Snack ideas Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Rocky Road Energy Snack Bar (No-Bake)

Rocky road is a good name for a lumpy and bumpy chocolate, marshmallow, and nut blend. This one has crystallized ginger and a few hidden bears that can make a challenging road over-bearing (!) and even more slippery.

Imagine driving over this rocky road.

And gratefully this is the edible kind… so the rockier and more challenging the better! 😊 One that you can make today.

An easy way to make your rocky road snack is with a setup where you have an easy Silpat (silicone sheet) set in a deeper baking pan that you can easily pull out. You don’t need baking paper or baking spray. This way ensures no sticking and no messy oils. It’s the easy road (if that pleases you).

In mine, I added some of my favorite plain salty satiating snacks like almonds and pretzels. And this one can be more healthy than a nutritional bar because there’s less sugar.

And you can sub or add in popcorn that’s fiber-rich as a whole grain. And that helps offset the happy food like marshmallows or anything with sugar.

But you can keep it low-sugar like I did… where most the sugar added is the healthy kind… dark chocolate and coconut. Sure, there are a few hidden gummy bears, but those surprises are worth the add!

And trail mix blending this all up in a tasty rocky road bar may just be the energy that’s needed to get you through to your next meal or dinner… and especially good for growing people with lotsa burning energy. 😊

In any event, a rocky road bar is a fun afternoon snack. And can be a colorful one that mimics colors and styles that can be found in nature.

Like rarely do you see straight lines in nature. Not even trees. Everything has some bends and swerves because they weren’t created with a straight edge.

A seemingly messy look is natural, as are beautiful curves.

And even man-made roads and steps aren’t straight as they’re built over nature’s bumps and curves.

And that’s okay!… nature is comfort and provides us with the natural (healthy) foods we can use to make a mimicking rocky road or tiffin bar.

They both are “kitchen sink” snacks as you can throw everything in the kitchen in them.

The one here is oozing with ingredients from nature:

Chocolate melted is like pitter patter rain in the mud tracks.

Cacao tree that produces the bean that cocoa is from. And then cocoa (paste) butter is used to make chocolate that looks a lot like the color of tree trunk and logs.

Almond trees provide almonds and almond flour.

Flowers like dried rose flowers after their season has ended.

Palm trees that produce (shredded) coconut and coconut oil that was used to easily melt the chocolate.

Pretzels, oh well are not natural but you can turn into a natural pretzel in your home yoga. And you can keep your rocky road all-natural if you sub in nuts and seeds.

Peanut butter is one you may have to think about… because we see it creamy in a jar, but nature provides peanuts from the ground up. Unlike tree nuts like almonds that grow from drupe seeds, peanuts come from pods that make them legumes. 🥜

Beans and peas are other different types of legumes. They share healthy in common. Plus, a garbanzo bean and a chick pea are one in the same.

I also added some bears to shake things up. This is a happy snack. 🎉 The happy bears at least fit in the nature theme. They add color, fun and texture when you bite into your rocky road bar.

…’Da bears add to daily comfort too (like stuffed bears 🧸).

And after you’re happy with your trail bar, you can take your rocky road bar and make a trail mix by breaking up the bar into smaller, uneven pieces.

They’ll fit right into your natural activities.

You can take them on your hikes in cooler months when chocolate won’t melt.

That helps remind us of season changes and autumn cooler temp relief is near.

Fall btw is Vata season, so it’s common that you crave sweet and salty more. This is when squirrel are gathering nuts. 🐿️ And us peeps are making trails.

With opposable thumbs you can take it a step further and make many one-of-a-kind rocky road bars. The kind that Rocky and Bullwinkle would love.

Look at these oozing delights read to dive into.

Oh, and if you want to amp up your healthy snacks with all-healthy ingredients, then try this chocolate chip coconut bar made with dates, oats, applesauce, and honey.

No-Bake Rocky Road Energy Snack Bar

A snack that's sweet and salty, with texture and the perfect afternoon snack for some energy

Course Snack

Prep Time 20

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2 oz cocoa powder (or healthy cacao powder)
2 oz natural peanut butter, creamy
1 oz shredded coconut
1 oz pretzels, broken small
2 oz nuts (almonds, peanuts, pine nuts) and/or seeds
4 oz melted chocolate
1 oz gummy bears (optional), marshmallow or healthier dried fruits
2 oz almond flour

Instructions

Add a baking sheet where the sides will come over the deeper baking pan so you can easily pull out. Use a pan at least 2 inches deep (e.g. a bread loaf pan).
Add a layer of almond flour for the base (or a dry powder like cocoa to absorb the more wet ingredients to come).
Pile a layer of the salty ingredients (nuts, seeds, pretzels, etc.). Drop spoonfuls of peanut butter randomly. You can leave looking rustic (like mud in nature) or smear in as another layer with a knife/offset spatula.
Pour melted chocolate.
Add some of the sweet ingredients (shredded coconut, gummy bears, dried fruits etc.) before the chocolate melts. Reserve some of the colorful sweets for the visible top later.
Add more salty and zhugh ingredients you want to see popping out of the bar.
When you're happy with your bar, refrigerate until set at least 20 minutes.
Pull out of the fridge, break or cut into rectangles or pieces. Enjoy! Store in fridge so the chocolate remains solid.

Fruit Roll Up – Homemade with Applesauce

Fruit roll up is a happy memory from when I was a kid. 💭

They were a sweet and light snack from the grocery store that melted in the mouth.

It was (and is) a cross between fruit + candy.

They came wrapped up in their own packaging and were attached to cellophane that I liked to play make things with when I was young. They were rolled up like scrolls.

Almost like the Dead Sea Scroll minus the ancient writing.

…And not that far back, my young days was when posters were the rage so anything rolled up meant happy entertainment or enjoyment.

Playing around, I haven’t had a fruit roll up like those until now as an adult. 😋

Decades later and these parchment paper looking treats are naturally preserved…

These were like the ones that ruined me to never want any other fruit roll up wannabes. 😅

These are the REAL DEAL.

Making these fruit roll ups bring me joy (...and maybe for you too?) because they resembled packaged old-fashioned fruit roll ups that you would buy at the store… minus additional sugar that’s not needed for these.

As thin as they are like sheets of music, these stack up nicely! 🪵…

Thin as paper and pretty as rice paper too.

They’re as durable as leather.

Technically they fall in the leather fruit category but are as smooth and supple as suede.

My mom was a dressmaker, so she played a role in influencing my fabric choices where I learned lighter materials are usually higher quality.

And I’d agree about that with this light leather fruit material…

These feel light and feathery (not leathery) and are very apple healthy! 🍏

Plus, they last for weeks at room temperature.

Made with apple they are a great fall snack that can be made year round.

It’s almost like wrapping paper… or maybe it’s an old map or a key to hieroglyphic history. However you want to call it, it’s a SWEEET fruit roll up.

Oh, and kidding aside, the BEST part is (…can you tell I’m getting excited that it just gets better? 😊)…

You can make these in your home oven in one hour and 20 minutes with just 5 minutes of prep time.

How’s that for predictability?

…Seriously it’s that easy!

They are fun (and dare I say relaxing) to make and everyone of all ages will love them! 💕

They make a great sweet snack without any artificial ingredients.

And actually just 2 sweet and natural ingredients that make a perfect duo. 🍏🍯

Using applesauce, you don’t even have to turn the stove on to cook down apples and de-core them… and they will turn out even better. Because for one, the apple fruit roll up will be more even.

…The first time you make them, don’t freak out because they turn transparent on a baking sheet.

Don’t worry, it’s there. 😀

…I tried that once with Aquafaba because I heard you could make meringues that way… and POOF! I wish I could say that was magic, but it was more like a trick. 🪄

They dissolved into thin oven air… but I digress.

These fruit roll ups will turn out… I promise.

These are the proof…

I’m so happy to share these with you through the screen. And I hope they make your day like they did for me the first time I made them. 🍥

(And maybe this will keep the kiddos staying happy and cavity-free as low-sugar goodies with plenty of sweetness… that are substitutable for a certain candy holiday 🎃).

And if you’re into experimenting (like I am gladly doing with sweets), you can try other flavors.

Keep in mind they will take longer to bake with more complex ingredients.

You will know when you touch or look at the baked fruit roll up whether it’s dry and done, or half-baked and almost there….

In this one, you can see here that the dry section is on the upper right area and the rest of the fruit roll up is not done… simply pop it back into the oven.

Change the time but don’t mess with the temperature.

This one took another 20-25 minutes to finish… and was worth the wait. ⏲️

Ready to make these? 😋

homemade fruit roll ups like the ones I had as a kid.

Easy Apple Fruit Roll Ups

These are no fuss-no muss apple fruit roll ups you can bake in under 2 hours. This will make 4 - 4 inch roll ups that are about 9 inches long.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

Silpat silicone baking mat on sheet pan

Ingredients

2 4 ounce applesauce cups, unsweetened
2 tbsp raw honey (high quality)

Instructions

Thoroughly combine apple sauce in a bowl and add honey. Tip: use a high quality honey with a smooth consistency.
Smear the mixture into a thin layer on a Silpat (silicone sheet) laid out on a baking pan. Tip: Use different light to check that there are no "holes" that show up with shadows.
Bake on 200°F/100°C for 80 minutes. Tip: if you add or experiment with other more vibrant colors and flavors, they can take significantly longer. You'll know it's completely done, when the fruit roll up is one uniform color and dry throughout to the touch.
Let cool completely and then start to peel at one corner and then slowly peel up the entire fruit roll up. Roll up, slice, and enjoy!

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes Cottage Cheese

Stuffed cherry tomatoes are a healthy dream snack.

When you add a filling with a great flavor pairing, that’s all you need for a moment of delicious joy.

These are good low calorie bites that you can snack on daily. You can pop or stuff in your mouth, a cherry tomato without feeling stuffed.

They flavor burst squirt the tomato juice so effortlessly and why kids can love them so easily because they’re a form of eating entertainment.

And if that’s mouth-entertainment you avoid, when you stuff them, you remove the squirt effect because you remove the inside juices.

The juicy inner parts are also the most sour tasting that you can save for a tomato sauce. An easy way to remove the center is to use a large round baker’s piping tip with open jaws or a star-shape one. ⭐️ Twist and scoop out the inside.

And then in its juicy place, add cooked quinoa (or cous cous would work and is even quicker).

Here with quinoa you get a nice bite that’s also a pseduo-grain that will help make it a filling protein snack.

Because quinoa is filled with the essential amino acids that are building blocks of protein.

And then add a small dollop cottage cheese topping (or your fave healthy creamy cheese) if you want to keep the healthy bite vibes.

You gotta love the micro healthy bites that help keep you tied over until dinner (instead of chocolate or salty bag snacks)!

And then finally to top it all off, add a green, fresh earthy bite that balances the acidic sweetness in tomatoes. 🍅

You can add asparagus or leafy herbs like mint or basil work well to give a 3rd dimensional taste. It’ll also give a color pop to the plate. 🌱

That’s what makes these stuffed cherry tomatoes, appetizer worthy: unique shapes, colors, and textures 🌿

There are a variety of tomatoes each season to deliver on their promised natural abilities. And maybe you experienced their abundance in your garden this year or discovered a new tomato in your store.

Another variety that’s similar in sweeter taste and juicy-ness is a plum tomato.

You can substitute cherry tomatoes with plum tomatoes if you want to do more stuffing as they’re larger. They look like new deviled eggs.

These below are filled with cous cous and gorgonzola creamy blue cheese protein.

You can make these snacks in minutes and I like that they look homemade and not like perfect little catering appetizers.

They’ll get gobbled up in seconds in a delicious and healthy way.

Tomatoes are full of Vitamin C, A, some B vitamins, fiber, and lycopene that’s anti-inflammatory (and even good for sunburns).

…Well, when you put it that way! 😊… maybe you’ll give them a try too.

Between carrots and tomatoes, you can have your healthy, low-calorie orange snack anytime of day. 🧡

Btw, you can take any tomato seeds and grow a plant. I started one a week ago and it has a green sprout 🌱 about 2 inches tall. Maybe growing tomatoes are the easiest produce plant to grow… as I’ve been told, have seen from others, and who knows?… maybe will see my own. 🤞

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes Cottage

These are like mini build-a-snack bites that delight.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

jumbo jaw piping tip

Ingredients

cherry tomatoes
cottage cheese
asparagus or fresh green herb

Instructions

Cut cherry tomatoes in half with a serated knife so they cut cleanly without squirting juice. An easy trick to remove the seeds is to use an open jaw or star piping tip. Swirl around and put the seeds aside and save them for a sauce. Or grow a tomato plant.
Add cooked quinoa (or grain substitute).
Add a dollop of cottage cheese.
Add green veggie zhugh for flavor and color!