Creating our suggestions, we have selected products available in most stores (you’re even likely to have them at home!). These snacks are a perfect choice for a picnic, journey or trip for the following reasons:
- they can be made ahead,
- they can be easily divided into smaller portions,
- they don’t make fingers greasy or sticky (they are not too wet, so you can conveniently enjoy them with no plates or cutlery),
- they are delicious and filling at the same time.
So let’s get started!
1. Power balls
Power balls are a kind of healthy sweets – a source of carbohydrates, omega fatty acids and vitamins. Many different recipes come under this name. To make them, you can use basically any food products stored in your cupboard, such as dried fruits, nuts or seeds. The important thing is to prepare a base that will keep the ingredients together and make the balls sweet. In our recipe, millet and dates are used for this purpose.
Ingredients for about a dozen balls:
- 1 cup slightly overcooked millet groats, cold
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 dash of salt
- 1 tbsp. nut butter
- 3 tbsp. premium cocoa
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- For decoration: bitter chocolate, shredded coconut, walnuts, almond flakes, cocoa.
Pour boiling water to cover the dates. Allow them to soak for about 15 minutes, then drain the water and blend them until smooth. Add millet, cocoa, a pinch of salt, nut butter (ideally home-made, based on recipes you can find HERE), and blend again. Add sunflower seeds toasted in a skillet. Shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls, then roll the balls in shredded coconut, cocoa, almond flakes, finely grated chocolate, or ground walnuts, depending on your preference. Refrigerate the balls for a few hours until they become firmer. They are easy to transport and you only need a few to satisfy your hunger.
2. Energy bars
It’s best to prepare them yourself – not only to have control over the ingredients (which sometimes give rise to concern), but also to save money. Store-bought products from this category are very expensive. Their home-made versions will be cheaper and definitely more delicious!
Ingredients for a few bars:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 big ripe banana
- 1 tbsp. runny honey or naturally sweet syrup (e.g. made from dates)
- ½ cup chopped dried fruits (apricots, dates, cranberries, raisins etc.)
- 2 tbsp. flax seeds
- 1 handful chopped nuts (any kind) or seeds (can be used whole).
Grind the flax seeds, using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder. Pour the rolled oats into a large bowl. Mash the banana with a fork in a separate bowl and then add it to the rolled oats along with the remaining ingredients. The mixture should become sticky, but if it hasn’t, you can add some water or milk.
Spread the mixture evenly across a baking tray lined with baking paper. The layer should be no more than half a centimeter thick. Bake the mixture at 180 degrees for 30 minutes and then cut it into rectangular bars any size you like.
3. Vegetable egg muffins
This super easy and delicious recipe only takes a moment to prepare. But the result is spectacular! You need silicon molds or a special muffin pan to make the muffins. If using the pan, you need to line the cups with baking paper first.
Ingredients for 10 muffins:
- 10 large eggs
- vegetables: button mushrooms, onion, zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, broccoli (the choice is up to you – adding everything that lingers in your fridge is a great option, too)
- olive oil for frying
- salt and pepper to taste.
Finely dice the vegetables. In a small skillet, sauté the vegetables with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil until lightly browned. The point is to enhance their flavor and boil off excess water. Set the vegetables aside to cool slightly.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and the vegetables. Divide the egg mixture into the muffin molds or cups and bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once cooled down, the muffins can be stored for a few days in the fridge.
4. Millet pudding in a jar
A perfect picnic treat: something sweet you can put in a small jar! The pudding is scrumptious, filling, and quick to prepare.
Ingredients (for two jars):
- 5 tbsp. millet groats
- milk (cow’s or vegetable)
- 1 banana, 1 ripe pear, or ½ soft and sweet apple, diced
- honey, syrup, stevia, or erythritol as a sweetener
- 1 heaped tbsp. nut butter or tahini
- 1 large pinch of salt
- jam or fresh fruit for decoration
Pour 1 cup of milk over the millet groats. Add salt and the fruit and bring to a boil. Cook until the groats are soft and fluffy. If all liquid has been absorbed, add another half a cup of milk or more (once you blend the pudding, it should be liquid in consistency). Towards the end of cooking, add the nut butter and the sweetener. How sweet you make the pudding is entirely up to you. Before you proceed to the next step, prepare two small jars.
Blend the hot groats with milk to liquid consistency with no lumps, and then immediately pour the mixture into the jars. Let the pudding cool completely; it will set as it cools. You can top your pudding with high-quality jam or diced fresh fruits (such as some of the 6 superfruits grown in Poland, providing unique benefits to athletes).
Close the jars and take them along on your trip!
5. Buckwheat crêpes
Can you imagine crêpes made from... just two ingredients? You can’t go wrong with this gluten-free vegan recipe! The crêpes work great as wraps, too, and the filling depends entirely on your taste preferences.
Ingredients for a few crêpes:
- ½ cup unroasted (white) buckwheat groats
- water
- salt
Put raw groats in a tall blender cup, add a cup of water, and let them soak for at least an hour. After this time, add a flat teaspoon of salt and blend the mixture. It should be a bit thinner than your regular crêpe batter.
Heat a high-quality non-stick frying pan well. You don’t need to use oil. Pour the batter onto the pan and fry just like regular crêpes. Each crêpe needs to fry for a few minutes on each side to become firm and golden brown.
Buckwheat crêpes come out a little thicker than other types of crêpes, so they are more nutritious and filling. You can fill them with anything: jam, cottage cheese, hummus and fresh vegetables.
Just roll them up and enjoy!