Food

How to beat the 3pm munchies

Need a 3pm pick-me-up? Here’s how to beat 3:30-itis the plant-based way.

We’ve all been there: you’ve had lunch, you can almost start counting down the minutes to after-work drinks or a home-cooked meal, but you just need something to get you through the final hours. While it can be tempting to power through with chips or a muffin, reaching for nutrient-free foods is only going to make you sluggish, irritable, and bloated.

We’re all about keeping a rumbling stomach at bay and know that there are healthier options to keep you going until the end of the workday. Here are some of our go-to’s when we want something more than a handful of fruits, nuts, or carrot sticks:

Banana Nice Cream

The best recipes are the ones that only require one ingredient. For this, all you’ll need is a frozen banana and a food processor or blender. Place the banana in the blender on high for around 30 seconds, and you’ve got a snack loaded with potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B6.

For a creamier texture, add some unsweetened almond milk; for other variations, try adding in your favourite nut butter, vanilla extract, frozen mango, or raw cacao powder.

Kale Chips

Seriously, is there anything kale can’t do? With this crispy, salty snack, you’ll forget you were ever reaching for a bag of chips. Prepare these in batches by preheating the oven to around 1750°C. Drizzle the kale with olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are brown.

To spice things up, rub the kale in tahini or sprinkle with chilli powder before baking.

Rice Cakes

Sure, rice cakes have a reputation of tasting like cardboard and do little to tempt you away from the doughnuts someone left in the break room, but that’s before you get creative. Rice cakes can be the perfect canvas for a variety of your favourites. Smother them in your nut butter of choice with some raspberries, blueberries, bananas, and chia seeds sprinkled on top.

For a savoury option, use them as a base for hummus, rocket, and mixed seeds. You can even toss on some avocado for a lighter take on a smashed avo.

Protein Balls

You’ve likely seen these guys popping up in cafes and organic shops, but they can be pretty pricey for one little ball.

To make some simple protein balls at home, all you’ll need is dates, rolled oats, shredded coconut, and your nut butter of choice, though you can scour the vegan blogs for an endless variety of flavours and combinations. Each ball is packed with fibre, antioxidants, and minerals like potassium, folate, and magnesium, which will boost your immune system, skin, mood, energy levels, digestive system… we’d keep listing the benefits, but we think you get the point. If you don’t have the time to make your own, add our Choco Delights balls to your next Soulara order and have a couple ready to nibble on whenever you get peckish.

Of course, if lunch isn’t leaving you satisfied, you might want to reconsider what you’re eating. Our plant-based ready-made meals can be delivered straight to your office to give you nutritious, delicious lunches that won’t leave you Googling pictures of food all afternoon.

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Published: 19/07/17

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