3 Easy homemade snacks to eat at office desk!

Snacking is a great way to fit extra nutrients into your diet and prevent overeating at subsequent meals. It will help you from getting overly hungry and then overeating at your next meal, which is the major cause behind weight gain and increased belly fat.

Snacking in between meals helps in providing a constant flow of energy in your body which is necessary to prevent drop in metabolism. So next time you start to feel hungry a couple hours before lunch or dinner, don’t try to wait until the meal. Instead, eat a small healthy snack to tide you over. However, having packed snacks even f they are labelled “Healthy” might not be the best choice to make. Packed foods even healthy ones are chemically processed and provide little nutrition. Most of them are high in sodium, refined grains, and even bad quality fats.

Here are 3 simple snacking ideas which you can make over weekend and store to enjoy during busy weekdays. All you would have to do is just grab them while leaving for office and enjoy with a cup of herbal tea!

SPICY ROASTED MAKHANAS

A healthy alternative to the namkeens available in market, makahans are gluten free, low in fat and sodium which makes it a great snack to have on the go!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup phool makhana
• 1/2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp ghee
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/8 tsp roasted jeera powder
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a pan dry roast makhana for atleast 5-10mins in low flame till crisp and then transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Now switch off the flame. Immediately add oil and ghee. Then add required salt, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and roasted jeera powder.
3. It will slightly bubbly now add the roasted makhana immediately.
4. Toss it well until the spices are coated well.
5. Store in airtight container for later use.

HOMEMADE TRAIL MIX

It’s easy to make and customize this homemade Healthy Trail Mix recipe, loaded with healthy fats and natural sugars from wholesome nuts seeds and dried fruit. It might seem high in calories but the focus should be on the nutrients and not just calories. A handful of this trail mix will not only curb your hunger but also provide good amount of nutrients like protein, calcium, iron and fiber.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Walnuts, quartered
• 1 cup Badam (Almond) , sliced
• 1 cup Pistachios , sliced
• 1/2 cup Raisins
• ½ cup Dates
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup Sunflower seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly roast the almonds, walnut, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
2. Cut all the ingredients except seeds into small bite size pieces and combine all of them together.
3. Store the Homemade Trail Mix in airtight glass jars so they stay fresh for a long time.

BAKED RAGI (NACHANI) CHIPS

Ragi is a wonder grain. This gluten free grain is a rich source of calcium, iron and fibre. These chips are a healthy munch even for the weight watchers. It is also a nice recipe to include nutritious and beneficial ragi in daily food. Serve these recipe during tea time instead of munching on biscuits as they are loaded with sugar, saturated fats and refined carbohydrates.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 & 1/2 cups Ragi flour
• 1/2 cup Wheat flour
• 1/2 tablespoon Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons Chili flakes
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons Oregano
• 1 tsp Pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Black salt
• Water as required
• 1 teaspoon Oil to apply on chips
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder(optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all ingredients in flour properly in a bowl.
2. Add water and make soft dough like paratha. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
3. Divide dough into medium size balls. Take one and roll it in to round thin sheet.
4. Cut it in eight triangle shaped layers. Same way prepare all, arrange in oven tray (add aluminium foil sheet if you want ) and apply oil with brush.
5. Preheat oven on 180 degrees for 10 minutes then bake chips on 150 degrees for 20 minutes till crispy and well done.
6. Let it cool and store in an air tight container.

 

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My22BMI is a digital healthcare startup addressing the problem of managing lifestyle diseases through personalised diet plans. My22BMI empower lives to eat healthy and smartly and believe food should be your first medicine. The expert health coaches provide personalised diet plans for heart health, gut health, skin & hair health, weight management, mother & child nutrition and hormonal health. Download our Android app from the Google playstore.