Healthy snack recipes
The last year’s extended quarantine has brought about a new widespread appreciation for “trendy” healthy recipes.
March 2, 2021
The current era of TikTok trends has produced quite an abundance of healthy snack recipes; I don’t even want to know how many baked oatmeal recipe videos I have watched at this point. That being said, as someone whose mother has never been one to buy overly-processed foods, it is refreshing to see the newfound attention or “hype” given to the type of homemade, healthy-ish snacks that I have grown up on. Over the last few years, I have experimented with a multitude of recipes, most commonly found on vegan food blogger websites, and have decided to compile my own list of the most reliable, most delectably delicious healthy snack recipes.
These, I have found, are the perfect solution to the post-breakfast or post-snack “I’m still sorta hungry but don’t want to put in any effort to make anything else” problem. They are a great alternative to the overly-processed protein bars which, honestly, don’t even taste that good. Considering they don’t have any added sugar, their taste very closely resembles that of an oatmeal raisin cookie, perfectly satisfying those sweet-tooth treat hankerings. Seeing as they last months in the freezer, it would be a good idea to make these in bulk to have a plethora of healthy-snacks at the ready (plus it’s really fun to mold the dough with your hands).
Every so often I would come home from a long day of middle school to find that my mom had baked these cookies for a surprise after school snack, so this recipe has a special place in my heart. They are super quick, requiring less than five minutes of preparation, yet sacrifice nothing in flavor complexity. I will admit that they are not great the next day when stored in the fridge, but I promise it will be difficult not to scarf the whole batch down when they are straight out of the oven, being warm and gooey with perfectly melted chocolate chips.
First, I must admit that I have never used a legitimate recipe to make a smoothie before; I usually just throw random quantities of ingredients into the blender and hope for the best. This recipe is, however, almost an exact replica of the smoothie I usually make, except I have never tried freezing cold brew into ice cubes. With the addition of chocolate protein powder (sometimes I just use cocoa powder instead) and peanut butter, this tasty drink is a two-for-one: filling and energizing!
I know I already said the Internet is oversaturated with baked oatmeal recipes, but this one is different. First, it is not a single-serving recipe, it is to be made in a larger pan and stored in the fridge for a week’s worth of breakfasts (can be heated up in the microwave if desired, or eaten cold). Second, the oatmeal is made with eggs, adding an extra bit of protein, and in my opinion, a whole new dimension of flavor and a more desirable texture. With this recipe, it’s hard to go wrong when experimenting with add-ins; my personal favorites are frozen blueberries, sauteed cinnamon apples and a mixture of raisins and walnuts.
