Snacking in a Healthy Way

Snacking in a Healthy Way

Karen

We all like our snacks. Those yummy little in-between meals that keep us going until our next lunch or dinner. The staff here at Kings Seeds are very accomplished "snackers" but we all try to refrain where possible from the sweet sugary variety! It goes without saying that if someone goes to the effort of baking a cake or similar, we are very thankful for their generosity and scoff the lot. The words "I really shouldn't, but oh go on, just a little bit" are very common around here.

This inspired me to look at the healthy snacks we try to balance out our indulgence with. At this time of the year the abundance of fruit is amazing and everyone is very happy to share their produce.

Prior to Christmas we were sharing strawberries and cherries. Now there is an abundance of blueberries to consume and a few raspberries. Berries rate pretty high in the 'Snack' category with all of us.


Recently, we have been eating many different varieties of plums including Black Doris, Omega and this week, Louisa. Any excess are taken home by whoever wishes to make jam or sauce.

Soon we will be eating feijoa's and peaches by the bucket load and big chunks of juicy melon.


Snacking in the Garden

One of the wonderful pleasures of having a vege garden is being able to wander through your garden picking and eating as you go. That amazing cherry tomato that has the sun shining on it and when you bite into it, gives you a warm sweet burst of flavour. Those crunchy green beans that taste incredible as you nibble on them. Nasturtium flowers and rocket that leave your mouth tingling with their peppery kick, cape gooseberries peeled from their little papery wrap, carrots pulled from the earth.

The flavour and crispness is so much more when eaten straight from the garden which is why I like to pick every day. It is such a shame that once they go in the fridge all that natural goodness starts to deteriorate.

I had some friends around for dinner last week and they went for a wonder in the vege garden while I was finishing in the kitchen. It was a real pleasure to observe them from my kitchen window as they picked and tasted their way around the garden, enjoying the sun-warmed bounty.

Vegetable Snacks


There is a big emphasis these days on providing healthy options for the school lunches. Same goes for work lunches. Lots of these are also perfect for teens who love their car snacks when travelling. Here are some quick and simple options.

  1. Cherry tomatoes, especially a lovely colour mix
  2. Sugar snap, shelling or snow peas
  3. Sticks of cucumber, with seeds removed if wanted
  4. Sticks or rounds of carrot
  5. Chunks of celery
  6. Slices of onion
  7. Florets of raw cauliflower
  8. Stemmed broccoli
  9. Slices of capsicum or little ones whole
  10. Radishes
  11. Leftover roast pumpkin, Kumara or potato
  12. A handful of sprouts or cut microgreens
Add a little pot of something to dip the vegetables into. Making your own ensures you know what's in them. Great options are:
  1. Hummus
  2. Salsa
  3. Salad dressing
  4. Yoghurt with herbs

Make one or more of these each week, pop them in the fridge and use as required.

Lunch Snacks

Often I don't feel like a leafy salad for my lunch so I will create a snack bowl to munch on instead. I refer to it as my chunky salad. A bit like a platter but in a bowl. It will contain many of the above and goes a long way towards my '5+ a day'.

Happy Snacking!!!

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