LOWVELD March 22

make sure you have some of both.
• Be wary of added sugar and salt,
which lurk in many so-called healthy
foods. Natural sugars such as those in
fruit are fine.
• Don’t overdo it. Unless your snack is
replacing a meal (in which case it will
be more than a handful of nuts and
an apple), it should be sufficient to
sustain until your next mealtime.
• Steer clear of junk food. It’s high
in calories and low in nutrients,
and once the habit forms it is hard
to break.
Getting started:
Depending on your schedule, you can
make a list of the nutritious snacks
you want to eat for the week, and
prepare them ahead of time, or you
can make them the night before.
Items like muffins (spinach and
feta, sun-dried tomato and olive, for
example) can be frozen and taken out
as needed, while boiled eggs, fruit
or yogurt can be packed ahead of
time, ready to grab and go the next
day. This goes for adults and kids, and
anything that is packed ahead of time
for the little ones can be put on a low
shelf in the fridge or pantry, ready for
them to grab on their way to school
or their extracurricular activities.
Perishables in the lunch box can be
kept cool in a cooler bag.
Types of snacks:
You can either make or buy healthy
snacks, but remember, home-made
is always better, that way you know
exactly which ingredients went into
Roast chickpea recipe:
• Preheat your oven to 220°C. • Rinse the contents of a 410g tin of
chickpeas, then lightly pat dry on a paper towel. • Spread the chickpeas
out onto a baking sheet. • Drizzle with a little olive oil, then add sea salt
and a sprinkling of spices. • A delish mix is cumin, smoked paprika and
black pepper, but you can add garam masala, dried rosemary, nutritional
yeast or plain salt. • Roast for around 30 minutes, shaking the baking pan
a few times for even roasting, until golden and crispy. • Leave to cool and
add to a trail mix or eat as is. Enjoy!
your lunch box. Fresh and dried fruit,
yogurt, nuts and biltong can be
purchased and added as extras or
incorporated into your menu.
• Trail and snack mixes • Granola •
Fruit bars • Muffins • Sandwiches •
Smoothies • Salad and breakfast jars •
Hard-boiled eggs • Crunchies and oat
cookies • Popcorn • Soups • Crackers
The above can all be made ahead
of time. Sandwiches must be on
wholegrain bread, and there are any
number of delicious fillings - hummus,
tapenade, cold meat, peanut butter,
cheese, tomato and cucumber. Veggie
fingers with a tzatziki or hummus dip
are tasty and nutritious.
Another delicious, wholesome
and nutritious snack to include in
your lunch box is chickpeas, which
become golden, crunchy and moreish
when roasted. Chickpeas are an
excellent source of protein and fibre,
and are an easy, cost-effective way to
up the nutritional profile of just about
any recipe. You can eat them as is, or
you can add a handful of nuts (of your
choice - almond, cashew, macadamia
or peanut, or a mix of all these, goji
berries, pumpkin, sunflower and
sesame seeds, and a scattering of dark
chocolate chips.