and take a container of it to work with you every day for a no-fuss, nutritious snack.
Image: Cupcakes & Kale Chips
2. No-bake cherry lime chia energy bars
No-bake sweet treats are awesome and couldn’t be easier to make. Simply mix everything together, refrigerate, and enjoy! These are perfect for taking to work to combat that mid-afternoon slump. The dates and cherries will satisfy any sweet tooth, while chia seeds are packed with calcium and phosphorus to promote bone health.
Image: Cupcakes & Kale Chips
3. Veggie quiche cups
If it’s a savoury snack you’re after, a veggie quiche cup is a perfect, easy-to-prepare appetizer to keep you going between meals. Simply add cheese and mixed vegetables of your choice to egg, a great high-quality source of protein, and spinach, which is a great source of dietary fibre and has high levels of chlorophyll and health promoting carotenoids (beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin), which are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous properties. Make a big batch, freeze them, and you have the ideal grab-and-go snack.
Image: Best Food Cloud
4. Apricot-chia energy bars
Another feel-good ingredient for an energy bar is apricot, which is packed with a number of potent antioxidants to protect against free-radical damage, and rich in carotenoids and xanthophylls, which are believed to protect eyesight from ageing-related damage.
Image: Cupcakes & Kale Chips
5. Spinach muffins
“Spinach” and “muffin” might sound like two words that just shouldn’t go together, but the beauty of this snack is that it doesn’t taste like spinach. It has all the goodness of this leafy green — including vitamin K to help strengthen bone mass and vitamin C to help the body fight infection — but with a sweet taste thanks to the banana, cinnamon and vanilla extract.
Image: The Green Forks
6. Parmesan cauliflower bites
If raw vegetables just won’t lure you away from that vending machine, there’s no harm in jazzing them up a little. By coating these cauliflower bites in Parmesan and then frying them in vegetable oil, you have a wonderfully crispy, crunchy snack — and it goes toward your daily veggie quota! Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, potassium, fiber and folic acid.
Image: Damn Delicious
7. Baked apple chips
Perfect for a mid-morning craving, baked apple chips are light, crispy and sweet. Low in calories, with no fat or cholesterol and only a trace of sodium, apples are high in finer and vitamin C, and believed to promote heart health and slow down cancer progression.
Image: Sugar Apron
8. Candied pecans
If candy is your snack of choice, then try weaning yourself off the processed stuff with home-candied pecans. You still satisfy your sweet craving but also get all the goodness of the heart-friendly, antioxidant-rich pecan nut:, which is also a good source of vitamin B3, which helps the body access the energy in food.
Image: Gimme Some Oven
9. Salt-and-vinegar kale chips
Wean yourself off potato chips with a far more nutritious alternative: kale chips. Kale is known for being one of the “super greens” that are packed with goodness. High in iron and the cancer-fighting vitamin K, it’s also an anti-inflammatory food, a powerful source of anti-oxidants, and great for cardiovascular support. With a little olive oil, vinegar and sea salt, you can turn kale into an extremely addictive snack.
Image: Gimme Some Oven
10. Sweet potato chips
Another healthier chip alternative is the sweet potato chip. Sweet potatoes contain high amounts of calcium, potassium and vitamins A and C. A bag of these to nibble on during office hours will keep your hunger pangs at bay, and you can feel good knowing you made them from scratch, meaning no nasty additives.
Image: baubles and baked goods
*Click on the link beneath the images to get the recipe for each snack.
More feel-good snack suggestions
10 Snack swaps that will satisfy you without being calorie bombs
10 Grab-and-go snack ideas that have ingredients you can feel good about
20 Protein-filled foods to snack on
This post was brought to you by Pepperidge Farm.
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