Feel like a cheeky snack after dinner? Go for it! We’ve gathered a collection of ‘ready-to-eat’ and ‘make-yourself’ snack ideas that are nutritious, satisfying and low calorie – i.e. totally guilt free!
Ready to eat
- Apple wedges with natural peanut butter: Slice a small sized apple and leave the skin on – it is rich in fibre, antioxidants and vitamins! Serve with 1tbs of 100% natural peanut butter, for dose of healthy fats, soluble fibre and protein
- Strawberries with Greek yoghurt and honey: Strawberries are high in antioxidants, and very low in sugar. In fact, a whole punnet of strawberries has less sugar than half a banana! Serve 1 cup strawberries with 2tbs natural Greek yoghurt for calcium and protein, and if you need it, ½ tsp honey. It’s always best to sweeten yoghurt yourself, rather than buy flavoured options. You can also substitute fresh strawberries with 1 cup frozen strawberries or mixed berries
- Wholegrain crackers with cottage cheese, and either vegemite or jam: For a snack that ‘has legs’, look no further. The fibre in wholegrain crackers, teamed with the protein in cottage cheese, makes this snack super-satisfying. Use 1-2 large or 2-4 small crackers as your base. If you fancy savoury, spread 1tsp vegemite on the crackers before you add the cottage cheese. If you fancy sweet, use 1tsp jam instead.
- Handful of trail mix: Nuts and dried fruit offer the perfect combination of fibre, protein, healthy fats and low GI carbohydrates. However, beware of commercially prepared options containing compound chocolate, yoghurt, or sugar-sweetened fruits. Always read the ingredients, and when in doubt, make your own mix. We suggest a 20-30g serve.
- Savoury mix of air popped popcorn and roasted chickpeas: Combine equal quantities of plain air popped popcorn and roasted chickpeas for a crunchy snack mix that is healthier and more satisfying than potato chips, due to higher fibre and protein, and lower fat and salt levels. This is also a low-cal alternative to snacking on nuts. Aim for 1-2 handfuls per serve
Make your own:
- Protein balls: Most commercial protein balls are calorie dense, and contain added oils and sugar syrups. We suggest making your own, its so simple! To make chocolate peanut butter protein balls, combine 1/2 cup oat bran, ¼ cup of LSA, ¼ cup unflavoured WPI or vegan protein powder, ¼ cup pitted dates, ¼ cup walnuts, 1tbs organic peanut butter, 1tbs cacao powder and 1/3 cup water in a high-speed blender. Add more water gradually as needed, until a thick paste consistency is reached. Roll into ‘table tennis’ sized balls and coat with desiccated coconut. Have 2 balls for a delicious healthy snack.
- Healthy muffins: If you love a muffin with your cuppa after dinner, we suggest you you’re your own. Our recipe for banana walnut muffins is simple and delicious. Simply mix together 1 ¼ cup wholemeal flour, 1 scoop of unflavoured WPI/vegan protein powder, 1tbs LSA, 2tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mash 2 large ripe bananas, then mix together with 2 whisked eggs, ½ cup low fat Greek yoghurt, ¼ cup low fat milk, 1tbs vanilla essence. Combine wet and dry ingredients and fold gently until combined. Grease a 12-cup muffin tray lightly with olive oil, and fill the muffin cups halfway with batter. Dollop 1 level tsp peanut butter into each muffin cup, then fill with the remaining batter. Pop a walnut on top of each muffin. Bake at 180C for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once cooled, store some muffins in the pantry (lasting 3 days) and some in the freezer (lasting 3 months).
