Health Promotion

Green Machine Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups organic spinach
1/2 ripened avocado
1 cup pineapple 🍍
1 inch piece of peeled and chopped ginger
1/2 cup mango
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon any seeds or nuts
Method:
Blend all the ingredients in a hi-powered blender for 1-2 minutes.
Enjoy!cool
Overnight Oats

Great source of fibre and a super energy boost that will keep you fuller for longer so you will be less likely to go in search of a sugary snack at 11's!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 cup of milk of your choice (dairy/almond/coconut)

3-4 tbsp cup of full fat Greek yogurt

1 tsp of chia seeds

Mixed berries

Tsp of honey/maple syrup

Method:

  1. Add oats, milk, chia seeds and honey to container and mix
  2. Refrigerate overnight.
  3. Mix again in the morning and add Greek yogurt and handful of berries
  4. Drizzle some honey on top for extra sweetness! tongue-out

Chocolate Overnight Oats

Cacao powder is a great source of magnesium which is essential for muscle and nerve function aswell as promoting bone and teeth health.

Ingredients:

One cup of oats

One cup of milk (of your choice: almond/coconut/dairy/goats)

1 dessert spoon of cacao powder

1 dessert spoon of honey

Handful of mixed seeds (pumpkin/sesame/chia/sunflower)

One chopped banana

Method:

  1. Put oats into glass jar and cover with milk
  2. Stir in cacao powder, honey and seeds
  3. Leave in fridge overnight
  4. In the morning mix in banana (Sneak a few chocolate chips on top! wink)

Enjoy! smile

Wholesome Brown Bread

Packed with fibre for a healthy digestive system!

Ingredients (Dry):

350g Wholemeal Flour

50g Plain White Flour

75g Porridge oats

50g Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons of baking powder

Pinch of salt

Ingredients (Wet):

350ml Buttermilk

1 Egg

Tbsp of olive oil

Method:

  1. Preheat oven 175 degrees
  2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl
  3. Whisk/beat wet ingredients to the dry ingredients
  4. Mix well with a wooden spoon until there is a nice soft, smooth consistency
  5. Line a 2lb loaf tin with grease proof paper & butter the sides and bottom
  6. Spread mixture in the tin evenly & sprinkle oat flakes on top
  7. Place in oven for 1 hour
  8. After 1 hour, remove from tin and turn upside down
  9. Place the bread upside down & back into the oven for 25 mins
  10. Take out of oven and place on wire cooling tray

Enjoy with a bowl of soup!smile

Healthy Snacking

Snack smart to boost your energy the right way!

Adolescence is a key window of brain development and what better way to help maintain brain health than by eating healthy snack foods during the busy school day. It's important to resist unhealthy, nutrient deprived snacks such as crisps, biscuits, pastries and doughnuts that are tempting us in every shop we enter. These types of snacks should only be occasional and not part of of our daily diet which can so easily develop and will only leave us feeling lethargic, unmotivated and irritable. Below are some ideas and recipes for nutritious snacks which include essential nutrients for brain health and nutrients that will help us stay energized and alert throughout the day. Be the best version of you by feeding your body with the nutrients it deserves! laughing

ON THE GO HANDY SNACKS

  • Fruit and nut trail mix
  • Oatcakes with hummus
  • Rice cakes with peanut butter and banana
  • Greek yogurt and berries
  • Avocado on rice cakes/oat cakes/wholegrain crackers
  • Dark chocolate
  • Red bell peppers and guacamole
  • Celery sticks or carrots sticks with cream cheese
  • Apple slices with peanut butter

Recipes

Oaty Flapjacks

These flapjacks are full of fibre and protein to keep hunger at bay, keeping you energised for hours. Great as lunchbox fillers!

Makes approx. 20 flapjacks.

Ingredients:

3 cupfuls of oats (approx 350g)

2 mashed bananas

6 tbsp of maple syrup

6 tbsp of almond butter or peanut butter

4 tbsp of coconut oil

One handful of raisins

One handful of chia seeds

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
  2. Put oats into mixing bowl
  3. Add mashed bananas, maple syrup, coconut oil and almond butter to saucepan and simmer until it turns to liquid.
  4. Pour liquid over oats and stir well until oats are covered
  5. Add raisins and chia seeds
  6. Grease baking tray, pour mix onto trap and tightly pack down by pressing firmly with spatula
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until it starts to brown on top
  8. Leave to cool, then cut into flapjacks
  9. Store in fridge in air tight container for up to 5 days.

* These are also delicious with a drizzle of dark chocolate on top!

Mr. O'Sullivan's Energy Bites

Almonds are rich in lots of good stuff like healthy fats, antioxidants and minerals so make the perfect mid-morning snack!

Ingredients:

1 cup of dates

1 cup of almonds

2 tbsp of coconut oil

2 tbsp cacao

1 tbsp chia seeds

5-6 drops of peppermint oil

Pinch of salt

Method:

  1. Soak dates in hot water for 5 minutes to soften.
  2. Put dates into food processor
  3. Add all other ingredients and mix until like a dough
  4. Roll the mixture into 8-10 individual balls
  5. Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Lemon Hummus

Chickpeas are jam packed with nutrients. They are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein so a welcome addition to your snack list!

Ingredients

200g cooked chickpeas

1 clove of garlic

2 tbsp of lemon juice

2 tbsp of tahini

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Pinch of salt

Method

  1. Pop all ingredients into blender and whizz until hummus is creamy and smooth. Add a little water if needed.
  2. Store the hummus in airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  3. Use as a dip with carrots/celery or crackers.
Doughiska Rd, Galway, Ireland
091 76 9000
Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board
Enquire
Location
© 2025 Merlin College