6 Quick & Easy Healthy Snacks Recipes

6 Quick & Easy Healthy Snacks Recipes

Sometimes you're just too hungry to wait for mealtime, and your stomach is making those embarrassing rumbles. You need a snack. It's easy to go for commercial snacks to keep the hunger pangs away but you really don't have to. With a little bit of effort, you can make yourself a homemade, healthy snack.

Here are some healthy snacks recipes you can try out and avoid giving in to junk food.

Banana Oat Cookies

Imagine a cookie with no flour, no eggs, no butter, and no messy dough. If you're lousy at making conventional cookies, these are the cookies for you. And just because you're on an eat-healthy diet, doesn't mean you have to give up cookies. These cookies are as healthy as they get. Made primarily of bananas and oats, they pack essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber to give a tasty, energy-filled, and healthy snack. Bananas have a lot of sugar, and oats have lots of fiber, so you'll have energy and you won't feel hungry for a long time. Here's how you make them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of quick rolled oats
•  1 ripe banana
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F
2. Line up your baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Alternatively, you can oil it lightly.
3. Mix up the oats and bananas in a large bowl.
4. You can mix in the chocolate chips at this point.
5. Make the mixture up into round balls and place them on the baking tin.
6. Keep the balls about 2 inches apart.
7. Press them down to flatten them.
8. Bake until the cookies turn light brown or for about 15 minutes.
9. Take them out and let them cool before eating.

Homemade Granola Bars

Granola bars should be healthy but commercial ones can get a little too sugary for comfort. They're a good source of protein, fiber, and even vitamins, depending on additional ingredients. Fortunately, they're not that hard to make at home, and you can choose to use organic ingredients only. Here is one of the most popular simple no-bake healthy snacks recipes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of quick oats.
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
• 2/3 cup of maple syrup or honey.
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
• 1 cup of almond butter or peanut butter.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of add-ins e.g. dried fruits, seeds, nuts, shredded coconuts.

Instructions

1. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil or some other material.
2. Mix the oats, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. If there are any add-ins like nuts, cut them up or grind them into tiny pieces, then add them into the bowl with the oats and mix everything up.
4. In another cup or small bowl, measure out the peanut (or almond) butter, honey, and vanilla extract. Stir thoroughly till it's all mixed up.
5. Mix the liquid ingredients into the oat mixture thoroughly until no dry oats are left. The mixture should be a little difficult to mix at this point. That will mean you've got the proportions right. If it's too fluid you need to add in some more oats.
6. Transfer the mixture to a lined baking sheet.
7. Spread it out evenly and pack it down as much as possible. You can press it down using a flat-bottomed glass jar.
8. Cover the tray and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
9. After this, lift the granola block out by the foil.
10. Use a sharp knife to cut the block into bars of preferred size.
11. Store them in an airtight container and consume within a few days or refrigerate them to make them last longer.

Nutty Dates

This is one of the easiest healthy snacks recipes for a sweet tooth. All you need to do is cut the dates open, take out the pits and replace them with nut butter, like peanut or almond butter. With this simple snack, you've got your sugar boost, and the protein will stave off hunger for a while.

Toasty Avocado

Avocados are packed with vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbs, and healthy fats. They're tasty and filling, and provide a creamy twist to any meal.

• Lightly toast whole-grain bread.
• Mash an avocado and spread generously over the entire surface.
• You could have it plain like that or you can add some extra ingredients like tomato pieces and jalapenos, after which you can sprinkle salt over everything.

Nutty Apples

Apples are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They also have the soluble fiber pectin in the apple skin. Pectin promotes good digestion, reduces acid reflux, helps with iron absorption, and helps to control blood sugar. The fruity sugars in the apple make it an excellent energy snack as it provides the sugars needed to burn energy.

The nut butter contains proteins and healthy fats which take time to digest and keep hunger pangs away while still providing energy.

Simply cut the apple up into slices and spread nut butter on the cut surface. You can be creative and add other ingredients like dried fruit and muesli onto the butter, and enjoy.

Melon Smoothie

Sometimes you don't really want to eat anything, you just want a drink. Instead of going for a soda, why not make a cool watermelon smoothie?

Watermelons are about 92% water, so they're perfect for rehydrating on a hot summer afternoon. Simply blend the watermelon and refrigerate it. You can mix in other fruits like lemon, strawberries, or bananas. You can also mix in some mint or basil for a fresh, tingling flavor. If you like it thick, blend the melons with vanilla yogurt, whose taste complements that of the melon.

Avoid using ice cubes to cool the smoothie. Because the watermelon already has so much water, the ice cubes will dilute the melon taste when they melt. You can refrigerate the watermelon overnight to make sure it is cool enough, or simply stick the smoothie into the fridge to cool it. 

Final Words

You never know when the food craving is going to strike, so it's a good idea to have some easy healthy snacks recipes to turn to. That way, you can snack with a clear conscience. Try the recipes discussed in this post and start enjoying your snack times!