By Audrey, @alsc_audreyf
During this period of social isolation, I find it hard to differentiate if I’m hungry or simply bored (the struggle is real). It’s really easy to start munching on unhealthy snacks or sweets.
I don’t claim to be the next Ricardo, but aside from dancing, one of my great passions is to cook. As the foodie that I am, I made it my mission to find for healthy AND tasty snack ideas!
CHIA AND OAT PUDDING
This overnight oats recipe is extremely easy to make and requires very few ingredients. You’ll just need a tiny bit of patience since it needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
You will need:
- ½ cup of oats
- 2 tbsp of whole chia seeds
- 1 cup of almond milk
Mix all the ingredients together and let it rest overnight. The next day, when you’re ready to eat, you can add different toppings such as fresh fruit and a touch of maple syrup.
FROZEN YOGURT BARK
I’m the kind of person that can eat ice cream all year long. Frozen desserts are my absolute favourite and inspired me to come up with this recipe. Also, the return of frozen snacks means that spring is upon us (YEAH!). The great thing about this snack is that you can customize it to use the ingredients you love. The possibilities are endless and can create a unique tasty treat every time you make it!
For the base, you’ll need vanilla Greek yogurt. I felt a little funky, so I mixed in coffee flavoured yogurt!
Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread on your base (1 cm thick).
Top the base with the ingredients you like. I sprinkled on:
- Strawberry coulis
- Frozen mangoes
- Walnuts
- Dark chocolate chunks
- Shredded coconut
Freeze it for at least 3 hours. Break the bark in pieces when ready to serve.
DATE BROWNIES
Personally, I have a very sweet tooth (as you may have noticed) and healthy desserts never taste sweet enough for me. However, wait until you read my new favourite life hack: dates! They’re naturally very sweet and give a super moist texture to this recipe.
- 2 cups of pitted Medjool dates
- 2 tbsp of honey
- 100g of coarsely chopped 70% dark chocolate
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 2 tbsp of water
- A pinch of salt
- ½ a cup of finely chopped almonds (optional)
- 2 eggs, lightly whipped
- 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, to decorate
STEPS
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Put the dates in a bowl and cover with hot water (it doesn’t need to be boiling hot). Let it rest for 10 minutes then drain and keep it aside.
- In a small bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave and pour it into a bigger bowl, along with the dates, the honey, the salt and 2 tbsp of water. Mix it with a blender until the mixture becomes smooth and uniform.
- Add the almonds and the eggs. Give it a good stir and evenly pour into the pan.
- Bake it for 20 minutes. Let it cool completely before lightly dusting it with cocoa powder.
- Let it cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting it into squares.
I hope these recipes have shown that you can it is possible to replace refined sugars by more natural ones, and still get to enjoy tasty sweet treats! Share them with your friends and family (when the confinement period will be over, of course!) so they can also enjoy some yummy nutrient-rich snacks.
