Sweet and healthy snack recipes for your next busy workday
Did someone say snacks? 😍
Since busy days require a lot of mental energy, you need fuel for your brain. With a busy schedule, it’s difficult to devote enough time to cooking and eating good meals. So the easiest thing to do is to have some snacks!
Snacks are often associated with consuming processed foods, but when chosen wisely, snacks can maintain your energy level and give you more opportunities to meet all of your nutritional needs. So let’s make snacking an ally of your productivity rather than an enemy, and Bon Appétit !
Yogurt with fruit and nuts 🍎
Preparation time: up to 5 minutes.
Any fruit will make a great snack, but if possible, opt for organic and seasonal fruits, each of them has different properties, and this will allow you to eat them with the skin and enjoy different varieties over the months.
For example in Europe, oranges and kiwis, rich in fiber, support you in winter. Berries packed with antioxidants are perfect for the summer. And bananas all year round, a great source of potassium and fiber that keep blood sugar levels stable and leaves you feeling fuller for longer.
Fruits are carbohydrates, which are used up relatively quickly by our body, so to make it more satisfying, pair it with a protein source like yogurt and for topping, you can go 🥁… nuts!
As for nuts, you have the choice: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts… They all contain a lot of unsaturated fats and protein. They also provide essential vitamins and minerals. Personally, I prefer walnuts for their taste and they are a good source of omega-3 fatty acid, an important nutrient for brain function.
Chocolate coconut energy balls ⚡
Preparation time: up to 15 minutes and there is no baking.
Energy balls are full of nutrients with healthy carbs, fats, and fiber. This provides a sufficient boost of energy. Below is my favorite recipe with only 5 ingredients.
To make 6–8 balls: oats (80g | 1 cup), coconut powder (2 tbsp), honey (2 tbsp), dark chocolate (60g | ⅓ cup), peanut butter (2 tbsp). Mix everything with a large wooden spoon. Form balls with your hands and roll them in coconut powder. Refrigerate for 10 minutes and enjoy!
Personally, I prefer to eat them the next day, they are more crunchy after staying a few hours in the refrigerator. You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Oats and chocolate chip cookies 🍪
Preparation time: up to 30 minutes, baking included.
For a dozen cookies, you need: butter (50g | 3.5 tbsp), sugar (25g | 2 tbsp), eggs (1), flour (60g | 5 tbsps), baking powder (10g | 2.5 tsp), oats (120g | 1.5 cups), dark chocolate (60g | ⅓ cup) and a pinch of salt.
Start by melting the butter and mix it with the sugar in a large bowl. Add the beaten egg, flour, baking powder, salt, oats, chocolate cut into chips. Form cookies with a spoon and bake for 12 minutes at 180°C | 356°F. You can store them in a box for up to 5 days.
These cookies aren’t too sweet and with dark chocolate (I recommend 70% cacao), you absorb all the good nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, iron and antioxidants. In addition, oats are among the most nutrient-dense foods, meaning that they carry the greatest amount and variety of nutrients.
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water 💧
In parallel, if you feel like you’re not drinking enough water, a time management method can help you there while allowing you to be more productive. I personally often use the Pomodoro technique, 25 minutes of work separated by short breaks of 5 or 10 minutes. You can try it out with TomatoTimer, keep it as an open tab on your browser, and drink a few sips of water during your short breaks.
