Planning a mid-week catch up with your pals? We've teamed up with Centra and dietician Sarah Keogh to bring you some really tasty (and healthy!) treats for your next get-together.
Did you know that the average Irish daily consumption of fruit and veg is only 3.2 of the recommended 5 servings?
Give that number a boost this week by treating yourself to these snacks. Check them out below.
Spicy Kale Crisps
A surprisingly tasty, crispy alternative to fat-loaded snacks. The nut butter helps the flavour to stick and gives you the perfect crisp.
You'll need:
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 200g kale
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. salt
How to:
- Preheat the oven to 180oC
- Check the kale for any hard stalks and wash it well.
- Dry it well too (you can use a salad spinner and then blot with kitchen paper). Put the kale in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl mix the almond butter with the olive oil, cumin, chilli (if using), garlic powder and salt.
- Drizzle the mixture over the kale and spend a few minutes using your hands to coat the kale with the spices.
- Spread the kale out on baking trays – you may need 3 or 4 or just cook them in batches.
- Pop them in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes until they are crispy but still green. Leave them to cool for about 5 minutes then lift off the crispy ones and pop any that are still damp back into the oven to crisp up.
- They are best eaten that day but you can store them for 1-2 days in an air-tight container.
Steamed Kale and Sweet Potato
A super meal to get you over the midweek slump. You'll feel great after this nutritious snack
You'll need:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups of chopped kale
How to:
- Heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add diced sweet potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
- Add garlic
- Add kale, stir to combine with sweet potatoes. Cook 2-4 minutes.
Strawberry and Oat Crumble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXXfh7O0820
For the strawberry mix you'll need:
- 1 cup of chopped strawberries
- 1/2 tbsp of honey
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
For the crumble mix you'll need:
- 2 tbsp. porridge
- 1 tbsp. wholemeal flour
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/8 tsp. baking powder
- Pinch of cinnamon
How to:
- Add the chopped strawberries to a cup and drizzle with honey and vanilla
- Mix porridge, flour, baking powder, honey and cinnamon until well combined
- Place the crumble mixture on top of the strawberries and place in the microwave for 1 - 1.5 minutes. Check every 10 seconds after the first minute
- Finish with a fresh strawberry and yoghurt.
This article is brought to you by Centra. For lots more healthy snack ideas visit Centra.ie 
