After school snacks recipe collection

By Bio Island Nutrition Team

After busy days filled with learning, playing and growing, kids need fuel after school to get them through afternoons filled with sports, music practice, homework, playing with friends and so much more. Here are 5 recipes to use during the week which are easy to prepare after school in a rush and some the kids can help make as well. Find below recipes for:

• Egg and lettuce rolls
• Mini frittata bites 
• Fruit and yoghurt
• Hummus and vegie sticks
• Beef and caramelised onion sausage rolls 

Egg and Lettuce rolls

Prep: 10-15 minutes | Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 4 hardboiled eggs, peeled
• 2 tablespoons whole-egg mayonnaise
• 8 slices multigrain bread
• 2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Roughly chop the eggs and place in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, salt and pepper and then mash with a fork to combine mixture.
2. Remove the crust from the bread and slightly flatten with a rolling pin.
3. Spread a layer of the egg mixture onto the bread, not too much and making sure to leave a 1cm border at 1 end of the bread.
4. Top with lettuce and roll up starting at the opposite end left clean.
5. Wrap in cling wrap and place in fridge for a few minutes to set.

• Check and easy snack you can have preplanned and have in the fridge for 2-3 days.
• Eggs are a great source of protein, vitamin B’s and D.
• You can use different vegetables or even use ham for more variations.

Mini Frittata Bites

Prep: 10-15 minutes | Cook: 30-40 minutes | Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 8 eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 40g finely grated parmesan
• 250g shredded zucchini
• 250g shredded sweet potato
• ¼ cup of peas
• Optional add in’s: shredded ham, feta, roast vegetables or herbs to add some extra flavour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170C/150C fan forced.
2. Heat oil in a large oven proof pan, once heated place sweet potato and onions in and cook for 8 minutes or until softened.
3. Add zucchini and peas in pan and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add any addition herbs or vegetables and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from pan.
4. Whisk eggs in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of water and season. Add in parmesan and mix.
5. Pour egg mixture into pan and slowly add the vegetable mix in, cook for 5 minutes.
6. Sprinkle some extra parmesan on top to add some extra texture.
7. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set.
8. Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool down for a minutes before cutting into small squares.

• This can be eaten cold or hot and different variations. Also, can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days

Fruit and yoghurt

Prep: 10 - 20 minutes | Serves: 3-4 or increase for more serves

Ingredients:

• 1 green or red apple, washed & sliced into wedges
• 1 orange, peeled & cut into wedges
• 1 small banana, peeled & sliced
• ½ cup strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
• 2 kiwifruits, peeled & cut into wedges
• 200g Watermelon, peeled & cut into small cubes
• 1 cup Greek yogurt

Method:

1. Wash and cut all fruit and place in a bowl.
2. Place Greek yogurt in a separate bowl.

This snack can be eaten by allowing the kids to select the fruit and mix in a bowl with the yogurt or they can dip the fruit in the yogurt. Depending on the children’s age is where certain fruits can be added or removed, being aware of small fruits that can cause choking hazards.

• Another optional add on is to drizzle honey over the fruit or passionfruit pulp.
• All fruit will offer various vitamins and minerals and are an essential part of growing bodies.
• Greek yogurt is different from other yogurts as it goes through a process which removes the whey; whey is a liquid that contain lactose, a natural sugar found in milk.
• Greek yogurt is a great source of calcium and probiotics

Hummus with vegie sticks

Prep: 15 minutes | Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 100ml olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Tahini Paste
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 celery stick, cut into thin batons
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin batons
• 1 cucumber, cut into thin batons

Method:

1. Place chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, tahini paste, lemon juice and cumin in a food processor and process until combined. Add ¼ cup of water and process until smooth texture appears.
2. Wash and cut vegetables into thin batons and place on a plate.
3. Place hummus into a bowl and serve.

Storage:

You can keep hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, remembering to label the date that you made it.

• There are various dipping options you can try; roast vegetables, turkish bread, cheese sticks or other vegetables eg: capsicum, snow peas or broccolini.
• Chickpeas are an excellent source of iron
• Dependent on the vegetables selected they will offer various vitamins and minerals
• Hummus is a great source of dietary fiber, offering 6 grams of fiber per 100g
• Hummus is gluten, nut and dairy free

Beef & Caramelised Onions Sausage Rolls

Prep: 30 – 40 minutes | Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 600g Beef Sausages, skin removes
• ½ cup caramelized onion relish
• 1 Tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed and halved
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Poppy seeds for sprinkling
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• Tomato relish, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Place the sausage meat, caramelized onion, tomato paste, salt and pepper in a bowl and combine. Making sure to mix all ingredients in well.
3. Divide the sausage mixture into 4 even portions and roll into sausage shapes. Place down the center of each pastry half and then brush the edges with egg.
4. Roll to enclose, making sure the seam is underneath and place on lightly greased oven tray lined with non- stick baking paper.
5. Brush with egg and sprinkle with the poppy seeds.
6. Cook for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
7. Serve with relish.

• You can have these prepared in advance. Freeze the remaining and defrost and heat when needed. Making sure to wrap individually. When reheating it will usually take around 15minutes with oven at 180 degrees or cook until heated all the way through.
• When purchasing the beef sausages, make sure to check the ingredients panel and that the main ingredients say beef or meat you are after and not just sausage meat. This not only helps control the ingredients you are using but also can confirm no added nasties or mixed varieties of meat.
• Also check the sodium levels when choosing the sausages. 400mg per 100g is what to look out for.