February 2020 is National Snack Food Month!
Snacks are generally a small portion of food meant to be eaten between meals to fend off hunger.
What are the benefits of snacking?
- Reduces Stress
- Alleviates boredom
- Improves mental focus
- Increases productivity
- Elevates mood
- Increased retention
- Prevents overeating at mealtime
What are some examples of healthy snacks?
Although, “snack” is generally associated with unhealthy junk food, there are healthier options for an in-between meal morsel:
- Mixed nuts: They could reduce the risk of heart disease and may help elevate your mood when you’re depressed.
- Plain Greek yogurt and mixed berries: This duo is a great source of calcium, potassium and antioxidants.
- Apple slices with peanut butter: This combination is high in fiber and may help reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Cottage cheese with fruit: This snack is filling, high in protein and can satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth.
- Celery sticks with cream cheese: This low carb snack might reduce inflammation and help prevent cancer.
- Dark chocolate: This snack is high in magnesium, might lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Fruit: Bananas, apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit or oranges are full of vitamins, nutrients and they’re extremely travel friendly.
- Hard-boiled eggs: A great source of protein, vitamins K2. Snacking on hard-boiled eggs may also help you lose weight.
- Baby carrots: This vegetable snack is a great source of beta carotene, which your body can convert into vitamin A and help reduce your risk of
- Cheese: A two-ounce (60-gram) serving of cheese is high in saturated fats and provides you with about 14 grams of protein and 200 calories.
What’s a recipe for a healthy snack I can make myself?
Hocking College’s Food Service Manager, Janet Smith, recommends the following recipe for a snack she calls “Puppy Chow:”
Puppy Chow Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 2oz box of Crispix Cereal
- 1 Cup Peanut Butter (creamy)
- 2 lb. bag of Powdered Sugar
- 1 bag chocolate chips (12 oz.)
Directions
Melt over low heat: butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter. In a large bowl add the cereal. Pour the melted mixture over your cereal and mix thoroughly. In a larger paper bag or bowl add the powdered sugar and coat the mix or shake it in a paper bag. Let it cool in a single layer on a cookie sheet. You can add more powder sugar if you like. Store in zip lock bags.
You can also add plain M&M’s and small pretzel’s if you like
How can I turn my love of cooking into a career?
If you enjoy cooking and want to become a culinary arts professional then perhaps you should consider enrolling in Hocking College’s Culinary Arts program.
What skills will I learn?
Students who enroll in Hocking College’s Culinary Arts program will learn the following essential skills:
- How to manage a modern state-of-the-art kitchen
- Baking and pastry production
- Classic cooking techniques like how to roast, broil, bake and sauté
- How to create classic sauces and stocks
- Operation, maintenance and sanitation of kitchen-based tools and equipment
- How to use recipes, production and function sheets
- Purchasing techniques
- How to develop a menu
- Inventory control, food storage and labor cost control techniques
- Proper uniform protocol
- How kitchen hierarchy is structured.
To find out more about how Hocking College’s Culinary Arts program can change your life visit the program's website, or contact Culinary Arts Program Manager Susanna Krutsch via email at krutschs@hocking.edu or by phone a 740-753-7608.