Nutritious bug snack : The cricket’s muesli

Now that you’re convinced that insects have their place in a healthy diet, I share with you a nutritious snack that could be perfect for a break during a hard and intensive working day. It’s easily and quickly prepared, delicious and full of crickets, vitamins and nutrients. Here is the NBS (Nutritious Bug Snack) : The cricket’s muesli with cottage cheese. I hop’ you will like it!

Last month during, after an intensive morning’s workout and more than 2 long hours of studying biochemistry, I chose to make a break for 30 minutes. It was about 4 P.M, the lunch was already forgotten and the dinner seems to be so far away, I needed to refill my batteries and my belly, so I decided to eat something.

As there were some crickets left, I tried a cricket’s muesli, full of vitamins and minerals, and well balanced in nutrients (40/40/20). Even if the recipe is very simple, I liked the result!

It was full of different colors with the golden fried crickets, the yellow banana, the white cream cheese and the dark chocolate. I also liked the difference of temperature and texture between the cold and smooth cottage cheese and the warm and crunchy crickets. That was necessary for warming my heart and refreshing my mind!

Nutritional informations

Preparation time : 5 min
Cooking time : 7 min
Nutritional values : 520kCal (Protein : 40gr,Fat : 20gr,Carbohydrates : 45gr)
Vitamins and minerals (% of daily intake) : Calcium : 25%; Magnesium : 40%; Iron : 50 %; Vitamin B12 : 100%

The carbs available in this meal are all low GI-carbs (glycemic index). The sugar will be digested slowly into the body and it will avoid a “roller-coaster” blood sugar level.

The proteins are essential in order to build some muscle, but also to stay lean and to provide satiety. In this meal, you will find some insect’s proteins and casein coming from the cottage cheese, which will give a long and durable flow of all the essential amino acids.

It’s also rich in fibers with the presence of the banana,the dark chocolate, the oat and the chitin of the cricket. Even if the fibers are not digested, they are very useful.They will help your digestion and also control your blood sugar level.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and is found in majority in the bones. It is involved in the bone rigidity and also in the muscular contraction. You will find an interesting amount of calcium in the cottage cheese and the crickets.

Magnesium is one of the most important nutrient and has a lot of different functions. It is used for the energy production and proteins synthesis. It also has a relaxant role. A lot of magnesium is lost during effort and this snack is here for refilling your stocks! Another good point, the B6 vitamin found in the banana will interact with the magnesium and will increase its absorption.

Crickets are an excellent source of B12 vitamin, which is typically the vitamin coming from animal source. 50 grams of crickets in a healthy diet is enough for covering your daily intake.

Finally, this snack is also rich in iron, which is another important mineral found in blood. In theory, it contains about 50% of your daily intake,but this large amount of iron will not be totally absorbed. The iron comes from non-heminic source and the chocolate and the oats contain some phytic and oxalic acids which will lower its absorption.

If you’re not so hungry or if you think that it is too much for a snack, you can lower the quantities of dark chocolate, oats and cottage cheese, but don’t touch the crickets!

Ingredients

• 200 grams of cottage cheese
• 50 grams of fresh crickets (or 15 grams of dried crickets)
• 1 banana
• 20 grams of rolled oats
• 30 grams of dark chocolate (85%)
• A pinch of coco powder
• Cinnamon powder

Directions

In a hot and greased pan at medium fire, fry gently your crickets for about 7 min. At the end, add some cinnamon and toss to coat.

Break the chocolate and the banana into pieces.

In a bowl, add and mix all the ingredients and finish with sparkling the crickets and the coconut powder.

“Bon appétit”!

Ready for working again!

Now it’s time to get back to work, take care and see you soon!

Florian