Category: Snack

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

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Peanut Butter Granola Bars

  • Servings: 16 Servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
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A snack bar that is good, chewy, and healthy. A square was enough to fill that gap and felt like a sweet treat. (Vegan option below)

Ingredients

  • 2-1/2 cups of old fashioned oats
  • ¾ cup of peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup. (both work well but the honey holds the bars together better)
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 45 grams of protein powder (I used chocolate)
  • 1 tbsp of mini chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp of sliced almonds
  • 1 tbsp of chia seeds
  • 2 tbsp of pumpkin seeds

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. (if your peanut butter is solid at room temperature, heat it in microwave for 10-15 seconds before adding to the mix).
  3. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish or pan with parchment paper. (this makes it easier to remove your bars from the dish)
  4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish and press firmly the mixture into the pan in an even layer. (the firmer you press the better the bars will stick together)
  5. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the centre is baked through and the edges are just starting to brown. (start checking at 14 minutes as all ovens are a little different)
  6. Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely before cutting into 16 squares with a very sharp knife..

Nutrition Per Cookie

  • Calories 171
  • Fat 7.7 g
  • Sugar 7.4 g
  • Carbohydrates 20.5 g
  • Protein 7.6 g
  • Fibre 2.5 g

Here are a few notes to help make this for different dietary needs

• You can use peanut free seed butter. You can use any nut or seed butter as long as you make sure it is at a drizzly consistently.

• Instead of eggs you can replace them with flax eggs. To make enough flax egg to replace the 2 eggs, mix 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 5 tbsp of water and let set for 5-10 minutes before adding to the recipe.

• You can omit the protein powder but that will alter the protein nutritional content. You can use unflavoured protein powder or any flavour you wish. If you omit the protein powder, increase the rolled oats by ½ cup.

As you can see there are a lot of possible variations on this recipe. Change the seeds, add nuts, less seeds more chocolate chips, no chocolate chips but chopped peanuts instead. We could go on and on but I’d rather stop and let you have fun and make it your own.

Hard Boiled Eggs

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Hard Boiled Eggs

  • Servings: 6 Eggs
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Maybe it’s just me, but I have struggled over the years making hard boiled eggs. Too cooked, under cooked, can’t peel them without removing at least half the white off the egg. Can I say, quite frustrating.

I will not take credit for this but it really really worked. I went looking at America’s Test Kitchen https://www.americastestkitchen.com and found the method below. I’ve used their recipes before so why not try this one. It worked the first time out. Thank you.

Healthy snacks that are good and leave you satiated are few and far between. Here is one I found.

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • Water and ice

Directions

  1. Put about 1inch of water in sauce pan and bring to boil.
  2. Put 6 large eggs into a steamer basket and put in pot.
  3. Cover and reduce heat to medium and cook for 13 minutes.
  4. Put 2 cups of water and 2 cups of ice cubes in a large bowl.
  5. Submerge the eggs in the ice water for at least 15 minutes.

Nutritional facts per serving

  • Calories 78
  • Fat 5 g
  • Sugar 0.6 g
  • Carbohydrates 0.6 g
  • Protein 6 g
  • Fibre 0 g

Did that sound easy enough? It is and it works. The trick is to only take your eggs out of the fridge when you are about to put them in the steam. Putting cold eggs in the steam prevents the proteins in the egg white to fuse with the surrounding membrane making it possible to peel nicely.

Doing it this way causes the eggs to form a solid gel that shrinks and pulls away from the membrane. I’ve even doubled the recipe and it worked. Just make sure that your eggs are covered when you put them in the ice water. You don’t even need to peel them right away.

Trust me, making hard boiled eggs, going forward, will be easy. Think of all the things you can do to them at Easter time. You can really have fun and make them your own.

Chia Pudding

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Chia Pudding

  • Servings: 1 Serving
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Healthy snacks that are good and leave you satiated are few and far between. Here is one I found.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of chia seeds
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/2 cup of milk of choice (I used almond milk)
  • Strawberries or other fruits for toppings

Directions

  1. Pour all ingredients into a 500 ml or 2 cup mason jar and mix well.
  2. Let settle for 2-3 minutes and then mix again very well until you see no clumping.
  3. Cover the jar and store in fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours.
  4. When you are ready to eat it, top with your favorite fruit and enjoy cold.

Nutritional facts per serving

  • Calories 155
  • Fat 9 g
  • Sugar 6 g
  • Carbohydrates 16 g
  • Protein 5 g
  • Fibre 9 g

This is a great snack that you can make up to a week in advance. So you make them on Sunday night and you have desserts or snacks for your lunches all week. It is very versatile. You feel for strawberries one day, the next you put in some cinnamon and vanilla and top it with apples, and so on. If you don’t like almond milk, you can substitute to any milk you like. Same with the sweetener. (Nutritional values are based on honey and almond milk) I would recommend a topping as it is very bland on it’s own.

Let you imagination soar, have fun and make it your own.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

  • Servings: 12 Muffins
  • Difficulty: Easy
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I was looking for a muffin recipe that would be healthy and filling. A good go to snack for diabetics. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey (I used honey)
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup of milk of choice (I used almond milk)
  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 2 tsps of pumpkin spice blend
  • 1 tsp of baking soda
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1-3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup of old fashioned oats, plus more to sprinkle on top
  • 2 tsp of raw sugar for a sweet crunch (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 and grease muffin tin or use liners (I used silicon liners).
  2. In a large bowl, beat the apple sauce and honey together with a whisk.
  3. Add the eggs and beat well.
  4. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt.
  5. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined, a few lumps are ok.
  6. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with about a tablespoon of oats followed by a light sprinkle of raw sugar if you like.
  7. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
  8. Place on cooling rack and let cool for a couple of hours. They taste better for some reason.

Nutritional facts per serving

  • Calories 131
  • Fat 2.3 g
  • Sugar 9.5 g
  • Carbohydrates 25.7 g
  • Protein 3.4 g
  • Fibre 3.2 g

You have a few options, if you don’t have apple sauce, or prefer not to use apple sauce, you can sub for extra virgin olive oil. You can make this recipe vegan – use maple syrup, flax eggs and non-dairy milk. You can do some add-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts or dried cranberries or even crystallized ginger. You would do this at the stage where you combine wet and dry ingredients.

Pumpkin spice, not everyone has some premade, if you don’t it goes like this. (1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves). You can also substitute the flour to white all purpose flour which makes this lighter and less dense.

As you see there are so many options for you, all you have to do is let your imagination go, have fun and make it your own.

Skinny Banana Bread Muffins

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Skinny Banana Bread Muffins

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Skinny muffins that are flavourful and moist. Wait, that doesn’t sound right. Well, it is and they are healthier than most. These banana muffins have no oil, low sugar and are only 130 calories. I apologize to the store bought or coffee house muffins.

Ingredients

  • 4 bananas mashed (about 1-1/3 cup)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-1/2 cup all purpose flour (whole wheat makes them a little more dense)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with paper liners or silicon liners.
  2. In a mixing bowl, mash bananas, add egg, vanilla, sugars, and cinnamon and stir well to combine.
  3. In a larger bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add banana mixture and stir to combine.
  4. Gently stir in melted butter. Don’t over-mix the batter as the muffins will be tougher.
  5. Spoon into muffin tin and bake for 18-25 minutes.

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories 130
  • Fat 2 g
  • Sugar 9 g
  • Carbohydrates 23 g
  • Protein 2 g
  • Fibre 2 g

Note: You can freeze these for up to 2 months in a freezer safe ziplock bag. Make sure that they are completely cooled and get as much of the air out of the bag first.

If calories or sugar are not of concern, you can add walnuts, raisins, cranberries, or even peanut butter (if you add peanut butter, you will need to add an equal amount of flour). This makes the possibilities endless. Remember to have fun and make it your own.

Stovetop Apple Pie Filling

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Stovetop Apple Pie Filling

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Who hasn’t gone to the store and bought apples that looked so great and by the end of the week, oops, that was too many. I know I have, more than once. I hate wasting food. Too many people go hungry everyday for us to waste good food. I do my best to extend the life of food. Here is an easy recipe that is delicious, quick, and versatile.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 medium apples
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3 tbsp of water
  • 2 tbsp of butter (salted)
  • 1-2 tsp of vanilla extract (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of cornstarch
  • 1/2 tbsp of Cinnamon

Directions

  1. Peel, core and slice apples.
  2. Melt butter with cinnamon over medium heat.
  3. Add apples, sugar and water.
  4. Cover and cook stirring occasionally for 4-6 minutes, or until slightly softened. 
  5. In a small dish, combine cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water.
  6. Add to the pan and bring to boil and stir until thickened.
  7. Let bubble 1 minute.
  8. Let cool.

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories 88
  • Fat 1.9 g
  • Sugar 16.1 g
  • Carbohydrates 18.8 g
  • Protein 0 g
  • Fibre 2.6 g

This is the equivalent of 1 can of apple pie filling. This recipe is so versatile, you will buy extra apples just to make this. You can use it as a topper on oatmeal, yogourt, ice cream, add a bit of granola and it becomes a great snack, or heck you can use it in a pie crust too. So many possibilities for you to have fun and make it your own.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Bites

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Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Bites

  • Servings: 20 Balls
  • Difficulty: Easy
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A great little treat for children of all ages. It is quick and easy to make. So let’s get to it, shall we.

IMG_1342

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of rolled oats
  • 2/3 cup of toasted shredded coconut (if you only have flakes, toast them, then chop them)
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup of mini semi chocolate chips (if you only have regular chocolate chips or bakers bar chocolate, you can chop or grate to small pieces)
  • 1/2 cup of honey
  • 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
  2. Roll and compress the mixture into balls from one heaping tablespoon and place on parchment paper
  3. Refrigerate a few minutes until firm and transfer to air tight container
  4. Refrigerate and enjoy for up to a week

Nutrition Per Serving, one ball

  • Calories 88
  • Sugar 2 g
  • Carbohydrates 10 g
  • Protein 2 g
  • Fiber 1.2 g

The original recipe called to add chia seeds, being allergic was not an option for me but feel free to do so. One tablespoon would add very little calories and about 0.2 g of protein to each ball.

This is where you can fun. You could add cinnamon or chopped walnuts, or use chunky peanut butter vs smooth, chopped almonds. If you are calorie conscious watch how much you add of nuts and also the consistency so it can hold together but have fun and make it your own.