Don’t laugh! I DO eat healthily a lot of the time! I believe in Nigella’s ethos: we all need different foods on different days. In my case, I can be so variable that I need different types of things at different times of the day! When it comes to snacking though, for hunger, I go to nutritious foods that offer pleasure as well. I don’t really understand snacking on, say, ice cream. I love ice cream, crisps, chocolate – but to me they are treats, not snacks.
Are you following me so far? Good.
So I had a think and came up with 5 ideas for healthy snacks for those of you that maybe do reach for the Mars bar or an Oreo when you’re feeling like you need to stuff something in your pie hole. These snacking ideas are healthy – but seriously, they’re delicious too. 4 are homemade and 1 is not, you know, for the time pressured amongst you…
1. Smoked paprika and honey roasted almonds
In terms of a snacking situation, these would be good when drinking, as nuts soak up alcohol like no one’s business (many an impromptu evening of drinking when I’ve skipped dinner have I been rescued by buying a packet of nuts). If you make a batch of these though, they’re great to munch on when you want lunch / dinner but it’s 11am / 4pm. That’s always me!
To make them:
– Toss almonds in olive oil, plenty of smoked paprika, a good drizzle of honey, and a generous sprinkling of salt.
– Spread over a baking sheet and bake in an oven at about 180C.
– Toss a few times to prevent burning. Roast until golden brown, about 20 mins.
2. Apple slices with almond butter
This, to me, is the king of snacks. When I used to occasionally go to the gym (which, let’s be honest, was only for about a month) this was the food I ate as soon as I returned home. It is SO delicious. You can use peanut butter but almond butter is just beyond tasty. It really doesn’t feel like you are eating healthily. And that, really, is our aim here.
To make them:
– Slice your apple. Smother about half of each slice with almond butter.
3. Sriracha roasted chick peas
Again, a good one if you are having friends over – they go really well with beer. These would be nice to take with you to work, or on a picnic. You could even toss these over homemade houmous or even a salad with roasted squash and feta and rocket to add texture. Sriracha entered my life about 3 years go and I eat it almost every day. It is insanely addictive. Smokey, hot – it enhances fried eggs, avocado on toast – and is great here too.
To make them:
– Drain tinned chick peas. Rinse them too and pat dry.
– Drizzle a little olive oil and plenty of Sriracha and toss well. Add a little salt also.
– Spread on a tray and roast at about 180C until they are browned and crunchy. About 45mins – 1 hour.
4. Tahini stuffed medjool dates
Talk about a trendy snack! Eat these at your desk and you’ll be mistaken for a Shoreditch hipster. They offer a squidgy, soft hit with a savoury smooth centre. Interesting and very satisfying. These are great for a post workout snack (if you’re that way inclined) or just as a 3pm fix for grumbling tums.
To make them:
– Cut medjool dates into two and remove the stone.
– Spoon a little tahini in each half. Eat!
5. Try a Graze box!
I’ll be honest, I’ve never tried Graze snack boxes before, being more of a homemade type of girl. When Graze contacted me to ask if they could send over one of their Simon Rogan (Michelin starred chef) designed snack boxes I was intrigued and excited. The box contained some seriously weird (as in weirdly wonderful) stuff. Starting at the top (going clockwise): Grilled Salad, Lobster and Horseradish Meringue; Salt and Vinegar Chicken Popcorn; Mascarpone, Raspberry, Hazelnut Biscuit. Full ingredients list here.
There is some insane work and bafflingly brilliant creativity at work here. This snack box specifically was created for a promotion – their normal boxes aren’t quite as decadent. But they are seriously delicious sounding. The choice on offer is fantastic and the combinations are quirky and wholesome. Check out a range of their snacks here. They also do breakfast and kids’ snacks too.
The boxes start from £3.99 and would make a really exciting and thoughtful gift for the perpetually hungry food lover in your life.
Watch the video about the Graze x Simon Rogan collaboration in this video:
