Power Snacking 101 Recipes

Strategic Mini Meals

By: Pam Smith, RDN

My Virtual Flavor kitchen was filled this week with countless delicious and nutritious snacks you can make in your own kitchen (watch this Pam Smith Flavor Show Episode here). Remember, eating strategic mini meals evenly spaced throughout the day is the way to eat well, live well… and even sleep well!

See below for these go-to power snack recipes:

• Homemade Chai Peanut Butter

• Sweet and Savory Quesadilla Pockets

• Four Hour Power Fruit & Nut “Truffles”

• Four Hour Power Fruit & Nut Mix

Want to get the flavors that make this meal magical? They’re all available at psflavor.com!

Homemade Chai Peanut Butter

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts, unsalted or lightly salted

• 1 tablespoon P.S. Flavor!™ Mai Chai

• 1-2 tablespoon honey, if desired

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, if desired

• 1-2 tablespoons peanut or other oil, if desired

Method

1. Place the peanuts into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times just until chopped. For chunky peanut butter, remove ½ cup of chopped nuts and set aside.

2. Process for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The mixture will look gritty and dry, like coarse salt.

3. Process for another minute, then stop and scrape down the sides. At this point, the mixture will be shiny and softened, but not yet peanut butter!

4. Sprinkle Mai Chai over the top, and the honey, salt and oil, if using. And then process an additional 1-2 minutes until it’s completely smooth and spreadable. Taste and add more spice, salt or honey if needed. If you reserved some nuts for chunky peanut butter, add them now and pulse a few times to combine.

5. Transfer to a storage container and cover. It’s ready to enjoy!
   

Four Hour Power Fruit & Nut Mix

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts, unsalted

• 2 cups dry roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly salted

• 1 cup dried red tart cherries, unsweetened

• 1 cup dried blueberries, unsweetened

• 1 cup dried cranberries

• 1 cup golden raisins

Method

1. Mix together nuts, seeds and dried fruits.

2. For portability, portion 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of mixture into airtight bags.
   

Four Hour Power Fruit & Nut "Truffles"

Yields: Approximately 30 truffles

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts, unsalted

• 2 cups dry roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly salted

• 1 cup dried red tart cherries, unsweetened

• 1 cup dried blueberries, unsweetened

• 1 cup dried cranberries

• 1 cup golden raisins

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, as needed

• 1 tablespoon P.S. Flavor!™ Mai Chai, optional

• Finely ground pepitas, for “rolling”

Method

1. Grind nuts and seeds together in food processor with cutting blade, with short pulses being sure not to turn into nut butter, add dried fruits and continue to pulse until sticky enough to form into balls, adding fresh orange juice as needed for moisture. Add Mai Chai, if using, and pulse again to incorporate.

2. Form into balls and roll in pumpkin seeds to form “truffles”.
   

Quesadilla "Pockets"

Ingredients

• 6 inch whole wheat flour tortilla, such as Ole High Fiber or Mission

• 2 tablespoons salsa

• 2 tablespoons drained black beans or shredded chicken or scrambled eggs

• 2 tablespoons mashed avocado

• 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese

• Sprinkle of P.S. Flavor!™ Adobo Kitchen or Creole Kitchen

OR

• 6 inch whole wheat flour tortilla, such as Ole High Fiber or Mission

• 1 1/2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

• 1 tablespoon all-fruit jam

• 2 tablespoons sliced strawberries, bananas or dried red tart cherries

• 1 1/2 tablespoons light cream cheese

• Sprinkle of P.S. Flavor!™ Mai Chai

OR

• 6 inch whole wheat flour tortilla, such as Ole High Fiber or Mission

• 1 1/2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

• 1 tablespoon roasted tomatoes or tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon peppers or mushrooms

• 2 tablespoons shredded part-skimmed mozzarella

• Sprinkle of P.S. Flavor!™ Mambo Italiano

Method

1. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut the tortilla halfway through on one side.

2. Add your fillings to each quadrant of the circle, ending with the cheese. Sprinkle with seasoning blend.

3. Starting from one of your cut corners, fold each corner in so each filling has its own little pocket.

4. Cook it on a heated skillet on both sides (or in a panini pan) until browned and cheese is melted.

5. Enjoy a warm melty quesadilla with all the ingredients in every bite!

Haydari Walnut Yogurt Dip

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt (Fage is my favorite)

• 3 tablespoons feta cheese, grated

• 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped

• 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced

• PS Flavor!™ Creole Kitchen, or Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

• 1 teaspoon olive oil, for garnish (optional)

• 1 teaspoon Creole Kitchen or paprika, for garnish

• Sprig of fresh mint or parsley

Method

1. Mix all ingredients with a spoon until well blended.

2. Place in a serving dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Creole Kitchen or paprika.

3. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint or parsley.