One of the main problems for a dancer is finding the time and deciding what to eat during long rehearsals, in between dance classes, and more, that will help energize you and sustain you during performances. Here I have compiled a list of my favourite snack ideas which have now become my go-to- snack ideas when I prepare for dance class:
1. Granola Bar
This is an easy snack that depending on which brand and flavour you pick can alter your overall performance. One of my favourite brands for granola bars are called, "True to Nature" and they are organic granola bars that you can buy in a combo pack at Costco. The pack that I always buy is a mix of 8 pomegranate almond, 8 rich peanut butter, and 8 simply sweet seeds. Personally, my favourite flavours out of the three are the pomegranate almond and the simply sweet seeds, the rich peanut butter ones aren't that bad or anything, I just happen to not like the way those ones taste. I've had many friends and family who enjoy them, so it must be a personal thing! You can also make your own granola bars which I've done before and have had amazing results. One of my favourite recipes is for Multiseed Cranberry Energy Bars.
Here's the link to the recipe: https://www.canadianliving.com/food/recipe/multiseed-cranberry-energy-bars
2. Baby Carrots
I love baby carrots! They are one of my favourite go to snacks you can also have them with dips such as guacamole, hummus, tzatziki, or ranch dressing! Whatever you like! Personally, I like to eat them as they are, but I generally don't like dips that much anyways. Carrots are great for their many benefits including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Beta-Carotene, Fibre, Vitamin K, Potassium (K), Folate, Manganese, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Vitamin E, and Zinc. This will provide you with lots of energy and is great for your eyesight, digestion, and overall health. Also if you feel ambitious and want to make tzatziki I have a great recipe for you. It's quick to make and there will be lots to go around!
Here's the link to the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/greek-tzatziki/
3. Celery Sticks with Nut Butter and Raisins
This snack is super easy to make and a great energy booster. Some common nut butters include: almond, cashew, peanut, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio, and walnut. You can also buy seed butters such as: pumpkin seed, sesame seed, soybean, and sunflower seed. I also like having Superbutter which is a combination of sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds. It tastes amazing and there are 4 different types although, I've only ever had the original. It's also nut free, peanut free, and gluten free, so you can easily bring these to school, or work! Nuts also provide you with protein, fibre, essential fats, vitamins, and minerals. My favourite types of raisins include: sultana or Thompson. I've had other kinds but I find that these two are my favourite go to raisins. They help add a bit of sweetness to the celery sticks and nut butter.
To make these:
1. Wash the celery sticks with water and place them on a cutting board or plate.
2. Cut each celery stick into 4-5 lengths.
3. Pick out your favourite nut butter and spread it on top of each celery stick in the hollow region of the celery stick.
4. Place your desired amount of raisins on top of each celery stick (I usually use 4-5 raisins depending on the length of the celery stick and the size of the raisins).
5. Voila! You're snack is ready to eat!
4. Fruit
Fruit is a great snack for children, tweens, teens, and adults. It provides you with lots of vitamins, energy, and minerals. My favourite fruits include: strawberries, blueberries, apples, papaya, mango, pineapple, watermelon, apricots, plums, cherries, grapes, longan, lychee, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, pears, apple pears, pomegranate, and persimmon. Now I know this is a long list of fruit but sometimes you run out of options and it's good to know what types of fruit are out there. As for dried fruit my favourites include: raisins, dates, cranberries, goji berries, apricots, mangoes, apples, strawberries, figs, persimmon, and pineapple. You can also buy packs of freeze dried fruit from places like Costco, which are really handy these are usually: strawberries, pineapples, grapes, bananas, and apples.
5. Nuts
Nuts are a great source of both healthy fatty acids and protein. My favourite type of nuts are unsalted roasted organic almonds. However, there are also many other types of nuts that are popular including cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, and more! A great snack on the go that you can also add dried fruits such as raisins, strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries to for a tasty treat!
6. Cheese and Crackers
My favourite types of crackers for crackers and cheese are Mary's Organic Seed Crackers or Organic Rice Crackers. Both can be easily found at any organic grocery store such as Trader Joe's, IGA's, Costco, etc. As for cheese I personally like mozzarella cheese, but other type so cheese include Swiss, cheddar, gorgonzola, and more!
7. Yogurt with Granola
You can easily make this in the morning for breakfast by buying your favourite yogurt I like to buy vanilla organic yogurt and by adding your favourite toppings. Some toppings include berries, fruit, granola, honey, cereal, and ground flax!
8. Vegetables
Vegetables are a great way to get in your vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. My favourite snacking vegetables are baby carrots, snap peas, and celery sticks. You can also eat them with a dressing or a dip such as nut butters, ranch sauce, etc.
9. Baked Oatmeal Cups
These are positively delicious and a great way to start a morning all you need are some oats, milk, apples, cinnamon, eggs, and an oven and you're ready to go! You can find the recipe on my baking blog as well or in the link I've provided for you below!
Here's the link to the recipe: http://thewholesomedish.com/go-baked-oatmeal-favorite-toppings/
10. Apple Slices with Nut Butter
All you need to do is cut up an apple using either an apple cutter or a knife and then pick out your favourite nut butter and put it in a small dish to use for dipping your apples.
11. Edamame
Super easy you can either buy them fresh or frozen. All you have to do is steam them over a pot of boiling water on a stove for about 15-20min depending on the quantity and whether they are fresh or frozen. Then when they are soft you can sprinkle on some sea salt and your snack is ready to go!
12. Avocado and Egg on Toast with Pink Himalayan Salt
This a super simple and easy to make breakfast/snack. All you need to do is scoop out part of an avocado with a spoon into a bowl or a mortar and then mix it together until there are no lumps and then add in your salt and after you're done mixing you can put it on your toast. Then you can add any of your favourite greens or leave it as is and make a poached egg and put it on top. Then voila you have your breakfast!
13. Soup
Soups are a great way to complement other starches such as breads, etc. My favourite types of soup are chicken noodle, chicken with wild rice, mushroom, clam chowder, or even chilli's. Soup is actually really easy to make all you need to do is boil a chicken or your favourite protein's bones and some of their meat in a pot of boiling water then add in all the vegetables that you would like to have in there then add in either quinoa, grains, pasta, or wild rice. Let it cook for about half an hour to an hour. Then when it comes close to being ready you can add in your favourite spices I like to use Himalayan Pink Salt to taste. The way I can tell if the soup is ready is based on whether or not certain vegetables such as carrots have softened. If you plan on adding greens such as spinach make sure to add them near to the end to make sure you don't lose all of the nutrients.
14. Salad
Many people find it very difficult to make a salad but it's actually really simple. All you need to do is figure out what type of greens you want to use whether it's spinach, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, baby kale, or arugula. Then you can figure out if you want a savoury or a sweet salad which can be determined based on your dressings be careful when choosing these as not all salad dressings are healthy. For me I'm not a huge fan of salad dressing so this is never a real problem for me but a lot of my friends like making their own vinaigrette's which you can easily find recipes for online. Then you need to figure out what type of protein you'd like whether it's nuts and seeds, meat, tofu, hard boiled eggs, etc. Then you can add your complementing layers such as avocado, berries, fruit, carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower, etc. The last touch is tossing it altogether then voila you have your very own salad then can change based on your mood, time of day, and season!
15. Frozen Grapes
These are super easy to make and a favourite among everyone especially during the summer time! All you have to do is put washed grapes into a ziplock bag into the freezer and after a few hours they are ready to be eaten. You can also put frozen grapes in your glass as an easy electrolyte drink but they also taste just like a mix between candy and a popsicle that's super easy to make and a healthy delicious treat!
16. Salmon Jerky
A perfect snack for on the go that provides you with lots of nutrition from protein for iron and magnesium! You can buy packs of salmon jerky at Costco and they come in small packets in three different flavours: regular, spicy, and hot, my favourite flavour is regular but the spicy and hot ones aren't too spicy so it's definitely not the end all be all if you have one of them either.
17. Smoothies
Smoothies are the perfect nutrition balancer for those who don't like fruits and vegetables. It's the best way to get your vitamins as well as your many minerals, fruits, and vegetables daily requirements. Some vegetables that are great to add into smoothies that you normally wouldn't eat but can't taste in a smoothie include spinach, kale, and carrots. As for fruit you can pretty much put in any fruit and then you can add in either protein powders or nut butter.