In our new weekly feature Pack It, we offer readers five tasty, healthy and inexpensive snacks for the office, your commute or just those days when you feel like trying something new. Each week on Friday, we'll provide you with a shopping list, along with five recipes you can prep on the weekend, and take along from Monday to Friday.
WHAT WE'RE COOKING THIS WEEK: Veggies
It's hard to eat your veggies every day, and if you're looking for a way to squeeze in a few nutritious vegetables during the week that also happen to fill you up between meals, eating healthy snacks at work is one way to go. According to Canada's Food Guide, women between the ages of 19 to 50 should have seven to eight fruits and vegetables a day, while men in the same age group should be eating eight to 10.
WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST:
Here's what you need to buy this week, while the other necessary ingredients (like pepper, salt and oils) are likely already in your kitchen.
- Sweet potatoes
- Sesame seeds
- Snap peas
- Sea salt
- Carrots
- Cardamom pods
- Fresh ginger
- Kale
- Almond butter
- Curry powder
- Cauliflower
- Coconut oil
Monday: Microwaved Sweet Potato
If you have a mini-oven or microwave at work, pop in a sweet potato for a couple of minutes, split it open and add a splash of orange juice on top. The best part? You can eat it right out of the skin.
Tuesday: Roasted Snap Peas
On Tuesday, make sure you get a dose of your green veggies. We love this sesame roasted snap pea recipe that will only take 10 minutes to prep the night before.
Get the full recipe here.
Wednesday : Glazed Carrots
Instead of bringing carrots and dip, try this recipe for glazed carrots with cardamon and ginger that will give you an extra kick during your lunch hour. Get the recipe here.
Thursday: Kale Chips
Kale may have been so 2013, but it's still a nutritious leafy green you can eat all year round. Even though we've seen tons of variations of kale chips, this zesty flavoured one seemed particularly appealing. Get the recipe here.
Friday: Roasted Cauliflower Poppers
2014 is all about cauliflower and if you're not a fan of eating it raw, we suggest roasting it with coconut oil and sea salt.
Get the recipe here.
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