Healthy Lunch Box Series

Many of the snacks found in kids lunch boxes are packaged snacks, such as chips, pretzels, candy bars, granola bars, and cookies. While some are worse than others, and occasionally you might find something that is not loaded with fats, sugars, and chemicals. 

I want to show that preparing healthy snacks at home is not a rocket science and can become an adventure and lesson in healthy living.

Savoury Chickpea Flour Muffins

Who does not love muffins? Although often they are associated with sweet cakes, they can be a perfect savoury snack. Today's recipe is inspired by my exploration of chickpea flour recipes. While I tried many sweet recipes, I like chickpea four more in savoury dishes.

Chickpea Flour

I love chickpea flour as it is one of the healthiest flours, comprising of 25% protein, 14% fat, and 61% carbs. According to the nutrition data it is a great source of folate, B6, thiamin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese, and fibre.

 Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of chickpea four (aka besam flour)

2 tbsp flax, milled and combined with 4 tbsp water

1 tsp baking powder

0.5 tsp baking soda

50g sun-dried tomatoes, socked (reserve water)

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

10 olives, pitted and chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp organo

15 tbsp water from soaking sun-dried tomatoes

Preparation:

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Add it to the muffin forms, to about 2/3rd of each form.

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 375F (177c) for 25 minutes.

4. Enjoy!

Carrot and apple muffin - vegan and gluten free option

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #muffin #carrot

Today my son asked for muffins. I asked what does he want in his muffin...he said carrots and apples!

So we pulled a big bowl and set my son in his muffin mixing position with a measuring cup in one hand and a spoon in the other.

Ingredients:

1.5 c millet, milled into a flour

0.75 c buckwheat flour 

4 tbsp flax, milled and mixed with 6 tbsp of water and set aside for a few minutes

2 sweet apples

2 medium size carrots

2 handfuls of raisins

0.25 c honey

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 tbsp of cinnamon 

1 tsp vanilla powder

1 tbsp of grape seed oil

1. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

2. Grate carrots and add to the mix. I grated them on the small eye grater.

3. Place cored apples in the blender and blend until you have apple sauce. Add to the bowl.

4. Add flax mix, honey, and oil to the bowl and mix everything well.

5. Add raisins and mix everything together.

6. Place mixture in the muffin forms.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 177c for 30-35 minutes

8. Enjoy!

Red Cabbage Delight

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #rawvegan

Red cabbage often is listed as one of the most potent vegetables for cancers and aging. While it was one of the vegetables I absolutely hated as a kid, I fell in love with red cabbage but only in a raw or lightly steemed forms.

Here is one simple creation that I made from few ingredients I always have in the house.

Ingredients:

0.5 head of medium red cabbage

1 Apple 

1 medium carrot

4 tbsp dried cranberries

4 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

1. Finely chop cabbage, grate Apple and carrot.

2. Add cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Mix everything together. 

3. Mix lemon juice with olive oil and add to the other ingredients; mix everything together.

4. Enjoy!

Dining Vegan: Okra Curry

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating

One of my favourite vegetables is okra. I fell in love with this little green seedy veggie years ago when I stumbled across it in the supermarket. Being me, I had to buy it and explore it from all angles.
I discovered that it is works wonders in curries. In curries, okra sliminess that might put some people off, works extremely well as a source thickener. What can I say, I have yet another recipe to offer to my gluten free followers! My son unexpectedly devoured the whole bowl so it might be kids friendly too.

Ingredients:

200gr okra

0.5 large onion

2 garlic cloves

4 medium tomatoes

1 inch fresh ginger

1 red chilli

1 tbsp Garam masala

1 tsp fenugreek 

1 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp grape seed oil (or any other oil or fat you want)

1. Chop the onion very finely, press garlic cloves, finely chopped chilli (you can deseed it if you want) and grate ginger.

2. Heat the oil in the pan (gas mark 3), add spices and onion, garlic, ginger mix.

3. Chop the tomatoes into very small pieces (or you can peel them), add to the pan. Add a pinch of salt.

4. Cut okra,  cut off the ends. I find that cutting it across under an angle speeds up cooking.

Add it to the pan, add 0.25 cup water. Cook for about 25 minutes on gas mark 2.8.

5. Serve hot.

6. Enjoy!

Favourites: Aubergine Caviar

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating

This is my version of the Aubergine (eggplant) caviar. It is so simple yet a very healthy alternative to dips and bread spreads available in the supermarkets. I had been making it for years yet never thought of sharing this recipe with anyone...it always vanished too fast!

It is truly a 4 ingredients recipe and I hope you will enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

0.5 medium onion

0.5c finely chopped fresh cilantro 

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt, pepper 

1. Bake the whole eggplant at 175c for about 35 minutes. Set aside to cool offa little bit.

2. Scoop out the eggplant inside and discard the skin. Then finely chop the eggplant flesh.

3. Finely chop the onion. 

4. Mix eggplant flesh with onion, chopped cilantro. Add olive oil, salt and pepper.

5. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 

6. Serve cold with crackers, chips, bread, or as a side to a main dish. 

7. Enjoy!

Eat your greens: all the goodness (salad)

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #eatyourgreens

This salad is going to satisfy even the most picky eaters. Combination of sweet beats, tangy apple and cranberries, and crunchy walnuts is simply irresistible. It is my go-to salad when I am in a rush.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

3-4 handfuls of of mixed greens

1 medium beet, cooked

1 apple

2 tbsp dried cranberries

2 handfuls of walnuts (I like to soak them for about 30 min before using them; it helps eliminate the bitter taste that some of us taste)

Dressing:

1tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Wash the greens, add chopped beets and apples.

2. Top it up with cranberries and walnuts, and drizzle with the dressing.

3. Enjoy!

Polish Christmas: Kutia (Wheat berries with poppy seeds)

#healthyeating #easyfoodcreation #PolishChristmas

Kutia is pretty much the same dish as pasta with poppy seeds except that it is popular during Christmas Eve primarily in the Eastern regions of Poland. It is healthier option but I still favour the taste of the pasta with poppy seeds I grew up with.

Ingredients:

1c poppy seeds

0.5c honey

0.25c Dried fruits: apricots, dates, figs, prunes

0.5c nuts and almonds

2tbsp whipping cream (optional)

0.5 (can be more) lemon or orange - juice and peel 

1c wheat berries

spices (optional): 3 cloves, 1 pot cardamom, 0.25 tsp nutmeg - grind into powder

1. Run boiling water through poppy seeds 3-4 times. Then pour 1c of  boiling water into a bowl, add poppy seeds and let it sit overnight.

2. Remove excess water. Place poppy seeds in a blender, add honey and lemon juice. Process for a few minutes; you should see milky liquid. 

3. Chop dried fruits and nuts into small pieces.

4. Cook wheat berries like all grains - 1:3 grain to water proportions, for about 40 minutes on a lower heat. Drain.

5. Mix all ingredients together.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. If it becomes dry after a couple of days you can stir in more cream, honey, and/or orange or lemon juice. It keeps well in the fridge for a week.

7. Enjoy!