Our top 6 Healthy Office Snacks

Having healthy snacks in your office can sometimes be challenging. At Green Earth Organics we are very lucky to have access to so many healthy and delicious snacks through the day. That is why we've made a list of our Top 6 Healthy Office Snacks! Enjoy!


1. Oranges -
Smooth, thin skin encases sweet, juicy fruit with a deliciously tart taste. Cut in small wedges and sink your teeth into the tender, silky flesh.






2. Apples -
Apples have a high antioxidant concentration. Antioxidants are disease-fighting compounds. Scientists believe these compounds help prevent and repair oxidation damage that happens during normal cell activity.







3. Bananas -
The banana is an anytime, year-round snack. Slice them onto cereal or fold into a fruit salad.






4. Dried Fruit -
Dried fruit has a long tradition and is a great snack that will boost your energy levels with its sweet taste, nutritive value, and long shelf life.

5. Crackers and cheese -
Cheese and crackers can provide a source of healthy carbohydrates and protein that will get you going till the end of the day.












6. Granola Bars -
Instead of a loose, breakfast cereal consistency, granola bars are pressed and baked into a bar shape, resulting in the production of a more convenient snack. Nature’s Path has delicious flavours that will melt in your mouth.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from PBS Kids

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a hand or stand mixer, mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla on low speed until well combined.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough 1 1/2-inches apart onto the baking sheet. If you don't have a cookie scoop, drop the dough with a spoon.

Flatten the dough balls the tines of a fork, making a cross pattern on the cookies.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until they are golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to rest on the counter for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

In honour of St. Patrick's Day, a healthy and sweet cookie treat.

Adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients



1/2 cup butter  
3/4 cup white sugar  
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda  
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup granola 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the egg and vanilla, mix well, then stir in the shredded zucchini. Sift together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon, stir into the zucchini mixture. Finally, stir in the oats, granola and chocolate chips. 

Drop dough from a teaspoon onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Leave at least 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies will stay soft and moist because of the zucchini.

Shredded Wheat Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 3/4 cups Kashi Organic Bite Size Whole Wheat Cereal
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

Special equipment: food processor

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a large baking sheet or two.

Combine the shredded wheat and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips in the food processor. Blend until finely ground.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the shredded wheat mixture. Add the remaining chocolate chips. 

Drop by flat tablespoons onto the lightly greased baking sheets and pop them into the oven.

Check them after 8 minutes or so. Depending on the pan you use, they could be done or it could take as much as 12-15 minutes.

Pull them out when the edges are slightly browned and the middle looks soft and squishy, but isn't doughy.

Make sure you cool them completely before packing in an airtight container.

Crisp Cornmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
Optional: 1/2 cup raisins, dried currants, or dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamy. Add egg and vanilla or almond extract and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, stirring to combine thoroughly. Stir in the optional raisins or other dried fruit.

Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Form the dough into one-inch balls and flatten each one with a fork. Place one inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Gluten-free Maple Spice Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 1/3 cups gluten-free flour mix
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup demerara sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark maple syrup
1 Tbsp unsulphured molasses
Additional demerara sugar and cinnamon, for rolling the cookies in

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour mix, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, and ginger until well-blended. The mixture should feel light.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and molasses. Mix until combined, about 30 seconds.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix until just combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape the bowl once.

In a saucer or small bowl, combine the extra demerara sugar and cinnamon in a ratio of about one tablespoon of sugar to one teaspoon of cinnmon.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture before placing directly on an ungreased baking sheet (they won't puff up right on parchment paper). Space the cookies about 2-inches apart. Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for 20 minutes prior to baking.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. The cookies will not look completely done, but they will firm up as they cool. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. If you need to reuse a cookie sheet for remaining dough, allow it to chill in the refrigerator first.

Gluten-free Chocolate Pecan Drop Cookies

INGREDIENTS

Slightly heaping 3/4 cup Earth Balance whipped buttery spread (softened)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups gluten-free baking flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups crushed pecans (or walnuts)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together Earth Balance spread, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy. Add in gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well combined. Stir in the nuts.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes and then let cool on a wire rack.

Flourless Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a medium-sized bowl and knead by hand to blend thoroughly. Knead in the chocolate chips.

For puffier cookies, place the dough in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before proceeding.

Form the dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They will look barely done or slightly undercooked. They can burn very quickly, so watch them closely towards the end of the cooking time. Cool on a wire rack.

Yields about 24 cookies.

Sunny Banana Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 very ripe medium bananas
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Peel the bananas and mash them in a large bowl for an electric mixer. And the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined.

Add flour and baking soda half at a time, beating to incorporate. Fold in the sunflower seeds and chocolate chips.

Refrigerate cookie dough for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scoop cookie dough by the teaspoon. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets (or cover the baking sheets in parchment paper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until edges are lightly golden.

Bird's Nest Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
Pinch sea salt
1/2 cup of your favourite nut (suggestions: almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.)
1/2 cup of your favourite jam

DIRECTIONS

Cream together butter and sugar at high speed. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix in. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined; don't over mix. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. If your nuts are raw, toast them to bring out the flavour: Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes (about 15 minutes for hazelnuts), until light golden-brown and fragrant. Let cool completely, then process in a food processor until finely chopped, or chop them by hand.

Whisk egg white until bubbly and frothy. Roll the chilled dough into about 1 inch balls. Dip each ball into the egg white then roll it in the chopped nuts. Place on a cookie sheet and press down gently with your thumb to flatten the cookie slightly and make a shallow well. Fill the indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, until slightly brown.

The jam will tend to soften the cookie after a couple of days. To keep them longer or make them easier to freeze, bake them without the jam (reduce the baking time by a few minutes), then just fill the cookies with jam the same day as serving.

Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries
1/2 cup white sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).

Combine the strawberries with 1/4 cup white sugar in a medium bowl. Toss gently to blend, and set aside.

Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and rolled oats in a large bowl, blend well and set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and remaining white sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla, and continue beating until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. When batter is well blended, hand stir in the strawberries.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets and bake in preheated oven until slightly brown, about 8 minutes. Cool on baking sheets.

Blueberry Lemon Drop Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1/4 lb) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
Icing sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Beat butter until creamy with an electric mixer. Gradually add sugar, beating until smoothly blended, then beat in lemon peel and egg.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, alternating by gradually adding milk, blending thoroughly. Gently stir in the blueberries.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then sift icing sugar lightly over tops.

Persimmon Holiday Cookies

INGREDIENTS

3 hachiya or fuyu persimmons, very ripe & mushy
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped
6 oz chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a food processor or mixer thoroughly process the persimmon pulp, baking soda, sugar, and butter until well blended and creamy. Add the whole egg, beat well.

In another bowl, sift flour with spices. Add the nuts and dates, blending by hand. Add the processed pulp and mix well.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Space mounds 1" apart (they remain mounded and do not spread much when baked).

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on racks.

Melt chocolate chips in a plastic squeeze bottle that is placed in hot water. When melted, drizzle the chocolate over the cookies or dip one half of each cookie into melted chocolate.