Healthy Homemade Sesame Snaps
Healthy homemade sesame snaps are the perfect treat or snack for anyone who lived through the 90s. Did you eat sesame snaps as a kid? They were one of my favourite treats for sure, but the sugar they use in those is awful so I had to create my own version. I particularly love this snack for pregnant mamas because sesame seeds are one of the best plant-based sources of calcium. Our growing babies need lots of calcium to support bone growth.
Every mama-to-be wants the best for their growing baby, but sometimes it is hard to find reliable information on holistic and natural pregnancy practices. In my book Healthy Holistic Pregnancy, I talk about the nutrients, like calcium, that are the most important for each trimester of pregnancy. My book also contains:
- Natural solutions to 27 common pregnancy symptoms
- Superfoods and supplements you may want to avoid when pregnant
- 15 pregnancy-friendly recipes for the first trimester and beyond
- Key pregnancy nutrients and supplements for each trimester
- Benefits of yoga when pregnant and which poses to modify
- Essential oils safety and DIY skincare recipes
Buy my book in digital or print here.
Health benefits of sesame seeds
Sesame seeds are tiny little nutrient-packed seeds that you don’t want to miss out on. Sesame seeds are full of essential minerals like copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, molybdenum, and selenium.
- Calcium found in sesame seeds is a bone builder, which will help your baby’s bones and teeth form, aid in your baby’s muscle and heart function, blood clotting, and nerve transmission.
- When you are pregnant your blood volume increases by 50%, so the demand for iron goes up by 50%. The iron found in sesame seeds is an extremely important nutrient during pregnancy because it is needed to build you and your baby’s blood cells. Iron also helps keep your energy levels high and helps keep your immune system strong.
- Zinc is important for pregnancy because it helps maintain the structural integrity of proteins and help regulate gene expression, which is so important when you are pregnant because baby’s cells are growing really quickly.
Healthy Homemade Sesame Snaps
(vegan, gluten-free, nut-free)
Recipe created by Jenn Parsons, for one of my cookbooks that hasn’t been published yet!
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 4-5 hours | Serving Size: 8
Ingredients:
- 5 bananas
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Pinch of salt
- 4 cups sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Directions:
- Blend bananas, maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger and salt in blender or food processor until smooth.
- Add the sesame seeds and coconut and stir until mixed.
- In a dehydrator: Spread out the homemade sesame snap mixture on dehydrator trays until it is about 1/2 – 1 cm thick. Score with a knife or pizza cutter before drying. Dehydrate for 5 hours then flip them (carefully) and dehydrate until they are crispy.
- In the oven: Set the oven as low as it will go, 175 F. Spread mixture on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 1-2 hours, flip onto another baking sheet and bake for another 1-2 hours or until the sesame snacks are crispy and dehydrated. Score with a knife and serve