I have been looking at healthy snacks to make for the families lunch boxes. The boys I think are over muesli bars and the odd muffin, so I have a look through the cupboard to see what ingredients I had to make some fruit leathers, or in kid terms – ROLL UPS.  We always have Chia Seeds in the house as well as nuts and seeds, so I put my imagination to work and here is the my version of the humble fruit roll up.

3/4 cup dried cranberries or blueberries

1 1/2 cups banana chips

1 kilogram of berries, in this case I used strawberries

1 tablespoon of orange juice

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

1/3 cup chia seeds

Method

1. Place cranberries or blueberries into a bowl and cover with boiling water for 10 minutes to soften
2. Process banana chips until fine, transfer to a bowl
3. Cut the tops off the strawberries. Place drained cranberries, strawberries, maple syrup and orange juice into a process and blend until smooth.

Pour strawberry mix into a large frying pan,cook, stirring occasionally over a low heat until thick and sticky. Stir in the powdered banana and chia seeds.

Preheat oven to 100c/200F.Spread strawberry mix onto a lined baking tray and bake for 2 hours, turning every hour. After 2 hours, take out of the oven and turn onto another sheet of baking paper and place back into the oven for another 2 hours until the mixture is no longer sticky.

Once cool, cut into strips and place into a container – store in fridge or freezer