Due to being confined to our homes, the lockdown has harvested a rather interesting snack pattern. Lol, is something even a pattern when it’s a constant? Anyways, no judgement here. My poor fridge’s door hinges (*adds rapper to CV*) are going to need some serious TLC post-iso.
I’ve been creating some weird (and delicious) snack combos that tide me through that 3-4 pm lull between my huge lunch (usually an ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ salad – more on this later) and my long-awaited dinner.
I’m one of those people that wakes up in the morning thinking of what I am going to eat that day. Literally, it is the first and only thing on my mind (besides coffee) for those first five minutes.
Anyways, enough on that. Here are my most common snack combos that keep me mildly satiated (to be honest, are you ever REALLY full?)
Carrots dipped in almond butter (the unsweetened, good kind).
Weird, I know, but the saltiness of the almond butter coupled with the sweetness of the carrot is a banging combo. Just dip them right in the jar. No frills, nothing fancy here but mega flavour. My friend, Roxanne, also introduced me to almond butter on sweet potato. The same concept of sweet, salty and lots of healthy fats. Don’t knock it till you try it!
Tahini with everything.
Yup. On rice cakes with bananas especially. OMG. Tahini is like the new hummus. It just fits with everything savoury and sweet. Also, it’s a little lighter which means you don’t plough through it like you would hummus. You need far less for flavour and it is usually inexpensive. Also a great addition to smoothies for a good dose of healthy fats.
Popcorn with honey.
Once again, salty and sweet. Are you noticing a pattern here? I whip out a medium-sized pot, melt a tablespoon of coconut oil and whack in some organic non-GMO popcorn (v important as corn is the most genetically modified crop around). Pop on a lid and wait for the sounds of popping. Once these sounds slowly start to dissipate, your popcorn is ready! Add in a squeeze of honey with salt and toss.
Nutritional yeast with eggs.
This is my guilty (not so guilty really as it’s pretty healthy) pleasure. A good, crispy omelette with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast on top is just banging. Nutritional yeast is often used in vegan cooking to bring about a cheesy, nutty flavour (I am not vegan but am about 80% of the time). With eggs, it lends that extra layer of umami. I throw it on my GF-pastas (which is the only thing I am good at in the savoury department) and on my linseed bread with a dash of olive oil, salt and pep. Simple but delish.
Cauliflower in a smoothie.
This is pretty well known by now but I definitely think it’s still something approached with suspicion. Understandably, as who wants veg in their smoothie, right? Well, this has been a game-changer in the smoothie department for me. It guarantees a nice thick consistency without having to overload your smoothie with banana. Here’s my go-to recipe.
Back to my ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ salad. It’s basically just everything in my fridge thrown in a huge metal mixing bowl from Ikea. I usually throw olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and honey to the bottom of the bowl. I whisk this up, then I add leaves of sorts. Then I add a carb (sweet potato, normal potato, quinoa) or I add beans (cannellini, black beans or chickpeas). I then bulk it up with literally any veggies in my fridge. This dressing pairs with plenty of things and is super easy to make. I always have a crunchy element like crushed walnuts, pecans or toasted pumpkin seeds. I then toss everything and eat it out of this same bowl to minimize my post-lunch dish load.
All in all, that’s pretty much all I can offer you in the healthy snack department. If you have any weird and wonderful things keeping your tastebuds happy during this time, let me know in the comments below!
