UAE: 9 Healthy snack hacks for home-learning kids from Annabel Karmel

With at least half of UAE of children still schooling at home this term, you want to ensure they are alert and fuelled on the right nutritious foods for their learning and development. Snacks play a big part in this and can help to boost their concentration and energy levels during the course of the day. Here, celebrity cook and children’s recipe book author Annabel Karmel shares her favourite snack ideas for home learning…

MAKE THE MOST OF STORECUPBOARD STAPLES: A well-stocked store cupboard means you can rustle up a healthy snack without even having to go to the shops. Make the most of your store cupboard ingredients by crafting some mini energy balls or bars out of oats, dried fruit such as raisins and dates, nuts and peanut butter. Simply whizz in a blender and roll into balls or flatten into bars. These are sure to give your little learner a mid morning or afternoon energy boost and they’ll jump at the chance to help you in the kitchen too. Make a big batch and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days for a week’s worth of healthy snacks.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: Snacks don’t need to be overly complicated or time consuming. The key is to keep your snacks simple and healthy. Some quick and easy options include yoghurt with berries, a peanut butter and banana sandwich using wholemeal bread or carrot and cucumber batons with hummus, salsa or guacamole (kids will love to dip and dunk!)

CONSIDER BRAIN-BOOSTING NUTRIENTS: Snacking is a great way to up your child’s nutrition intake. I personally like to make frittata muffins or mini egg cups. Eggs are my go-to as they are packed full of nutrients including high quality protein as well as vitamins and minerals including folate, vitamin D, iodine, selenium, choline and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for all family members. Frittata muffins or egg cups will keep your little one feeling fuller for longer – meaning they’ll reach less for sugary snacks.

BLEND FOOD GROUPS: I also like to try and make sure that snack time is made up of two different food groups or two essential nutrients so that you’re packing a nutritional come snack time. This might look like a healthy fat such as avocado slices on a few fingers of toast – an energy-giving carbohydrate. Or pitta bread fingers with hummus, cheese sticks with melon slices, or maybe oat cakes with a glass of milk.

INCORPORATE LEARNING: With kids at home all day, you’ll need to get creative in coming up with new ways to help them learn (and keep them entertained!). Getting kids helping out in the kitchen is more than just teaching them about a balanced diet: as they weigh and measure ingredients they are developing maths skills without even realising, and following recipe instructions and being mindful of utensils are both good life skills. Start off with a simple savoury muffin recipe which makes for a nutritious snack. You can experiment with lots of different fillings and toppings and it’s an opportunity to add a little learning in too. Plus, it’s a wonderfully wholesome activity to keep them entertained for an hour or so too.

ADD A LITTLE THEATRE: Children can get fed up when the same snacks are on offer day in day out, so why not present them in a slightly new way to keep it interesting. It’s also a tactic to make healthy options exciting! Fruit is a great snack in its own right but why not try threading pieces on colourful straws to make fruit kebabs, cutting out star shapes using a cookie cutter or even making your own fruit ice lollies. Presenting food with a bit of added theatre can make all the difference in creating instant child appeal. Here are three exclusive healthy snack recipes that you can try with your children...

A homemade savoury muffin makes for a delicious snack and will help top up your little one’s energy levels mid-afternoon. METHOD: 1.Preheat the oven to 180C Fan. Line a muffin tin with 10 muffin cases. 2. Whisk the egg, flour, baking powder, milk and oil together in a large bowl. 3.Add the carrot, herbs, spring onion and cheese and fold together. Spoon into the cases. 4.Bake in the oven for 18 minutes until well risen and lightly golden brown.

Make fruit fun! It’s no secret that kids love pizza so transform watermelon into slices of ‘pizza’ complete with toppings of berries, yoghurt and fresh mint. METHOD 1. Cut a thick slice of Watermelon, roughly 1 inch thick. 2. Dollop yogurt onto the slice of watermelon then top with fresh berries, mint and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Cut into pizza slices and serve.

This lockdown favourite is equally good for breakfast as it is a mid-morning or midternoon snack. METHOD: 1.Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan 160ºC/gas mark 4). Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. 2.Put all the ingredients, except the raisins and seeds, into a bowl. Whisk until light and fluffy. Stir in the raisins. Spoon into the tin. Sprinkle with seeds. 3.Bake for 55 minutes until well risen and light golden. Insert a skewer into the centre to make sure it is cooked – it should come out clean. 4.Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting into slices.