Nourishment Made Simple Series - Snacks

At Wholesome Chick Naturopathy one of our underpinning beliefs is that true Health and Wellness is achievable for everyone when it’s broken down into simple steps. Couple this with inspiring motivation and information that empowers you, and you have a great starting point for exciting change to occur. 

One of the main areas that people REALLY struggle with when starting on their health and wellness journey is food! It can seem overwhelming when you realise that to really nourish your body you need to change the way you are eating, change the food you are buying and the way you are cooking it. That’s why this blog post series has come about. It’s here to show you how to make food and nourishment changes with simplicity, ease and excitement. This first post in the series looks at our snack foods, and simple ideas to make more nourishing choices.

The very first step on the road to change is Awareness! So grab a sheet of paper right now, and jot down on it everything that you have eaten, drank and swallowed in the last 24 hours. You may be surprised when you realise what you are actually putting into your body, because a lot of our eating is quite mindless and occurs out of habit. This is especially so for what we eat between meals! I have been guilty of this too, and doing a diet diary is a real eye opener.

With this list that you’ve just written down, have a really honest good look at it. Ask yourself, how many of these foods are made from fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds? How many of them are pre.packaged, processed or convenience foods? When we are super busy, which seems to be the way of life these days, it’s easy to go for pre.packaged and convenience foods, and becoming aware of how much we may be doing this is the starting point for change.

So you guessed it. The simple next step is to pick 1 snack per day that is not made from fresh vegetables, fruits, or nuts and seeds; and swap it for something that is. That’s it! It can be as easy as swapping that brought muffin that you usually have for morning tea for a fresh green apple and a handful of walnuts. Commit to this change for 1 week, just 1 week to start with. When you reach this goal you have a right to feel proud of your achievement. Although it may seem small, it will pay big dividends to your health and energy, and is the catalyst for you to continue making further changes.

Here is a list of easy to make wholefood snacks that you can make at home and use to nourish your body with this week, in replace of pre.packaged convenience foods, bakery goods, chocolates and sweets etc. Pick 1 to try for the week, or a different one each day. It’s up to you!

• Chia Puddings – so easy and yummy. See recipe down below!
  
  
• Apples spread with nut butter
  
  
• Hommus with vegetable sticks
  
  
• Carrots with cheese squares
  
  
• Greek yogurt with some fresh or frozen berries and sunflower seeds
  
  
• Bliss Balls – also ridiculously easy to make. See recipe below!
  
  
• Boiled eggs.
  
  
• Half an avocado with a small tin of salmon or tuna.
  
  

Chia pudding Recipe - makes 2 to 4 serves 

• ½ cup chia seeds
  
  
• 1 cup coconut milk
  
  
• 1 cup oat or almond milk
  
  
• Splash vanilla essence
  
  
• Small dash of real maple syrup if you like it sweet
  
  

Mix together in a bowl and leave to set in the fridge overnight. In the morning top with some fresh banana or frozen berries and greek yogurt!

Bliss Balls

• 1.5  cups walnuts (you can use any nuts you like)
  
  
• 1 cup dates or prunes
  
  
• ½ cup mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia, flax)
  
  
• 1 or 2 tbsp cacao or coco powder
  
  
• 2 tbsp honey or real maple syrup
  
  
• ½ cup coconut shreds
  
  

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until combined. Roll into bite sized balls. Pop into the fridge to harden and enjoy as a protein rich snack for morning or afternoon tea.

That's it. Nothing fancy, nothing hard, just awareness coupled with pure simple good food and recipes that are some of the easiest you will ever make. 

Do you have any healthy snacks that you make regularly to keep your health on track and stop you reaching for chocolate or muffins? We would love for you to share in the comments below! Stay tuned for more simple ideas to nourish your body, and let us know your thoughts on this blog series and what you'd like to see in our future posts.

As always, thankyou for showing up and being part of the Wholesome Chick Community.

Love Ally Chick