Healthy Snacking

Next time you’re at the supermarket shopping for something for the snack draw, take a detour from the snack aisle—brimming with greasy, high-calorie, processed food—and head straight for the produce section. There, you’ll find the fresh fruit and vegetables that are key ingredients for the following easy-to-make, nutritious, and delicious after school snacks. These will be a hit with every kid from primary school to college.

Corn-Potato Croquette
Potato croquette is a favorite afternoon snack among Japanese school kids. This baked version uses less oil and is packed with Vitamin C-rich corn.

Makes 12
1 medium potato
1 tablespoons oil (15ml)
1 cup fresh corn (250ml)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 egg
Japanese breadcrumbs (Panko)
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Place the potato in a medium pot of cold water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer the potato until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potato, cool slightly, then peel and mash well.

In a frying pan, heat up oil. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and fresh corn. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add mash potatoes. Stir until blended. Set mixture aside in a medium bowl to cool. Shape mashed potato mixture into 5-cm patties, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to harden.

Preheat oven to 400ºF (218ºC). Beat egg in a small bowl. Remove patties from the refrigerator. Dip each patty into egg, then coat with breadcrumbs. Place them on baking sheet; spray patties with nonstick vegetable oil. Bake croquettes until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Curry-Roasted Chickpeas
These crunchy, savory chickpeas are highly addictive and chock full of nutrients like protein and vitamin B6.

1 can chickpeas
1/2 tablespoon curry powder (7.5ml)
1 tablespoon oil (15ml)
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Rinse chickpeas and drain well. In a large bowl, mix chickpeas, curry powder and oil. Spread them out single layer on a baking sheet, sprayed with nonstick vegetable oil. Roast for about 40 to 50 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Mango-Yogurt Ice Lolly
This cold treat is a great way to introduce fresh fruit and yogurt into your child’s diet. The calcium in the yogurt is great for growing bones and may help combat childhood obesity.

2 medium ripe mangoes
2 tablespoons honey (30ml)
½ cup water (125ml)
¼ cup sugar (62.5ml)
¼ cup lemon juice (62.5ml)
18 oz low-fat yogurt (530 ml)
Ice lolly molds

In a blender, combine mango, honey, water, sugar, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Chill mango mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Add yogurt to mango mixture. Pour into molds or paper cups. Cover and freeze overnight.