Being stuck at home during the coronavirus lockdown makes it easier than ever to gorge on unhealthy treats from our kitchen cupboards.

There’s no one watching and they are only a few metres away at all times!

Whilst it’s OK to have a slightly unhealthy treat every now and then, it shouldn’t become a daily habit.

What we eat is so important for our physical health and mental health.  Therefore, it’s vital we nourish ourselves with the most nutritious plant based food every day for health and vitality.

If you’re a snacker then don’t worry – you can still make healthier choices whilst satisfying that craving.

Here are several healthy snack ideas and inspiration to get you started including discount codes, homemade recipe ideas and brand recommendations.

Healthy snacks to buy + make

graze

graze are home to over 100 delicious healthy snack combinations that are sent by post to any UK delivery address.

They have four pages of vegan snacks made from natural ingredients from flapjacks to pretzel sticks.

There are numerous fruit and nut combinations and even some with chocolate!

To help you through the lockdown, graze are offering a whopping 30% off all their online shop orders with graze discount code 30OFF

Simply enter code 30OFF at the checkout once you have placed your order in the graze online shop.

Abel and Cole

We get a fruit and vegetable box every week from Abel and Cole.  We love to support local organic farmers and invest in a better future with less chemicals.

Filling up your fruit bowl with lots of delicious healthy colourful fruit is a great way to make snacking healthy and nutritious.

Get a box of organic fresh fruit delivered to your door every week with Abel and Cole.  Enter code BOX20 at checkout to get your fourth box for free!

Homemade milkshakes + smoothies in seconds

If you don’t already own a smoothie cup or blender then I think it’s a great investment.  I’ve had my smoothie cup blender from Ninja for six years and it’s just as powerful as the day I bought it.

It makes smoothies or homemade milkshakes in seconds.  It’s much healthier to make your own with fresh wholesome ingredients!

Blend a banana and spoonful of cacao powder with your favourite plant based milk for a delicious healthy, no added sugar, milkshake in seconds.

Make your own oat milk

Constantly buying plant based milk can get expensive, especially if there are a lot of you.

Instead, save money and learn how to make your own oat milk at home.  It’s really easy and only needs two ingredients.

Also a great tip for when the shops are wiped out of milk during the lockdown!

To make a healthy flavoured milk then add some freeze dried fruit powder.

Grow your own

There are so many reasons to grow your own food and lots of companies are selling plants online during the lockdown.

Strawberries and carrots are easy plants to grow and perfect for snacking on!

Make your own ice lollies

Skip the store bought ice lollies that are usually full of sugar and make your own ice lollies.

Here’s a really easy recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 mugs of raspberries(ours were freshly picked from the garden, hence they were in mugs!)
• 2 bananas( I love Abel and Cole organic bananas)
• 500ml Coconut drink(I used Rude Health’s Organic Coconut Drink, but you can use your favourite plant based milk)

Method

1. Pop it in your blender (mine went into my Nutri Ninja) and pulse until smooth
2. Pour into ice lolly moulds and freeze until set!

Try a vegan lifestyle subscription box

Check out this online vegan supermarket for lots of yummy plant based snack ideas that you can order right from their supermarket.

Alternatively, sign up to their lifestyle subscription box for delicious monthly treats.  You’ll get a surprise box of goodies every month that are all suitable for vegans and a great way to try some new plant based snacks.

Healthy chocolate

Chocolate doesn’t have to be bad for you.  Raw cacao powder is full of nutrients and can be used in so many recipes.  Click here for loads of cacao powder recipes and inspiration.

Here’s an easy no-bake raw chocolate brownie recipe to get you started:

Ingredients

• 2 cups soaked dates (soaked in warm water for 20 minutes to make them sticky, then drained)
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup almonds

Method

Put all the ingredients into a food processor & pulse until they form a big sticky ball.  Press into a relevant sized tray, freeze for one hour and then move to the fridge.  Cut into squares.

Easy peasy!

Topped crackers and rice cakes

We love Kallo organic rice cakes and even rye Ryvita. These make quick and healthy snacks, both savoury and sweet.

Our favourite toppings are peanut butter, jam, marmite and vegan cheese with soy or olive spread.

To keep things as healthy as possible we only buy 100% fruit jam with no other ingredients and 100% nut butter.

Check out some more delicious cracker topping ideas.

Healthy vegan sandwich

A sandwich can be a quick snack idea or a meal in its own right.  As a snack, try just one piece of bread or opt for a wrap or pitta as they usually have less questionable ingredients.

If you can, make your own bread and always choose wholemeal.

Here are 21 easy vegan sandwich filling ideas that don’t contain soy or added sugar.

Snack on superfoods

There are lots of delicious superfoods that you can snack on straight out of the packet like dried goji berries and raw cacao nibs.  These sorts of snacks will give you lots of nutrients as well as tasting delicious and satisfying a craving!

Find more ways to use superfoods in your everyday recipes in my  blog post how to easily eat super foods every week

Keep it simple

You don’t need to make anything or order anything special to snack healthily.  Keep it simple with fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and raw veggies like carrots, pepper and cucumber.

Hopefully this blog post has given you lots of healthy snack ideas and inspiration!