Healthy Office Drawer Snacks

I have a full-time desk job. This means on average I spend about 40 hours a week sitting in my office. It’s only natural to feel peckish while working, but how do you avoid overloading the system with empty calories?

To be an office-friendly snack, a snack would need to…

-          Have a long shelf-life (and not need refrigeration)

-          Be easy to eat (no messy spills, thank-you)

-          Not have excessively strong odors (yes I love sardines, but I don’t my colleagues would appreciate me delving into a smelly can mid-work!)

-          Be a healthy alternative (not necessarily diet food, but let’s not focus on chocolate and chips)

One of the easiest office snacks to create is a trail mix of your choice. I keep an airtight jar in my drawer, and currently it has the following mixed in:

-          Walnuts

-          Dried cranberries

-          Iranian dried mulberries

-          Shreds of coconut

The above is a no-cook mix, but if you like to spice things up you might like to try the below:

-          Take a mix of raw nuts (almonds, cashews and peanuts are great for this).

-          In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil. Add a tablespoon of sugar and let it caramelize to a golden brown. Add a teaspoon of chili flakes and a pinch of salt. Add the nuts and coat well.

And why not get your daily fruit does while you’re at the office? In an air-conditioned environment, a fruit basket can see you through the working week. Stock up on fruit you can munch on without the need of a chopping board (think bananas, apples, grapes, guavas, pears, plums and peaches).

If you must have a cookie with your afternoon tea or coffee, opt for a low sugar variety. I prefer McVities Light Digestive biscuits. They are tasty, have lower sugar content, and are high in fiber too. Not bad for a cookie!

 

As for drinks I make water my drink of choice, and try to complete most of my ‘8 glasses a day’ quota at work. More water intake also means I make more trips to the loo! This is a good thing as it makes me get up from the desk and gives me a short break to stretch my limbs. Many a day, it’s easy to get bogged down by work and not move an inch till home-time! I keep caffeinated drinks to a maximum of 3 per day, and my drink of choice is green tea (might as well delve in some goodness wherever possible!). My current favorite is the Lipton Green Tea with Mint.

-          Big Sis.