4 scrummy snacks your kids will never guess are refined sugar-free

Snacks can be tricky. Well, no. It’s easy to just grab any snack and it’s much harder to make snacks nutritious, healthy and tasty.

Snacking often needs to be quick. It’s a grab and go kind of thing. Unfortunately, most ready-made snacks that we can buy are processed foods, high in sugars, full of additives and fats and most have way too many calories to even call it a snack.

The only way around this is to make your own! The good news is, this can be easy and once we’ve got our head around the fact that snacks should not only be sweet, our life will suddenly become much easier. Also, even if we are talking about refined-sugar free snacks and foods, we must not be fooled. Healthier alternatives to sugars still spike our blood sugar levels. So, let’s remember: If we are consuming something sweet we should have less of it.

Children often demand their snacks immediately! And being a mum to three children myself, I know quite how urgent it is to fulfill this need. Whether you’re on the go or at home, snacks need to be simple and nutritious and they also have to hit the spot. Right?

1. Celery or cucumber boats with peanut butter and raisins. This is a great one for when you’re in a rush! Simply cut celery stalks into 3 inch pieces (or slice cucumber into long strips), spoon a layer of peanut butter over the hollow side and plot a few raisins on top. The raisins make it sweet enough and the peanut butter gives us a good portion of plant-based protein.

2. Medjool date and walnut sandwich. Another yum and quick snack the whole family will love. Cut a Medjool date in half, place a walnut (almonds work well too) into the middle and present nicely with some cut up pieces of pear on a plate. The juicy pear and sweet date work really well with the crunchy nut. A trio of love!

3. Cracker with cream cheese and jam. Another trio of love and favourite in our house are gluten-free crackers (make sure to buy good quality ones without additives or hidden sugars) with a layer of cream cheese (this can be vegan too) and a thin spread of good-quality jam on top. Not everyone’s taste, agreed, but oh! so good if you like them!

4. Gluten-free apple & berry muffins. With a little time at hand, you can make the most delicious apple and berry muffins and your children will never guess that they are refined-sugar free. I use grated apple alongside maple syrup to sweeten the muffins naturally and the recipe is so easy that I throw it together on a weekly basis. It’s just so delicious! You could choose frozen berries if they’re not in season or fresh blueberries work well too. Here is how to do it:

Gluten and refined sugar-free apple & berry muffins recipe

Ingredients: for about 10 muffins

2 apples, grated

3 eggs {or chia eggs}

100g gluten free self-raising flour (try a ready made mix)

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp maple syrup

60ml olive oil or coconut oil (If using coconut oil gently melt in a pan)

2 raspberries per muffin

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180°C fan-assisted, gas mark 6.

Start by mixing the eggs really well (by getting some air into them our muffins will become much more fluffy), add maple syrup, cinnamon, and oil. Add a handful of blueberries. At the end, fold in the flour.

Spoon into greaseproof muffin tins, and bake for 15- 20 min, until golden and cooked in the centre.

Dani Binnington is a cook, yoga teacher and wellness warrior dedicated to providing practical steps for physical and mental wellbeing for the whole family. Visit www.healthywholeme.com for more recipes, classes, events and inspiration.