Eating healthy can be challenging when you are working eight or more hours a day. Having small nutritious snacks between meals helps boost your metabolism and makes you feel less lethargic. Plan ahead and prepare these 5 minute quick fixes. They are sure to satisfy those between meal cravings, besides being low on calories and healthy! Here are your quick fixes -

1. Roasted Chana Chaat:
Ingredients
• 1 cup Roasted chana
• ½ tspRed chili powder,
• ½ tspChaat masala,
• 1 Finely chopped onion,
• ½ tsp lemon juice.
• Salt to taste

Method- Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well. Take it as your 11 AM snack.

2. Lotus seed and flax mix
Ingredients
• 1 cup Lotus seeds (puffed)
• 1-2 tbspRoasted flax seeds
• Salt - to taste
• ½ tspRed chilli powder

Method - Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl, mix well and it's ready!

3. Healthy Milkshakes
These milkshakes are easy to make, get creative with fruits of your choice. Mix 2-3 fruits for added benefits.
Ingredients
• 200 ml Unsweetened soy milk
• 3 tbspAny pulpy fruit or a combination of fruits
• ½ to 1 tsp honey

Method- Put all ingredients in a mixer and blend until smooth and lump free. Pour into tall glasses and serve.

4. Variety Sprouts
Ingredients
1 cup of sprouted moth bean / green gram / black chana
Variation 1- Mix sprouts with a pinch of salt, sugar, ½ tsp red chilli powder and 1/4 tsp olive oil.
Variation 2- Mix sprouts with a pinch of salt, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tspamchur and lemon juice to taste
Variation 3- Mix sprouts with a pinch of salt, a pinch of garam masala, finely chopped green chillies and a pinch of sugar and lemon juice to taste.
(Grated raw mango can be added to the sprouts when in season)

5. Chapati rolls

 Have it with dry chutneys (groundnut/ sesame/ flax seeds/ pudina chutney/ etc) or with coriander/ pudina chutney and a little grated cheese.

6. Light Puffed Rice

Liven up your puffed rice/ dry unsweetened cornflakes/ poha by tossing with a little olive oil, salt, jeera powder , pepper, dry red chillies and roasted groundnuts)

7. Poha (washed and soaked in little water for 5 mins) can be mixed with curd, salt, chopped green chillies and a pinch of sugar for a variation in taste

8. Ragi malt:
Ingredients
• 1 cup ( 200 ml) of skimmed milk
• 2 tbspragi flour
• ½ tsp honey
• 1 tsp flaxseed and almond powder
• Cinnamon powder ( optional)
Method- Heatskimmed milk, to this addragi flour, honey, flaxseed and almond powder. Stir well on a low flame until mixture is smooth and lump free. Remove from heat. Sprinkle ½ tsp cinnamon powder over your malt and enjoy hot.

9. Pappad chaat:
Ingredients
• 2 pappads(masala or plain)
• 1 ripe tomato
• ½ an onion
• 1 small carrot
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves
• Lime juice( ½ a squeezed lime)
• 1-2 tbsp roasted groundnuts
• 2 tbspmurmura ( puffed rice)
• A few bits of raw mango ( when in season)
Method
1. Roast 2 plain or masala pappads and roughly crush.
2. Chop tomato, coriander leaves and onion.Grate carrot.
3. Combine pappad and vegetables together until well mixed.
4. Toss in roasted groundnuts and the murmura(puffed rice)
5. Sprinkle some lime juice over the top and serve garnished with coriander leaves.

10. Quick kababs:
Ingredients
• 4 cubes of low fat cheese(use a single cube cut into 4 equal sized pieces)
• 4 cubes of roasted/ boiled tofu(use a single cube cut into 4 equal sized pieces)
• 6 green grapes
• 4 dried dates/ apricots
• 4 Melon cubes ( Melon of your choice- watermelon/ muskmelon etc)

Method -Skewer ingredients alternately and serve.

11. Open faced sandwich
Ingredients
• 1 slice of whole wheat or multigrain bread
• 1 tsp mint chutney
• 1 tbsp crumbled low fat paneer/ 1 tbsp crumbled tofu/ ½ a slice of low fat cheese ( Roast/ boil the paneer / tofu before crumbling)
• 2 slices of tomato
• 1-2 Lettuce leaves
• 2 tbsp grated carrot
Method
Spread mint chutney on bread, over this place lettuce and tomato slices. Add the grated carrot and finally the paneer/ tofu/ cheese.

12. Stir fried broccoli and mushroom with chilli flakes
Ingredients
• 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
Method
1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, when it is hot, add broccoli and mushroom and stir fry until semi cooked, so that it remains crunchy. Add salt to taste.
2. Serve hot garnished with chilli flakes.

13. Vegetable and Oats tikkis
This is a good way to use left-over vegetables.

Ingredients
• 1 cup left over sabji
• 1 cup cooking oats ( blend for 20 seconds in mixer to get powder)
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1-2 chopped green chillies
• ½ tsp each of jeera, coriander, garam masala, chaat masala and chilli powder
• ½ - 1 tspamchur powder
• ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt to taste

Method
1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a broad non-stick pan.Add onions, ginger garlic paste and green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
2. Transfer the onions into a deep bowl, add sabji and mash lightly using a potato masher.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients; mix well with oats so it absorbs all the flavours.
4. Divide the mixture into equal portions and shape into flat round tikkis.
5. Use same tava in which you sautéed onions to cook each tikki on a slow flametill both sides are crisp and golden brown.
6. Serve hot with pudina chutney.

14. Watermelon and Citrus salad
Ingredients
• 1 cup of watermelon cubes
• 1 medium sized orange (peeled and divided into segments)
• 1 small musambi (peeled and divided into segments)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp basil leaves
• 1 tsp lemon/ lime juice
Method
Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and serve chilled.

15. Bread Pizzas
Ingredients
• 2 slices of brown or multigrain bread
• 2 tbsp grated low fat cheese/ paneer
• 1 small capsicum chopped finely
• ½ an onion chopped finely
• 1 tomato chopped finely
• ½ cup sweet corn kernels
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• Mixed herbs
• 1 tsp olive oil
Method
1. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan and sauté vegetables for2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Take bread and apply tomato puree. Over this spread sautéed vegetables evenly and sprinkle grated cheese and mixed herbs
3. Microwave or grill on non-stick pan for 2-3 minutes. Remove and serve hot.

16. Corn bhel
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped capsicum
• 1 cup boiled sweet corn kernels
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander (dhania)
• 2 tbspmurmura or baked sev
• a pinch sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
Method
1. Mix vegetables onions, capsicum, sweet corn kernels f2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Garnish with murmura or baked sev and serve hot.

17. Cucumber sticks
Ingredients
• 1 medium sized cucumber
For dip
• ½ cup crumbled low-fat paneer( boiled for 5 min or lightly roasted on a non sticktava)
• 2 tbsp skimmed curd
• 1 tbsp skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves
• 1/2 tsp green chilli and mint paste
• Salt to taste
Method
1. Peel and cut cucumber into half. Scoop out the seeds and cut each half into strips of equal size.
2. Blend ingredients for dip in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
3. Serve with cut cucumber sticks.

17. Celery Sticks
Ingredients
• 2 celery stalks (washed)
• 1 tsp organic peanut butter
• 6 raisins
Method- Cut the celery stalks in half. Spread with peanut butter. Sprinkle with raisins.

18. Apple Crunchies
Ingredients
• 1 large apple
• 1 tsp organic peanut butter
• 1-2 tbsp muesli
Method-Slice apple into quarters, apply peanut butter evenly to each slice and sprinkle muesli on top.

19. Creamy Biscuit Sandwiches
Ingredients
• 2 cream crackers
• 1 tbsp skimmeddahi
• 1 tsp mixed crushed nuts
Method-Scoop dahi onto one cracker and sprinkle nuts on top. Place second cracker on top to seal.

20. Dahi and Muesli shots
Ingredients
• 2 tsp skimmed dahi
• 2 tsp fruit pulp
• 1-2 tsp granola or muesli
• ½ tsp mixed nuts and dry fruit
• ½ tsp crushed dark chocolate bits (70-90% cocoa)
• 1 shot glass
Method- Place 1 tsp of dahi at the bottom of the shot glass. Top with fruit pulp and granola or muesli. Place second tsp of dahi on top of the granola and garnish with nuts, dry fruit and dark chocolate bits.