O-YA's After School Club Healthy Snack Recipies
Every day at O-YA's After School Homework Club, the kids enjoy a healthy snack. Over the past several months, O-YA has partnered with local Holistic Nutritionist Sarah Green to create a series of healthy (and yummy!) snacks that our Youth Workers prepare and serve to our hungry crowd. The result ... happy, well fed and healthy kids (usually accompanied by, "Hey, that's actually really good!" Or, "THIS is healthy for you?!").
Now, we would like to share what we've learned! Sarah Green has created a series of (After School Club kid tested ...) healthy snack recipes you will find available for download below. We hope that, whether you are at home trying to think of yet another idea for school or home snacks, you're at the grocery store trying to remember what the heck is in Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip muffins (use your smart phone to view the recipes!), or want help with, "We had Oat & Blueberry Pancakes today at O-YA! Can we make them at home ... pleeasssseeee?" these recipes come in handy. Enjoy!
To learn about Sarah Green's fabulous Healthy Eating Workshops For Adults at O-YA, click HERE.
For Sarah's Bio and a Note From Sarah, please click HERE.
Please note, some of these recipes feature quantities to feed our group of 20 After School Club participants - you might want to adjust to fit your needs.
Now, we would like to share what we've learned! Sarah Green has created a series of (After School Club kid tested ...) healthy snack recipes you will find available for download below. We hope that, whether you are at home trying to think of yet another idea for school or home snacks, you're at the grocery store trying to remember what the heck is in Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip muffins (use your smart phone to view the recipes!), or want help with, "We had Oat & Blueberry Pancakes today at O-YA! Can we make them at home ... pleeasssseeee?" these recipes come in handy. Enjoy!
To learn about Sarah Green's fabulous Healthy Eating Workshops For Adults at O-YA, click HERE.
For Sarah's Bio and a Note From Sarah, please click HERE.
Please note, some of these recipes feature quantities to feed our group of 20 After School Club participants - you might want to adjust to fit your needs.
| chocolate_banana_smoothie.pdf |
| fruit_smoothies.pdf |
| hummus_dip__baked_pita_chips_recipe.pdf |
| sarahs_energy_balls.pdf |
| oatmeal_banana_chocolate_chip_muffins.pdf |
| pumpkin_spice_and_chocolate_chip_muffins.pdf |
| o-ya_nut_free_granola_bars.pdf |
| o-ya_garlic_ranch_dip.pdf |
| homemade_pizza_sauce.pdf |
| whole_wheat_oatmeal_darke_chocolate_chip_cookies.pdf |
| oat_and_blueberry_pancakes.pdf |
| o-ya_chicken_noodle_soup.pdf |
| o-yas_taco_meatballs.pdf |
| o-yas_vegetarian_chili.pdf |
A 'healthy snacking' interview with Holistic Nutritionist Sarah Green
Sarah, what is the importance of snacks and what should we serve?
Our bodies need fuel every 3 - 4 hours. Our fuel is food! It is important that the fuel we give ourselves is as clean as possible. This means that we should try and stay away from the packaged, processed foods that don't provide us with all the goodness that natural food can. Fresh, homemade food is the way to go! Your snack does not have to be huge! Think of it as the 'bridge' between lunch and dinner. Just enough to keep your body in balance. The best thing to munch on if you are still hungry is raw vegetable sticks. Maybe try drinking a glass of water, because sometimes our body sends a signal for hunger when really it is just thirsty.
It is important to add protein, complex carbohydrates and /or fibre with our snacks. These are the things that fill us up and make sure that our blood sugar stays stable. Blood sugar is how energy gets to all our cells. Our cells can't handle any quick, overloaded amounts. If we give our cells too much too quickly, it can lead to diabetes and obesity. WE DON'T WANT THAT!!! We have to be careful about how and what we eat every day. By giving our body protein and fibre and choosing whole grains and real fruits and vegetables, we can keep our bodies super healthy!
Why protein, and what are good sources of protein?
Protein increases your energy and lessens cravings for sugary treats. It helps your immune system stay healthy and helps you sleep better too! Protein is good for your brain and your bones and keeps you body full and satisfied. Here are some samples of protein sources that you probably eat during your day:
Any animal meal: chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, fish
Eggs
Cheese
Cow or goat milk
Soy milk
Yogurt
Tofu
Beans
Nuts & seeds
Oatmeal
Hummus
Where do we find good sources of fibre?
There is fibre in every vegetable we eat. There is also fibre in most fruit too (especially apples, pears and berries). We use whole wheat or spelt flour and whole oats in our recipes because they have more protein and fibre than the processed, white stuff. Fibre helps keep you feeling full and keeps you regular (if you know what I mean!!).
What are Complex Carbohydrates?
Complex Carbohydrates means whole fruits, whole vegetables and flours that haven't been overly processed, and have as much good stuff left as possible. The natural sugars in these foods enter our bloodstream at a much slower an healthier rate and our bodies like that.
Why don't your recipes contain white sugar?
We use more natural sweeteners like maple syrup, agave nectar and honey because white sugar is too much of a shock to our cells. White sugar gets into our blood WAAAAY too quickly, and sometimes our body doesn't know what to do with it. Most of the time our body will store it as fat! White sugar doesn't have anything good to offer us. In fact, our body needs us to use up vitamins and minerals from other good food in order to help us digest it. Try and stay away from this stuff. The occasional chocolate bar or piece of candy is a nice treat, but there is no need for pop ... some pop has 17 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR IN EACH CAN!!!! YIKES!!!! There are many other bad things about pop, but I will spare you the details and just ask you not to drink it. Thanks!!!
And, finally, what about draining water?
Your body is over 60% water! That is over HALF of you!! It is very important to give yourself the water it needs throughout the day. It is the only drink you need! Drinking water will increase your energy and power your brain! Your body uses water for everything it does to keep you healthy.
Our bodies need fuel every 3 - 4 hours. Our fuel is food! It is important that the fuel we give ourselves is as clean as possible. This means that we should try and stay away from the packaged, processed foods that don't provide us with all the goodness that natural food can. Fresh, homemade food is the way to go! Your snack does not have to be huge! Think of it as the 'bridge' between lunch and dinner. Just enough to keep your body in balance. The best thing to munch on if you are still hungry is raw vegetable sticks. Maybe try drinking a glass of water, because sometimes our body sends a signal for hunger when really it is just thirsty.
It is important to add protein, complex carbohydrates and /or fibre with our snacks. These are the things that fill us up and make sure that our blood sugar stays stable. Blood sugar is how energy gets to all our cells. Our cells can't handle any quick, overloaded amounts. If we give our cells too much too quickly, it can lead to diabetes and obesity. WE DON'T WANT THAT!!! We have to be careful about how and what we eat every day. By giving our body protein and fibre and choosing whole grains and real fruits and vegetables, we can keep our bodies super healthy!
Why protein, and what are good sources of protein?
Protein increases your energy and lessens cravings for sugary treats. It helps your immune system stay healthy and helps you sleep better too! Protein is good for your brain and your bones and keeps you body full and satisfied. Here are some samples of protein sources that you probably eat during your day:
Any animal meal: chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, fish
Eggs
Cheese
Cow or goat milk
Soy milk
Yogurt
Tofu
Beans
Nuts & seeds
Oatmeal
Hummus
Where do we find good sources of fibre?
There is fibre in every vegetable we eat. There is also fibre in most fruit too (especially apples, pears and berries). We use whole wheat or spelt flour and whole oats in our recipes because they have more protein and fibre than the processed, white stuff. Fibre helps keep you feeling full and keeps you regular (if you know what I mean!!).
What are Complex Carbohydrates?
Complex Carbohydrates means whole fruits, whole vegetables and flours that haven't been overly processed, and have as much good stuff left as possible. The natural sugars in these foods enter our bloodstream at a much slower an healthier rate and our bodies like that.
Why don't your recipes contain white sugar?
We use more natural sweeteners like maple syrup, agave nectar and honey because white sugar is too much of a shock to our cells. White sugar gets into our blood WAAAAY too quickly, and sometimes our body doesn't know what to do with it. Most of the time our body will store it as fat! White sugar doesn't have anything good to offer us. In fact, our body needs us to use up vitamins and minerals from other good food in order to help us digest it. Try and stay away from this stuff. The occasional chocolate bar or piece of candy is a nice treat, but there is no need for pop ... some pop has 17 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR IN EACH CAN!!!! YIKES!!!! There are many other bad things about pop, but I will spare you the details and just ask you not to drink it. Thanks!!!
And, finally, what about draining water?
Your body is over 60% water! That is over HALF of you!! It is very important to give yourself the water it needs throughout the day. It is the only drink you need! Drinking water will increase your energy and power your brain! Your body uses water for everything it does to keep you healthy.
